Basketballpreview

presents

in cooperation with the Uta basketball teams,

stories of the basketball teams’ last full season playing on the texas hall stage.

the Fall 2010 basketball preView

FEATURING

scott crossAs the hopeful men’s coach

rebuilding a team. PAGE 5

tamara simmonsAND

shalyn martin

MOVIN’ MAVSTHE

As the wheelchair basketball team set to

avenge its rivals.PAGE 8

the final act

as the domineering seniors ready for a

championship.PAGE 7

The Shorthorn: Thea Blesener

Page 2 Wednesday, November 10, 2010The ShorThorn BasketBall Preview

ADMIT ONE

TEXAS HALL HISTORY

Looking Back What sits at 701 S. Nedderman Drive was

completed in October 1965 and was called the Arlington State College Multipurpose Audito-rium before later changing its name to Texas Hall in 1968.

President Emeritus Jack Woolf served as president of then Arlington State College.

“We needed an auditorium and a place to play basketball. So we asked our architect to appease both purposes,” he said.

Before Texas Hall, Woolf said the teams used a building where the Chemistry and Physics Building currently sits, and said that moving into Texas Hall was a huge step above from what they had before.

“It was not even regulation size — the locker rooms were horrible,” he said. “The court was three-fourth size [of a court]. Texas Hall was doggone nice compared to what else we had.”

Having a dedicated arena for UTA has been long in the works for the school. The univer-sity presidents before current president James Spaniolo tried to get funding for a new venue but were unable to do so, Woolf said.

“Dr. Nedderman tried but he failed to get the funding,” he said. “I’d rather congratulate President Spaniolo for getting it together. I don’t know how he did it, but he did.”

Alumnus Ralph McPherson played for the Mavericks basketball team from 1980-82 and led the team in points during those seasons.

“I was very comfortable playing at the very unique design that is Texas Hall,” he said. “It was like playing in my backyard.”

With its court on the stage, McPherson said playing at Texas Hall gave the Mavericks home-court advantage.

“With any sport, a lot of it is physical and a lot of it is mental,” he said. “When other teams came into Texas Hall, you could read their body language say, ‘Oh man, what kind of place is this

to play basketball?’” In 1979, McPherson was shown plans for

a facility that was going to replace Texas Hall. And 30 years later, they finally got around to it, he said.

“There’s memories at Texas Hall, but with the top-of-the-line facilities, it’s time to start new traditions,” he said. “I know it’ll definitely help recruiting.”

Bob “Snake” LeGrand was the Mavericks assistant coach from 1975-76 before taking over as the head coach from 1976-87. He said that despite his recruiting struggles, players get used to playing on a stage.

“It was unique, but it was hard to recruit for that thing,” he said, referring to Texas Hall. “You try to tell players that it’s a unique place and good for home-court advantage.”

“Contrary to popular belief, no one ever fell off the stage,” he added.

Like McPherson, LeGrand was shown plans for the new facility, complete with artist’s rendi-tions, and said he would put the renditions on cards and send them out to potential players to try and recruit them to UTA.

“Back then, they said they’re building a new place,” he said. “I bet that guy’s still waiting out there with a shovel. Somewhere around the south 40 parking lot.”

While LeGrand was told that they just weren’t able to get the funding, he said they used their best efforts to make Texas Hall more attractive.

“We had some good times in there, though,” he said. “I know that through the years, they probably put on 47 coats of paint. They certainly tried to make it better.”

Willie Brand played guard for the Mavericks from 1987-91, and whose .437 career 3-point percentage is the second-best in school history, said he remembers the first time he walked in Texas Hall.

“I thought it was very — interesting,” he said

with a laugh. “I was disappointed to a certain extent. Just the atmosphere wasn’t the normal arena setting.”

With the opening of the new venue finally set for next winter, Brand said the College Park Center is an overdue project that has been a long time coming.

“It’s going to be a major benefit for the city of Arlington as well as the university,” he said. “They’re going to have all kinds of events.”

The Final Act and Looking Ahead For forward Brandon Edwards, this is his

first season with the men’s basketball team. The freshman will soon experience the auditorium in an in-game situation and said he was surprised when he first stepped foot onto the court.

“It kind of threw me off a little bit,” he said. “But now that we’ve practiced on it a little bit and I got the feel, it feels good.”

As the team makes the transition next year to College Park Center, he said he’s looking forward to getting into the new arena and putting its footprint on the court to see the effects that it will have on the team.

“I think since it’ll be a new crowd, we’ll play better. It’s our new home, and we’ve got to rep-resent it,” he said.

With two practice courts, weight rooms and locker rooms among other features, the College Park Center’s amenities will shift the focus from Texas Hall, an auditorium that held sporting events, to a dedicated sports arena that also holds events.

The novelty of Texas Hall being the home for many UTA sports has gained some national at-tention recently as well. In 2008 when the men’s team traveled to play in the NCAA Tournament, commentators even noted the unique stage that UTA plays on.

Sports Illustrated recognized the unorthodox

court as one of college basketball’s best places to view a game.

Sophomore guard Rivest Aduku said he had to explain the court to people who ask him about playing there.

“I told people that it’s pretty much a stage converted into a basketball gym with bleachers on the other end — pretty much like the back-stage of the show is the bleachers,” he said.

Aduku watched many games at Texas Hall before he was on the team this year and said he’d taken note of the tradition that came from play-ing on the court and said he sees it moving with them next year at College Park Center.

“I actually watched a lot of games last year while not being on the team, so I get the feeling of it,” he said. “But it’s also cool to play in a brand new facility and we’re going to be the first people to play in there so it’s special.”

For senior Mavericks like women’s guard Ta-mara Simmons, Texas Hall’s final season will be their last season as well. Over Simmons’ career as a shooting guard, she’s seen first-hand how much of an effect the stage has had on not only her teammates, but opponents that step on the court as well.

“We’re used to playing here,” she said. “When other teams come here, they’re scared that they’re going to fall off the stage or how far to go where as we do. So for us, we’re comfortable, we’re fine, we can come out here and perform and it might be different for them and take them longer to adjust.”

Because it’s her and every other Mavericks’ last year in the auditorium, she thinks the teams should take it one day at a time and go out with a bang.

“You don’t want to leave it as bad memories here or leave it as a loss for your last season,” he said. “So just get out there and take care of busi-ness and take care of our home floor — because this is the original home court.”

The Closing Curtain

Texas Hall will be remembered as a unique venue by alumni and current students alike.

Student Publications: Wade Gates

Former guard Jeff Stewart turns on the afterburners to try and beat a McNeese State Cowboy to a loose ball in a 1981 game at Texas Hall. The mens basketball team has played in Texas Hall since 1965 and will move to the College Park Center when it’s completed next December.

STORY BY BRYAN BASTIBLE AND ANDREW PLOCk

After 45 years and more than a thousand games played at Texas Hall, UTA athletes will

perform one last full season in the auditorium before the stage is set for a new act in a new venue.

For over four decades, Texas Hall has been a significant piece of the UTA athletics puzzle. From vol-leyball to basketball to the Movin’ Mavs, the unique arena has been the central hub for many athletic events. With the completion of the new Col-lege Park Center set for next winter, the venue will change gears from sports arena to solely a performing arts center. As its final full season approaches, past alumni and future players take a look at ‘the court on a stage.’

Wednesday, November 10, 2010 Page 3THE SHORTHORN BASKETBALL PREVIEW

COLLEGE PARK CENTER

Set to open December 2011

TEXAS HALL

October 1965

3,309 (600 bleachers, 1,357 lower level, 1,352 balcony)

76,000

• Arlington State College Multipurpose Auditorium

(1965-1968)• Texas Hall (1968-present)

Year Opened

Seating Capacity

Square Footage

Previous Names

VS.

