WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana – A somewhat new-look McNeese Cowboy basketball team will get its 2016-17 season underway on Friday night when the Cowboys visit 15
th-ranked Purdue at 6 p.m. in Mackey Arena.
The game will air live on ESPN3 and also on the McNeese Sports Network (92.1 FM in Lake Charles).
The Cowboys return three starters from last year's team that finished 9-20 while all three –
Jamaya Burr,
Jarren Greenwood,
James Harvey - ranked 1-3 in scoring for the Cowboys. A slew of freshmen, particularly highly touted twins Jacob and
Kalob Ledoux, as well as JC transfers
LaBarrius Hill and
Howard Thomas, have 11
th-year head coach
Dave Simmons excited about what the Cowboys could be this season.
"Our offense will have a new look this year," said Simmons. "We've got a lot of guards that can shoot the ball well. Having that puts us in a good situation where we can run different sets and get several people the ball. But you still have to execute and react to how the defenses will play you."
Burr (15.4 ppg in 2015-16), Greenwood (10.8) and Harvey (10.7) are sure bets as three of the starting five on Friday night. Junior forward
Stephen Ugochukwu (5.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg), who has only had one start in his career, is expected to get his second career start while either sophomore forward AJ Brown (2.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg) or junior newcomer
Howard Thomas, will start in the fifth spot.
"Getting good guard play at the 1-2-3 are key to having a chance to win basketball games," said Simmons. "We're also going to have to be cautious about not turning the ball over."
Purdue (26-9 last year and NCAA second round participant) is coached by Matt Painter who is opening up his 12
th season at the helm.
The Boilermakers return three full-time and two other part-time starters from last year's squad, led by junior forward Vincent Edwards (11.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and sophomore forward Caleb Swanigan (10.2, 8.3).
Purdue's starting five includes three players over 6-foot-8 – Edwards (6-8), Swanigan (6-9) and Isaac Haas (7-2).
This will be the first ever meeting against Purdue for the Cowboys and the third season opener in the last four years to open against a nationally ranked opponent. Last year the Cowboys opened at No. 19 LSU and in 2013, opened at No. 2 Michigan State.
