KFDM COOP Posted February 26, 2008 Report Posted February 26, 2008 Bryson hoping ‘Hawks delay retirement By Tom Halliburton The Port Arthur News Don Bryson confirmed that four years had been enough as the only head basketball coach that Lamar State College-Port Arthur ever has had. The 65-year-old Bryson has decided to retire from his position any day now. It will be whenever his Seahawks will finish their 2008 post-season basketball run which begins tonight. It's not that Bryson has turned the least bit bashful about discussing his retirement stuff, but he preferred it received secondary treatment to his team's post-season efforts. "We're going up there to win," he said. "The reason for me getting out is I don't want to spend the time at it any longer. I'm ready to go to the beach. It's time to move on. I haven't been to the beach in four months." The Rosenberg native and former Lamar University All-America basketball star would prefer to prolong his return to his Lafittes Landing cabin at Crystal Beach. The Seahawks were 1-1 in last year's initial voyage into the Metro Athletic Conference post-season basketball tournament. One loss is where Bryson prefers LSCPA's history stays. If the Seahawks advanced all the way to the 18th annual NJCAA Division III national tournament, a consistently high level would be required in all playing opportunities at Dallas. That stretch would begin tonight when Lamar State (13-14, 6-6) serves as the home team and No. 4 seed against nearby Richland College (16-13, 6-6) at 8 p.m. The teams split their regular-season meetings with the Seahawks winning 80-76 on Jan. 23 in Port Arthur and the T-Ducks winning 83-60 on Feb. 16 in North Dallas. Opponents frequently have tried to make more than their share of three-point field goals against the Seahawks. Richland connected on 13 threes in the recent meeting. "They feel like they can make them against us," Bryson said. "We're going to have to find a way to stop that. At least it's on a neutral court." The Seahawks are likely to start 6-1 freshman Jason Williamson (8.2 ppg) and 5-11 sophomore Noah Cole (13.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg) at the guards, 6-5 sophomore George Williamson (14.9 ppg) at the wing, 6-4 sophomore Cody Guidry (9.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg) and 6-4 sophomore Sam Stelly (12.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg) at the posts. Bryson probably will utilize three primary players off the bench besides those starters. A real sparkplug down the stretch, 6-5 sophomore Andre "P-Nut" Boutte (8 ppg, 4.9 rpg) has the flexibility to lift the Seahawks as an outside or inside threat. Another sparkplug when he's healthy, 5-10 freshman Jemel Douriso (10.6 ppg), is bouncing back from an ankle injury and is ready to contribute more minutes. Another valuable contributor in minutes is 6-5 freshman John Payton (4.3 ppg) at the post. Bryson initially intended to coach three seasons when he signed on as Seahawks head coach on May 28, 2004. He decided to stay for one additional year after last season when Lamar State College Port Arthur permitted Bryson to add one assistant coach to help him.
Guest abovetherim Posted February 27, 2008 Report Posted February 27, 2008 Best of luck to the Seahawks!
Lazeek Posted February 27, 2008 Report Posted February 27, 2008 Who will they try to hire when the season is over?
LamarStatesports Posted February 27, 2008 Report Posted February 27, 2008 The college will be posting two basketball jobs - a head coach and an assistant -- sometime in the near future. But I'm not sure how quickly that will happen. The Lamar State student body voted in the fall to add an athletic fee (not as big as Lamar University's, but that's where LU got the idea). So, the Athletic Department now has the budget for the positions. I don't think the college has anybody in mind for head coach. They most probably will wait to see who is interested. When the college advertised last year for an assistant coach, there were replies from all over the country. Several candidates interviewed for the job including Oliver Simmons. Simmons was a good fit because he knew the high school programs in the area. But the housing market in Florida sucks (my sister lives there and says they couldn't sell their house if they had to). So, Oliver went back to Florida after about six months of making a house payment there and a rent payment here. We've announced this before, but for the record, Lamar State is going to join the Division I Region XIV conference next year, which includes San Jacinto College and is one of the toughest Juco conferences in the nation. The Seahawks softball team is starting their second season in Region XIV. There now will be scholarships available for both softball and basketball. I'm waiting for a cell phone call that hopefully will bring good news from the Seahawks' first round Metro Athletic Conference game against Richland tonight in Dallas.
LamarStatesports Posted February 27, 2008 Report Posted February 27, 2008 Well..............bad news! The Seahawks' season ended tonight with a 75-70 loss to Richland College in the first round of the Division III Metro Athletic Conference. I didn't get all the details, but Lamar State had the lead with about two minutes to go and didn't score another point. Eastfield and Brookhaven also advanced in the tournament, while Cedar Valley and Mountain View were eliminated. The 2008-09 season starts tomorrow as Lamar State looks for a big man to play the post and a quick guard to guide the offense and fill the gap left after sophomores Cody Guidry, Andre Boutte Jr. and Noah Cole completed their junior college eligibility. Athletes interested in playing for the Seahawks next fall should call Lamar State athletic director Bill Worsham at 984-6292, or go on-line to the college website (www.lamarpa.edu) and click on "Athletics."
KFDM COOP Posted February 27, 2008 Author Report Posted February 27, 2008 Congrats on a great season!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hang your heads high.
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