THE GAMES IN THE HALL

MENS BASKETBALL WOMENS BASKETBALL

1965Dec. 1, 1965: First game in Texas Hall Texas A&M-Commerce 67, UTA 61

100th win: Nov. 6, 1971 UTA 95, South Dakota State 81

200th win: Feb. 21, 1981 UTA 93, La.-Lafayette 83

300th win: Jan. 2, 1991 UTA 108, Nicholls 84

400th win: Dec. 19, 1998 UTA 87, Air Force 78

500th win: Dec. 22, 2005 UTA 87, UT-Tyler 72

SLC Tournament title: 2008NCAA Tournament berth: 2008

100th win: Nov. 13, 1979 UTA 64, Texas Woman’s 50

200th win: Feb. 2, 1987 UTA 64, Texas Wesleyan 51

300th win: Feb. 15, 1996 UTA 73, Nicholls State 55

400th win: Feb. 6, 2003 UTA 69, Stephen F. Austin 61

500th win: Jan. 31, 2008 UTA 97, Sam Houston State 53



First NCAA win: Feb. 12, 1973 UTA 36, North Texas 20

2010

THE VENUES

6,500

218,000

• Special Events Center (2009-10)

• College Park Center (2010-present)

Source: uta.edu


Former Maverick basketball coach Bob “Snake” LeGrand is dissatisfied with a decision on the court. LeGrand was known for his on-court vigor and animated personality.

Source: UTA Sports Information


Julie Coleman squares up to play defense during a game in 1982. Coleman scored 504 points that season and ranks sixth on the UTA all-time scoring list.

Student Publications: Craig Fujii

Jimmy Strader maneuvers for the shot in an archived photo of the Freewheelers. The Free-wheelers became a recognized intercollegiate program in 1988 and changed their name to the Movin’ Mavs.

Courtesy: Texas Hall Courtesy:

UTA

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By Josh BoweThe Shorthorn staff

On the east side of UTA’s campus, construc-tion is underway on the men’s basketball team’s future home — the College Park

Center.On the west side of that construction site, Texas

Hall will house another construction project of its own. This one isn’t a mess of rocks, dirt and equip-ment, and there aren’t any workers with hard hats. Just 14 players and five coaches constructing a new basketball team.

The Mavericks lost the entire starting lineup because of graduation last year. With only five players left from last year’s roster, a new group will be formed to replace them.

“It’s going to have to be production by commit-tee,” head coach Scott Cross said. “But I really like this group.”

Among the returning players, junior forward LaMarcus Reed played the most last year. He was a starter early in the year before injuring his hand . He missed a month, and his starting spot was lost in his absence.

Reed and Cross now expect him to take control of the team.

“Since I’ve been here the longest, I feel like it is my team,” Reed said. “I try to lead the guys by example, mostly.”

Not only will Reed be asked to step up his game on the court, but he’ll be the elder statesman of the team and incorporate the new freshman class. Six freshmen are on the Maverick roster along with four new transfers. Cross said Reed showed his work ethic and leadership during an off-season workout earlier this year.

“At six in the morning we had boot camp,” Cross said. “We have one in the morning and then another one in the afternoon. I left the MAC after working out after the first one. I saw him walking to his car and asked him what he was doing. He said he just put up 1,000 jump shots.”

Reed will need to lead a group of newcomers that will be thrown into the fray early this season. Cross expects a majority of the new players to step into their roles right away. Junior forward Bo In-gram, who transferred out of South Plains College in Levelland, is one of those players.

Cross said he wants him to be one of the start-ing forwards and hopes he can stretch other teams’ big men away from the basket with his shooting range. Ingram shot 37 percent on 3-pointers last

year.“He can shoot the ball as well as anyone on our

team,” Cross said. “That’s going to open up things for the rest of us.”

Ingram understands that at 6 feet 5 inches, he’ll have to play against taller competition. He said he welcomes the challenge.

“I’m strong enough but there are going to be some post men where their coaches will tell them to get in my head,” Ingram said. “I’ve just got to work on my strength during the season.”

Another newcomer expected to contribute right away is freshman guard Darius Richard-son. Richardson hails from Bush High School in Fort Bend. He led his team to the Class 5A State Championship last season, and was named most valuable player of the 2010 Texas 5A state cham-pionship game.

When in high school he had to do a lot – score, rebound and defend. But at UTA he said he will be contributing a lot more defensively while his offense adjusts to the college level.

“I can contribute on defense and then when-ever they need me for offense,” he said.

While Maverick fans will have to get used to new faces, they’ll also have to get used to a new

New Mavericks expectto ride in with guns blazing

A roster filled with new players will be challenged this season as they prepare to play Texas Hall out with a bang.

THE CAST

men continues on page 10

15 Ryan BRuceFreshman guard | 6-2Pregame ritual: I listen to the same playlists that usually have country and rap.Player he tries to emulate: I try to play like Steve Nash.most embarrassing moment: I got dunked on real bad in high school.

24 BRyant SmithFreshman guard | 6-1Pregame ritual: Eat two peanut but-ter and jelly sandwiches Player he tries to emulate: Rajon Rondomost embarrassing moment: I thought I was fouled out and walked to the bench. All I heard were people screaming to me saying get back in. Finally I screamed “I’m fouled out,” and my coach said “no, that’s four.”

1 Bo ingRamJunior forward | 6-5Pregame ritual: I meditate and not really have my mind on the game but maybe something that will motivate me, like my mother.Player he tries to emulate: Kobe. Just his work ethic off the court and on the court.most embarrassing moment: Nothing really specific. Basketball has mis-takes, you’re not perfect. If you get dunked on, just keep playing.

12 Shaq WhiteFreshman guard | 5-9Pregame ritual: I just pray that no one will get hurt on the court.Player he tries to emulate: Chris Paul. He’s good, but he’s also a great leader.most embarrassing moment: A cham-pionship game in high school. We were down one and I had two free throws and I missed the first one. My mom ran under the goal and she started talking out loud and telling me if I didn’t make it she wasn’t cooking for me.

31 LamaRcuS Reed iiiJunior forward | 6-5Pregame ritual: I like to take a shower and a quick nap right after we have our pregame meal. I also try to be the first player dressed and on the court ready to shoot.Player he tries to emulate: Kevin Du-rant and Paul Piercemost embarrassing moment: Last sea-son I was held to goose eggs across the board in the SLC tournament.

35 BRandon edWaRdSFreshman forward | 6-6Pregame ritual: I visualize and listen to the playlist I created on my iPod, which consists of gospel, R&B, hip-hop and rap.Player he tries to emulate: Kevin Durantmost embarrassing moment: When I sprinted down the court for a block and I got ready to jump for it and I slipped and fell.

10 BRadLey gayJunior guard | 6-4Pregame ritual: I always have to listen to my playlist called “game mix” on my iPod.Player he tries to emulate: My broth-er, Brandon Gay. most embarrassing moment: At the Great American Shootout in Denton in 2007, I was dribbling the ball up the court and I thought my teammates were to my left. I passed the ball, and the ball when straight into the stands.

2 daRiuS RichaRdSonFreshman guard | 6-4Pregame ritual: I pray at least four or five times.Player he tries to emulate: Probably Brandon Roy and Joe Johnson. They make it look so easy.most embarrassing moment: I did a crossover and went into the lane and I wanted to drop the ball off to my teammate. I ended up throwing it straight to the ref.

25 cameRon catLettSophomore guard | 6-3Pregame ritual: Get mentally pre-pared by visualizing the good things I want to happen in the gamePlayer he tries to emulate: Chris Paulmost embarrassing moment: In high school a team was pressing us and my teammate faked me out by act-ing like we was going to run up the court so it looked like I just passed the ball out of bounds.

