THE SETTING
The South Alabama men’s basketball team kicks off the 2006-07 season with an exhibition game against West Alabama Sunday at 3 p.m. in the Mitchell Center. USA is coming off one of its best seasons in school history, going 24-7, winners of the Sun Belt West Division and tournament championships and a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998. West Alabama, a member of the Gulf South Conference in NCAA Division II, is coming off a 13-14 year.
THE SOUTH ALABAMA JAGUARS
The Jaguars are coming off of one of the most memorable seasons in school history in 2005-06. USA won both the Sun Belt Conference West Division crown and tournament crown earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament where they fell to eventual National Champion Florida. Despite the loss to the Gators, USA had its best season in over 20 years with 24 wins, the second most in school history and had the nation’s biggest turnaround from 2004-05 to 2005-06. The Jaguars finished the season with a 24-7 mark and a 12-3 record in the SBC West Division.
This sesaon, the Jaguars welcome back five players from a year ago, all whom had significant playing time last season. Senior Carlos Smith played every game at point guard last season, averaged 7.1 points and 3.0 assists per game as a junior. Also back is senior Leandro Buboltz who came into his own during the final nine games of the season. He had his breakout game against Florida in the NCAA Tournament, going 5-of-7 from the field and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc for 14 points to lead the team. Senior Stephen Cowherd, junior Demetric Bennett and sophomore Trajinski Grigsby also return.
The Jaguars welcome eight new players to the squad this season, four freshman and four transfers. Two of the transfers were with the team last year as they sat out due to NCAA transfer rules. Juniors Kenny Hooks (Oregon State) and Daon Merritt (Richmond) return along with necomers sophomore Brandon Davis (Jacksonville State/Birmingham-Southern) and juinor Ernest Little (UAB). Little will be eligible to play Dec. 21, 2006.
Four freshmen complete the 2006-07 roster. USA has a pair of 6-9 twins from Detroit Country Day High School in Charles and Philip Tabet. In addition to the added size, the Jags also have a pair of freshmen shooters in Darren Cloud (Evansville, Ind./Wabash Valley JC) and Brooks Taylor (Monette, Ark.) Cloud received a medical redshirt from Wabash Valley this past season so he will have four years of eligibility at USA. Taylor comes from Buffalo Island High School.
Head coach John Pelphrey begins his fifth season at the helm of the Jaguar program. He took the team to new heights in 2005-06, winning the divison, tournament title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Pelphrey was named 2006 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year. Pelphrey, the ninth head coach in school history, has a 60-55 record at South Alabama.
WEST ALABAMA TIGERS
West Alabama kicks off the 2006-07 season on the heels of a 13-14 record last season and a 4-10 mark in the Gulf South Conference.
West Alabama battled UAB on Wednesday night before coming to Mobile. The Tigers dropped a 74-43 decision to UAB. Senior Stan Gill led the Tigers with 14 points on 6-of-13 from the field. Gill also had four rebounds and was 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.
Head coach Rick Reedy enters his 22nd year at the helm of the Tiger program. He welcomes back eight players from last year, including Gill who was selected to the Preseason Gulf South Conference Eastern Division team. Gill earned second team all-conference honors a year ago after leading the team with 14.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Also back is Jared Hembree who averaged 14.2 points last year and led the team with 112 3-pointers.
In addition to the eight returners, six newcomers complete the 2006-07 squad, including Hembree’s brother Jay, who is a 5-8 freshman guard from Vinemont, Ala.
LAST TIME THEY MET
The Jaguars own a 1-0 record over West Alabama in regular season games. USA posted an 80-50 win in the Mitchell Center on Dec. 6, 2003.
JAGUARS PICKED SECOND IN THE EAST
The 2006-07 Jaguars were picked second in the East Division by the coaches at the annual Sun Belt Conference Media Day Oct. 23 in Lafayette, La. USA garnered two first place votes and 60 overall points, behind Western Kentucky with nine first place votes and 73 points. Middle Tennessee followed USA with 55 points and one first place vote, followed by Troy (41 points), Florida International (23) and conference newcomer Florida Atlantic with 21 points.
In the West Division, UALR was selected first followed by a tie for second between New Orleans and North Texas and a tie for fourth between Arkansas State and Denver, followed by Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe.
