Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
2018-19 record: 14-16, 7-11 in the Southland
Head Coach: Kyle Keller
Tenure at SFA: 4th season
Career coaching record: 60-38
Home court: William R. Johnson Coliseum
Starters: G John Comeaux, G Oddyst Walker, G Roti Ware, G/F Kevon Harris, F Nathan Bain
Bench: G Cameron Johnson, G David Kachelries, G Kharee McDaniel, G Tyler Zifney, G Gabe Matturro, F Sama'zha Hart, F Charlie Daniels, F Calvin Solomon, F Gavin Kensmil, F Landon Badgley, F Demiere Brown
Overview: After a 2017-18 season in which they won the Southland tournament and made March Madness for the fourth time in five years, 2018-19’s fourth-place conference finish was a disappointment for SFA. Still, finishing two games under .500 is nothing too awful.
But when that recent history has resulted from the talents of players who no longer wear purple and white, there's a bit of an issue. Three three-star recruits over the last two years doesn't help. Of their seven players that consistently played meaningful minutes last season, just three return. They do have a plethora of bench players who have seen spotty time, so there's enough experience here to warrant optimism.
The Southland Conference is sure to be close this year, with four teams all receiving first-place votes in the preseason poll. Lest they completely bomb and finish dead-last, this should be an interesting team no matter where they finish.
One thing that needs to go right: Kevon Harris plays up to expectations and elevates the play of those around him, while the younger players take well to more prominent roles to complement him.
One thing that could go wrong: No one is willing to pay $370 to see the the Lumberjacks play in Cameron and the athletic department is down much-needed funding.
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