21 Kevin ButLeRJunior forward | 6-5Pregame ritual: Music, either gospel music or rap.Player he tries to emulate: Kobe Bryant.most embarrassing moment: During varsity year of high school, we were playing DeSoto High School and there was a big crowd. And I went up for a dunk and got hung up on the rim in front of everyone.

admit one

men’S BaSKetBaLL

• Trace the team’s

route to victory with

an interactive map

of its opponents’

locations.

• Comment on the

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us what you think

about this year’s

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55 JoRdan ReveSSophomore forward | 6-10Pregame ritual: Before away games I go to my favorite Chinese place and get to-go.Player he tries to emulate: Pau Gasolmost embarrassing moment: In high school we got a rebound and I ran off and I was looking back and going to get my first dunk. But I tripped. And no one was around.

5 StuaRt LageRSonFreshman center | 7-0Pregame ritual: I just listen to music mostly. Slow rap. Player he tries to emulate: I try to be halfway between Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.most embarrassing moment: In high school we were on defense and the other team was shooting free throws. I stepped in, got the rebound and put it right back in for their team.

22 danieL FRanciSSenior forward | 6-6Pregame ritual: Usually take some time to calm myself down, say a prayer and just focus. Player he tries to emulate: Dirk Nowitzkimost embarrassing moment: Right before halftime, we were up two. They threw it ahead to a guy at half-court and the guy behind me pushed me into the guy shooting a half-court shot and they shot three free-throws.

11 RiveSt aduKuSophomore guard | 6-2Pregame ritual: Just getting stretched and loose as usual, noth-ing different from what we normally do.Player he tries to emulate: I’m a huge Dwyane Wade fan so I watch him the most.most embarrassing moment: Getting a tech from the refs for dunking in a pre-game warm up.

20 aRmani WiLLiamSSophomore guard | 6-2Pregame ritual: I usually listen to music and just get something to eat like a chicken breast or pasta. I try to medi-tate before the game too.Player he tries to emulate: Ray Allen or Richard Hamiltonmost embarrassing moment: In high school I was getting the ball out of bounds and I skipped the ball off one of their hands and it went into our hoop and the other team got the points.


SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE EAST

1. Nicholls Location: Thibodaux, La.Coach: J.P. Piper

2009-10 Record: 11-19 (7-9)Key Player: Anatoly Bose Coach’s Take: “They return a lot of guys like Anatoly Bose who should be ourconference’s leading scorer. They’re very sys-tem oriented.”

2. Southeastern LouisianaLocation: Hammond, La.Coach: Jim Yarbrough

2009-10 Record: 19-12 (10-6)Key Player: Trent HutchinCoach’s Take: “They lost Patrick Sullivan who was one of the two best postplayers in the league. All of their other sup-porting guys are really talented though.”

3. Northwestern StateLocation: Natchitoches, La.Coach: Mike McConathy

2009-10 Record: 10-19 (5-11)Key Player: Devon BakerCoach’s Take: “They should be a much im-proved team and playing on the roaddoesn’t help. It’s not going to be easy.”

4. Lamar Location: Beaumont

Coach: Steve Roccaforte2009-10 Record: 14-18 (5-11)Key Player: Anthony MilesCoaches Take “They have eight new guys. Tons of new guys. But three or four of them were 20-plus scorers in junior college. We’ve got to play tougher to have a chance to win.”

5. McNeese StateLocation: Lake Charles, La.Coach: Dave Simmons

2009-10 Record: 10-20 (5-11)Key Player: Patrick RichardCoach’s Take: “They return all their guys. They run a ball-screen offense and play amatchup zone on defense. That’ll be a tough game.”

6. Central Arkansas Location: Conway, Ark.Coach: Corliss Williamson

2009-10 Record: 9-21 (3-13)Key Player: Mike PouncyCoach’s Take: “They have a new coach. Most of polls have them picked near thebottom of the league. We have to win this game at home.”

SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE WEST

1. Stephen F. Austin Location: Nacogdoches

Coach: Danny Casper 2009-10 Record: 23-9 (11-5)Key Player: Eddie WilliamsCoach’s Take: “I think they’re the team to beat in the league. They return their top six guys, all seniors. At Stephen F. is one of the toughest games of the year.”

2. Sam Houston State Location: HuntsvilleCoach: Jason Hooten

2009-10 Record: 25-8 (14-2)Key Player: Gilberto ClavellCoach’s Take: “They might have the best front-line in the league and they return everybody. They’re going to be very talented. Their picked as one of the top two or three in the league.”

3. Texas StateLocation: San MarcosCoach: Doug Davalos

2009-10 Record: 15-16 (9-7)Key Player: Cameron JohnsonCoach’s Take: “They’re returning the majority of their guys. But they have three transfers, one from Kentucky, one from Miami and one from New Mexico. Really talented. They may be the most talented team in the league on paper.”

4. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Location: Corpus ChristiCoach: Perry Clark

2009-10 Record: 17-15 (10-6)Key Player: Demond WattCoach’s Take: “Another great frontline. They always have great size andathleticism.”

5. UT San Antonio Location: San AntonioCoach: Brooks Thompson

2009-10 Record: 19-11 (9-7)Key Player: Devin Gibson Coach’s Take: “They lost everybody kind of like we did. They have a lot of youngguys but they always do a great job recruiting. That’ll be an interesting game.”

6. UT-Arlington Location: Arlington

Coach: Scott Cross2009-10 Record: 16-14 (8-8)Key Player: LaMarcus Reed

BY JOSH BOWEThe Shorthorn staff

Scott Cross didn’t speak much of the future. The young, en-ergetic coach had just suf-

fered his worst loss at the South-land Conference Tournament in March, and thinking about the next season seven months away wasn’t something he had in mind.

His choice words; however, were important.

“We’re going to get tougher,” Cross said.

That was it. After the 77-54 beating at the hands of Stephen F. Austin, fans were disappointed. The team won the Southland Con-ference Tournament in 2008, fin-ished second in 2009 and had the nation’s third-leading scorer, Mar-quez Haynes, on the 2010 team.

But that’s the progress the program has made. UTA has gone from a ‘hap-py-to-be-here’ mentality to an expecta-tion of win-ning. And a lot of that has to do with Cross.

“Absolutely it does,” ath-letic director Pete Carlon said. “People expect great things from our program now. That’s a great feeling to have.”

Since Cross’s hire as head coach in April 2006, Cross has tirelessly recruited, networked and strived to bring in players of talent and more importantly, character, Car-lon said.

“I think that’s the most impor-tant thing — the character of the players he’s bringing in,” Carlon said. “He has a lot of connections in a lot of places too.”

The player that’s most exempli-fied this is Haynes, who came from Boston College, a touted Atlantic Coastal Conference school, and be-came a superstar at UTA last year. But Haynes was never a diva. In fact it was quite the opposite.

“He was one of the first players to practice and the last to leave,” Cross said.

Now the burden has fallen on Cross to replace his entire starting lineup from last year. It’s one of the many chores of the college basket-ball coach’s offseason.

Cross worked around the clock since last season’s tournament exit, a testament to his work ethic. In-side his office are tools of his trade: a TV (with VCR and DVD in it), and his bookshelf with countless folders full of stats, player bios, files, etc.

The workload has never both-ered Cross, who said it’s what he loves to do.

“The offseason is extremely busy for me,” he said. “But you have to do it. If you want to get anywhere, you have to do the work behind the scenes.”

But he doesn’t have to tackle the offseason by himself. Last year, assistant coach Greg Young joined his staff, bringing with him more than 10 seasons as a junior col-lege head coach, especially his final stint at Jacksonville College. This is only his second year with Cross, but the relationship has already

blossomed.“It helps when you’re able to

work for someone you trust and be-lieve in,” Young said. “We see how much time and effort he spends at it. He outworks all of us and that sets the bar to make us all do our part.”

