University of South Alabama Athletics

MOBILE, Ala. --- The 2009-10 regular season has finally arrived.

The University of South Alabama men’s basketball team commence the new season Friday when it faces off against Houston Baptist at 5 p.m. The Jaguars are taking part in the Rice Basketball Challenge in Houston.

“There’s no doubt that our guys are anxious to start playing,” said USA head coach Ronnie Arrow. “We’ve put in a lot of time practicing and doing the things we had to do to get ready. Now the bottom line is we need to put all of this together and see where we’re at as far as chemistry is concerned with as many new guys as we have.”

The Jags start fast with three games in three days, starting with HBU, followed by Rice on Saturday (7:30 p.m.) and Sacramento State on Sunday (1 p.m.).

“Hopefully we’re in really good shape,” said Arrow. “We’ve tried to cut back somewhat in practice but it all comes down to having fresh legs, a fresh mind and the ability to go out and play. It’s an NBA-type schedule but I think we have a good eight or nine guys that can play and they’ll have to be ready. Hopefully some of the other guys will be able to get in and do some things also.”

A recurring theme from the preseason was USA’s lack of experience. The Jaguars lost 77.9% of its scoring and 64.9% of its rebounding from last year’s team, making practically every position on the floor an open competition.

“This is a great opportunity for each player on the team because we’re not returning two or three all-conference players and 50 or 60 points like we did last year,” said Arrow. “It is an excellent opportunity for any player on this team to come in and make a name for themselves and help us get to the NCAA Tournament. There are positions that are wide open, especially inside. You expect the junior college kids to be ahead of the freshmen but guys like Javier Carter (Dallas, Texas), need to catch up quickly.”

While South Alabama returns just four letterwinners, Houston Baptist (5-25 in 2008-09) brings back even fewer. Only two players who saw action last season are currently on the roster. The returnees account for just 7.4 points and 3.3 rebounds.

HBU was victorious in its exhibition against University of the Ozarks, scoring 99 points and forcing 31 turnovers.

 “Houston Baptist will be very quick,” noted Arrow. “They won’t be very tall, but they’ll be quick. They have three or four good outside shooters that we’ll have to stay on and not give any open shots. In their exhibition they hit 71 percent of their 3-point shots so we’re going to have to guard the 3-point line. They’ll attempt to put a lot of pressure on us because of their quickness so we’ll have to hit the boards and take advantage of our height, especially on the wings.”

CENTERS OF ATTENTION

The center position has become a three-way battle between seniors Charles and Philip Tabet (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) and freshman Javier Carter.

“We have three guys that are bidding for that spot – the Tabet twins and Javier,” said Arrow. “Philip has the most experience and is doing a good job, but he needs to be more physical and be able to score when we get him the ball. Javier brings a dimension of what we’re used to having – long players that can shot block and get up and down the court. He’s going to have to develop quickly – we didn’t bring him in to sit over on the bench with us. We brought him in so that he can help us early on with our style we like to play.”

Carter excelled in the exhibition with 10 points, six rebounds and four blocks in just 16 minutes of work.

Philip has the most experience of the three. While he didn’t start a game last season, he came off the bench in 28 contests and averaged 2.5 points with 11 blocks.

“He should be our ‘5’ man with the experience that he brings to the table, not only on the court but off the court as well,” said Arrow. “He should be helping the younger guys. And we think Charles can come in and give us the experience he has. This is his third year and he knows what’s expected and hopefully he’ll show that this year.”

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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