New-Look Bulldogs Hungry For Title Run

November 15, 2005

Weatherford, OK - Southwestern Oklahoma State looks to keep the momentum running into its newest season after a breakthrough year which included a berth in the NCAA Division II tournament. The rise of the SWOSU men’s basketball program is not expected lo lose speed anytime soon as coach Scott Reed has bought in a hungry group of new players that appear motivated and ready to propel the Bulldogs to yet another level in 2005-06.

Reed has built the SWOSU program into one of the rising stars in Division II. Although just two starters return from last year’s 20-9 squad that climbed to No. 3 in the national rankings, the third-year coach is comfortable with the personnel he has surrounding him.

“I’m excited about who we have coming back. More importantly, I’m excited that we have young men who came to Southwestern to build something special,” Reed said. “Sure we’ve lost a big portion from last year, but I’m confident the players we have now are ready to step in and fill the void.”

One of Reed’s biggest challenges early will be how quickly his players mesh on the hardwood considering many of them have never played before as a team. The top three scorers and rebounders are gone from a year ago, but the Bulldogs attracted one of their best recruiting classes in recent memory and have put together a lineup that should keep them in tournament contention deep into the season.

Despite the optimism, the Bulldogs have targeted specific areas needed for improvement, particularly three-point shooting accuracy and cutting down on turnovers. Both categories should improve as players learn the offensive system.

“What we put on the court in November is certainly not a finished product,” Reed said. “These guys are still young and everyone needs to improve. They know the game of basketball and work very hard at it. Everyone seems to understand where we hope to be in March.”

SWOSU boasts a deep and talented backcourt that features complementary strengths. Heading the list is guard Lonnie Cooks (5-10, Sr., Fort Worth, Texas) a returning starter who elevated his game and averaged 13.5 points over the last 10 regular-season games.

His backcourt mate will be newcomer Othello Alford (5-11, Jr., Calvert, Texas). An explosive open-court player, Alford spent three years (one redshirt) at NCAA Division I Sam Houston State where he was a part-time starter for the Bearkats. Alford has a nice shooting touch and can score points quickly demonstrated by his 30-point effort as a freshman against Arkansas State.

Another newcomer Kenny Burke (5-11, Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) has showed promising signs in fall drills and will give the Bulldogs flexibility at either the point or at shooting guard. A transfer from Mineral Area Junior College, Burke was named the St. Louis-area Player-of-the-Year out of high school.

Out on the wing is another returning starter and a seasoned performer Jon Gunn, (6-6, Sr., Parker, Colo.) one of the team’s most important players a year ago. Gunn started the first 22 games before a foot injury shelved him until the season finale. Still, he scored in double figures six times and was the team’s top rebounder five other times.

Newcomers Michael Sampson, Reggie Gunn and T.J. Jackson will also be key additions to this squad. Sampson (6-4, Jr., Clarksville, Tenn.) has the versatility and shooting ability to play any number of positions on the court. Gunn (6-2, Jr., Okolona, Miss) was a junior college teammate of Sampson at Itawamba Community College where they both played on a nationally-ranked team. Jackson (6-4, Jr., Chicago, Ill.) comes from Kennedy-King Junior College and is another defensive-minded, long-armed, multi-position perimeter player that has become SWOSU’s trademark in recent years.

At center is where SWOSU is expected to have a sizeable advantage with the arrival of big man Reggie Jackson (6-9, Sr., Denver, Colo.) Jackson could very easily be a league superstar after playing one year at Murray State, an NCAA Division I school in Kentucky. Jackson has a nice variety of post-up moves and also owns a skillful shooting touch out to 15 feet. He was a junior college teammate of Jon Gunn at Lamar, Colo. where he averaged 17 points and eight rebounds.

Jackson could also get help in the pivot by Scott Bradley (6-8, So., Chickasha) a bright spot in the preseason and appears ready to step in and assume a prominent role with this year’s squad. He is a skilled player with the ability to step away from the paint and knock down a deep three.

The Bulldogs open the season on the road Tuesday, Nov. 15 against Central Arkansas, a team that is in the provisionary status of going NCAA Division I. SWOSU’s first home game is against the same UCA team, Tuesday, Nov. 22 in Weatherford.