Shreveport – The Centenary men's basketball team opens its 2023-24 regular season on Wednesday evening with a non-conference contest against the Texas College Steers set for 7:30 p.m. in the Gold Dome.
Live stats and live video are available for the game at the links below:
Stats: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/boxscores/20231108_4i8z.xml
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpeethnLQkI
The Gents prepped for the season last Wednesday with a home exhibition contest against their crosstown foe, the LSUS Pilots, and fell 67-64 in a competitive battle. Texas College (1-2) fell 79-65 on Tuesday at Wiley University.
Centenary is scheduled to play 25 regular-season contests, as the Gents will play 11 games at home, 12 on the road, and two neutral-site contests. Centenary will play 16 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference contests – eight at home and eight on the road.
The Gents will play a pair of games in the Hawks Classic hosted by Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Ala. Nov. 11-12 as they will face the host Hawks on Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. and then meet LaGrange on Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. Centenary begins conference play on Friday, Dec. 1 at Austin College and its first league game at home is Sunday, Dec. 31 against Colorado College.
The Gents are led by seventh-year head coach Chris Dorsey and he is assisted by Dominic Percia and volunteer assistant coach Eddie Hamilton. Dorsey, one of the top young coaches in the country, has taken the program to new heights in his six-year tenure. He is 85-60 with the Gents including an impressive 56-34 mark in conference play.
Last season, the Gents had one of their best seasons in program history as they finished 18-9 overall and 10-6 in conference play and tied the division III era (2012-present) single-season record for wins. Centenary earned the No. 3 seed in the SCAC Tournament as the Maroon and White made their 10th-straight appearance in the event where they defeated Southwestern in the quarterfinals before falling to host and No. 2 seed Trinity in the semifinals. Centenary has now finished .500 or better in all six seasons under Dorsey and has made four trips to the SCAC championship game with two semifinal appearances.
"The expectations that I have for this team are very high," said Dorsey. "Each season, the guys seam to raise the bar and increase the standards of excellence that this program has. We have great young men - the guys are good people, they are coachable, and they play with immense passion and love for the game. I am certain that they will continue to meet our high standards of success, both on and off the court."
"I love our schedule," said Dorsey. "Every non-conference game will be a test and hopefully it will prepare us for conference play. We have 12 total games at home, which is exciting because we are looking forward to having the home court advantage with our great Maroon Mob fans this season."
Senior F Seth Thomas (Kilgore, Texas) headlines the Gents' returning players after another superb season in 2022-23 in which he was named to the D3hoops.com All-Region team (Region 10 Second Team). He was one of seven players to make the Second Team and one of only 12 to land on the Region 10 Team. Thomas earned First-Team All-SCAC honors and received votes for Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year as he averaged 15.5 PPG and 7.5 RPG, both team bests, as he started all 26 of Centenary's games, averaged 31.7 minutes per game and shot a team-best 51.2 % from the floor.
Thomas finished the regular season ranked third in the conference in scoring and fourth in rebounding and for the season he was second in minutes played, fourth in FT %, in the top five in both offensive and defensive rebounds, tied for sixth in steals, eighth in FG %, 11th in assists, and 14th in blocked shots. He reached double figures 23 times and did so in 17-straight games from Nov. 26-Feb. 4, he recorded seven double-doubles and was named the SCAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week three times during the regular season and earned a spot on the 2023 SCAC Championship All-Tournament Team and was named to the LSWA (Louisiana Sports Writers Association) All-Louisiana Third Team.
Thomas joined the 1,000-point club on Feb. 14, 2023 at St. Thomas as he is now one of just 36 in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark. He joined the 500-rebound club on Jan. 29, 2023 against Texas Lutheran, as he becomes just the 19th player in program history to score 1,000 points and grab 500 rebounds in a career.
Senior G Jalen Behr (Athens, Ga.) is also back for another season after he played in 25 games, averaging 17.6 minutes per game, and was one of the conference's top perimeter shooters as he finished in the top 10 in 3-point baskets made (35). Behr averaged 7.7 PPG and reached double figures eight times and in five of the final eight games of the season. He hit at least two treys in a game 13 times, three or more five times, and a single-game high four against Southwestern in the SCAC Tournament.
