Southland Conference 2003-04 Season Recap
by Zach Ewing
After a regular season that finished with three teams tied atop the standings and another just a game behind, it came as no surprise that parity ruled the Southland Conference Tournament.
The top four teams all survived the first day of quarterfinals, but on semifinal day, the No. 4 seeded Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks took out top seed Texas-Arlington in a thriller won by an Antonio Burks three-pointer with four seconds left. The other semifinal also did not disappoint. Texas-San Antonio’s Justin Harbert hit all three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt in the last 20 seconds to lead the Roadrunners to an 87-85 win. UTSA came back from seven points down at halftime to advance to Friday’s final.
In the championship, UTSA made the most of their opportunity, holding off a game Stephen F. Austin team at home 74-70. The Roadrunners took the lead at 12-11 and, although the game remained close, the Lumberjacks could do better than tie the score from that point on. Late in the game, SFA had the ball down by two, but couldn’t score. When LeRoy Hurd hit two free throws seconds later, Texas-San Antonio was dancing for the third time in its history.
It didn’t last long. Stanford easily ended UTSA’s season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. But for this conference, getting to the Big Dance is an accomplishment in itself. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the final standings and awards for the Southland Conference in 2003-04.
Southland Conference Tournament Results
Quarterfinals – Monday, March 8
(1) Texas-Arlington 77, (8) Louisiana-Monroe 62
(4) Stephen F. Austin 85, (5) Sam Houston State 53
(3) Texas-San Antonio 78, (6) Texas State-San Marcos 73
(2) Southeastern Louisiana 72, (7) Northwestern State 64
Semifinals – Wednesday, March 10
(4) Stephen F. Austin 69, (1) Texas-Arlington 68
(3) Texas-San Antonio 87, (2) Southeastern Louisiana 85
Championship – Friday, March 12
(3) Texas-San Antonio 74, (4) Stephen F. Austin 70
Postseason
NCAA Tournament Phoenix Regional
(1) Stanford 71, (16) Texas-San Antonio 45
Hoopville All-Southland Conference Team
Senior forward LeRoy Hurd, Texas-San Antonio
Junior guard Amir Abdur-Rahim, Southeastern Louisiana
Senior forward Derrick Obasohan, Texas-Arlington
Junior forward Michael Gardner, Southeastern Louisiana
Senior guard Antonio Burks, Stephen F. Austin
Player of the Year:
LeRoy Hurd, Texas San Antonio – 19.4 ppg, 8.1 rpg
Honorable Mention:
Rafael Posey -Texas-San Antonio, Terry Conerway – Texas State-San Marcos, Joe Thompson – Sam Houston State, Raymond Anthony – Lamar, Terrell Petteway – Lamar
Hoopville All-Southland Freshman Team
Forward Kelvin Williams, Sam Houston State
Guard Ryan Price, McNeese State
Guard Kurt Attaway, Texas-San Antonio
Guard Stephen Floyd, Texas-Arlington
Forward Demetrius Bell, Northwestern State
Freshman of the Year:
Kelvin Williams, Sam Houston State – 7.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg
Honorable Mention:
Jonathon Walker – Southeastern Louisiana, Othello Alford – Sam Houston State, Ryan Griffith – Sam Houston State, Blake Whittle – Lamar, Shaun King – Nicholls State
Around the Southland
Lamar Cardinals (11-18 overall, 5-11 Southland)
Key players lost:
F Terrell Petteway (15.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg)
Key players returning:
G Raymond Anthoney (15.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.8 apg)
G Teddy Davis (13.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg)
G Gil Goodrich (12.9 ppg)
2004-05 Outlook: Lamar, though it failed to even make the Southland tournament this year, could put the conference on the map. That’s because Billy Tubbs, formerly of Tulsa, Oklahoma and TCU, started his career at Lamar and is back for his second season of his second stint. Not only do his Cardinals have everyone significant back save Petteway, but they had a superb recruiting class. This seems ridiculous, but little Lamar’s nine-player signing class was rated No. 3 in the country according to some websites. The only downside is the lack of any experienced players returning in the paint.
Louisiana-Monroe Indians (12-19, 8-9)
Key Players Lost:
G John Andrews (10.1 ppg)
G Larry Parker (9.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
C Chavis Thompson (8.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg)
Key Players Returning:
F DeAndre Alexander (6.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg)
Outlook: Not good. The Indians, senior-laden last year but still unable to accomplish anything, return only one player with a scoring average above six points. It will be interesting to see where ULM gets its offense.
