UALR teams open practice with intent
JEFFREY SLATTON ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
Plugging newcomers into positions quickly is the immediate goal for the UALR men’s basketball team when it begins official practice today at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock. The UALR women don’t face nearly as much uncertainty. Both teams won Sun Belt Conference West Division championships last year, but their outlooks appear different. The UALR men have to replace most of their starting lineup, while the UALR women have to fill one spot while adding depth. UALR’s women are expected to be picked as the preseason favorite in the West Division when the coaches’ poll is released next week. “I think with the blend of players that we have and the past that is behind them, I think they are really looking forward to getting started,” UALR women’s Coach Joe Foley said. “It’s probably the most fired-up group we’ve had, and probably the most in-shape group we’ve had.” The UALR men finished 23-8 last season and Coach Steve Shields said he has tried to make individual workouts this fall more like practices. “We’ve tried to go at a faster pace than we did last season,” Shields said. “We’ve tried to speed up our conditioning. It’s very similar to what we did two years ago.” Senior forwards Wayne Burton and Mike Smith and junior guard Matt Mouzy are the only returning players who started games last season. There are five new players in addition to South Florida transfer Solomon Bozeman on the roster. The Trojans will rely on a relatively new front line other than Smith, with juniors Marlon Louzeiro, Montrell Thornton and Derrick Bails. Smith has lost more than 50 pounds since the beginning of last season, while the others have trimmed down during individual workouts. “We’ve had a good off-season,” Shields said. “Our guys, in my opinion, have been very workmanlike this summer with strength coach John Barron. And they’ve had a good fall as well.” Bozeman is expected to be in the mix at point guard, while juniors Alex Garcia-Mendoza and Ricky Davison and freshman Nikola Cicic will compete for playing time at the guard positions. “Of our six new guys, including Solomon, several are going to be impact guys,” Shields said. “They’re going to be needed to play extended minutes. Because of that, conditioning can’t be a factor.” The UALR women return six of their top seven players from last year’s team that finished 26-7 and advanced to the WNIT. The exception is senior guard Anshel Cooper, who has not been with the team during individual workouts and is not expected to play this season. Cooper averaged 14.1 points while starting all 33 games last season and was named second-team All-Sun Belt Conference. Competing for available minutes will be freshmen Janette Merriex, Tre-Anna Smith and Shelby Ashcraft. Another freshman, Nicole Peavy, recently returned home and will not play at UALR. UALR does return junior forward Chastity Reed, who was first-team All-Sun Belt last season, and senior guard Kim Sitzmann, who was previously named to the all-conference teams. The other four returnees are junior guards Asriel Rolfe and Shanika Butler and sophomore forwards Marian Kursh and Channon Haywood. “We’ve got to get some outside scoring from our freshman. I think Chastity and Kim both have done a really good job. That’s what’s been encouraging for me. Not from a criticism role, but in a role that this is what you have to do,” Foley said.