KINGSVILLE, Texas – After a one-year absence, the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team is back in the Lone Star Conference Tournament, having earned the event's sixth seed, which matches the Javelinas against third-seeded Angelo State in the tourney's first round. These clubs will square off on Thursday afternoon at 12 p.m. at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas.
"I think [the team] is very fired up," said Coach Johnny Estelle. "They're trying to get healthy. We've taken some bumps and bruises during the last two weeks of the season, but I think they're getting healthy. They had a great spirit today in workouts. They're focused."
This will be the program's 32nd appearance in the LSC Tournament and the Hogs are searching for their first tournament title since 1996. That was also the last time TAMUK won multiple games at the LSC Championships. Overall, the team owns a 20-30 record in the conference tournament, with their last victory coming in 2017.
The Javelinas will need to bounce back from a disappointing end to the regular season, which included road losses to Cameron and MSU Texas. Those defeats dropped the team's regular season record to 12-14 and their conference mark to 8-10. That LSC record represents a three-game improvement from 2017-18.
Despite the losses, junior John Mouton (Missouri City, Texas) continued a late season resurgence that saw him average 11.1 points per game over his team's last nine contests. He set a new season-high with 22 points against the Aggies, hitting 7-of-14 shots, and he followed that performance with 12 points in Wichita Falls. Mouton has also become a force on the glass of late, grabbing 42 rebounds over his last seven games, including 12 on Feb. 23rd against Western New Mexico.
One of biggest keys for the Hogs if they're to have success in Frisco will be continued defensive excellence. The Javs have owned the LSC's top defense all season, leading the conference in points allowed, shooting percentage allowed, both overall and from three-point range, and blocked shots. The squad's rate of 4.7 rejections per game has moved them up to ninth in the country in that statistic and they're third in opponents' shooting percentage. Coach Estelle's team also averages forcing 16.5 turnovers per game, tied for second-best in the conference.
Right off the bat in Frisco, the Javelinas will have a tough task to accomplish if they want to advance, as they'll have to go through an Angelo State team that beat them twice in the regular season. On Jan. 5th, the Rams shot 49 free throws and Ronald Bell scored 14 points as ASU left the Steinke Physical Education Center triumphant, 75-65. Just over a month later, in San Angelo, Kiair Crouch logged 15 points, the home team piled up 39 free throw attempts, and Angelo State completed the season sweep, 77-72.
"Angelo State is a big-time team," said Estelle. "They're playing probably better than anybody in conference besides West Texas and Commerce. We're going to have our hands full."
The Rams own spots in the top half of the league in both scoring and shooting, but on the glass is where they do their best work. They lead the conference in rebounding offense and defense and their average rebounding margin of 9.8 is fifth best in Division II.
The two players who've made the biggest difference in rebounding for ASU are Bell and Josh Boutte, who're both in the top 10 in the LSC in rebounds per game. Bell has totaled six double-doubles this season, including one in his team's season-ending win over Cameron, when he was credited with 19 points and 16 rebounds.
Along with Angelo State, West Texas A&M and A&M-Commerce enter the tournament as the favorites. The Buffaloes, who're 28-3 overall and 17-1 in conference have won 13 straight since their loss to TAMUK on Jan. 10th. The Lions earned the tournament's No. 2 seed by going 21-7 and 13-5 in the LSC.
Each squad is led by a candidate for the LSC's Player of the Year award. WT's Ryan Quaid is in the top five in the league in scoring and rebounding and has twice been named LSC Offensive Player of the Week. The Buffs also own one of the hottest players in the conference in freshman Qua Grant, who has three straight player of the week awards from the conference office. Commerce's Willie Rooks has spent the year putting together an outstanding campaign of his own. His 15 points per game are fifth in LSC and he's also in top 10 in rebounding.
Links to complete coverage of TAMUK's progress in the LSC Tournament, including live video, stats and recasps, can be found via Javelinaathletics.com. To keep up with Javelina men's basketball all year long, follow @JavelinaMBB on Twitter and @JavelinaSports on Instagram, like JavelinaMBB on Facebook and visit Javelinaathletics.com.
