McNeese 2015-16 COWBOYS State University BASKETBALL McNeese Sports Information Jack Doland Athletic Field House 700 E. McNeese Lake Charles, LA (337) 475-5207 Fax (337) 475-5202 SID: Matthew Bonnette wbonnette@mcneese.edu @WM_Bonnette cell (337) 263-4822 www.mcneesesports.com 2015-16 Schedule (1-4) Nov. 13 at #21/19 LSU... L 81-70 (ESPNU) Nov. 17 Louisiana College... L 73-70 Nov. 20 at #8/8 Oklahoma... L 85-56 (SSTV) Nov. 25 Dillard... W 80-79 Nov. 28 Texas State... L 70-67 (ROOT) Nov. 30 at Central Michigan... 6 p.m. (ESPN3) Dec. 9 at UL-Lafayette... 7 p.m. Dec. 12 at #15/15 Indiana... 6:30 p.m. (BTN) Dec. 16 LSU-Alexandria... 7:30 p.m. Dec. 22 at UCLA... 10 p.m. (Pac-12) Dec. 29 Jarvis Christian... 7 p.m. Jan. 2 *at Stephen F. Austin... 6 p.m. Jan. 5 *at Houston Baptist... 7 p.m. Jan. 9 *A&M-Corpus Christi... 3 p.m. Jan. 16 *Sam Houston State... 3 p.m. Jan. 19 *at Abilene Christian... 7 p.m. Jan. 23 *Northwestern State... 3 p.m. Jan. 25 *Incarnate Word... 7 p.m. Jan. 30 *at UNO... 6:15 p.m. Feb. 1 *at Southeastern La... 7 p.m. Feb. 6 *at Nicholls... 3:30 p.m. Feb. 11 *UNO... 7 p.m. Feb. 13 *at Northwestern State... 3 p.m. (ESPN3) Feb. 15 *Southeastern La... 8 p.m. (ASN) Feb. 20 *Lamar... 3 p.m. Feb. 22 *Central Arkansas... 7 p.m. Feb. 27 *Nicholls... 3 p.m. Feb. 29 *at Lamar... 7 p.m. Mar. 5 *at Central Arkansas... 4 p.m. Mar. 9-13 at Southland Conference Tournament * - Southland Conference games All times Central and subject to change Home games in ALL CAPS All home games will be played in Burton Coliseum GAME 6 McNeese Cowboys (1-4) at Central Michigan Chippewas (2-3) November 30 6 p.m. Mount Pleasant, Mich. McGuirk Arena TV: ESPN3 Radio: None Series: CMU leads 1-0 Probable Starters 1 10 24 21 44 PG Jr. 6-0 175 Jamaya Burr Jarren Greenwood Lance Potier Tevin Jackson Austin Lewis 2015-16 Stats G/GS 5/5 PPG 16.0 RPG 3.8 APG 2.6 SPG 1.8 FG% 44.6 3FG% 50.0 FT% 77.8 G Fr. 6-2 175 G Jr. 6-6 200 F Jr. 6-7 210 F Sr. 6-8 235 2015-16 Stats G/GS 5/1 PPG 9.4 RPG 0.6 APG 2.2 SPG 2.4 FG% 40.0 3FG% 38.1 FT% 87.5 2015-16 Stats G/GS 5/5 PPG 8.0 RPG 4.4 APG 2.4 BPG 1.0 FG% 38.6 3FG% 25.0 FT% 50.0 2015-16 Stats G/GS 5/3 PPG 5.0 RPG 3.6 APG 1.2 BPG 0.4 FG% 44.0 3FG% 16.7 FT% 66.7 2015-16 Stats G/GS 5/4 PPG 3.8 RPG 3.4 BPG 2.0 FG% 41.2 3FG% 00.0 FT% 62.5 McNeese Notables McNeese will be looking to pick up its first win over a Division I opponent on Monday night when it visits Central Michigan at 6 p.m. CT. Monday s game if the first of three straight away from home. Two new players are expected to get their first start on Friday - junior transfer F Tevin Jackson and true freshman guard Jarren Greenwood. In two of its losses, McNeese had two scoring droughts that played a big part in the game. At LSU, Mc- Neese was outscored 27-0 over a span of 8:59 (final 2:25 of 1st half and first 6:34 of 2nd half). McNeese lost that game 81-70. Against Louisiana College, the Cowboys endured a 4:41 second half drought from the 11:23 mark to 6:42 and saw a 6-point lead turn into a 2-point deficit. The Cowboys have one of the most difficult schedules in school history that includes 12 games against teams that played in the postseason in 2014-15 including NCAA Tournament teams LSU, Indiana, UCLA, Oklahoma and Stephen F. Austin. Roster includes four freshmen and one junior transfer. Two of those freshmen guard Jerren Greenwood (6-2, 175) and guard James Harvey (6-2, 170) along with transfer guard/forward Tevin Jackson (6-7, 210) all should see significant playing time. Jackson is a transfer from Jacksonville College and is a native of Perth, Western Australia.
