Lamar Team Report

GETTING INSIDE

SLC attendance leader Lamar faces a potentially bumpy transition this season if a group of players unaccustomed to starring roles aren’t ready to handle the responsibility.

Lamar coach Steve Roccaforte wanted to push the tempo last season but couldn’t when a rash of injuries began subtracting needed personnel.

That the Cardinals became a 30 second-per-possession team with athletic director and former coach Billy Tubbs in the stands—he of the offense-above-all philosophy—was odd.

Roccaforte, a former Tubbs assistant, plans to get back to their roots this season, but his roster is full of question marks. Lamar’s top three scorers were seniors last year.

Forward Ashton Hall, who averaged 8.8 points per game, is the top returnee in that category.

In 2007-2008, forward Justin Neighbors averaged 12 points, but missed last season because of a broken kneecap and right elbow. Center-forward Lawrence Nwevo (6-8, 250) is making a comeback after knee problems scrapped last season.

Lamar will have its tallest roster in team history, with no player under six feet. Both guards were 5-9 or shorter the last two years. Sophomore point Anthony Miles is 6-1 and true freshman guard Jon Garza is 6-0.

Roccaforte is building the old-fashioned way with prep newcomers over junior college transfers, of which there are three on the roster. If Lamar contends, it’ll be quite the coaching orchestration.

NOTES, QUOTES

• Lamar led the SLC in attendance (3,673 per game) for the eighth consecutive season. Stephen F. Austin (3,140) was second and no one else topped 1,600 a game.

• Last season, Lamar rolled to a 10-4 start that included a home victory over Texas Tech and a win at Rice. The Cardinals then finished 5-11.

• Lamar’s overall scoring dipped from 81.5 points per game in 2007-2008 to 73.3 last season. In a season-ending loss to Nicholls State, the Cardinals scored 36 points.

Last Year:   15-15 overall, 6-10, sixth in the SLC West.

Head Coach:   Steve Roccaforte (career 49-43); fourth year, all at Lamar.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Scouting The Newcomers:   F Stanford Brown, a 6-9 true freshman from Chicago, was among all five starters at his high school to sign with a D-I program. He’ll step in now and perhaps start. Freshman SG Jon Garza (Pflugerville, Tex.) could start sooner than later.

Key Early-season Games:   At Middle Tennessee, Texas Tech, Ohio, Marshall, Denver and Hawaii; home vs. Rice, Tulane and Arkansas State. The Cardinals open SLC play Jan. 9 at SE Louisiana.

Program Direction:   Lamar deserves credit for finishing .500 last season despite its second-half fishtail. Not making the league tournament was a temporary blow the program. Roccaforte’s team won’t take it for granted, even though it’s a modest goal. It could be a similar season, but one that lays a foundation for reestablishing the program.

Probable Starting Lineup:   G Anthony Miles, G-F Charlie Harper, F Ashton Hall, F Justin Nabors, C/F Lawrence Nwevo.

Roster Report:  

• Lamar didn’t redshirt any players last season and could see some payoff this season with guards Anthony Miles and Charlie Harper. Both played extensive minutes as true freshmen and should start.

• Three junior-college transfers signed, G Reggie Mathis of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, and guards E.B. Davis and Kendrick Harris of Los Angeles Southwest.

• Lamar will go big off the bench with junior Coy Custer (6-11, 260) and freshman Osas Ebomwonyi (6-10, 220), if the latter does not redshirt. Freshmen Stanford Brown and Justin Wesley are both 6-9.