2011-2012 Texas-Arlington Mavericks Basketball Preview

Texas-Arlington Mavericks - Southland Conference

2010-11: 13-16, 7-9

2010-11 postseason: none

Coach: Scott Cross (79-73 at Texas-Arlington, 79-73 overall)  

Texas-Arlington had eight players who started at least a dozen games last year. Six of them are back, including a trio of talented perimeter players. Shaquille White-Miller had a decent freshman campaign, averaging 4.2 points and 3.1 assists per game. He needs to keep the turnovers down and any extra scoring they can get from the pass first point guard would be a bonus, but White-Miller is ready to be the leader of this team after starting 17 games last year. If not, Cameron Catlett can certainly fill that role. Catlett, a 6-3 sophomore, is a much better scorer than White-Miller, but is not really a true point guard. However, he could play some point when White-Miller needs a break or be a secondary ball handler on the floor. Bradley Gay is the more experienced player on the perimeter. The 6-4 senior is a good shooter, but needs to be more aggressive attacking the basket.

Who’s Out:

The backcourt does lose a few contributors. Darius Richardson, at times, was a good long range shooter who would stretch out the defense, but he was rather inconsistent during his freshman campaign and opted to transfer. He had the size to attack the basket and hit the glass though and could have turned into a major contributor with time. Another transfer, Armani Williams pretty much played the same role as Richardson…a shooter who would usually come in off the bench and try to provide a spark. Bryant Smith played quite well when given the opportunity during his freshman campaign, averaging 3.5 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists, but he too left the program.

Who’s In:

Coach Scott Cross needed to add some scorers to this team and he got plenty of them. Kevin Butler, a transfer from TCU, started 20 games for the Horned Frogs as a sophomore during the 2009-2010 campaign. He has a knack for getting offensive rebounds even with his 6-5 frame. His toughness should make Butler an option at the small forward or power forward spot. Karol Gruszecki and Bojan Mihajlovic were two of the best scorers at the junior college level last season, averaging 19.4 and 20.6 points, respectively. Gruszecki is more of a lanky guard with athleticism, while Mihajlovic has a bigger 6-6, 225 pound frame and he can bang around in the paint or step outside. Jorge Redmon was a pretty good scorer in the juco ranks as well, but it is his ability to run the point and play stellar defense that will make him an immediate contributor to the Mavericks.

Final Projection:

There are some pieces to replace, but Coach Cross went with experience in this recruiting class. All four newcomers are upperclassmen and there are only three sophomores on the team. Two of those sophomores, White-Miller and Edwards, received plenty of playing time last year and are pretty experienced. The result is an extremely deep team with a ton of potential scoring threats and a heap of experience. That will keep Texas-Arlington right in the mix for a Southland title and give them a big boost come tournament time.

Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

• Shaquille White-Miller, Sophomore, Guard, 4.2 points per game

• Bradley Gay, Senior, Guard, 7.3 points per game

• LaMarcus Reed, Senior, Forward, 12.4 points per game

• Bo Ingram, Senior, Forward, 11.2 points per game

• Jordan Reves, Junior, Center, 7.5 points per game

By Joel Welser courtesy of www.CollegeSportsMadness.com
CollegeSports-fans.com Senior Basketball Writer

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