Quick Facts Location............... Lake Charles, La. Founded......................1939 Enrollment................... 8,900 Nickname...................Cowboys Affiliation...........Southland Conference Colors.... Blue (PMS 287) and Gold (PMS 116) Arena................ Burton Coliseum Available Capacity............... 3,800 President............. Dr. Philip Williams Athletic Director...........Bruce Hemphill Ticket Office Phone........ (337) 562-4MSU Website......... www.mcneesesports.com Twitter............... @McNeeseSports................. @McNeeseMBB Men s Hoops SID........ Matthew Bonnette Phone................ (337) 475-5207 Cell................. (337) 263-4822 Email.......... wbonnette@mcneese.edu History 2014-15 Record................ 15-16 SLC Record/Finish............. 8-10/5th First Year of Basketball............. 1946 All-Time Record..............1,008-871 NCAA Touney Appearances, Last.... 2, 2001-02 All-Time NCAA Record...............0-2 NIT Appearances, Last.......... 3, 2010-11 All-Time NIT Record................ 1-3 CollegeInsider.com Apperances.......... 1 Last..................... 2011-12 Result................L 76-63 at Toledo SLC Championships, Last........ 6, 2010-11 SLC Tournament Titles, Last....... 2, 2001-02 All-Time SLC Record, Years.......321-298, 42 Team Information Starters Return/Lost................2/3 Lettermen Return/Lost.............. 9/5 Newcomers...................... 6 Class Breakdown Seniors..................... 4 Juniors...................... 4 Sophomores.................. 2 Freshmen.................... 5 Basketball Staff Head Coach......Dave Simmons (La. Tech, 81) Asst. Coach.......... Steve Welch (SLU, 70) Asst. Coach........ David Dumars (ULM, 80) Asst. Coach......Preston David (McNeese, 10) Dir. of Operations.... Eric Willis (McNeese, 14) 2015-16 McNeese State Numerical Roster No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr.-L Hometown/Previous School 0 Shaun Johnson G 5-10 175 Sr.-3L Pineville, LA (Pineville HS) 1 Jamaya Burr G 6-0 175 Jr.-2L Ruston, LA (Ruston HS) 2 James Harvey G 6-2 170 Fr.-HS Amite, LA (Amite HS) 3 Richard Laku F 6-8 170 Fr.-HS Dallas, TX (Sachse HS) 10 Jarren Greenwood G 6-2 175 Fr.-HS Houston, TX (Bellaire HS) 13 Matthew Moss C 6-9 215 Sr.-2L Anacoco, LA (Charis Prep/ULL) 14 Andrija Milovanovic G/F 6-6 215 Jr.-2L Belgrade, Serbia (Koledz Beograd HS) 15 Craig McFerrin P 6-7 250 Sr.-3L Baton Rouge, LA (Warren Harding HS in Ohio) 21 Tevin Jackson G/F 6-7 210 Jr.-TR Perth, Western Australia (Willetton HS/Jacksonville Coll.) 23 Darrell Joubert G 6-1 185 So.-1L Opelousas, LA (Northwest HS) 24 Lance Potier G/F 6-6 200 Jr.-2L St. Martinville, LA (St. Martinville HS) 30 Adrian Brown F 6-7 210 Fr.-HS Houston, TX (Northshore Senior HS) 31 Stephen Ugochukwu F 6-7 220 So.-1L Lewisville, TX (Argyle Christian Academy) 44 Austin Lewis F 6-8 235 Sr.-3L Houston, TX (Westfield HS) Head Coach: Assistant Coach: Assistant Coach: Assistant Coach: Dir. of Basketball Ops: PRONUNCIATIONS: JAMAYA Burr Darrell JOUBERT Richard LAKU ANDRIJA MILOVANOVIC Lance POTIER Stephen UGOCHUKWU Dave Simmons (10th season) David Dumars (15th season) Steve Welch (14th season) Preston David (5th season) Eric Willis (5th season) juh-my-uh joo-bair lah-koo an-dre-yuh me-low-van-o-vich po-shay you-go-chew-coo mcneese team notes PG Jamaya Burr scored a career-high 23 points against Texas State on Saturday. Burr has scored in doublefigures in all five games this season. True freshman Jarren Greenwood made his first collegiate start on Saturday against Texas State and responded by scoring 13 points in 34 minutes of action. Greenwood has scored double-figures in back-to-back games (16 vs. Dillard on Nov. 25. McNeese lost nearly 