FRISCO, Texas — Lamar University head men’s basketball coach answered questions about the upcoming season at the annual Southland Conference Media Day Tuesday morning, which was done virtually.
The Cardinals enter the 2022-23 season with a ton of excitement after rebuilding the roster. Following a disappointing 2021-22 campaign, the LU coaching staff went out an added 10 new players, including four junior college transfers. Among the Cardinals’ four transfers three are NJCAA All-Americans.
The three incoming players who received All-American honors at the JUCO level include Terry Anderson (6-6, F, Arkansas-Cossatot), Adam Hamilton (6-9, C, Glendale CC) and Chris Pryor (5-11, G, McLennan CC).
“I’m excited to be back, and our team is excited to be back in the Southland Conference,” said LU head coach Alvin Brooks – who is entering his second season with the program. “We’ve got 10 new players this year. That’s a whole new team. Our entire staff is excited about this new group. We really only return one guy who played significant minutes last year. We’re not going to be as experienced this year, but we’ve got a chance to be better. We’ve added some size, we’re more athletic and our guard play in practices has been better.”
LU’s returnees include Valentin Catt (6-10, So., C), Casey Brooks (5-9, Jr., G) and Brock McClure (6-6, 210, So.). McClure ended the season as one of the WAC’s top freshmen averaging 6.8 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game.
The Cardinals also return two redshirts – Brian Gordon (6-2, Fr., G) and Trey Harris (6-5, Fr., G).
The Southland also released its preseason all-conference team and preseason polls Tuesday morning. The Cardinals were picked ninth of 10 teams, with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi the overwhelming favorite to win the league earning 11 first-place votes and 149 points.
The Southland also named the late Darius Lee as the preseason player of the year. Lee was a second-team all-conference selection last season who tragically passed away during his summer break in June.