It may be summer but college basketball programs never truly hit an ‘offseason.’ There's almost always some kind of action for each of the 24 D2 men’s basketball conferences, and something to discuss, including a 2015-16 review, BennettRank and how each program performed versus the preseason polls. In some cases, there have been coaching changes plus some key losses, not to mention returning players to watch for once the season gets underway.
We start our South Central Region roundup with a recap of the Heartland Conference.
2015-2016 Heartland Conference Standings | BennettRank (BR) Recap
|
COLLEGE |
PRESEASON BR |
POLL |
OVERALL RECORD |
CONF. RECORD |
FINISH |
FINAL BR |
|
45 |
1 |
23-8 |
14-6 |
1 |
60 |
|
|
98 |
3 |
20-9 |
14-6 |
2 |
30 |
|
|
147 |
8 |
23-8 |
14-6 |
3 |
32 |
|
|
157 |
9 |
18-11 |
13-7 |
4 |
75 |
|
|
90 |
4 |
18-12 |
10-10 |
5 |
85 |
|
|
76 |
6 |
15-14 |
10-10 |
6 |
126 |
|
|
104 |
7 |
17-13 |
9-11 |
7 |
76 |
|
|
47 |
2 |
10-19 |
6-14 |
8 |
182 |
|
|
233 |
10 |
7-21 |
4-16 |
9 |
218 |
|
|
284 |
11 |
8-20 |
1-19 |
10 |
282 |
|
|
33 |
5 |
23-5 |
15-5 |
* |
25 |
|
|
* – Provisional D2 Member Not Eligible for Heartland Conference or NCAA Post-season play. |
||||||
[divider]
NCAA Tournament Recap
SOUTH CENTRAL REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS (First Round)
Angelo State 92, Arkansas-Fort Smith 85
Fort Lewis 95, Dallas Baptist 87
Lubbock Christian 79, Midwestern State 73 (OT)
SOUTH CENTRAL REGIONAL SEMIFINALS (Second Round)
Tarleton State 69, Lubbock Christian 63
[divider]
Coaching and Membership Changes
Oklahoma Christian: Former OCU standout and Grand Canyon (D1) associate women’s basketball coach Cory Cole returns to his alma mater as head coach of the Eagles. Cole replaces long-time coach Dan Hays, who retired after 33 seasons as head coach and a 653-403 record and who was a part of OCU’s transition from the NAIA to D2.
“We had many strong local and national candidates for this head-coaching role. Cory brings strong Division I coaching experience, a great rapport with student-athletes and a very strong spiritual emphasis. All of this, and he was an OC hoops star not too many years ago. Coach Cole will be an excellent impact leader on the OC campus and for our basketball program.” – OCU President John deSteiguer
Rogers State: The NCAA D2 Management Council formally approved full D2 membership for Rogers State earlier this month. Rogers State had been a D2 provisional member during their transition from the NAIA and will be eligible for conference and NCAA post-season play starting this season.
“This is a major milestone for Rogers State University and a crowning moment of several years' worth of work from so many individuals at RSU. We are excited about this new chapter in the life of Hillcat Athletics. Our student-athletes have trusted us throughout this transition and we are looking forward to watching them compete in the postseason and strive for a NCAA Division II national championship.” – Rogers State AD Ryan Erwin
Texas-Permian Basin: UTPB officially left the Heartland Conference on June 30 to become a full member of the Lone Star Conference.
[divider]
All-Heartland Conference Performers
Key Losses
Joey Miller, G, Dallas Baptist: 16.7 ppg, 4.3 apg (First Team)
A.J. Luckey, G, Lubbock Christian: 14.5 ppg (First Team)
J.C. Hartzler, G, Rogers State: 17.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg (First Team)
Gavin Thurman, F, Newman: 15.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg (Second Team)
Donald Moore, G, Rogers State: 16.2 ppg, 3.9 apg (Second Team)
Anthony Alston, G, Texas A&M International: 13.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg (Second Team)
Dusan Stojanovic, G/F, Arkansas-Fort Smith: 11.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg (Honorable Mention)
Shannon Lilly, G, Dallas Baptist: 11.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.9 apg (Honorable Mention)
Antonio Manns, Jr., G, Oklahoma Panhandle: 20.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg (Honorable Mention)
Frankie Mgbolu, G, St. Edward’s: 11.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg (Honorable Mention)
Kriston Minor, G, St. Mary’s: 13.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg (Honorable Mention)
Codye Hatcher, F, Texas-Permian Basin: 14.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg (Honorable Mention)
Arkeem Joseph, G, Texas A&M International: 12.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg (Honorable Mention)
Key Returnees
Alex Cooper, Sr. G, Arkansas-Fort Smith: 14.8 ppg, 4.7 apg (First Team)
John Moon, Sr. C, Oklahoma Christian: 23.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg (First Team)
Seth Youngblood, Sr. G, Arkansas-Fort Smith: 15.8 ppg (Second Team)
Johnnie Lacy, Sr. G, Texas-Permian Basin: 18.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg (Second Team)
Patrick Burke, Jr. F, Dallas Baptist: 14.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg (Honorable Mention)
Myles Johnson, Sr. F, Dallas Baptist: 13.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg (Honorable Mention)
Ramir Burton, Sr. G, St. Edward’s: 14.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg (Honorable Mention)
John Gramlich, Sr. G, St. Edward’s: 12.3 ppg, 2.4 apg (Honorable Mention)