BENNETT AND SMITH PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE
Junior Demetric Bennett and senior Carlos Smith were named to the preseason all-conference team at the annual Sun Belt Media Day. Bennett was named to the second team preseason all-conference, while Smith was named to the third team. Bennett had an outstanding first year at USA last season as he was fourth in scoring at 8.8 points and fourth in rebounds at 3.7 and fourth in total rebouds with 115. Smith played in all 31 games as a juinor and averaged 7.1 points and 3.0 assists.
JAGUARS SWITCH DIVISIONS
In 2006-07 the Jaguars will be playing different conference teams twice as USA was moved to the East Division this past summer. USA will be in the East and now play an 18 game conference slate with two games against Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Troy, Florida Atlantic and Florida International. The West will feature Arkansas-Little Rock, Arkansas State, New Orleans, Denver, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana-Lafayette and North Texas. USA will play six of the seven West schools once and one team (Arkansas State) twice.
TOUGH SCHEDULE
The Jaguars’ 2006-07 schedule might be one of the toughest in school history. 18 Sun Belt Conference games, a new division in the Sun Belt and three games against SEC schools highlight the schedule. USA hosts Ole Miss in the Coors Classic this season and travels to Auburn and Mississippi State. In addition, the Jags have road games at Bowling Green and Houston, as well as hosting Samford. USA kicks off the season at the Basketball Travelers Classic at Fresno, Nov. 10-12 in Fresno, Calif. USA will face UC-Irvine, Fresno State and Winston-Salem State.
COORS CLASSIC
The 2006 Coors Classic might possibly be the best ever and has a great local flaver. The defending Sun Belt champions South Alabama Jaguars host Ole Miss of the SEC on Dec. 16, 2006, beginning at 5 p.m., while highly ranked Alabama hosts Southern Miss at 7:15 p.m. The games will be broascast on CSS. Last season USA defeated No. 25 Houston, 66-62 and Florida State defeated Bowling Green.
JAGS ON TV
This season, USA is slated for television four times as of Nov. 5. USA will play three games on CSS and one on ESPN Plus as part of the Sun Belt Conference TV package. The Jags play at Auburn on CSS (Dec. 6) and at Mississippi State (Dec. 9) host Ole Miss in the Coors Classic on Dec. 16 on CSS. South Alabama then will host Louisiana-Monroe on Jan. 25 on ESPN Plus.
NEW FACES
The Jaguars have eight new faces that all will have a big impact this season. Four freshmen and four transfers along with five returners complete the 2006-07 version. The Jags have four Division I transfers in Kenny Hooks (Oregon State), Daon Merritt (Richmond), Brandon Davis (Birmingham-Southern) and Ernest Little (UAB). Hooks and Merritt sat out last season after transferring, while Davis will be eligible immediately and Little will be eligible for the second semester.
A pair of 6-9 twins in Charles and Philip Tabet, along with guards Darren Cloud and Brooks Taylor make up the freshmen on the team this season. The Tabet brothers come from Detroit Country Day High School where Shane Battier and Chris Webber went, while Cloud was at Wabash Valley Junior College last year and received a redshirt and Taylor comes straight from Buffalo Island Central High School in Monette, Ark.
TWIN TOWERS
The South Alabama men’s and women’s basketball team has a rare double-double this season with sets of twins on both teams. The Jaguar men’s basketball team has a set of 6-9 freshmen twins from Bloomfield Hill, Mich., in Charles and Philip Tabet, while the women’s team has a pair of 6-3 twins and one is a junior while the other is a sophomore. As of this printing, South Alabama is the only school in the country to have twins on both teams and have freshmen twins on its men’s basketball team.
KNOCKING DOWN THE TREY
USA has hit a three-pointer in 207 consecutive games. The last time the Jaguars were held without a trey was Feb. 6, 1999 in a 44-43 win over Arkansas-Little Rock. USA averaged 8.8 three-pointers a game in 2005-06 and averaged 7.4 in 2004-05. USA hit a season-high 15 treys in an 88-84 victory over Troy on Jan. 7 of this past season.
JAGUARS HAVE BEST TURNAROUND IN THE NATION
The University of South Alabama men’s basketball team had the biggest turnaround in the nation from 2004-05 to 2005-06 in terms of win/loss differential. The Jaguars were 10-18 in 2004-05 and responded with the second most wins in school history, a Sun Belt Conference championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament in 2005-06 with a 24-7 record.
The win/loss differential for South Alabama is 12.5 to lead the nation of all 326 Division I men’s basketball teams. It is figured by the NCAA by adding the difference in in the two years together and the difference in losses in the two years and then divide by two. Brigham Young and Mempis were second with an 11.5 differential.