60-percent of its scoring and and 55 percent of rebounding from last year. Head coach Dave Simmons was an assistant on Steve Welch s staff when the Cowboys made its first NCAA tournament in 1989. Welch is now an assistant under Simmons after coming out of retirement when Simmons took over. Assistant coach Dave Dumars is the older brother of McNeese and NBA great Joe Dumars. mcferrin named preseason all-southland conference McNeese Cowboy senior forward Craig McFerrin, who missed all of the 2014-15 basketball season due to an injury, has been selected by the league coaches as a member of the preseason all-slc basketball second team unit, the league released on Tuesday. McFerrin, a Baton Rouge native, led the Cowboys in 2013-14 with 30 blocked shots, ranked second on the team with 6.5 rebounds per game and was fourth with 9.2 points per contest. For his career, he s averaging 7.9 points and 5.7 rebounds while making 51 percent of his shots. In his junior season, he recorded four double-doubles and scored in double-figures a total of 12 times while scoring 20 or more twice. He netted 23 points and 13 rebounds against Oral Roberts on Feb. 1, 2014 and had a 20 point, 13 rebound game versus Stillman on Nov. 19, 2013. series against central michigan Monday s game will be just the second meeting between McNeese and CMU in the all-time series. CMU posted an 87-58 win over the Cowboys last December in Lake Charles.
Series vs. CMU CMU leads 1-0 12/22/14 CMU 87, at McNeese 58 McNeeese in the Southland Conference in 15-16 INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS (top 20) Scoring 4. Jamaya Burr 16.0 Rebounding 1. Craig McFerrin 8.4 Offensive Rebounds 5. Craig McFerrin 2.8 Defensive Rebounds 1. Craig McFerrin 5.6 Rebounding 1. Craig McFerrin 8.4 Field Goal Pct. T10. Craig McFerrin.516 3-Pt FG Pct. T5. Jamaya Burr.500 13. Jarren Greenwood.381 3-Pt FG Made 13. Jamaya Burr 1.8 Free Throw Pct. 15. Jamaya Burr.778 Assists T14. Jamaya Burr 2.6 Steals T4. Jarren Greenwood 2.4 12. Jamaya Burr 1.8 INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS (top 50) Free Throw Percentage 1st Jamaya Burr 100.0 (12-12) Total Blocked Shots 12. Austin Lewis 21 Offensive Rebounds per Game 17th Craig McFerrin 5.0 Rebounds per Game 23rd Craig McFerrin 12.0 Double-Doubles 42nd Craig McFerrin 1 Blocked Shots T2. Austin Lewis 2.0 T9. Lance Potier 1.0 T9. Craig McFerrin 1.0 Minutes Played 4. Jamaya Burr 32.0 7. Lance Potier 31.0 SLC TEAM RANKINGS Scoring Offense 68.6 (12) Scoring Defense 77.6 (8) Scoring Margin -9.0 (8) Field Goal Pct..412 (10) FG Pct. Defense.450 (3) 3-PT FG Pct..316 (6) 3FG Made 7.4 (3) 3-PT FG Pct. Defense.441 (11) Free Throw Pct..769 (8) Rebounding 34.6 (6) Rebounding Defense 41.6 (12) Rebounding Margin -7.0 (10) Assists 11.0 (13) Blocked Shots 5.4 (2) Steals 8.2 (6) Turnover Margin -0.4 (10) Assist/TO Ratio 0.8 (12) Offensive Rebounds 10.0 (10) Defensive Rebounds 24.6 (4) McNeeese in the NCAA Stats TEAM RANKINGS (top 50) Free Throws 30th (76.9) McNeese Career Totals Double-Digit Scoring Games Jamaya Burr 5 23 Lance Potier 2 4 Jarren Greenwood 2 2 James Harvey 1 1 Craig McFerrin 1 26 Austin Lewis 0 7 Shaun Johnson 0 5 Matthew Moss 0 2 20 + Point Games Jamaya Burr 1 1 Craig McFerrin 0 2 30 + Point Games None 5+ 3- point FG Games Jamaya Burr 1 1 10 + Rebound Games Craig McFerrin 2 14 Austin Lewis 0 2 Lance Potier 0 1 10 + Assist Games Jamaya Burr 1 1 Double-Doubles Craig McFerrin 1 8 Austin Lewis 1 1 Lance Potier 1 1 Starts Jamaya Burr 5 34 Lance Potier 5 5 Austin Lewis 4 38 Shaun Johnson 4 5 Craig McFerrin 3 50 Tevin Jackson 3 3 Jarren Greenwood 1 1 Matthew Moss 0 8
