KINGSVILLE, Texas – For the first time in the 2018-19 campaign, the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team will be treated to a weekend featuring a pair of home games, as they'll battle the No. 8 West Texas A&M Buffs on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds on Saturday at 4 p.m. Both games will be held at the Steinke Physical Education Center in Kingsville, Texas.
WT (15-2, 4-0) enters Thursday's meeting riding a five-game win streak and carrying a perfect record in Lone Star Conference play. Three of those four victories have been by at least 15 points, with the one exception being an 83-82 squeaker over UT Permian Basin in Odessa on Jan. 3rd. These accomplishments have helped the Buffs rise to the top of the LSC and grab the No. 2 spot in the South Central regional rankings.
The early season success for West Texas has come without a long list of gaudy statistics, as the Buffs are only in the only league's top three in two categories: scoring offense (3rd) and turnover margin (1st). Coach Tom Brown, in his fifth season, has managed to build a disciplined club that averages fewer than 12 turnovers per game and has crafted a turnover margin of +4.47, 20th in the nation.
On offense, senior guard Ryan Quaid, a first-team all-conference pick last season, has returned to school and returned to form, averaging 15.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, sixth and second in the conference, respectively. Quaid's season has included five double-doubles and four games with 20 points, including 29 at the expense of MSU Texas on Dec. 1st.
The Fort Collins, Colo. native is joined in the starting lineup by three other players averaging in double figures and senior guard Brandon Hall, who, at 9.4 points per game, is only one below that threshold.
Coach Tres Segler's Greyhounds (6-6, 3-1) are just one game behind West Texas in the conference standings, but are looking to reestablish some momentum after losing two of their last three. That hiccup, which included their first LSC loss, blunted the momentum of what had been a four-game win streak before the holiday break.
The top priority for ENMU will be to control the paint and the point man on that effort is senior forward Chukuka Emili. A native of New York, Emili enters the weekend leading the LSC in blocked shots and third in rebounding, averaging eight boards a night. He's also collected three double-doubles this season, including a 19-point, 12-rebound showing against Western New Mexico on Jan. 3rd.
Both of these teams will have to find a way to solve a TAMUK defense that has entrenched itself at the top of conference statistics in scoring defense, shooting percentage defense and blocked shots. Despite suffering a 75-65 loss in their most recent outing, the Javs held the Angelo State Rams to 31 percent from the field, easily their worst mark of the season. The Hogs also nearly doubled their average in rejections, totaling eight blocks, including three by senior Robert Stevenson (Houston, Texas).
Offense has been a team effort for the Javelinas (4-7, 0-3) this year. While junior Chauncey Thomas (Plano, Texas) owns the team lead with an average of eight points per game, he's one of seven different players who has led the team in scoring in at least one game. Freshman Darius Mickens (Willis, Texas) became the latest addition to that club against the Rams, putting up a team-high 13 points. Mickens and Thomas are two of eleven different Javelinas who have been averaging more than 15 minutes per game so far this season.
"I think it gives [the players] an incentive to practice," said coach Johnny Estelle. "There are a lot of people across the country playing eight to nine guys. The incentive I use in recruiting is if I recruit you here, I believe in you. If I put you in the game, I believe in you. We work on the roles in practice and they know the expectation level. Its just a matter of, each night, who's hitting and who's giving it their all in that rotation."
Thursday's game will be Sponsor Appreciation Night at the SPEC and, on Saturday, Welcome Back Students Day will provide a warm reception for the student population returning for the spring semester.
Both games will be streamed live with links to video and stats available on Javelinaathletics.com and a recap posted after the game. To stay up-to-date with TAMUK men's basketball all season, follow @JavelinaMBB on Twitter, @Javelinasports on Instagram, like Javelina Men's Basketball on Facebook and subscribe to the Javelina Athletics YouTube Channel.
