Short-Handed ULM Seeks Road Win, Series Split at Texas State

Men's Basketball Jan 29

Game 20: ULM (6-13, 2-8 Sun Belt) vs. Texas State (12-9, 5-5 Sun Belt)
Thursday, Jan. 30 | 7 p.m.
San Marcos, Texas | Strahan Arena (10,000)

Watch: ESPN+ | Listen: KLIP 105.3FM

2019-20 ULM Basketball Notes: Game 20 vs. Texas State

STORYLINE –
ULM (6-13, 2-8 Sun Belt) opens a two-game Sun Belt Conference road trip at Texas State (12-9, 5-5) on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. The Warhawks, who are seeking their first road win of the season (0-8), also are attempting to end a six-game losing streak in league play.

Two weeks ago, Texas State won the first meeting of the regular season at ULM, 64-63. Nijal Pearson, who scored a game-high 23 points to pace the Bobcats, hit a game-tying 3-pointer with a minute remaining along with the go-ahead free throw with 10 seconds left.

ULM enters Thursday's game against Texas State without its second-leading scorer (14.1 ppg.) and rebounder (5.2 rpg.), in JD Williams, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury early in the first half at the Ragin' Cajuns last Saturday.

THE STARTING FIVE –
• ULM enters Thursday's game against Texas State without its second-leading scorer (14.1 ppg.) and rebounder (5.2 rpg.), in JD Williams, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury early in the first half at the Ragin' Cajuns last Saturday. Williams will undergo surgery on Friday to repair his fractured left ankle.

ULM's starting backcourt of Michael Ertel and Williams had combined to average 29.5 points per game. The tandem had combined to account for 47 percent (560 of 1,200 points) of the team's scoring through the first 19 games. Ertel (sixth at 15.4 points per game) and Williams (12th at 14.1 ppg.) both rank among the Sun Belt Top 15 in scoring.

Ertel also listed among the league's Top 10 in four additional statistical categories: first in minutes played (37.2 pg.), seventh in 3-point field-goal percentage (.369), ninth in field-goal percentage (.401) and ninth in 3-pointers made per game (2.2). His 37.2 minutes per game rank No. 14 among NCAA Division I players. He has scored in double figures in 24 of his last 26 games (dating back to last season).

Williams ranks second in the Sun Belt in minutes played (34.9 mpg.).

• Senior forward Tyree White is averaging 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds over his last four games. The 6-foot-8, 205-pound White is hitting 61 percent (25-of-41) of his field-goal attempts, including 80 percent (4-of-5) from behind the 3-point arc, and 80 percent (16-of-20) from the free-throw line during the stretch. He has led the Warhawks in scoring in four-straight games, including his first career double-double at the Ragin' Cajuns with 15 points and a career-best 13 rebounds. White previously posted 21 points at Georgia State, 16 against Texas State and 18 against UT Arlington.

• ULM has held 17 of its 19 opponents below 50-percent shooting from the field. Coastal Carolina became the first opponent to shoot better than 50 percent from the field against the Warhawks, finishing 34-of-62 (55 percent) from the floor, including 11-of-30 3-pointers (37 percent). ULM also allowed a season-high 93 points at Coastal.

Georgia State shot a season-best 58 percent (30-of-52) from the field against ULM, including 62 percent (18-of-29) in the second half.

By comparison, the Warhawks have shot better than 50 percent from the floor in three games: .538 vs. Alcorn State (28-52), season-high .542 vs. Little Rock (26-48) and .522 vs. Troy (24-46).

• Six of ULM's 12 losses have come by a combined total of 23 points. The Warhawks led in the second half in each of those six losses (at Texas A&M, vs. Grambling State, at SFA, vs. Little Rock, vs. Arkansas State and vs. Texas State). ULM's five-game losing streaks are the program's longest since an eight-game skid during the 2016-17 season.

• ULM ranks among the Sun Belt Conference leaders in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (third at .318), scoring defense (fourth at 67.5 points per game), 3-point field-goal percentage (fourth at .344) and blocked shots (fifth at 3.3 pg.).

In league games, the Warhawks rank fourth in field-goal percentage (.440) and 3-point field-goal percentage (.351).

ULM/TEXAS STATE SERIES NOTES –
Thursday's game marks the 55th meeting between ULM and Texas State. The Warhawks lead the all-time series, 31-23, including a 12-12 record in games played in San Marcos, Texas. The last seven games in the series have been decided by eight points or less. Overall, the Bobcats have won five of the last seven meetings.