burr knocking it down from long range Junior point guard Jamaya Burr has had the hot hand from beyond the 3-point arc the last two games, having knocked down 8 of his 12 attempts. The Ruston, Louisiana native leads the team with 16 points per game and is the top 3-point shooter having made 9 of 18 for 50 percent on the season. He s coming off a career-high 23 points scored in a 70-67 loss to Texas State where he hit 5 of 7 from long range. scoring from the sideline McNeese is averaging 32 points off the bench this season, a far cry from last year when the team scored an average of 14.5 points from the bench. The Cowboys scored 15 of their 67 points off the bench against Texas State, but in the game prior, they scored 39 of the 80 points from the sideline. freshmen putting in some work True freshmen Jarren Greenwood and James Harvey have turned some heads early on this season. Against Dillard, Greenwood led the Cowboys with 16 points - the most by a McNeese true freshman since Desharick Guidry scored 16 against Texas-Arlington on March 8, 2012. In addition to Greenwood s scoring total that game, Harvey added 10 points to make the pair the first true freshman duo to score double-digits in the same game since Feb. 11, 2012 against Central Arkansas when Kevin Hardy and Guidry each scored 11 points. The Southland Conference COWBOYS PICKED 8th/10th IN PRESEASON POLLS The McNeese Cowboys men s basketball team has been picked by the Southland Conference head coaches and sports information directors for a middle to low end finish in the preseason polls, the conference announced on Wednesday. McNeese, 15-16 last season and a second round appearance in the Southland Conference Tournament, has been picked for an eighth place finish out of 13 teams by the league SIDs while head coaches have tabbed the Cowboys to finish 10th. The Cowboys return two starters from last year s squad and will regain the services of 2013-14 starter Craig McFerrin who missed all of last season due to a shoulder injury. McFerrin was named to the preseason all-slc second team on Tuesday. He averaged 9.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in 2013-14. Junior point guard Jamaya Burr returns after starting 30 games last season as a sophomore, and although the Cowboys lost conference rebounding champion Desharick Guidry, McFerrin s return is expected to fill the hole left by Guidry. McNeese loses nearly 60 percent of its offense from last year with the departure of Guidry (17.3 ppg), Kevin Hardy (13.5), and Keelan Garrett (10.8), but the addition of some sharp-shooting freshmen in Jarren Greenwood (6-2, 175) and Adrian Brown (6-7, 210) along with a talented transfer in Tevin Jackson (6-7, 210), the Cowboys could be the sleeper team of the league this year. Coaches Poll 1. Stephen F. Austin (12), 144 2. Northwestern State (1), 130 3. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 124 4. Sam Houston State, 109 5. Lamar, 85 6. Incarnate Word, 81 7. Southeastern Louisiana, 70 8. New Orleans, 69 9. Houston Baptist, 61 10. McNeese, 54 11. Nicholls, 36 12. Central Arkansas, 34 13. Abilene Christian, 17 SID Poll 1. Stephen F. Austin (9), 141 2. Northwestern State (4), 135 3. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 116 4. Sam Houston State, 114 5. Incarnate Word, 82 6. Lamar, 79 7. Southeastern Louisiana, 69 8. McNeese, 66 9. Houston Baptist, 65 10. New Orleans, 62 11. Nicholls, 38 12. Central Arkansas, 26 13. Abilene Christian, 21 McNeese s Record When... Home............................ 1-2 Away............................ 0-2 Neutral........................... 0-0 Leading at Half....................... 0-2 Trailing at Half....................... 1-2 Tied at Half......................... 0-0 Overtime.......................... 0-0 McN Shoots 50% FG or Better.............. 