The St. Edward's men's basketball team heads south this weekend to face Texas A&M International and Texas A&M-Kingsville to open the new year.
St. Edward's hasn't played since a 92-64 win over Arlington Baptist on December 15, giving the Hilltoppers an extended break before ramping up into the heart of conference play.
"I think moving the St. Mary's game to the end of the season gave us time to enjoy our break," St. Edward's Head Men's Basketball Coach Andre Cook says. "But there's no easing into this tough road trip against International and Kingsville."
St. Edward's is 9-4 with a 2-2 conference record and winner of four of its last five games. The Hilltoppers continue to lean on movement (14.4 assists per game, sixth in the LSC) and a high volume of 3-point attempts (25.2 per game, second in the LSC) but haven't been as accurate (35.8 percent, seventh in the LSC).
SEAN ELKINTON remains the center of a lot of what the Hilltoppers do, nearly averaging a double-double at 19.4 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, ranking third in scoring and second in the conference with six double-doubles. However, it's BLAKE NIELSEN who's carrying an increased workload.
The junior point forward is coming off his first career triple-double, leads the LSC with 64 assists, and is second in assists per game. Nielsen is averaging career highs across the board (12.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game) and leads the conference in minutes per game (34.8).
GAVINO RAMOS shares primary playmaking responsibilities with Nielsen, and JEFF GARY supplements it from the wings with his own brand of shot creation. Still, in some ways, the team's ceiling falls on a trio of wings alternating spots in the starting lineup.
"We put a lot on Blake's shoulders and sometimes forget he's only 20 years old," Cook says. "We ask him to be captain, lead the team, know all our plays from every position, guard the four-man, and get our offense flowing. He accepts it, but to reach our goals, we must have other guys continue to play well."
CONOR MCMANUS, JAYDEN JOHNSTON, and BENNETT MOHN have each spent time as the fifth starter, providing different looks in the lineup.
"They can all play at the level. We have a few guys who can lead us in scoring on any given night," Cook says. "Sometimes it's just about me trying to figure out who has it that game and letting them roll with it."
Texas A&M International (6-5, 2-3)
Texas A&M International snapped a three-game losing streak with a three-point win over Texas A&M-Kingsville. The Dustdevils are one of the stingiest defenses in the conference, limiting opponents to 66.5 points per game, the second-best mark in the LSC.
They keep the pace down and force turnovers, generating 9.8 steals and 16.18 turnovers forced per game, trying to win the battle of possessions.
"They want the score in the 60s. They want to turn us over, play physical, and hit the glass," Cook explains. "If we're not up to the physical and mental challenge of having to play defense for 25-to-28 seconds each possession and finishing it with a rebound, knowing someone will be in your jersey guarding you, it will be a long night."
Texas A&M-Kingsville (2-8, 0-5)
Texas A&M-Kingsville shared the divisional title with St. Edward's last season but are off to a slow start, opening conference play with five losses with a new coach leading the program. However, records appear to mean little when the two teams square off.
"It's a proud program, and they're still Kingsville, so it's not an easy place to play," Cook explains. "[Head coach] Omar Gonzalez is finding his voice, and they're going to play hard every time. Whenever St. Edward's and Kingsville play, it always seems to come down to the last minute."
Texas A&M-Kingsville is lead by C.J. Smith. The senior guard leads the conference in steals per game and averages a team-high 15.9 points per game. The Hilltoppers can relieve some of that defensive pressure with three players who can be primary ball handlers in Nielsen, Ramos, and Gary.
"C.J. hurt us last year. He's talented and needs to be addressed first," Cook says. "It certainly helps that we start three guys who grew up as point guards. We feel like we can move guys to different spots and not have the same guy deal with the same pressure constantly."