Two weeks ago, Texas State won the first regular-season meeting 64-63 in Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

TEXAS STATE SCOUTING REPORT –
Texas State (12-9, 5-5 Sun Belt) has won five of its last seven Sun Belt Conference games to move into a tie for fifth place in the league standings. The Bobcats, who had their four-game winning streak snapped by rival UT Arlington, 64-62, last Saturday, are 8-3 at home this season.

Texas State forward Nijal Pearson, who leads the Sun Belt Conference in scoring at 20.1 points per game, has been a model of consistency, posting double figures in all 21 games. He has scored 20-plus points in 10 games, including six of his last seven outings.

A native of Beaumont, Texas, Pearson is one of 16 active NCAA Division I players with at least 1,500 career points and 600 career rebounds. He currently ranks third on that list with 1,917 points and 671 rebounds.

With his 23-point effort against ULM two weeks ago, Pearson became the Bobcats' all-time leading scorer. He hit a game-tying 3-pointer with a minute remaining along with the go-ahead free throw with 10 seconds left in Texas State's 64-63 win in Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

Pearson ranks among the league's Top 10 in five additional statistical categories: fourth in 3-point field goals made (2.5 pg.), fifth in 3-point field-goal percentage (.385), sixth in minutes played (33.8 mpg.), seventh in field-goal percentage (.442) and ninth in free-throw percentage (.790).

Guard Mason Harrell is tied for the team lead with 67 assists and ranks as the Bobcats' second-leading scorer, averaging 9.8 points per game. He has reached double figures in scoring 11 times this season, including a career-high 19 points against UTSA.

Marlin Davis and Harrell rank 1-2 in the Sun Belt in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.7 and 2.4, respectively. Davis and Harrell also are tied for 10th in the league in assists, with each averaging 3.2 per game.

Isiah Small, a 6-8 forward, leads the Bobcats and ranks fifth in the Sun Belt in rebounding, averaging 7.1 per game. Small has collected double-figure rebounds in five games, including two double-doubles (14 points and 10 boards vs. Coastal Carolina; 11 points and 12 boards vs. UTA). He also ranks third on the team in scoring, averaging 8.2 points per game.

Texas State leads the Sun Belt in scoring defense (64.1 ppg.) and ranks among the league's Top 5 in seventh additional stat categories, including scoring margin (second at +8.0 ppg.), free-throw percentage (second at .759), field-goal percentage defense (second at .399), turnover margin (second at +3.5 pg.), field-goal percentage (third at .454), assist-to-turnover ratio (third at 1.1) and scoring offense (fourth at 72.1 ppg.).

THE LAST MEETING –
Texas State 64, ULM 63 (Jan. 16, 2020, in Monroe, La.): ULM provided a dramatic finish for a charged up crowd of 3,332, but the outcome didn't go the Warhawks' way in a 64-63 loss to Texas State.

Jalen Hodge's basket at the buzzer was waved off and confirmed by the replay officials in a disappointing ending to a tight Sun Belt Conference clash that featured five ties and 12 lead changes.

The Warhawks, who finished 0-for-3 on their most recent road trip, returned to Fant-Ewing Coliseum to lose their fourth straight.

A turnover by ULM's JD Williams with 37 seconds remaining gave Texas State the ball in a tie game. Fouled on the other end, Nijal Pearson, who tied the score with a 3-pointer with a minute left, made his first free throw and missed the second with 10 seconds to go. Williams missed a layup with one second left and Hodge, grabbed the carom and launched the shot milliseconds late.

Tyree White led all ULM scorers with 16 points and six rebounds with two of the team's seven 3-pointers. Michael Ertel and Williams added 15 each as ULM (6-11, 2-6) shot 49 percent from the field with 13 turnovers.

Pearson, who came in leading the Sun Belt in scoring, posted 23 points for Texas State (11-8, 4-4).

ULM led 33-25 at halftime after shooting 54 percent (14-of-26) from the field. Williams scored 10 points and Ertel scored nine, including a basket at the buzzer. The Warhawks wrapped the first half with a 7-0 run and made seven of their last nine field-goal attempts.

The Bobcats struggled shooting, making just 7-of-25 attempts (28 percent).

The Warhawks led by as many as 10 points, 46-36, when Williams buried a 3-pointer with 13:19 left in the game. But an 11-0 run allowed the Bobcats claw their way back to a 51-51 tie by the 7:17 mark and a 53-51 lead with 6:39 to go. A technical foul against Youry White after a blocked shot at the 12:08 mark came during Texas State's comeback.