McNeese State Cowboys (11-16, 7-9)
Key Players Lost:
F Jerrick Oliver (10.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg)
G Edward Garriet (14.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg)
G Greg Tucker (10.9 ppg)
Key Players Returning:
G Ryan Price (8.3 ppg, 2.1 apg)
Outlook: The Cowboys will likely battle for the cellar of the conference in ’05. Price will be a promising sophomore, but he will have to lead a very young team that won’t be able to replace its three leading scorers from this year.
Nicholls State Colonels (6-21, 1-15)
Key Players Lost:
G Markeith Brown (8.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
Key Players Returning:
G Willie Depron (15.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg)
F Jason Wilkins (11.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
Outlook: The Colonels have a long way to go, but they won’t be an easy opponent next year. They lose mostly minor players and will have a senior-laden team. And keep in mind, NSU did keep it close against Texas-San Antonio at beat Lamar at home this year.
Northwestern State Demons (11-17, 8-9)
Key Players Lost: None
Key Players Returning:
F Clifton Lee (13.3 ppg, 7.6 rpg)
G Jermaine Wallace (15.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg)
G Byron Allen (7.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
Outlook: The Demons are a team that has been dangerous in this conference in the past and may be headed in that direction again next year. A great sophomore class will become juniors, and the Demons may be able to turn close losses into close wins with the added maturity.
Sam Houston State Bearkats (12-15, 8-9)
Key Players Lost:
G Jason Stephenson (9.4 ppg, 2.4 apg)
Key Players Returning:
F Joe Thompson (15.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.7 apg)
F Wilder Auguste (10.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
G Chris Jordan (9.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
F Kelvin Williams (7.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg)
Outlook: The Bearkats have quite a ways to go to get into the upper echelon of the conference, but they have a load of talent coming back next year. Thompson, along with Amir Abdur-Rahim, is one of the most complete players in the conference, and Williams is a force inside.
Southeastern Louisiana Lions (19-9, 12-5)
Key Players Lost: None
Key Players Returning:
G Amir Abdur-Rahim (15.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.2 apg)
F Michael Gardner (13.2 ppg, 5.0 apg)
F Terry West (12.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
Outlook: The Lions won their first conference tournament game this year and should continue the trend and win the whole tournament next year. Abdur-Rahim will be hungry to redeem himself for two silly fouls in the closing minutes of this year’s semifinal loss, and SE Louisiana should improve on this year’s 12-5 record.
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (21-9, 11-6)
Key Players Lost:
Guard Antonio Burks (15.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
Key Players Returning:
F Taylor Moore (9.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg)
G Marcus Clark (9.3 ppg, 4.0 apg)
Outlook: The loss of Burks means the Lumberjacks will need a new scorer and a new leader. Taylor Moore and Marcus Clark may be ready to step into those roles, but if they don’t find them, it may be a long season for Stephen F. Austin.
Texas-Arlington Mavericks (17-12, 12-5)
Key Players Lost:
F Derrick Obasohan (16.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg)
F Donny Beachem (9.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg)
G Keith Howell (10.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.3 apg)
Key Players Returning:
F Steven Thomas (12.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg)
Outlook: Texas-Arlington’s window of opportunity may have passed when Antonio Burks sunk a three-pointer in the Southland semifinals to end the Mavericks’ system. With teams like Lamar, Sam Houston State and Southeastern Louisiana improving from last year, Arlington will have a hard time keeping up next year.
Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners (19-13, 12-5)
Key Players Lost:
F LeRoy Hurd (19.4 ppg, 8.1 rpg)
Key Players Returning:
G Rafael Posey (11.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
G Justin Harbert (10.4 ppg)
F Justin Millsap (8.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg)
G Kurt Attaway (7.3 ppg, 3.3 apg)
Outlook: The majority of the Roadrunners’ conference championship team returns, but you can’t lose the leading scorer and rebounder in the conference and not fall a bit in the standings. Then again, never count out a champion. UTSA will be looking for a back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearance like they had in 1998-1999.
Texas State-San Marcos Bobcats (14-14, 8-9)
Key Players Lost:
G Terry Conerway (13.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.9 spg)
guard Roosevelt Brown (9.9 ppg, 2.6 apg)
Key Players Returning:
G Josh Naylor (11.1 ppg, 2.7 apg)
F Anthony Dill (8.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
F Zach Allison (8.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
Outlook: The Bobcats lose a lot in the backcourt for next season, and Naylor will be hard-pressed to pick up the slack. The frontcourt should be improved, but don’t look for the artist formerly known as Southwest Texas State to be anywhere but where they were this year: the middle of the pack.
