KINGSVILLE, Texas – Four games into the 2019-20 season, the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball has experienced a hot start at home followed by a pair of difficult road losses before they lift the lid on their Lone Star Conference schedule, which keeps the Javelinas away from home for games against the Oklahoma Christian Eagles and the Arkansas-Fort Smith Lions.
TAMUK will first travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Eagles on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Payne Athletic Center, followed by a Saturday matinee against the Lions at 4 p.m. inside the Stubblefield Center in Fort Smith, Ark.
The new season began with consecutive one-point home wins for the Javelinas, but that momentum was dissipated by losses to Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene. The chance for the Hogs to return to form comes against two programs TAMUK has never played before and are also spending their first season in the LSC.
One of the bright spots for the Javelins in those defeats was the play of junior Sammy Brooks (Dallas, Texas). After a 12-point night against the Wildcats, Brooks posted a team-high 20 versus the Nighthawks, hitting 5-of-7 attempts from three. Brooks' seven steals are tied for the most on the team with senior Chauncey Thomas (Plano, Texas).
Oklahoma Christian started the year by splitting a pair of exhibitions, then dropping their first two regular season matchups before getting in the win column against Southwestern Oklahoma State. The clash with the Javelinas will be the first in a string of four straight home games for the Eagles, who've had a below .500 record in their own arena over the last four seasons.
Interim head coach Kendre Talley is in his first full season at the controls of the OC program, having been named to the position on April 5th, 2019. The job in which Talley has been entrusted is made all the more difficult by the fact his program is without its top three scorers from 2019-20. The man attempting to pick up the slack in that department is forward Dedrian Palmer, Jr. He's averaging better than 17 points and six rebounds through three games while playing more than 35 minutes each night. In an exhibition win over York College on Nov. 2nd, Palmer pocketed a double-double scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
Coach Jim Boone entered his first year at UAFS needed to accomplish a task similar to that of his colleague at Oklahoma Christian. Three of the four players who were atop the team's leaderboard in points moved on, including all-conference pick Chris Crawford.
Through three games, Boone's Lions have not missed their scoring leaders from a year ago. UAFS is off to a 3-0 start and the star of the show has been senior transfer Brian Halums, who arrived from Ole Miss after three years with the Rebels. Halums owns the seventh-best points per game average in the nation at 28.3 and started his season with 31 points against Black Hills State. He's shooting 51.9 percent from the floor through three games and he's hit all 22 of his attempts from the free throw line. Only one player in Division II has a perfect percentage from the charity stripe in more tries.
To follow each game, visit Javelinaathletics.com, where there will be links to live video and stats and be sure to check back after the final buzzer for a rundown of all the action. Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network sponsored by Mendoza's Pharmacy. To stay up-to-date with TAMUK men's basketball all year long, follow @JavelinaMBB on Twitter, @Javelinasports on Instagram, like Javelina Men's Basketball on Facebook and subscribe to the Javelina Athletics YouTube.
