FRISCO, Texas – With the Southland Conference in town hosting its version of media day with the Lamar University men's basketball team, it was announced that senior T.J. Atwood has been named to the 2019 Preseason All-Southland Conference second team. It marks the first time in his career that the Beaumont native has received preseason recognition from the Southland prognosticators.
 
"T.J. is a four-year guy for this program," said LU head coach Tic Price. "He is a model student-athlete. This honor is a testament to his hard work on the court and in the classroom. He really put in a lot of hours to learn our system and has always led by example. I couldn't think of a more worthy to player be named to the preseason team. The great thing about T.J. is that he understands that this recognition isn't what is important, but what the team does come March."
 
The honor is high praise for Atwood who unfortunately had his junior season cut short due injury right at the beginning of the conference season last year. Atwood was off to the best start of his career when his season came to an end.
 
In just half a season, Atwood was averaging nearly 11 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He also had recorded 11 blocked shots on the year. For his career, Atwood has played in 60 games, earning 24 starts, while averaging 6.0 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. He has also shot 50 percent from the field, while knocking down nearly 35 percent of his three-point attempts. Atwood posted a career-high 22 points against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi just days before his season-ending injury.
 
"For T.J. to play just half the season last year and receive this level of respect from the Southland coaches speaks volumes about the respect he has earned," said Price. "I think it's even more special for him being a local kid. It lets others in the Golden Triangle know that they can come to Lamar, play at a high level and get their degree all at the same time. Being the local guy also brings with it some added pressure and T.J. has kept his focus."
 
The Cardinals open the season with back-to-back home games beginning Tuesday Nov. 5 against Champion Christian and will follow that up with a Nov. 8^th game against Arlington Baptist. The two home games will come before the Red and White will face a stretch of five of their next six on the road. That stretch will include trips to Duquesne, Utah Valley, Kentucky, UAB and Texas Southern.