BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University men's basketball team is just two weeks away from opening the 2016-17 season at home against Howard Payne (Nov. 11/7 p.m.). The Cardinals come into the new year looking to improve upon an 11-win campaign – a season that saw LU have one of the youngest rosters in the nation.
 
Big Red ranked among the nation's top 25 in terms of minutes played by freshmen last season. Only 15 other teams in the country played more freshmen than LU. Of the schools listed among the youngest in the nation, the Cardinals finished tied for 21^st in terms of wins.
 
The Cards were involved in numerous close games last season where one more made basket or one less turnover could have changed the season around. Of Big Red's 19 losses, 11 of them were by single digits and of the 11, seven were by five points or less.
 
LU head coach Tic Price, who is entering his third season at the helm, believes that he and his coaching staff addressed those issues during the recruiting process. Price, and his staff, added four guards to the roster, including two junior college transfers, and three of which can play the point. Joey Frenchwood and Torey Noel are the two juco transfers, while Cameron McGee comes to Beaumont via the prep ranks.
 
Not only will this trio of incoming point guards provide the Cardinals with added depth, but they will also be able to push sophomore Nick Garth – LU's top returning scorer – to a two-guard role full time (Garth split time between point and shooting guard roles last season). In addition to allowing Garth to focus more on scoring, Price believes his newcomers bring a great deal of leadership and hard work on defense which the Cards have been missing in previous seasons.
 
A product from the West Coast, Frenchwood originally signed with Montana State out of high school before transferring to Hill Junior College. During his time in the junior college ranks, Frenchwood was known as a shooter, connecting on 45 percent of his three-point attempts. He averaged 12 points and six assists for Hill JC, while leading his squad to a 22-9 (.710) overall record.
 
"Joey is a very poised young man who can play both ends of the court," said Price. "He brings a lot of experience to this team, which we don't have a lot of. He has also played at Montana State, in addition to his junior college experience. Joey brings leadership skills to our team that we sorely needed."
 
While Frenchwood might be known know more as a scorer, Noel brings more of a defensive mentality to the lineup. Standing 5-10, 190 pounds, Noel might be the team's best on-ball defender. Also from the juco ranks, he guided Northern Oklahoma College to a 26-7 (.788) overall record as a sophomore, while leading the league in assists (5.5 pg) and steals (2.5 pg).
 
"Torey is a great defender," said Price. "He's one of those point guards who is constantly talking, getting his teammates in the right area on the court and encouraging his teammates. He is knew to the program but has established himself as a true leader in the locker room.
 
"We don't have a starting lineup as of yet, but if we were to start the season today I would probably start both of our point guards in the backcourt," added Price.
 
If the coaching staff does decide to start both junior college transfers at the same time, the logical next question would be about depth – who comes off the bench to give those two a break? The answer to that question also comes from the incoming recruiting class in the form of 6-2, 185-pound freshman Cameron McGee.
 
A standout at Newman Smith High School, McGee was considered one of the top five guards in the Dallas area. He averaged 15 points and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 42 percent from the three-point line.
 
"Despite being a freshman, Cam has come in and competed against the other two really well," said Price. "He needs more reps at the college level, and obviously he is at a bit of a disadvantage going against guys with previous junior college and Division I experience but he has a great attitude about the situation. Playing against these guys every day in practice is going to make him a better ball player. Cam is more of a combo guard but we are grooming him to be the point.
 
"Cam brings a good work ethic with him to practice every day. It's nice to see Joey (Frenchwood) and Torey (Noel) not let up on him in practice. That combined with his hard work will really benefit Cam in the future," added Price.
 
If that depth really gets pushed this season, Price can turn to Garth to run the show, which he did at times last season. Returning as the team's leading scorer, the Southland Conference's second-leading freshman scorer and one of the league's top three-point threats, the ideal situation would be to keep Garth at an off guard position.
 
Garth lit up opposing defenses last season averaging nearly 14 points per game, while ranking among the league leaders in scoring, three-point field goals, three-point field-goal percentage and free throw percentage. He hit double-figures 22 times as a rookie including the first 10 games of the year on his way to honorable mention all-conference honors. There is no question the coaching staff is looking for more of the same from the Houston native this season.
 
