Lamar basketball team takes the stage in Arlington

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Lamar basketball team takes the stage in Arlington

ARLINGTON - At 1:10 p.m. on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon outside the Montagne Center, the largest athlete at Lamar University climbed back aboard.

James Davis, decked out in LU gear from head to toe, strode toward the men's basketball team bus, a cell phone stuck to his right ear and large grin covering his face. Reunited with the Cardinals for the first time since Jan. 31, Davis offered up a hug and a handshake to Bill Nunn, the team's longtime driver.

Then he stepped into the bus and headed for Arlington, ready to ride again. The Stage awaited.

With Davis in tow, the Cardinals left town with hopes of reversing their fortunes in the Southland Conference.

Lamar (9-13, 3-5) was scheduled to practice Wednesday night in Texas Hall - otherwise known as "The Stage" - in preparation for their game against Texas-Arlington (8-14, 3-6) at 7 p.m. today.

In leaving Beaumont early, the Cardinals wanted to get acclimated to one of the most unique courts in the nation, with theatre-style seating on one side of the floor, a giant curtain behind one goal and a wall behind the other.

The LU players, for that matter, had to get re-acquainted with their old and new teammate - Davis, who averaged 16.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game before he was "suspended indefinitely" by first-year head coach Steve Roccaforte on Jan. 31.

His return couldn't hurt matters, could it?

"Well, you have to laugh at it a little bit - of all the games when James Davis is going to come back, why does he have to pick this one to come back?" UTA coach Scott Cross said with a laugh. "But if I was his coach, I would want him back. He's a great player, and I'm happy for coach Roc. I just hope I can still beat him."

Without Davis, Lamar was, at its best, a hot-shooting team with attitude and hustle. At their worst, the Cardinals were the same team they've been since Southland Conference play began: in other words, hauntingly inconsistent.

Lamar went 1-1 in its last two games, shooting lights-out to defeat Nicholls State 89-82 last Thursday, then shooting woefully in a 73-64 loss at Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday.

Effort was rarely a problem in either game. Power forward Lamar Sanders, a team captain, scored 13 points and pulled down 16 rebounds in 33 minutes against the Lions.

Instead, two old problems - missed shots and turnovers - cropped up again Saturday at SLU. The Cards had just nine assists to 16 turnovers, and they shot 33 percent from the floor.

For the season, Lamar ranks last in the SLC in turnover margin (minus 2.7 per game) and seventh in field goal percentage (.415) - numbers that help explain why the Cardinals, who seemed destined for a strong season just before Christmas, have lost five of their last seven games since the SLC opener Jan. 6 at Texas-San Antonio.

Meanwhile, UTA, which had a gruesome start to SLC play (the Mavericks went 1-5 in their first six conference games), appears to have warmed warm up recently.

While Lamar lost at Southeastern Louisiana, UTA outgunned Texas State 110-103 in a shootout in San Marcos, winning for the third time in four games.

Sophomore guard Brandon Long had a career-high 26 points to lead six players in double figures.

"I don't know if we'll win a lot of games like that - or even play in a lot of games like that," Cross said. "But when you have six guys in double figures, it certainly builds their confidence. ... And that's good, because in this conference, with the teams as close as they are, you need to have confidence and you need to play hard every night."

The Mavericks' win came just 10 days after they ambushed Sam Houston State 78-65 in Texas Hall.

Yes, that's the same Sam Houston State team which hammered Lamar on Jan. 15, 88-52.

One more thing: The Cardinals are 1-9 on the road this season.

"It's kind of tough right now for us, because we've lost some games," reserve forward Lawrence Nwevo said Tuesday. "But it's not yet over. We can still make it to the tournaments. (We have to) keep working harder and harder every day. We have the talent and the good coaches. So let's do it."

Davis could help - although, given his time off and recent return, it's uncertain how much he'll play today.

In a players-only meeting Tuesday afternoon, Davis was reportedly asked to take things a bit more seriously this time around; although teammates and coaches have never publicly criticized the 7-foot-1, 335-pound center, fans grew impatient with a young man who was once thought to be a potential NBA draft pick.

"I'm real comfortable with those 10 (players), and I trust them," Roccaforte said. "If they wouldn't have been OK with (Davis' return), there would have been no way to do it."

With that in mind, it seems almost everyone in red and white seems to understand one thing: Davis needs Lamar, and Lamar needs Davis.

The Cardinals owned a .200 winning percentage in five games without Davis, who missed two games in early December and sat out their loss at McNeese State last month.

Lamar has posted an 8-9 record with Davis in the lineup.

"Don't forget it: It's all about winning and losing," Roccaforte said. "I know that."