THE LAST MEETING IN SAN MARCOS –
ULM 63, Texas State 60 (Feb. 21, 2019, in San Marcos, Texas): ULM limited first-place Texas State to 33 percent (21-of-64) shooting from the field and nearly 15 points below its season scoring average as the Warhawks recorded their first Sun Belt road victory, 63-60, at Strahan Arena.

There were eight lead changes and one tie in the opening half.

ULM (14-11, 7-6 Sun Belt) jumped out to a 6-0 lead on Daishon Smith's steal and dunk with 18:22 left in the first half, but the Bobcats responded by reeling off 10-straight points to take a 10-6 lead on Eric Terry's rebound goal with 14:43 on the clock. The two teams went scoreless for nearly two minutes midway through the first half. Trailing 23-20, JD Williams hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to spark a 16-5 run as the Warhawks took a 36-28 lead into the halftime intermission. ULM outscored Texas State, 11-2, over the last 4:59, with the Bobcats' only points coming from the free-throw line with 22 seconds left in the half.

The Warhawks hit 15-of-28 first-half field-goal attempts (54 percent) while holding Texas State to 9-of-30 shooting (30 percent) from the floor.

The Bobcats cut their deficit to four points at 42-38 as Alex Peacock drove the left side of the lane for a layup with 14:02 remaining in the game. The Warhawks answered with a 6-0 spurt and pushed its lead to 10 at 48-38 on Tyree White's alley-oop dunk from Smith with 11:38 on the clock. Travis Munnings buried back-to-back 3-pointers from the left wing to give ULM its largest lead at 54-40 with 8:17 to play. Munnings accounted for eight points during a 12-2 run over a 5:28 stretch in the second half.

The Warhawks enjoyed a 12-point advantage, 59-47, after Smith connected on 3 from the right wing with 5:55 left. Tre Nottingham made a 3-pointer from straightaway to fuel an 8-2 run as Texas State (21-6, 10-4) managed to pull to within 61-55 on Nijal Pearson's layup with 1:51 remaining. Smith scored on a back-door cut from Munnings to give ULM an eight-point cushion at 63-55 at the 1:26 mark. Nottingham delivered another triple from beyond the top of the circle, and after Smith missed the front end of a one-and-one, Terry scored on a left-handed layup as the Bobcats rallied to within 63-60 with 39 seconds on the clock. In the closing seconds, Smith blocked a potential game-tying 3-point field-goal attempt by Nottingham, who collected the loose ball and launched a desperation 3 that hit high off the backboard as time expired.

Four Warhawks scored in double figures, led by Munnings and Michael Ertel who scored 13 points each. Williams added 11 points and Andre Washington came off the bench to contribute 10.

Smith, who came into the game averaging 22.0 points per game, finished with nine points, five rebounds, seven assists, a blocked shot and two steals.

Youry White, who was sidelined for the first 12 games of the season with a knee injury, earned his first career start at one of the forward positions. He scored two points, collected five rebounds and a steal in 15 minutes.
ULM's bench outscored Texas State's reserves, 15-0. The Warhawks led the game for nearly 30 of the 40 minutes.

Nottingham, who hit 5-of-14 3-pointers, scored a game-high 22 points to pace the Bobcats, while Terry recorded a double-double, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds (6 offensive boards).

Pearson, who came into the game with an 18.5 scoring average, went 3-for-16 from the field, including 0-for-6 from 3-point range, and finished with eight points.

THE LAST TIME OUT –
Ragin' Cajuns 81, ULM 60 (Jan. 25, 2020, in Lafayette, La.): Jalen Johnson scored a career-high 27 points to lead Louisiana Lafayette to an 81-60 victory over rival ULM Saturday as the Ragin' Cajuns snapped a four-game losing streak in Sun Belt Conference play.

Johnson hit 7-of-10 field-goal attempts, including 3-of-6 3-pointers, and 10-of-12 free-throw attempts. The transfer from St. Louis U. also added seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and blocked three shots.

There were three ties and two lead changes in the first half. ULM missed its first six field-goal attempts as the Ragin' Cajuns jumped out to a 5-0 lead. A transition layup from JD Williams sparked an 11-3 run as the Warhawks took an 11-8 lead on Tyree White's 3-pointer from the left wing with 13:42 left. Unfortunately, Williams twisted his left ankle after scoring ULM's first basket and left the game at the 16:41 mark.