It’s for these reasons that Carlon brought in Cross. Carlon described the hiring of Cross as the “longest and toughest process of my life.”

Carlon interviewed several can-didates before settling on Cross.

Carlon went to Indianapolis early in 2006 to the NCAA Coach-es Convention to personally look at some of the candidates. But right under his nose, Cross was waiting back in Arlington for a shot at an interview.

“Once he got an interview, I think it’s safe to say that the comments from everyone in the room were, ‘He blew everyone away,’” Carlon said. “Not only that, but he had support from current players, former play-ers and family members close to the pro-gram.”

When the job became his,

Cross had finally realized one of his dreams. Cross was a player at UTA from 1995-98 and was the definition of a student athlete. He averaged 11.9 points per game his senior year, and maintained a 4.0 grade point average in his market-ing degree.

“It was like a dream come true for me,” Cross said. “I had put so many years into this program and to finally see this goal realized it was a truly an amazing feeling.”

The dream is starting to show results for the program. Cross is already the fastest coach in school history to 50 wins. The 2008 SLC Tournament championship was the first in the school’s program, which led to its first NCAA Tournament berth.

“It was unbelievable all the way around. It’s an experience I will never forget for the rest of my life,” Cross said. “All the media exposure, to the hotel, to the bands playing, and the fans waving their blue and orange pom-poms, to the police escort where you never stop at a stoplight or stop sign, to signing autographs after practice with the kids there.”

Cross isn’t satisfied with a one-time deal, nor is he looking to leave UTA anytime soon. Cross is still in his early 30s, and one of the reasons Carlon hired him was be-cause he knew Cross wasn’t going to jump ship anytime soon.

“He isn’t using our program as a steppingstone to somewhere else,” Carlon said. “He considers himself home here.”

Cross is hopeful that while he’s at home, he goes to more NCAA tournaments. After all, it’s expect-ed of him now.

“Hopefully it wont take us that long to get back there,” Cross said.

JOSH [email protected]

Men’s basketball head coach keeps committed to his team, alma mater

PRESEASON ALL-SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE TEAMSFIRST TEAM SCHOOL POSITION HEIGHT CLASSIFICATIONAnatoly Bose . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nicholls . . . . . . . . . G/F . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6 . . . . . . . . . . . . seniorGilberto Clavell . . . . . . . . . . . . Sam Houston . . . . . F . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6 . . . . . . . . . . . . senior Eddie Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephen F. Austin . . G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . seniorDevin Gibson . . . . . . . . . . . . . UT-San Antonio . . . . G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-0 . . . . . . . . . . . . seniorCameron Johnson . . . . . . . . . Texas State . . . . . . . F . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7 . . . . . . . . . . . . senior

SECOND TEAM SCHOOL POSITION HEIGHT CLASSIFICATIONDemond Watt . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas A&M-CC . . . . F . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7 . . . . . . . . . . . . seniorWill Pratt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Northwestern . . . . . F . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . seniorPatrick Richard . . . . . . . . . . . McNeese State . . . . G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . juniorJustin Reynolds . . . . . . . . . . . Texas A&M-CC . . . . F . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8 . . . . . . . . . . . . seniorJosten Crow . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sam Houston . . . . . G/F . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . senior

The Shorthorn: Andrew Buckley

Great expectations follow head coach Scott Cross into this season after last year’s early dismissal from the South-land Conference Tournament. Over the offseason, Cross poured over player profiles, stats and more to prepare for the upcoming season with the young squad.

THE COMPETITION

Crossing his Mind

“He isn’t using our program as a steppingstone to

somewhere else. He considers himself

home here.”Pete Carlon, athletic director

DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIMENov. 12 . . vs. Texas Lutheran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.Nov. 14 . . at Oregon State. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Corvallis, Ore. . . . . . . . . . . . 3:30 p.m. Nov. 16 . . vs. UT-Tyler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.Nov. 20 . . at Houston Baptist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Houston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:30 p.m. Nov. 22 . . vs. Hardin-Simmons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m. Nov. 27 . . vs. St. Edward’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30 . . at North Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Denton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m. Dec. 11 . . at Samford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Birmingham, Ala . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 p.m. Dec. 18 . . at Louisiana Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ruston, La. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m. Dec. 22 . . at Texas Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lubbock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m. Dec. 29 . . at Kansas (ESPNU) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lawrence, Kan. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 p.m. Dec. 31 . . at Arkansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fayetteville, Ark. . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.Jan. 5 . . vs. Houston Baptist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.Jan. 8 . . at Nicholls State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thibodaux, La. . . . . . . . . . . . 3:30 p.m.Jan. 15 . . vs. Lamar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.Jan. 19 . . vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.Jan. 22 . . at Stephen F. Austin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nacogdoches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 p.m.Jan. 29 . . vs. Texas State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.Feb. 2 . . . at UT-San Antonio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . San Antonio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.Feb. 5 . . . vs. Central Arkansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . noonFeb. 9 . . . vs. Sam Houston State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.Feb. 12 . . at Texas State TV. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . San Marcos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 p.m.Feb. 16 . . vs. Stephen F. Austin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.Feb. 19 . . at Southeastern Louisiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hammond, La.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 p.m.Feb. 23 . . vs. McNeese State. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.Feb. 26 . . at Northwestern State. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Natchitoches, La. . . . . . . . . . . . 2 p.m.March 2 . at Texas A&M Corpus Christi . . . . . . . . . . . . Corpus Christi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.March 5 . vs. UT-San Antonio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.

SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTMarch 9 . TBA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Katy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TBA

THE SCHEDULE

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HOW TO GO


By Brian nephewThe Shorthorn staff

The time has come. The women’s basketball team is preparing for its last full season in Texas Hall, with the College Park Center set to

open in late 2011, giving the basketball team a new home court.

But for now they use the auditorium, and this year brings something new to the table for head coach Samantha Morrow’s team. With senior guard Tamara Simmons and Defensive Player of the Year Shalyn Martin returning for the Mavericks, Morrow said the three senior leaders will play a big role this season. Senior LaNell Taylor has also fought through injuries and worked hard through the offseason in preparation for the season.

“The leadership of these seniors is huge through-out a season,” Morrow said.

Joining the three returning seniors will be six freshmen, giving UTA a mix of veterans and young players. Morrow hopes the new girls can replace key players lost last year, like Meghan Nelson, who

graduated.“There have been a few injuries this fall but a few

of the girls will be able to step in and play immedi-ately,” she said.

The Mavericks non-conference schedule this sea-son brings them challenges in Kansas, Oklahoma State and California. But Morrow said the girls are excited about the schedule because they want to compete as underdogs. That bodes well for senior guard Tamara Simmons, who steps up in big games because she loves to compete.

“I feel like each game is important because it is great learning tools to prepare us for conference,” she said.

As the Mavericks prepare for the season, they have been focusing on the basic fundamentals, espe-cially for the seven newcomers. Morrow has added size and athleticism to her squad this year, trying to iron out what has been lost.

Freshman Hailee Rhymes comes into this season with high expectations. She brings the Mavericks length and height for the defensive side of the ball.

“Hailee has had a good offseason and will be able to polish her game before the start of conference,” Morrow said.

Trio of seniors needs fresh characters to evolve quickly

Head coach Samantha Morrow believes the womens team will avoid a rebuilding year led by a strong veteran presence.

File Photo: Andrew Buckley

Head coach Samantha Morrow talks to play-ers in a game vs. McNeese State last season.

THE CAST

21 Briana WalkerFreshman forward | 6-0Pre-game ritual: Listen to my music and eat a good meal.Player she tries to emulate: Lebron JamesMost embarrassing moment: When I played with mix-matched shoes.