1-0 McN Shoots 40-49.9% FG................. 0-1 McN Shoots less than 40% FG.............. 0-2 Opp. Shoots 50% FG or Better.............. 1-0 Opp. Shoots 40-49.9% FG................. 0-2 Opp. Shoots less than 40% FG.............. 0-1 McN has more Rebounds................. 0-1 Opponents have more Rebounds............ 1-2 Same Number of Rebounds............... 0-0 McN Commits More Turnovers.............. 0-3 Opp. Commits More Turnovers.............. 1-0 Same Number of Turnovers................ 0-0 McN Better FT%...................... 1-2 Opponent Better FT%................... 0-1 Same FT%......................... 0-0 McN Better 3PT FG%................... 0-0 Opponent Better 3PT FG%................ 1-3 Same 3PT FG%....................... 0-0 McN Scores 70 or More Points.............. 1-2 McN Scores Less than 70 Points............. 0-1 Opp. Scores 70 or More Points.............. 1-3 Opp. Scores Less than 70 Points............. 0-0 TEAM - SEASON HIGHS Points...80 vs. Dillard, 11/25 FG Made...31 vs. Dillard, 11/25 FG Attempts...65 vs. Dillard, 11/25 FG Percentage... 50.0 vs. Dillard, 11/25 3FG Made...12 vs. Dillard, 11/25 3FG Attempts... 27 vs. Dillard, 11/25 3FG Percentage... 44.4 vs. Dillard, 11/25 FT Made...17 at LSU, 11/13 FT Attempts...23 at LSU, 11/13 FT Percentage...81.3 vs. Louisiana College, 11/25 Rebounds... 41 vs. Louisiana College, 11/17 Assists... 15 vs. Dillard, 11/25... vs. Louisiana College, 11/17 Steals... 11 vs. Dillard, 11/25... vs. Louisiana College, 11/17 Blocked Shots...10 vs. Texas State, 11/28 INDIVIDUAL - SEASON HIGHS Points... 23, Jamaya Burr vs. TXST (11/28) FG Made... 23, Jamaya Burr vs. TXST (11/28) 3FG Made... 5, Jamaya Burr vs. TXST (11/28) FT Made...7, Jamaya Burr at LSU (11/13) Rebounds...13, Craig McFerrin at LSU (11/13) Assists...4 by Several Steals... 4, Jamaya Burr vs. LC (11/17) Blocked Shots... 4, Craig McFerrin vs. TXST (11/28)... 4, Austin Lewis vs. LC (11/17)
Head Coach Dave Simmons The Simmons File PERSONAL Born: July 24, 1959 Hometown: DeRidder, La. Married: Wife Elaine Marie Children: Desmond, David, Deon EDUCATION 1977-85 Louisiana Tech M.S. Health & Physical Education B.S. Health & Physical Education Minor in Business Education COACHING CAREER 94-95 Edward Waters 16-13 95-96 Edward Waters 11-16 06-07 McNeese State 15-17 07-08 McNeese State 13-16 08-09 McNeese State 11-18 09-10 McNeese State 10-20 10-11 McNeese State 21-12 11-12 McNeese State 17-16 12-13 McNeese State 14-17 13-14 McNeese State 11-20 14-15 McNeese State 15-16 15-16 McNeese State 1-4 Career 12th season 155-185 at McNeese 10th season 128-155 2011 Southland Conference Coach of the Year 2011 & 2012 Tommy Joe Eagles Memorial Award Coach of the Year Dave Simmons wrapped up his ninth year as McNeese s head coach last season making him the second-longest tenured hoops coach in school history. In addition to his nine years at the helm, he spent seven previous season as an assistant coach from 1987-94 and was part of the staff that helped coach the Cowboys to their first-ever NCAA Tournament in 1989. The 2015-16 season will be his 10th as head coach and 17th overall at McNeese. He has compiled a 127-152 record at McNeese. He needs four wins to pass Glenn Duhon to become the second-winningest coach in school history. He s the only coach in school history to take his teams to back-to-back postseason national tournaments - 2011 NIT and 2012 CollegeInsider.com tourney. McNeese made back-to-back appearances in 2001 (NIT) and 2002 (NCAA), but under Ron Everhart and Tic Price. Simmons, a native of DeRidder, was inducted into the Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame (LABC) in 2007 after having a stellar playing career at Louisiana Tech