Johnson scored 11 points during a 14-3 spurt as the Ragin' Cajuns moved out to a 22-14 advantage on his 3-pointer from the left wing with 8:51 remaining in the opening half. Michael Ertel buried back-to-back 3s as ULM answered with an 11-4 run of its own to cut its deficit to 26-25 with 5:21 on the clock. The Ragin' Cajuns (8-13, 3-7 Sun Belt) outscored the Warhawks, 10-2, down the stretch and took a 36-27 lead into the locker room, thanks to Mason Aucoin's 3-pointer from the right corner as time expired in the first half.

ULM (6-13, 2-8) went scoreless for 3:11 and made just one of its last 11 field-goal attempts to close out the first half.

The Warhawks got a three-point play from Jalen Hodge and a layup from Langston Powell to open the second half and pulled to within four points at 36-32 with 18:34 left. P.J. Hardy's 3-pointer from the right wing keyed a 13-4 run as the Ragin' Cajuns built a 49-36 lead on Cedric Russell's pull-up trey from the right wing with 15:27 to play. ULM managed to pull to within eight at 49-41 on Tyree White's slam dunk on a nifty pass from Ertel with 13:48 remaining, but the Warhawks failed to close the margin any further. The Ragin' Cajuns regained control, thanks to a 10-0 spurt, and built a 61-43 advantage on Tirus Smith's three-point play with 10:55 to go. ULM went scoreless for 3:37 during that stretch. Johnson's third 3-pointer gave ULL its largest lead at 81-59 with 1:57 on the clock.

The Ragin' Cajuns also got 11 points from Smith and 10 from Russell. ULL outscored ULM, 26-11, from the free-throw line.
Four Warhawks scored in double figures, led by Tyree White who recorded his first career double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Ertel finished with 13 points, Hodge 12 and Powell 10.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS –
• Michael Ertel is averaging 16.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in four career games against Texas State.

• Through 19 games, ULM has allowed only four opposing players to score 20 or more points. Jalen Johnson scored a career-high 27 points to lead Louisiana Lafayette to an 81-60 victory over rival ULM Saturday as the Ragin' Cajuns snapped a four-game losing streak in Sun Belt Conference play. Johnson hit 7-of-10 field-goal attempts, including 3-of-6 3-pointers, and 10-of-12 free-throw attempts.

Texas State's Nijal Pearson scored 14 of his game-high 23 points in the second half as the Bobcats rallied for a 10-point deficit for a 64-63 road win at ULM.

Georgia State's Justin Roberts hit 7-of-9 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 23 points to lead the Panthers to an 84-62 victory over ULM while extending their home-court winning streak to 14 games.

Little Rock's Markquis Nowell (11-of-21 field-goal shooting including 8-of-14 3-pointers) scored a career-high 33 points in the Sun Belt Conference opener, including the game-winning 3-pointer from 40-feet out with :03 left.

By comparison, the Warhawks have posted 10 20-point games (5 by Michael Ertel, 3 by JD Williams, 1 by Jalen Hodge and 1 by Tyree White).

• ULM is 4-1 when scoring 70 or more points.

• Eight of ULM's 19 games have been decided by eight points or less (2-6 record).

• ULM has recorded assists on at least 50 percent of its field goals in 11 games, including seven of the last 11 contests. The Warhawks were credited with assists on a season-best 74 percent of their field goals (20-27) vs. South Alabama.

• ULM ranks fifth in the Sun Belt Conference in overall average home attendance (1,906 per game) and third in attendance for league home games (2,012 per game).

WARHAWKS TOUGH ON HOMECOURT –
ULM is 32-12 (.727) in games played in Fant-Ewing Coliseum since 2017-18. The Warhawks went 14-3 at home in 2018-19, including a 7-2 record in league games. The 14 home victories matched the second-highest single-season total in school history (six times; previous seasons: 1985-86, 1990-91, 1992-93, 2006-07, 2014-15 and 2018-19). The Warhawks won a single-season record 15 games (15-1) in 1978-79.

ULM RECORDS 1,000TH WIN IN PROGRAM HISTORY –
With its 73-72 overtime win over Alcorn State Saturday, ULM recorded its 1,000th victory in program history since beginning competition as a four-year institution in 1951-52 (69th season). Keith Richard's 118 career victories at ULM rank third on the all-time list, trailing only Mike Vining (402; 1981-05) and Lenny Fant (326; 1957-79). That trio has accounted for 846 of ULM's 1,004 all-time wins as a four-year institution.