24 CHe’Van GoinSFreshman forward | 5-11Pregame ritual: I listen to Keyshia Cole, Lil Wayne and Aaliyah, and talk to my parents.Player she tries to emulate: Can-dace Parker, because we’re both versatile.Most embarrassing moment: When my pants ripped in front of all my classmates in sixth grade.

44 DeSHerra nWanGuMaFreshman forward | 6-1Pregame ritual: I can’t eat an hour before a game and I must listen to loud music with bass to pump myself up.Player she tries to emulate: Pau Gasol from the LA Lakers because of his game and attitude. He likes to win and he hustles, but he doesn’t show off.Most embarrassing moment: In one of my high school basketball games, I was running back to play defense and I tripped and fell flat on the ground in front of a large crowd of people.

5 Donna DikeSophomore forward | 5-10Pregame ritual: My pregame ritual is to listen to music that calms me down because I’m always anxious before games.Player she tries to emulate: I would compare myself to Venus Williams because she seems humble and down to earth. She’s also into fash-ion and different styles just like I am.Most embarrassing moment: When I slipped on the carpet in front of our hotel in Queens, N.Y.

34 Hailee rHyMeSFreshman forward | 6-2Pregame ritual: Pray, then sing to my Slow Jams playlist.Player she tries to emulate: Kevin GarnettMost embarrassing moment: My freshman year in high school when I tripped and fell doing layups during warmups.

33 JaSMine SMitHJunior forward | 6-0Pregame ritual: Good meal before the game. My music is playing and I always pray before a game.Player she tries to emulate: Scottie PippenMost embarrassing moment: In the conference tournament in my sopho-more year at Blinn College, my right shoe rubber came off so I couldn’t play the rest of the first half.

15 kiara ParkerSophomore guard | 5’8”Pregame ritual: I call my daddy. Then I listen to ‘Lyte As A Rock’ by MC Lyte, then I put the iPod on shuffle before saying a prayer to myself.Player she tries to emulate: Can-dace Parker, just because her last name is Parker.Most embarrassing moment: My junior year, I was at a Carter/Lincoln game at Ellis Davis Field House and I fell going up the stairs in heels trying to be cute.

10 lanell taylorSenior guard | 5-8Pre-game ritual: Eat, sleep and lis-ten to my game-day playlist. Player she tries to emulate: Ron Artest...I’m kidding. Honestly, I don’t know. I’m guaranteed energy, so whoever does that.Most embarrassing moment: Trip-ping in open court by myself on a fast-break lay-up.

3 Malaika GreenFreshman guard | 5-4Pregame ritual: I sleep well the night before and listen to slow music on the bus. But as the game gets closer, the music gets faster to help me focus. And then I pray.Player she tries to emulate: Rajon Rondo or Chris PaulMost embarrassing moment: I scored on the other team’s basket in middle school.

11 SaBreena DenureSophomore guard | 5-5Pregame ritual: I’m not supersti-tious, but before games I braid my hair and think about the game and what I have to do to be successful and help the team win.Player she tries to emulate: Steve Nash. I may not be that quick, but I like to think of myself as a leader on the court. Someone who can view the court well.Most embarrassing moment: In high school I was in class and went to sharpen my pencil and dropped it. I went down to pick it up and ripped my pants in front of everyone.

32 SHalyn MartinSenior forward | 5-11Pre-game ritual: Listen to musicPlayer she tries to emulate: I don’t knowMost embarrassing moment: I can’t remember.

20 taMara SiMMonSSenior guard | 5-7Pre-game ritual: Listen to my iPod to get focused for the game.Player she tries to emulate: LeBron JamesMost embarrassing moment: I don’t have one.

23 MiCHelle roDriGuezFreshman guard | 5-7Pregame ritual: Listen to my iPod, preferable Drake and Alicia Keys. Player she tries to emulate: Ray Allen. He’s a quick release shooter who is capable of knocking down any shot.Most embarrassing moment: When I was a sophomore in high school, I had to sell candy for the Spanish club and I was rushing upstairs to get to class before I was late. I ran up the stairs with my box of candy and somehow missed a step and fell on my face. All my friends laughed at me, but I laughed at myself, too.

WoMen continues on page 10

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BY BRIAN NEPHEWThe Shorthorn staff

There is something unique about seniors Tamara Simmons and Shalyn Martin.

Not only are they best friends and roommates, they also dominate on the court. Together, they hope to use their leadership and experience to take down the Southland Conference.

Simmons, also known as “Tam,” and Martin both grew up in Arlington. They have been best friends since eighth grade when they started playing ball together at T.A. Howard Middle School.

At Mansfield Summit High School they played four years together, and in their senior year went to the state championship game together. In 2007 they were both named first team All-Region. Martin was also named the 4-5A Defensive MVP her senior year.

“My first year was when they arrived on cam-pus.” said head coach Samantha Morrow, who took over as head coach in 2007 .

Their special bond has carried over to college as both have excelled on the court.

“We are so different off the court, but we come together so well when we are on it,” said Simmons, senior guard.

From improving her basketball skills on the court to becoming a role model off, Simmons has learned a number of things in her time at UTA. The psychol-ogy student’s actions speak for herself on the court as she returns as the lead-ing scorer for the Mavs, and she isn’t afraid to be loud either.

“Tam is very vocal on the court, which helps the other players com-municate throughout a game,” Morrow said.

Simmons averaged 13.2 points per game last season and takes over this season as the Mavericks’ top scoring threat.

Simmons and Martin have been col-lege roommates since they arrived at UTA four years ago. They share a spe-cial bond that they believe no other players have on the court at one time.

“Playing for nine years together defi-nitely helps us out because we know how each other plays,” Martin said.

Their work ethic and leadership has brought them both to the top of their games, and it showed when the Mav-ericks finished third in the SLC last season.

“The team knows we are supposed to be loud and vocal so it helps us all out,” Simmons said.

Martin, a broadcast student, is the first women’s player in UTA history to be named the defensive player of the year in the SLC last season.

“It was definitely a milestone in my career,” Martin said. “I like defense and take pride in hustling down the court.”

Martin’s athleticism and competitive mind-set not only place her among the top defensive players in the confer-ence but offensively as well. She’s only

six points shy of reaching 1,000 ca-reer points, which would make her the 18th player in school history to do so.

“Shalyn is like another coach out on the floor,” Mor-row said. “She is long, fast and her voice carries on the defensive side of the ball.”

Since the eighth grade, Simmons and Martin have learned to play exceptional basketball together by understanding each other on and off the court. They said experi-ence has been the key to each other’s success.

“It’s nice knowing that Tam will give her best game every time she hits the court,” Martin said.

“Knowing Shalyn as we grew up to-gether has been a special relationship that we built on the court,” Simmons said.

The expectations that Simmons and Martin have this year are more than just making the tournament — they want it all. Simmons has improved her defensive game this off season, which she hopes will give her more confidence.

Whether it’s the four years of liv-ing together or playing ball in middle school, the two basketball stars have figured out how to win in Maverick uni-forms. Martin certainly thinks so.

“I don’t think there are two players still playing together with a relationship like ours.”

BRIAN [email protected]

Seniors Tamara Simmons and Shalyn Martin’s childhood friendship sets the

tone for this season’s championship run.

