October 20th, 2009
(photo of Brad Howard by Drew Engelke)
RICHARDSON, Texas – The Texas Lutheran men’s basketball team is the eighth pick in the 2009-10 American Southwest Conference West Division Preseason Poll after a vote of the division’s head coaches, sports information directors and media members.
The University of Texas at Dallas and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men’s basketball teams have been predicted to win the ASC East and West Division titles, respectively.
LeTourneau University’s Dale Vanwright and Concordia University Texas’ Brad Walker earned 2009-10 preseason player of the year honors. Vanwright is the ASC East Preseason Player of the Year, and Walker is the ASC West Preseason Player of the Year.
Texas Lutheran produced a 6-18 overall record in 2008-09. The year marked a three-win improvement over the previous season. The Bulldogs were 6-15 in the American Southwest Conference and finished in a tie for seventh in the division. The Bulldogs are coached by Tommy Jones, who begins his third season with the team.
The Bulldogs return 10 lettermen from the 2008-09 season.
Among the returnees for TLU in 2009-10 are juniors Brad Howard and Malcolm Dotson, who each earned ASC West recognition last season. Howard was an ASC West Division Honorable Mention selection after averaging 10.3 points and 4.7 rebounds. The junior wing posted team-highs in field goals made (93) and three-pointers made (30), and he tied for the team lead in blocks (16). Howard was second on the team in steals (33), assists (45) and rebounds (112). Howard was an ASC West Freshman Team selection two years ago.
Dotson, the team's starting point guard from LaMarque (LaMarque), was named to last year’s ASC West Division All-Defensive Team. He earned that spot on the defensive team by being among the conference leaders in steals. He averaged 2.33 steals per game and had a season total of 56. Dotson also averaged a career-best 6.8 points and dished out 50 assists.
The Bulldogs also return two of the top young players in the division in guard Michael Flores (Spring/Klein Collins) and Isaac Williams (San Antonio/Wagner). Flores and Williams were named to the 2008-09 ASC West All-Freshman Team.
Williams and Flores each played in all 24 games in their first seasons with the team. Williams averaged 9.5 points per game and made 46.1 percent of his total field goals. He also averaged 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals. Flores averaged 7.1 points per game and hit 42 percent of his field goal attempts. Flores made 24 three-pointers and collected 38 assists and 32 steals.
Texas-Dallas, which went 26-5 overall and 16-4 in league play last season on its way to the ASC title and an appearance in the “Elite Eight” of the NCAA Division III Championship, totaled 133 points and picked up 13 of the possible 21 first-place votes in the annual poll. Head coach Terry Butterfield’s Comets have won two of the last five conference titles. Their run in the NCAA tournament last season tied for the longest by any ASC team in league history. UTD fell in overtime to Guildford (N.C.), narrowly missing a berth into the “Final Four.”
Six-time ASC champion Mississippi College (20-7, 14-6 ASC) was picked to finish second in the East, totaling 125 points and seven top-spot votes. The Choctaws reached the conference title game last season. LeTourneau (16-10, 14-6 ASC) garnered 99 points and the final first-place vote to land in the third-place spot.
The University of Texas at Tyler totaled 84 points to round out what would be the East Division’s four teams to qualify for the ASC Championship Tournament. East Texas Baptist University (82 pts.) was predicted to finish fifth, followed by the University of the Ozarks (37 pts.) and Louisiana College (28 pts.).
Mary Hardin-Baylor (19-8, 16-5 ASC), which won the 2008 ASC title and advanced to the NCAA tournament in 2007 and 2008, totaled 169 points and earned 10 of the possible 24 first-place votes. Head Coach Ken DeWeese’s Cru reached the semifinals of the ASC tournament last year. The Cru have won at least 17 games for six straight seasons.
Defending West Division champion McMurry University (19-8, 17-4 ASC) was predicted for a second-place finish with 166 points – just three behind UMHB – and received nine top-spot votes. McMurry won the ASC crown 1997, 2000 and 2001.
Concordia Texas (10-16, 9-12 ASC) received 154 points and four first-place votes to land in the third position. Hardin-Simmons University (9-16, 8-13 ASC) totaled 103 points to round out what would be the division’s four league tournament qualifiers. Sul Ross State University (87 pts.) was picked fifth, followed by Howard Payne University (82 pts.), Schreiner University (53 pts.) and TLU (51 pts.). Schreiner picked up the final first-place vote.
LeTourneau’s Vanwright (Houston, TX / Blinn JC), a senior guard, averaged 15.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season. He was second in the league in 3-point shooting percentage (27-for-58). The 6-6, 219-pounder was a member of the five-player ASC All-Conference Team in 2008-09 and was also voted the East Division Newcomer of the Year.
Concordia Texas’ Walker (Brenham, TX / BHS), a senior forward, averaged 16.4 points and 5.8 rebounds in 2008-09. The 6-6, 210-pound Walker also totaled 24 blocked shots last season.
Vanwright and Walker are both the only returning members of their respective division’s first team from 2008-09.
The 2009-10 season – the 14th in league history – begins as early as November 15. The three-day, eight-team, single-elimination conference tournament is slated for February 26-28 at the site of the West Division’s top seed. An automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship will be on the line.
2009-10 ASC PRESEASON MEN’S BASKETBALL POLL
[Voted on by ASC Head Coaches, Sports Information Directors and Media Members]
EAST DIVISION
Team (first-place votes) Points 2008-09 Record
1. Texas-Dallas (13) 133 26-5, 16-4 ASC
2. Mississippi College (7) 125 20-7, 14-6 ASC
3. LeTourneau (1) 99 16-10, 14-6 ASC
4. Texas-Tyler 84 12-14, 12-8 ASC
5. East Texas Baptist 82 14-11, 11-9 ASC
6. Ozarks 37 10-15, 8-12 ASC
7. Louisiana College 28 4-20, 2-18 ASC
WEST DIVISION
Team (first-place votes) Points 2008-09 Record
1. Mary Hardin-Baylor (10) 169 19-8, 16-5 ASC
2. McMurry (9) 166 19-8, 17-4 ASC
3. Concordia Texas (4) 154 10-16, 9-12 ASC
4. Hardin-Simmons 103 9-16, 8-13 ASC
5. Sul Ross State 87 8-17, 8-13 ASC
6. Howard Payne 82 7-18, 7-14 ASC
7. Schreiner (1) 53 6-19, 6-15 ASC
8. Texas Lutheran 51 6-18, 6-15 ASC
2009-10 ASC PRESEASON MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
[Voted on by ASC Head Coaches, Sports Information Directors and Media Members]
EAST DIVISION
Dale Vanwright, G, Sr., LeTourneau
WEST DIVISION
Brad Walker, F, Sr., Concordia Texas