from 1977-81 where he earned All-Southland Conference and NABC All-District honors. As a coach at McNeese, he earned SLC Coach of the Year honors in 2011 after he led the Cowboys to the league s regular season title, and was awarded the Tommy Joe Eagles Memorial Award by the LABC as the state s major college coach of the year in 2011 and 2012. In the 2014-15 season, Simmons notched his 125th victory at McNeese on March 1 when the Cowboys defeated Lamar 70-69. That win moved him past Wayne Cusic (1946-52) as the 3rd-winningest coach in school history. He led the Cowboys to the second round of the SLC Tournament. Two of his seniors Kevin Hardy and Desharick Guidry signed professional contracts overseas following their senior season. His coaching career at McNeese is full of memorable moments both as an assistant and head coach. Simmons was an assistant on the staff of head coach Steve Welch from 1988-94 and helped coach the Cowboys to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 1989. He left the Cowboys after the 93-94 season to become the head coach at Edward Waters for two years. He was hired as McNeese s head coach in 2006 and has led McNeese to the 2011 SLC title, the 2011 NIT where the Cowboys hosted Boston College in the first round, and the 2012 CollegeInsider. com Tournament. His 2010-11 team finished 21-12 making it the first 20-win season in nine years and just the 11th in school history. The Cowboys knocked on the 20-win door the following year where the 17-win season saw four games where the Cowboys came up short by four points or less. On Feb. 7, 2013, Simmons coached the Cowboys to a Southland Conference first when his team defeated Sam Houston State 59-58 in overtime to mark the 300th conference win for the Cowboys the first team in league history to win 300 conference games. He won his 100th game as McNeese s head coach on March 9, 2013 after a 91-88 double-overtime win at Nicholls in the regular season finale. Simmons was also on the staffs at Northwestern State and Louisiana Tech when those two teams won league titles and played in the NCAA tournament, and an assistant at Delta State when it played post season. He was an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech when the team went to the NIT Final Four and made two NCAA appearances. He was an assistant at Delta State when it won 24 games and appeared in the Division II Final Four and he was an assistant at Northwestern State when the Demons won back-to-back league crowns, participated in the NCAA and gave the SLC a first round NCAA victory for the first time since the 1980s when the Demons, playing as a 14-seed, shocked No. 3 Iowa on a last second 3-point basket. During a 29-year career Simmons has coached more than 20 players who have gone on to play in the professional ranks including Karl Malone of Louisiana Tech and one of the top 50 all-time greatest players to have played in the NBA. As a player at Tech, he was the team captain and team MVP and in 1981, ranked 5th in the nation in free throw shooting (.890, 130 of 146), a Louisiana Tech school record with a minimum of 80 attempts, and a mark currently ranks No. 3 on the Southland Conference s single-season list. His.818 career free throw mark is also a Tech school record and is rated as the 2nd-highest in league history with a minimum of 300 FT made. He led the Bulldogs in scoring his senior season with 498 points and his 1,563 career points scored is ranked 12th on the school s career chart. Simmons and his wife Elaine Marie have three children, Desmond, David and Deon.
2015-16 Overall Stats
2015-16 Team Stats
McNeese Game-by-Game Opponent Game-by-Game Stats
McNeese Points-Rebounds-Assists
Game-by-Game Leaders