PRESEASON ALL-SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE TEAMSFIRST TEAM SCHOOL POSITION HEIGHT CLASSIFICATIONJenna Plumley . . . . . . . . . . . . Lamar . . . . . . . . . . . G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4 . . . . . . . . sophomoreMegan Herbert . . . . . . . . . . . . Central Arkansas . . F . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11 . . . . . . . . sophomoreJade Davis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas A&M-CC . . . . G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9 . . . . . . . . . . . . seniorWhitney York . . . . . . . . . . . . . UT-San Antonio . . . . G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . juniorRicshanda Bickham . . . . . . . . Nicholls . . . . . . . . . . G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6 . . . . . . . . . . . . senior

SECOND TEAM SCHOOL POSITION HEIGHT CLASSIFICATIONJudy Jones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UT-San Antonio . . . . G/F . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9 . . . . . . . . sophomoreShalyn Martin. . . . . . . . . . . . . UTA . . . . . . . . . . . . . F . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11 . . . . . . . . . . . . seniorTammara Marion . . . . . . . . . . Stephen F. Austin . . G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . juniorAshleigh Franklin . . . . . . . . . . . UT-San Antonio . . . F . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6 . . . . . . . . . . . . seniorKalis Loyd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lamar . . . . . . . . . . G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1 . . . . . . . . . sophomore

The Shorthorn: Andrew Buckley

After playing together for nine years, senior guard Tamara Simmons, left, and senior forward Shalyn Martin have cultivated a bond that reaches beyond the court as best friends and roommates. Simmons and Martin have become dominant forces at UTA as they aim to take the conference championship this season.

SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE EAST

1. Lamar CardinalsLocation: BeaumontCoach: Larry Tidwell

2009-10 Record: 26-8 (13-3 SLC)Key Player: Jenna PlumleyCoach’s Take: “Conference champions last year. And I’m sure they will be one or two this year.”

2. Central Arkansas Sugar BearsLocation: Conway, Ark.Coach: Matt Daniel

2009-10 Record: 21-8 (11-5 SLC)Key Player: Megan HerbertCoach’s Take: “They won the East last year and had the freshman player of the year on their team. They will be a tough group.”

3. Northwestern State Location: Natchitoches, La.Coach: Jennifer Graf

2009-10 Record: 15-16 (7-9 SLC)Key Player: Brittany HoustonCoach’s Take: “Another athletic team that upset a lot of teams last year in the tournament. If they get things rolling they are a scary team.”

4. Southeastern LouisianaLocation: Hammond, La.Coach: Lori Davis Jones

2009-10 Record: 12-18 (6-10 SLC)Key Player: Chelsea HixCoach’s Take: “Very athletic and solid team. We beat them last year at their place. Probably one of the better games we played all year.”

5. McNeese State CowgirlsLocation: Lake Charles, La.Coach: Brooks D. Williams

2009-10 Record: 7-22 (3-13 SLC)Key Player: Kendra WellsCoach’s Take: “Going to their place this year, which is a hard place to play. They have a good recruiting class coming back this year.”

6. NichollsLocation: Thibodaux, La.Coach: Dobee Plaisance

2009-10 Record: 4-24 (1-15 SLC)Key Player: Ricshanda BickhamCoach’s Take: “Glad we have them at home this year. Went there last year and had a double-overtime game and won by the skin of our teeth.”

SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE WEST

1. UT-San AntonioLocation: San AntonioCoach: Rae Rippetoe-Blair

2009-10 Record: 16-14 (10-6 SLC)Key Player: Whitney YorkCoach’s Take: “Another rival for us. We always battle with them in conference and in the tour-nament.”

2. Texas A&M-Corpus ChristiLocation: Corpus ChristiCoach: Robert Robinson

2009-10 Record: 24-11 (12-4 SLC)Key Player: Jade DavisCoach’s Take: “Also predicted to finish one or two in the conference, a very good team with a lot of confidence.”

3. Stephen F. AustinLocation: NacogdochesCoach: Brandon Schneider

2009-10 Record: 18-11 (13-3 SLC)Key Player: Tammara MarionCoach’s Take: “Big rival for us and always give us good games.”

4. UT-ArlingtonLocation: ArlingtonCoach: Samantha Morrow

2009-10 Record: 15-16 (9-7 SLC)Key Player: Shalyn Martin

5. Texas StateLocation: San MarcosCoach: Suzanne Fox

2009-10 Record: 7-20 (3-13 SLC)Key Player: Chika OfoegbuCoach’s Take: “Down season for them last year, but they have a very good recruiting class that will help them out.”

6. Sam Houston StateLocation: HuntsvilleCoach: Brenda Welch-Nichols

2009-10 Record: 11-18 (8-8 SLC)Key Player: Chanice SmithCoach’s Take: “Very much improved team from last year. Our players respect that because we split with them last year.”

THE COMPETITION

The Inseparable Seniors

“I don’t think there are two players still

playing together with a relationship

like ours.”Shalyn Martin, senior forward

DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME / RESULTNov. 6. . . vs. East Central (exhibition) . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W, 77-57Nov. 12 . . at Oral Roberts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tulsa, Okla. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:55 a.m. Nov. 14. . . at Houston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Houston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 p.m.Nov. 20 . . at Missouri-Kansas City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kansas City, Mo. . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m. Nov. 22 . . at Oklahoma State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stillwater, Okla. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m. Nov. 24 . . vs. Arkansas State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m. Nov. 27 . . vs. Southeast Missouri State . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 p.m. Dec. 1 . . . vs. Arkansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m. Dec. 4 . . . vs. Texas-Pan American . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 p.m. Dec. 8 . . . at Texas Christian. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fort Worth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:30 p.m. Dec. 19 . . vs. California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Las Vegas, Nev. . . . . . . . . . . 2:15 p.m. Dec. 20 . . vs. Pittsburgh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Las Vegas, Nev. . . . . . . . . . . . . . noonDec. 30 . . at Kansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lawrence, Kan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.Jan. 8 . . vs. Nicholls State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 p.m.Jan. 12 . . vs. Sam Houston State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.Jan. 15 . . at Lamar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beaumont . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 p.m.Jan. 19 . . at Texas A&M Corpus Christi . . . . . . . . . . . . Corpus Christi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.Jan. 22. . vs. Stephen F. Austin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 p.m.Jan. 29. . at Texas State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . San Marcos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 p.m.Feb. 2 . . . vs. UT-San Antonio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.Feb. 5 . . . at Central Arkansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conway, Ark. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 p.m.Feb. 9 . . . at Sam Houston State. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Huntsville. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:30 p.m.Feb. 12 . . vs. Texas State. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 p.m.Feb. 16 . . at Stephen F. Austin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nacogdoches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.Feb. 19 . . vs. Southeastern Louisiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 p.m.Feb. 23 . . at Mcneese State. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lake Charles, La. . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.Feb. 26 . . vs. Northwestern State. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 p.m.March 2 . vs. Texas A&M Corpus Christi . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.March 5 . at UT-San Antonio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . San Antonio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 p.m.

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By Travis DeTherageThe Shorthorn staff

There are no mixed messages or am-biguous goals for the Movin’ Mavs this winter.

With two All-American seniors and several newcomers leading the way, the Movin’ Mavs are gunning for a national title.

For the past two seasons the Movin’ Mavs have finished in third place nationally but there is room for optimism about a national title this season. The Movin’ Mavs brought back nine players, which include senior David Wilkes, 2010 National Wheelchair Basket-ball Invitational Tournament (NWBIT) First Team All-American, and senior James Patin, 2010 NWBIT Second Team All-American, while fortifying them with six newcomers.

Head coach Doug Garner said the team has a lot of depth that he hopes will lead them

Movin’ Mavs take center stage as they gun for gold

After finishing third in the past two sea-sons, team captain James Patin says this is their year to win it all.

File Photo: Andrew Buckley

Movin’ Mavs head coach Doug Garner said he sees a national championship as a “very realistic” goal.

THE CAST

ADMIT ONE

MOVIN’ MAVS



an interactive map

of its opponents’

locations.

• Comment on the

stories and tell

us what you think

about this year’s

team.

