Basketball Lions to make official NCAA Division II debut

Editor’s note: Story by Jonathan Gipson, sports information director for the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.
 
After playing two exhibition games against NCAA Division I opponents, the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith men’s basketball team will make its official debut as a NCAA Division II team on Tuesday at the Stubblefield Center against the University of the Ozarks.

It’s a date fourth-year Lions coach Josh Newman has long awaited.

“This is truly an exciting time for our university and men’s basketball program. We’ve circled this date on our schedule since the transition was official,” Newman said. “We hope the community, faculty and student body will come out to support our team as we begin a new tradition.”

Tip-off will be 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on KFPW-AM 1230 and on the Internet at Sports Hog. There also will be live Twitter updates at the UAFS Twitter page.

UAFS will celebrate its D-II debut by recognizing players from the past who helped make the Lions basketball program such a success on the regional and national levels. Members of the men’s basketball teams from 1928-48 will be recognized at halftime.

Also, the UAFS Student-Athlete Advisory Council will be collecting coats and shoes as part of its “Bundle Up Fort Smith” campaign. Fans are asked to bring new or gently worn coats or shoes to the game, and the collected clothing will be distributed to needy families and individuals in the Fort Smith area.

UAFS, which is a provisional member of D-II and a member of the Heartland Conference, lost to Saint Louis University (79-51) and Nebraska (86-66) in exhibition play, but Newman said his young team accomplished a lot during those two tough road games. Newman has been pleasantly surprised with how the Lions have meshed together as a team, especially considering the number of new players in the program. The Lions have only one returning starter in junior guard LaDustin Williams of Jonesboro, Ark., but he is academically ineligible until January.

The only other players who were in the program last year were freshman center Dean Neville of Melbourne, Australia, and freshman guard Michael Pharis of Van Buren, Ark., who redshirted last season.

However, the newcomers have been quick learners. Junior forward Josh Simmons of Houston, Texas, led the Lions in scoring with 11 points per game during the exhibition season, while junior guard Aaron McHenry of Fayetteville, Ark., led the team with five rebounds per game and junior guard Cedric Henderson of Houston, Texas, led the team with 3.5 assists per game.

Simmons is a NCAA Division I transfer from Colorado State University, McHenry is a transfer from Northern Oklahoma College-Enid and Henderson is a transfer from Collin County Community College.

“With 15 new faces and 15 different personalities, I’m surprised to see how willing our team is to work and grow with each other,” Newman said. “Team chemistry is so important and this team has come together quicker than to be expected.”