WARHAWKS DOMINATE THE GLASS IN SEASON OPENER –
ULM outrebounded NCAA Division III Louisiana College, 57-24, in the season opener. The +33 rebound margin is tied for the 12th-best mark recorded during the 2019-20 season. UMKC outrebounded Bacone College by +41, 56-15, on Nov. 18.

WARHAWK STAT LEADERS –
Double-figure scoring games (53): Michael Ertel 17, JD Williams 15, Jalen Hodge 7, Tyree White 7, Josh Nicholas 2, Chris Efretuei 2, Langston Powell 2, Youry White 1. Opponents: 52.

20-point games (10): Michael Ertel 5, JD Williams 3, Jalen Hodge 1, Tyree White 1. Opponents: 4.

30-point games (1): Michael Ertel 1. Opponents: 1.

40-point games (0): None. Opponents: None.

Double-figure rebounding games (3): D'Andre Bernard 1, Chris Efretuei 1, Tyree White 1. Opponents: 4.

Double-doubles (1): Tyree White 1. Opponents: 3.

Games leading ULM in scoring: Tyree White 5, JD Williams 5, Michael Ertel 4, Jalen Hodge 2, Josh Nicholas 1, Langston Powell 1.

Games leading ULM in rebounding: Tyree White 5, JD Williams 5, Chris Efretuei 3, D'Andre Bernard 3, Youry White 2, Michael Ertel 1, Jalen Hodge 1.

Games leading ULM in assists: Michael Ertel 8, JD Williams 7, Tyree White 4, Jalen Hodge 3, Erie Olonade 1, D'Andre Bernard 1, Elijah Ifejeh 1, Youry White 1, Langston Powell 1.

2019-20 ULM STARTING LINEUPS –
Nov. 5 vs. Louisiana College: Ertel, Williams, T. White, Y. White, Efretuei
Nov. 9 vs. Alcorn State: Ertel, Williams, T. White, Y. White, Efretuei
Nov. 11 at Texas A&M: Ertel, Williams, T. White, Y. White, Efretuei
Nov. 14 at Mississippi State: Ertel, Williams, T. White, Y. White, Efretuei
Nov. 26 vs. Northwestern State: Ertel, Williams, T. White, Y. White, Efretuei
Dec. 4 vs. Millsaps College: Ertel, Williams, T. White, Y. White, Efretuei
Dec. 10 vs. Grambling State: Ertel, Williams, T. White, Bernard, Efretuei
Dec. 14 at SFA: Ertel, Williams, Hodge, Nicholas, Efretuei
Dec. 19 vs. Little Rock: Ertel, Williams, Hodge, T. White, Bernard
Dec. 21 vs. Arkansas State: Ertel, Williams, Hodge, T. White, Bernard
Dec. 28 at No. 12 Butler: Ertel, Williams, Hodge, T. White, Efretuei
Jan. 2 vs. Troy: Ertel, Williams, Hodge, Ifejeh, Efretuei
Jan. 4 vs. South Alabama: Ertel, Williams, Nicholas, Ifejeh, Efretuei
Jan. 6 at Coastal Carolina: Ertel, Williams, Nicholas, Ifejeh, Efretuei
Jan. 9 at Georgia Southern: Ertel, Williams, Hodge, T. White, Efretuei
Jan. 11 at Georgia State: Ertel, Williams, Powell, T. White, Efretuei
Jan. 16 vs. Texas State: Ertel, Williams, Olonade, T. White, Efretuei
Jan. 18 vs. UT Arlington: Ertel, Williams, Hodge, T. White, Efretuei
Jan. 25 at Ragin' Cajuns: Ertel, Williams, Powell, T. White, Efretuei

Different Starting Combinations (9):
Ertel, Williams, T. White, Y. White, Efretuei: 6 (4-2)
Ertel, Williams, T. White, Bernard, Efretuei: 1 (0-1)
Ertel, Williams, Hodge, Nicholas, Efretuei: 1 (0-1)
Ertel, Williams, Hodge, T. White, Bernard: 2 (0-2)
Ertel, Williams, Hodge, T. White, Efretuei: 3 (0-3)
Ertel, Williams, Hodge, Ifejeh, Efretuei: 1 (1-0)
Ertel, Williams, Nicholas, Ifejeh, Efretuei: 2 (1-1)
Ertel, Williams, Powell, T. White, Efretuei: 2 (0-2)
Ertel, Williams, Olonade, T. White, Efretuei: 1 (0-1)