Senior G AJ Hall (Thibodaux, La.) has rejoined the team after not playing last season. In the 2021-22 season, he played in 25 games and averaged 10.1 PPG as one of the Gents' top reserves. Hall was named to the All-SCAC Third Team as he reached double figures in scoring 12 times, highlighted by a career-best 34 points in a 105-69 blowout win at home over Southwestern on Jan. 12. He made history that night as he tied the single-game school record for three pointers by an individual as he drained nine treys in 14 attempts (64 %). Hall reached double digits in seven-consecutive games (Jan. 7-Jan. 25) and 11 times in 14 games from early December through mid-February. He averaged 18.6 minutes/game, shot 40.5 % from the floor, 34.6 % from beyond the arc, and 74.5 % from the free-throw line. He topped 20 points twice during the season, scored 12+ points 10 times, and 11 of his double-digit scoring performances came in conference play. Hall's 34 points against Southwestern were the most scored by a SCAC player in a game during the season and his nine 3-point baskets made in that game were also a season single-game high.
"We have three fifth-year seniors back this season which gives us a ton of experience on the floor," said Dorsey. "Along with their leadership, their skills will help us tremendously this year. Jalen Behr gives a great size at the guard position and is one of the best rebounders in the conference. AJ Hall was our leading scorer two years ago and he's always been a sniper from the arc. AJ holds the single-game three-point record and right now, he's shooting the ball better than he's ever done before. Seth Thomas will obviously be on the top of every opponents' scouting report. He's developed into a great all-around player and more importantly, his leadership has never been better."
Sophomore G Quentin Beverly (Katy, Texas) had a fantastic rookie season as he earned Honorable-Mention All-SCAC honors and landed a spot on the All-Freshman Team. He played in 26 games last season, averaging 22.9 minutes per game, and made 25 starts as he averaged 8.0 PPG and reached double figures seven times and in three of his final six games of the season. He scored a career-high 19 points in a home over Dallas on Dec. 30, 2022 and scored 15+ points in a game five times.
"Quentin Beverly, who started every game for us last season, will be returning with a ton of experience as well," said Dorsey. "He's a lockdown defender and the energy and effort that he brings to our team is unmatched. These returnees will help lead the way this season."
Senior G Chrys Jackson (North Las Vegas, Nev.), sophomore G Dalyn Davis (Natchitoches, La.), and senior G Coby Harris (Lafayette, La.) are all back as the three combined to play in 45 games last season. The Gents add 10 newcomers to a talented roster in three true freshmen and seven sophomore/juniors.
"The great thing about our new guys is that they are phenomenal followers," said Dorsey. "We've built a specific culture and a high standard of excellence within the program, and the newcomers meet all of those expectations. I'm looking forward to their contribution and growth throughout this very long season. They all will impact our success in a positive way."
Centenary, as has become the norm under Dorsey, finished last season as one of the top defensive clubs in the country in division III. The Gents finished the regular season ranked 21st nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 62.8 PPG, and in the top 55 in both field goal percentage defense and 3-point FG % defense. The Gents ranked 20th nationally in turnover margin as they forced their opponents into an average of 19.9/game during the regular season.
Centenary also proved to be a very balanced team on both sides of the ball, as the Maroon and White finished the regular season in the top five in the conference in turnover margin, scoring defense, free throw %, steals, FG % defense, 3-point FG % defense, scoring margin, blocked shots, and 3-point FG made. The Gents finished the season holding 23 of their 27 opponents to 70 points or less, 60 or less 11 times, and to 55 or less 10 times.
The Gents have established themselves as one of the most successful programs in the conference under Dorsey's direction, winning 55 regular-season conference games and their 38 wins from 2017-21 led the conference in that span. The Gents are now an impressive 35-19 in their last 54 regular-season conference games dating back to Jan. 25, 2020. Centenary has also established a significant home-court advantage, as the Maroon and White are an impressive 35-8 in their last 43 home games over the last four seasons. Centenary went 11-2 at the Gold Dome last season, setting a D3-era single-season record for home wins.
The Gents were picked to finish fifth in the SCAC preseason poll released last week. Centenary will play host to the 2024 SCAC Basketball Championship Feb. 23-25 at the Gold Dome.
See the complete Gents' season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/schedule
Admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic contests. Live stats and live video stream are available for all Centenary home contests.
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