Matches guard play with Houston in opener

The McNeese State basketball team will tip off for the first time this season when it hits the road to take on Houston at 7 p.m. today.

The Cowboys have struggled as a program as of late, winning fewer than 10 games in each of the last two seasons. 

As a result, they enter this season with a chip on their shoulder after being picked to finish dead last in the Southland Conference in the league’s preseason poll. 

“Right now we’re ranked last so our attitude is on another level right now,” said McNeese point guard Jarren Greenwood. “The biggest focus right now is to win every game against everyone who doubts us.”

They will get their first crack at shocking opponents tonight against the Cougars who bring back a stable of experience players, especially around the perimeter. 

Greenwood will take over point guard duties for Jamaya Burr, who finished his fourth year of eligibility last year. “He played a lot of point last year,” said McNeese head coach Dave Simmons. “He’s really a good point guard. He’s more of a combo guy, but he’ll fill in the point roll. He’s the point guard all the way.”

The Cowboys will also likely start sophomore guard Kalob Ledoux and James Harvey at the corners. The duo will work with Greenwood to combat Houston’s stacked back court led by Rob Gray, who led the American Athletic Conference with 20.6 points per game in the 2016-17 season.

“That will be the interesting thing,” Simmons said. “Can we match their guard play? You have to have good guards. We feel like we have good guards, but their guards are experienced.”

McNeese and Houston have a lot of similarities in personnel and both plan on running the floor. Much like the Cowboys, the Cougars struggled in the post last season, but their guard play helped them earn 22 wins and a berth in the National Invitational Tournament. 

“Our guards gained a lot of experience last year,” Simmons said. “They’ve been against good, NBA-prospect guards. They’re looking forward to it. They hear about guys like (Gray) and they hear that reputation. They want to see where they stack up against those types of players.”

Once again, the biggest question mark for McNeese entering the season is their post play. The Cowboys return Stephen Ugochukwu down low who led McNeese in rebounding last year, and they added a versatile power forward in De’Marco Owens. 

Owens is a big athlete with a 6-foot-8, 260-pound frame, though he has the ability to play a finesse style and score near the basket, SImmon said.

How much he will get involved early in the season is yet to be determined, Simmons said.

“Who knows?” he said. “De’Marco Owens might play more than Stephen Ugochukwu. It’s all about productivity and what you’re going to bring to the table in the upcoming game.”

McNeese State head coach Dave Simmons yells to his team as they play against Oklahoma during the first half of an NCAA mens basketball game in Norman in 2015.

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