2019-20 WARHAWK STATISTICAL TRENDS –
Games played in Fant-Ewing Coliseum: 6-5
Games played on the road: 0-8
Games played at a neutral site: 0-0

Games played in November: 3-2
Games played in December: 1-5
Games played in January: 2-6
Games played in February: 0-0
Games played in March: 0-0

When leading at halftime: 5-4
When trailing at halftime: 1-8
When tied at halftime: 0-1

When shooting .500 or better from the field: 2-1
When shooting less than .500 from the field: 4-12
When opponent shoots .500 or better from the field: 0-2
When opponent shoots less than .500 from the floor: 6-11

When outrebounding opponent: 3-2
When outrebounded by opponent: 2-10
When rebounding totals are equal: 1-1

When hitting more free throws than opponent: 5-4
When hitting fewer free throws than opponent: 1-9
When hitting the same number of free throws as opponent: 0-0

When committing fewer turnovers than opponent: 1-3
When opponent commits fewer turnovers: 4-9
When turnover totals are equal: 1-1

When ULM scores less than 50 points: 0-2
When ULM scores 50-59 points: 0-5
When ULM scores 60-69 points: 2-5
When ULM scores 70-79 points: 3-1
When ULM scores 80-89 points: 1-0
When ULM scores 90-99 points: 0-0

When opponent scores less than 50 points: 2-0
When opponent scores 50-59 points: 0-0
When opponent scores 60-69 points: 3-8
When opponent scores 70-79 points: 1-2
When opponent scores 80-89 points: 0-2
When opponent scores 90-99 points: 0-1

Games decided by five points or less: 1-4
Games decided by 6-10 points: 1-2
Games decided by 11-19 points: 1-2
Games decided by 20 points or more: 3-5

Last five games: 0-5
Last 10 games: 2-8

Largest deficit overcome to win: 4 (3x)
(7-3 vs. Alcorn State, Nov. 9; 31-27 vs. Millsaps College, Dec. 4; 35-31 vs. Troy, Jan. 2)
Largest lead surrendered in a loss: 10 (3x)
(34-24 at Texas A&M, Nov. 11; 62-52 vs. Little Rock, Dec. 19; 46-36 vs. Texas State, Jan. 16)

ULM Basketball Inks Four in Early Signing Period
The ULM men's basketball team signed four high school athletes to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period in November, featuring three athletes from the state of Louisiana.

"This is the first time in many years we have been able to sign four quality high school players in the early signing period," ULM head coach Keith Richard said. "We think each one of these young men are great prospects for ULM both on and off the floor. All four play different positions and all four of them can score. We are excited about all of their futures in a Warhawk uniform."

D'Marcus Hall | 6-6 | Forward | Shreveport, Louisiana | Calvary Baptist HS
Hall averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 blocks per game as a junior at Calvary Baptist. He was named 2019 District 1-2A Player of the Year following the 2018-19 season, and was a 2019 Louisiana Sportswriters' Association All-State honorable mention selection. He is a second team All-City selection in Shreveport. Hall is rated as the 12th-best player in Louisiana by Prep Hoops Louisiana.

Thomas Howell | 6-8 | Forward | Natchitoches, Louisiana | St. Mary's HS
Howell was a first team All-State selection following his junior year at St. Mary's, where he averaged 22 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks per game. Howell was named the 2019 All-CENLA Player of the Year. As a sophomore in 2017-18, Howell was named All-State after he posted 20 points, 15 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game at St. Mary's. Howell owns the St. Mary's career blocks record with 301 and counting, and is on pace to break the career scoring and rebounding records. Howell is rated as the fifth-best player in Louisiana by Prep Hoops Louisiana.

Zaakir Sawyer | 6-4 | Guard | Mesquite, Texas | Horn HS
Sawyer posted 18.5 points, 7 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game as a junior at Horn High School. He is a three-time first team All-Conference selection. Sawyer is the 29th-ranked player in Texas by Texas Basketball Review and 31st by Rivals.com.

Elijah Tate | 6-3 | Guard | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Madison Prep HS
Tate is a three-time state champion at Madison Prep, leading his team to a 33-7 record as a junior. Tate averaged 12.5 points, 4 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game as a junior in 2018-19, including a 17-point effort to pace Madison Prep in the 2019 LHSAA State Championship game vs. Wossman. He was named first team All-District 6-3A as a junior. Tate is the 13th-ranked player in Louisiana by Prep Hoops Louisiana.

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