Date: 10/23
Position: Point guard

Returning Letterwinners (Key stats): Barrington Stevens III, Sr. (7.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.2 apg, 36.9 FG%, 35.0 3FG%, 71.9 FT%); Taishaun Johnson, So. (12.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.2 apg, 37.3 FG%, 29.2 3FG%, 78.0 FT%)

Letterwinners lost (Key stats): None

Newcomers (Yr., Hometown/Previous school): None

Miscellaneous Notes
- Johnson set new South Alabama freshman records in points (414), and in free throws made (138) and attempted (177), and was second in scoring average (12.5)
- Johnson ranked 13th in the league in scoring and 11th in free-throw percentage (.780)
- Stevens became just the second player in school history to have two seasons with an assist/turnover ratio of 2.0 or greater, and first since 1981
- Stevens' 104 assists were the most by a USA player since 2007; his 3.2 per-game average ranked seventh in the Sun Belt and his 2.0 assist/turnover ratio was third

Matthew Graves
- On the benefits of having someone like Stevens at point guard who's in his third year in the system: "The experience factor is huge. He's played a lot of basketball at the Division I level and he's been involved in a lot of different types of games and situations. You can draw from those experiences during a game or the season."
- On what he's seen from them so far in the preseason: "I'm very pleased with the competition in practice. Both guys have a solid job running different combinations of guys, and as we continue to work our way through the preseason and into the first half-dozen games, we have to take a look at all of the options that are available to us."
- On the improvements he wants to see from the point guard position: "Overall from the point guard position, we've got to understand pace of play. We're putting a big emphasis on our transition offense and the point guard position has to understand and have a great feel of when to really push the tempo and back it up, which guys to get involved and when to look for a bucket. Defensively, they've got to be the quarterback and the first line of defense when the shot goes up. That guy has to get back and set a wall for our defense."
- On Johnson's growth last year: "As the season went on, he became more comfortable. The more experience you have, the more comfort you have. With his ability to score the ball and get to the free-throw line, those numbers continued to go up throughout the season."
- On the styles of Stevens and Johnson: "That's the great thing of having two point guards with contrasting styles. Barrington is more of a pass-first point guard that is capable of scoring, but he does a great job with his assist-to-turnover ratio. Taishaun is more of a scoring point guard and he does a great job of getting in the paint and getting fouled. With either one, you have the versatility to attack a team in many different ways. With Barrington out there, you may look at other guys to score the ball. With Taishaun out there, you have the option of an extra scorer on the floor. It's nice to be able to attack teams in multiple ways, with those guys, they give you that ability. The other nice thing with their versatility is you have the option to play them together. When you can play them together, it gives you two point guards on the floor. That's a third way defenses have to prepare for us."

Barrington Stevens III
- On how the two point guard's different styles help the team: "I feel like we complement each other very well. Whenever we're in the game together, sometimes he creates for me and sometimes I create for him. He's a really crafty player, so he can get into the paint very well and create open shots for people. It's like having two point guard on the floor. We can be a tandem; he can pick and choose when he wants to score or pass and I can do the same. With Taishaun, teams are used to him scoring the ball, but little do they know, he's actually a very good passer too. It just so happens that a lot of times he can get to the rack whenever he can. He's a good passer and has a very high basketball IQ. You'll see a lot more of that this year with the better complement of players around him."
- On how he feels about this being his last year: "It's bittersweet being my last year. I'm excited for the season and I'm definitely going to miss it because this is the best group of guys that I've been around. There's no better example of a team than the one I'm on right now, because there's no animosity, no egos and everybody is in it to win. Everybody is fighting for each other; it's like a brotherhood in the locker room."
- On the secret to having a good assist/turnover ratio: "Honestly, it's pretty easy when you have Ken (Williams) and Taishaun, and even in previous years having Aug (Rubit), it's not that hard to make the right decision. I'm making the simple and easy pass, and looking up the floor trying to advance the ball and get the guys in easy scoring positions when they're open. I feel like that's just my role. In high school and prep school, I took on more of a scoring role, but when you have guys that can complement you on the wing, it makes it easy to find the open person."
- On how Taishaun has gotten better over the last year: "We saw him grow last season right before our eyes. His maturity overall from the start of his freshman year to where he's at right now, he's starting to understand what it means to work hard and to really embrace being the type of player that he is. When you have a certain talent level, you're expected to lead by example, whether you like it or not. I feel like he's starting to understand that and is starting to focus on the overall team aspect and what he can bring to the team, as opposed to what he can do for himself."

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