ONLINE EXTRAS

THESHORTHORN.COM

MOVIN’ continues on page 10

25 JEff MORGANKinesiology sophomore | Orlando, Fla.Most embarrassing moment: I was going back to defend a player wait-ing on a long outlet pass to go in for the layup and didn’t know where the ball was since I was going down the court. The ball hit me in the back of the head and another player caught it and scored a layup.NBA player he builds his game around: Dwight Howard2011 NBA Championship winner pre-diction: Orlando Magic

22 ALEX GONzALEzUndeclared freshman | CypressMost embarrassing moment: When my teammate Ruben Mauricio Jr. scored on the wrong basket during the Blue and White game.NBA player he builds his game around: Lebron James2011 NBA Championship winner pre-diction: Boston Celtics

45 ANTHONy PONESocial work senior | PhiladelphiaMost embarrassing moment: I don’t have one.NBA player he builds his game around: Kevin Garnett2011 NBA Championship winner pre-diction: Boston Celtics

4 KASEy STELTERCampus recreation senior | Manka-to, Minn.Most embarrassing moment: When I got a concussion falling over back-wards. While falling I was waving my arms trying not to fall, and I did not remember any of it.NBA player he builds his game around: Kevin Garnett2011 NBA Championship winner pre-diction: Boston Celtics

34 MALCOLM WRIGHTBusiness junior | Los AngelesMost embarrassing moment: I was playing for the junior division. We were in a tough game and I was hus-tling down the court when someone bumped into me and I fell and my cell phone went flying out from un-derneath me. I had forgotten to put my phone in my bag.NBA player he builds his game around: Kobe Bryant2011 NBA Championship winner pre-diction: Los Angeles Lakers

23 RuBEN MAuRICIO JR.Visual communications junior | Los AngelesMost embarrassing moment: En-tering a basketball game with my warm-ups still onNBA player he builds his game around: Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant2011 NBA Championship winner pre-diction: Los Angeles Lakers

13 JOSH RuCKERSocial work junior | DetroitMost embarrassing moment: When I was talking to a crowd and had a booger hanging out of my nose from pushing my wheelchair so hard.NBA player he builds his game around: Michael Jordan2011 NBA Championship winner pre-diction: Boston Celtics

10 JAMES PATINBusiness senior | San AntonioMost embarrassing moment: Any time I shoot an air ball.NBA player he builds his game around: Tim Duncan2011 NBA Championship winner pre-diction: It’s a toss-up between the Lakers, Heat and Celtics.

00 DAVID WILKESProsthetics and orthotics senior | Charlotte, N.C.Most embarrassing moment: When my teammate Ruben Mauricio Jr. scored on our basket during the Blue and White game.NBA player he builds his game around: Lebron James2011 NBA Championship winner pre-diction: I don’t know

42 JORGE SANCHEzBusiness sophomore | Oakland, Calif.Most embarrassing moment: When teammate Ruben Mauricio Jr. scored on the wrong basket during the Blue and White game.NBA player he builds his game around: Kobe Bryant2011 NBA Championship winner pre-diction: Los Angeles Lakers

33 JOHN MCPHAILSocial work sophomore | Peakhurst, Australia.Most embarrassing moment: When teammate Ruben Mauricio Jr. scored on the wrong basket during the Blue and White game.NBA player he builds his game around: Kobe Bryant2011 NBA Championship winner pre-diction: Los Angeles Lakers

24 AuSTAN PIERCEUndeclared freshman | Spokane, Wash.Most embarrassing moment: When I shot a layup in a game at junior nationals a couple of years ago and fell over backwards. That actually happened twice in one game.NBA player he builds his game around: Dwayne Wade2011 NBA Championship winner pre-diction: Miami Heat

43 BLAKE MCMINNUndeclared freshman | LindenMost embarrassing moment: I fall all the time.NBA player he builds his game around: Rajon Rondo2011 NBA Championship winner pre-diction: Boston Celtics

3 JuAN SOTOAdvertising junior | San AntonioMost embarrassing moment: I broke the waist strap in a collision, and I fell out of my chair. When I got back onto the chair my shirt ripped and I mooned about 30 people.NBA player he builds his game around: Steve Nash2011 NBA Championship winner pre-diction: San Antonio Spurs


Illinois Fighting IlliniLocation: Champagne, Ill.Coach: Mike Frogley

Key Players: Brian Bell, Hiro KozaiCoach’s Take: “Defending National Champions who lost several to graduation, including any height on their roster. They are always strong, fast, confident and very intense.”

Wisconsin–WhitewaterLocation: Whitewater, Wis.Coach: Tracy Chynoweth

Key Players: Matt Lesperance, Nate HinzeCoach’s Take: “Second place last year. Always very confident and good outside shooting with one big man who plays well in the paint.”

Alabama Crimson TideLocation: Tuscaloosa, Ala.Coach: Miles Thompson

Key Players: Jared Arambula, Brad BaughCoach’s Take: “They are a very scrappy team who will play very aggressive defense with a couple of good outside shooters.”

Missouri TigersLocation: Columbia, Mo.Coach: Ron Lykins

Key Players: John Gilbert, Jake WiigCoach’s Take: “Have been quietly putting together a nice core of players and with one player trans-ferring in from Arizona for his last season, they will have a very strong starting line-up.”

Southwest Minnesota State MustangsLocation: Marshall, Minn.Coach: Lew Shaver

Key Players: Kyle Timmerman, David NelsonCoach’s Take: “They have several new players, including some height, that will make them a much stronger team this year.”

Edinboro Fighting ScotsLocation: Edinboro, Pa.Coach: Jim Glatch

Key Players: Trevon Jenifer, Tommie GrayCoach’s Take: “Lost a big man, but they still have some outside shooters and a few speedsters who can really make you work on defense.”

BY TRAVIS DETHERAGEThe Shorthorn staff

While the Movin’ Mavs are focused on winning their eighth national champi-

onship this offseason, the Univer-sity of Illinois wheelchair basketball team received its championship tro-phy after winning the 2010 Inter-collegiate National Title.

Doug Garner, Movin’ Mavs head coach, will get a good idea of where his team stands entering the 2010-2011 season when the Movin’ Mavs play the reigning champion Fight-ing Illini twice in the UTA tourna-ment this weekend.

“Illinois has really good history of playing good team ball,” Garner said. “If you have speed and height when you play against them all of that won’t matter, because Il-linois brings that team attitude. They have five guys on the floor who contribute and trust each other and do what needs to be done.”

Illinois enters this season as the No. 1 team in the intercollegiate division and the Movin’ Mavs are No. 3. Garner said it will be a good

test to start the season, but it will be just like any game on the schedule.

“Until you get to the champion-ship, any game is just a gauge of what you are and what you need to do,” Garner said. “It will be a good gauge for us to see where we are and we will just work off of that. We expect to come into November and put up a really good showing.”

Junior forward Josh Rucker said his team has been working hard toward this game.

“We are a family and we stay together,” Garner said. “I think we will beat Illinois because we want it more and have been working really hard.”

Last season when the Movin’ Mavs played Illinois to start the season at Texas Hall, they were routed 62-42 in front of a packed Texas Hall. Garner said it’s going to take teamwork and a positive at-titude to beat them.

“Defense will be a key against Il-linois,” Garner said. “We have been focusing and talking a lot about

The Movin’ Mavs hope to knock off the reigning champions on opening weekend.

Rivalry Redemption

File Photo: Chris Hudson

Center David Wilkes fights for a rebound with two University of Illinois players during the Movin’ Mavs’ 62-42 loss last season at Texas Hall.

