Coming off of a stellar 2014-15 season, and a tough nonconference schedule so far, the Texas A&M University–Commerce men’s basketball team is poised to make another run at the NCAA Tournament.
The Lions finished with a strong record of 24-8. After finishing the regular season fourth in the Lone Star Conference, A&M-Commerce swept through the conference tournament, defeating both no. 1-seeded Tarleton State and no. 2-seeded Angelo State. The title earned them a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2004-05 season. The team was defeated by Angelo State in the first round by a score of 79-85.
This Lions team has a dramatically different makeup from the previous squad. A key departure from last season was that of Darrell Williams, who, in his one season of play for A&M-Commerce, collected the second-most rebounds in a season in school history, as well becoming a first team All-American. Head Coach Sam Walker says that the changes in personnel are the most challenging things to balance form season to season.
“We lost some really dominant forces on the court this year,” Walker said. “But we also have some good senior leadership on our team now that help pick up some of the slack.”
Walker is currently in his 16th season as head coach of the Lions, and stands as the winningest coach in school history with a record of 253-182. He is assisted by Robert Taylor, in his fifth year, and Andy Schmitt, currently in his first season as an assistant.
Some key players on the team are senior center Bryant Crowder, who leads the team in scoring at an even 14 points per game, which puts him at 10th best in the LSC. Crowder is closely followed by senior center Ronnie White, who is averaging 13.7 per game in his first season as a Lion. White is also making a name for himself on the defensive side of the ball, as he currently leads the LSC in rebounding, averaging 9.2 a game. Senior guard Jeremy Jones, who averages 11.3 per game in scoring, also leads the Conference in assists, averaging 5.5 per game. As a team, the men are averaging 89 points per contest, which is a number bolstered by a school record 132 points against Huston-Tillotson on Nov. 18.
Currently, A&M-Commerce holds a record of 4-2. After having only one home date in their first six games, the Lions start a run of four home contests in seven days starting tonight at 7:30. A&M-Commerce will not get into conference play until Jan. 6, when they face off against Texas A&M University-Kingsville on home court.
In the LSC preseason polls, the Lions were tabbed to finish fourth in the conference, behind Tarleton State, Midwestern State, and Angelo State. Tarleton State won the first-place poll with 19 votes out of a possible 22 after a dominant season in which they went all the way to the NCAA’s Final Four. Coach Walker knows that winning in the Lone Star Conference is one of the hardest tasks in Division II.
“The Lone Star is the best of the best,” Walker said. “It’s the closest equivalent to what the ACC is in Division I.”
The Lions have their work cut out for them come conference play time, with three LSC teams currently ranked in the top 15 of the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches poll. Midwestern State, Tarleton State, and Angelo State being ranked no. 12, no. 8, and no. 6, respectively. All three teams currently only have two losses between them.
A&M-Commerce currently sits with the sixth-best record among LSC teams. Behind the aforementioned top three teams, the Lions also trail behind A&M-Kingsville, who are starting to leave memories of an 8-19 season behind with a hot 5-2 start. In fifth-place are the West Texas A&M Buffaloes, who sit at 7-3, and will be travelling soon to Puerto Rico for a three game tournament. Cameron University and Eastern New Mexico currently trail the Lions with respective 4-5 and 3-5 records.