Lamar State earns first ever national ranking; set to face No. 5 San Jacinto

[LamarStatesports]

Second-year head coach Matt Cross has many goals for his Lamar State College-Port Arthur basketball team.

One of those goals was reached today, when the Seahawks earned a national ranking for the first time ever, coming in at No. 28 in this week’s NJCAA weekly poll.

Another of Cross’ goals is to see his team set a new record for wins to open a season, surpassing the mark they made last year in Cross’ first year at the helm.

Lamar State, one of only five undefeated junior college teams in Texas this season, tied the 8-0 starting record Monday night in the Carl Parker Center with a 98-74 win over the Texas Riders from Tyler.

The Seahawks can break the record Wednesday night in a conference matchup at San Jacinto College in Pasadena.

But it won’t be easy.

The Ravens, who were picked to win the Region XIV South Zone, have an 11-0 record this year and are ranked No. 5.

Lamar State and San Jacinto both are 1-0 in conference play. The Seahawks defeated Lon Morris, 94-83, on Nov. 23 in Port Arthur. The Ravens won in overtime at Blinn College, 79-71.

“Last year, we had the exact same start and record heading into the San Jac game. So, this is deja vu all over again,” Cross said, noting that last year’s trip to Pasadena resulted in the first of four straight losses. “We ended the fall semester at 1-3 in the conference, digging ourselves into a major hole.”

This year’s team has more maturity, which should help, Cross said.

“Last year’s team was not able to handle the early success. That certainly weighs on my mind, and it should be in the minds all of our returning players,” Cross said. “We are heading into our toughest three-game stretch of the season. The table is set of us to put ourselves in a great position in the conference race heading into the holidays.”

Lamar State has one advantage this year over San Jacinto. The Seahawks have played more games against strong teams, including wins over pre-season No. 21 Shelton State Community College and highly-rated Lon Morris College.

Six of the Ravens’ wins were against recreational league college teams and one independent school.

Lamar State also has multiple offensive threats, including sophomore guard Keenen Coleman (21.6 points per game) and freshman forward David Laury (19.5 ppg), who lead Region XIV in scoring average.

Three other Seahawks are averaging in double figures – Roman Vaughn (11.6), Markens Charles (11.2) and Vonn Jones (10.7).

Laury also is the top rebounder in the conference with 13.8 per game and the No. 5 shot blocker. Sophomore center Gordon Ball is contributing 9.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.

Sophomore guard Dion Waiters is second in steals. Jones is fourth in assists.

San Jacinto’s ranking doesn’t worry Cross.

“Our sophomore class has had amazing success against ranked opponents,” Cross said. “Last year, we lost only once to a nationally-ranked team, and we beat No. 8 Navarro, No. 13 San Jacinto and No. 25 Lon Morris. This year, we defeated pre-season No. 21 Shelton State.”

Cross said the San Jacinto game is a pivotal contest in the South Zone.

“We know this is the biggest game in our school’s history, and we know the implications this game can have on our season,” Cross said. “There is no doubt in my mind that our team will be ready to go Wednesday night.”

Lamar State will be home Saturday for a 4 p.m. conference game against Jacksonville College, which currently is 9-2, including a win over No. 1 Midland College.