"Nick will be back to his natural position this year," said Price. "That is where he can do the most damage. We need him to be that outside threat that he is capable of being. We moved him to the point last year because of our turnovers, but that took away from his effectiveness as a scorer at times so we would have to move him back to the two. We're looking forward to Nick being at the two for the whole season. He is one of the most prolific shooters in our conference."
 
Big Red returns three other veterans at the off guard spot that provide quite a bit of experience. Those players include seniors Marcus Owens (6-2/199) and Lincoln Davis (6-1/165) and junior Zjori Bosha (6-5/177). That trio has combined for 147 games and 79 starts during their LU careers. All three play the two, while Owens can also play the three.
 
An athletic player with the ability to jump out of the gym, the Cardinals would like to see Davis return to the scoring form that had him among the team leaders in scoring during the early part of the 2015-16 season. Davis reached double figures nine times last season, but only three of those performances came after Dec. 21^st. Regardless of whether Davis is scoring, his physical abilities allow him to be a threat on the other end of the floor. An athlete who can jump out of the gym, Davis gives LU a shot-blocking threat from his guard position.
 
One of several Southeast Texas natives on the 2016-17 roster, Bosha is looking to bounce back from a disappointing sophomore season. It was disappointing from the fact that Big Red fans didn't really get to see much of what Bosha could do on the court due to injuries. The injuries appear to be behind Bosha and he is playing with more confidence than at any point in his career. The coaching staff has seen a strong presence from Bosha on the defensive end of the court which has led to more points on the other end. It doesn't hurt that when he is on, he provides the Red and White with another legitimate scoring threat from beyond the arc.
 
One of only two seniors on the squad, Owens will be looked upon to provide leadership for the 2016-17 season. A hard-working player, Owens has put in the time to improve his shooting. He has made a routine of starting his day by putting up 200-300 shots every morning before he heads to class.
 
"Marcus is the type of player that every coach would love to have," said Price. "He just does everything right. He gets the job done in the classroom, he work hard during practice and on his own. There have been times that I've been here late watching film and as I'm walking out of the building I here balls bouncing in the gym. When I walk out there to check it out, its Marcus working on his jumper. He brings a very mature approach to what needs to be done."
 
It's that hard work which led to increased production in 2015-16. He averaged nearly eight points and four rebounds per game in 23 starts last season. Owens scored double figures 10 times during his junior season. In addition to improving his scoring, Owens has also shown a knack for getting to lose balls and hustling for offensive rebounds.
 
"The great thing about Marcus he is focused on going out a winner," said Price. "He has been through a lot of tough times during his career. He wants to end it on a positive note this season. That is a driving force for him, and he is taking it very seriously."
 
Owens has the versatility to play either an off guard or small forward due to his ability to rebound the ball. Incoming freshman Tyrin "TJ" Atwood is very similar to Owens in that respect. Another highly touted prospect during the last recruiting season, Atwood is a fan favorite signing to play with the Cards after a very successful career down the road at Central High School.
 
Considered as one of the top 50 players in the state of Texas by basketball.com, Atwood helped guide the Jaguars to multiple top-10 state rankings and three 30-win seasons during his high school career. He averaged 18 points and seven rebounds per game as a junior, and he has proven how hard he can work by coming in and adding approximately 20 pounds of muscle in weight room.
 
"T.J. has been very impressive during his short time with us," said Price. "He comes from a very successful program at Central High School. He is a gentleman off the court but he's is another kid who doesn't mind coming in and doing extra work. Obviously, he's had to come in and adjust to the speed of the game but that is common for all freshmen. He has the ability to be a defensive stopper, but we also like the fact that he can drive to the basket and finish."
 
The Cardinals have a strong mix of young talent to go along with savvy veterans in the backcourt. It is that mix the coaching staff hopes will help LU make the climb back up in the conference standings. Big Red was picked to finish 12^th in the Southland according to a preseason poll of the league coaches and media relations directors earlier this week.
 
"Year in and year out the prognosticators have in their mind how teams should finish – sometimes they're right and sometimes they're wrong," said Price. "The best news in my mind is that the games are played on the court and not on paper. A lot of that has to do with how teams finished last season. We're not going to get wrapped up in that. Every team still has to go out on the court and play every game. This is a new season."
 
The Cardinals new season starts Friday, Nov. 11 against Howard Payne. The game against the Yellow Jackets is slated to tip off at 7 p.m. from the Montagne Center. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here, or by calling the LU Ticket Office at (409) 880-1715.
 
-LU CARDINALS-