THE COMPETITION

DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME / RESULTOct. 23 . vs. Dallas Mavericks (scrimmage) . . . . . . . . . Maverick Activities Center . . . L 65-56Nov. 12 . . vs. University of Alabama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Physical Education Building . . . . 11 a.m. Nov. 12 . . vs. University of Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Physical Education Building . . . 5 p.m.Nov. 13 . . vs. University of Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Physical Education Building . . 1:30 p.m. Nov. 13 . . vs. University of Alabama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:30 p.m. Dec. 3 . . . UTA Tournament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UTA (To be determined). . . . . . . 1 p.m. Dec. 8 . . . UTA Tournament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UTA (To be determined). . . . . . . noon Jan. 21 . . at University of Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Champagne, Ill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 p.m. Feb. 4 . . at University of Alabama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tuscaloosa, Ala. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 p.m. Feb. 11 . . at University of Missouri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Columbia, Mo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 p.m. Feb. 26 . . UTA Tournament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UTA (To be determined) . . . . . . 2 p.m. Feb. 27 . . UTA Tournament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UTA (To be determined) . . . . . . . 1 p.m.Feb. 28 . . UTA Tournament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UTA (To be determined) . . . . . . . 1 p.m.March 10 College Division National Championships . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 p.m.March 11 College Division National Championships . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 p.m.March 12 College Division National Championships . . . Texas Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 p.m.

THE SCHEDULE

ADMIT ONE

ADMIT ONE ADMIT ONE

Past accolades include:

• 7 National

Championships

• 9 Most Valuable

Players

• 34 First Team All-

Americans

• 28 Second Team All-

Americans

WINNING LEGACY

RIVALS continues on page 10

Go Mavs!UTA POLICE DEPARTMENTwww.uta.edu/campus-ops/police

For Maverick Escort Rideplease call 817-272-3381

Bursar ServicesDavis Hall • 817.272.2172

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FIRED UPFOR AN EXCITING SEASON

WE’RE

FIRED UPFOR AN EXCITING SEASON

Good luck to the men’s, women’s, and Movin’ Mavs basketball teams, from the Office of the President.

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

NOWLEA

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Wednesday, November 10, 2010 Page 10The ShorThorn BasketBall Preview

The up-tempo style of play the Mavericks used last sea-son will be crucial for success this season. Their practices are enthusiastic and loud, filling the gym with energy. Senior forward and SLC Defensive

Player of the Year Shalyn Mar-tin will bring her speed and athleticism back this year on both sides of the ball.

“I take pride in my defense every time down the court,” Martin said. “I expect that the young girls will step up and learn how our program is at UTA.”

Last year’s third-place finish has the Mavericks unsatisfied

with settling with a rebuilding season. The women have high expectations with the senior leadership and bench depth.

“We’re bigger, stronger and more competitive this year,” Morrow said. “This gives the whole team more confidence having those assets on the court.”

Brian [email protected]

Womencontinued from page 6

style. Last year UTA’s offense was in the hands of Marquez Haynes, the Southland Confer-ence Player of the ear. With Haynes gone, Cross will be hold more players accountable in the offense.

“I really like the pick-and-roll stuff,” he said. “It’s simple. I think it’ll allow the guys to be aggressive and just play. Let the players play.”

That balance trickles down to every player on the roster. Sophomore guard Cameron Catlett was one of the few play-ers to return after being in the rotation last year.

His ability to drive to the basket is without question, but now he’s focusing on improv-ing a jump shot that was out of sorts last season.

“This year I’ve been trying to put in the extra work to expand my game,” he said. “I know if I get that part of my game down, I’ll be a complete player.”

As impressed as Cross is

with his new class, pollsters aren’t. UTA is ranked to finish dead last by ESPN in their SLC rankings. That’s fine by Catlett, who said it’s all the more moti-vation to turn the construction into a finished product.

“We remind each and ev-erybody that we’ve been picked way down at the bottom,” he said. “In my eyes, they don’t know what we have so there’s no reason to pick us high, but that’s just a bigger surprise they’re going to be in for.”

Josh [email protected]

Mencontinued from page 4

to a national title.“We have some really

good leadership on the team this year that is fo-cused on winning a cham-pionship,” he said. “We have been working on things this offseason that we need to get there, and I think that will help us make adjust-ments along the way that will help us win a champi-onship.”

Team captain James Patin said it’s going to take a group effort to win the title.

“We have a great team this year, which I’m very confident in,” Patin said. “I believe that we are the clos-est team I have been a part of. We all consider ourselves family. We are all shooting great and pushing well. It’s gonna take all that we know in order to win this champi-onship.”

Senior Josh Rucker said his team has been putting in the hard work this offsea-son in order to win the title.

“What makes us a na-tional team is our hard work and dedication,” he said. “We have a lot of new players but we have come together and become a fam-ily. If one fails, we all fail.”

The silver lining in the Movin’ Mavs national title run this season is hosting the 2011 Intercollegiate Di-

vision National Champion-ship tournament in March at Texas Hall. When the Movin’ Mavs go in to that tournament, Doug Garner is looking to use the huge home-field advantage.

“Hosting nationals will be a big advantage,” Gar-ner said. “The tournament is right before spring break, so if the UTA fans stick around for the champion-ship weekend it would be great. It’s at Texas Hall, so it will be a little bit different for other teams coming in.”

The Movin’ Mavs are a true contender because of the big and gifted group of front-court players, head-lined by Wilkes and senior Anthony Pone.

Players worth watching are freshman Blake Mc-Minn, who made an im-pressive 18 points in the Blue-White Alumni game on Aug. 28, and senior Kasey Stelter looks to steal the spotlight this year, lead-ing all scorers with 19 points in the Blue-White game.

Garner said he needs his inside players to take over games this year.

“The thing about having a big player like Anthony and a mid-sized player like David, is that there is al-ways a threat in the paint, especially when you have David’s speed,” Garner said. “It will open up the out-side game for [sophomore Jorge] Sanchez and [soph-omore John] McPhail. If Pone is on the floor, there

will be one person guard-ing him and possibly two, which will open up some body on the perimeter,” Garner said.

McPhail had 16 points against the Dallas Mav-ericks on Oct. 24, and is showing to be a perimeter threat. Sanchez hopes to avoid a sophomore slump this year and delivered 13 points in the Blue-White game. Garner said he is looking forward to seeing how his guards will shoot from the outside this sea-son.

“We really have spent a lot of time on shooting drills and getting in posi-tion so that we can go out and hit those outside shots early in the game,” he said. “And that will open up our inside game.”

Before Texas Hall closes, the Movin’ Mavs hope to win one more national title and add an eighth national title banner in the rafters.

Patin already sees it, and already claims he needs someone to crown them.

“The fact that we can win the championship at Texas Hall will be a big motivator to get out there and work hard,” he said. “It’s very do-able. Come March, you’ll be seeing this team with rings on our fingers and a net around our neck. The Movin’ Mavs are taking this one.”

Travis [email protected]

Movin’continued from page 8

defense and hopefully we are doing the right thing when the time comes to start playing.”

Illinois lead by as many as 21 points mid-way through the second half in last year’s game. The Movin’ Mavs realized that to beat Illinois, you have to consis-tently get defensive stops.

On the offensive end in that game, senior forward David Wilkes scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half, but the Movin’ Mavs still had trouble on the de-

fensive end. Senior guard James Patin said this year’s game with Illinois will be huge.

“When we beat them it will be such a boost for us,” he said. “Since I’ve been here at UTA we have yet to beat them, but this being my last year — it’s gonna’

be so sweet when we beat them.”

UTA hosts Illinois again this weekend, and Patin hopes for a huge turnout similar to last year’s game.

“Nothing better than having support from your classmates in a great game like that,” Patin said. “We’re definitely not going to take them lightly, of course, but we will come in confident.”

Travis [email protected]

Rivalscontinued from page 9

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