LamarStatesports

Six impressive student-athletes recently signed letters-of-intent to play basketball for Lamar State College-Port Arthur in 2008-09. Lamar State head coach Jerre Cole already signed point guard Josh Washington from Baton Rouge, who averaged 19-points-per-game as a senior. Cole’s most recent recruits also are known for their offensive skills. Adrian Fontenot, a 6-6 power forward, was the leading scorer this year for Baytown Sterling High School, where he recorded 17.6 ppg and earned first team All-District 21-5A honors for the second straight year. “Adrian is a talented, versatile basketball player who should be very good in our system,†Cole said. “I believe he was seriously overlooked this past year, and we could not be happier to have him in our program. We expect very good things from Adrian this next year. Jacovin Buckner, a 6-2 small forward, was one of the top scorers for Port Arthur Memorial High School. “Jacovin was a steal for the Seahawks. Not only is he one of the better players in the area, he fits our system,†Cole said. “I believe toughness is central to winning, and Jacovin brings that every time he takes the court. I really look forward to having him on our team.†Corey “Dallas†Bean, a 6-2 guard from Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School, was a first team All-District 22-4A pick this year. “Dallas is a very solid signee. He is a cerebral player who excels individually and also makes those who play with him better,†Cole said. “Dallas is a ‘gym-rat.’ He wants to be a good player, and those are the kind of guys you win with.†Cole found a double-scoring threat in 5-11 guard D’jameon Stearns (16 ppg) and 6-4 small forward Joseph Franklin (15 ppg) from Wheatley High School in Houston, which went undefeated this year to win the district and region championships. “Given the way we would like to play, we are very fortunate to land both D.J. and Joe,†Cole said. “They played in an up-tempo, press-oriented system in high school, and both are skilled players who can score.†The Seahawks also signed a junior college transfer, 6-0 guard Chan-cious Rose, a 2007Aldine High School graduate who was the leading scorer this year for Ohlone College in California. “Chance will be a key to our success this coming year. He is a tough, competitive player who has proven he can play at this level,†Cole said. “He played for a friend of mine at Ohlone College, so I know he has been coached hard and has played against tough competition. His hard-playing style should make him a crowd favorite.†This year, Lamar State is making this transition from non-scholarship Division III to full-scholarship Division I competition. The Seahawks are joining Region XIV, which is considered to be one of the toughest junior college conferences in the nation.

Six impressive student-athletes recently signed letters-of-intent to play basketball for Lamar State College-Port Arthur in 2008-09. Lamar State head coach Jerre Cole already signed point guard Josh Washington from Baton Rouge, who averaged 19-points-per-game as a senior. Cole’s most recent recruits also are known for their offensive skills. Adrian Fontenot, a 6-6 power forward, was the leading scorer this year for Baytown Sterling High School, where he recorded 17.6 ppg and earned first team All-District 21-5A honors for the second straight year. “Adrian is a talented, versatile basketball player who should be very good in our system,†Cole said. “I believe he was seriously overlooked this past year, and we could not be happier to have him in our program. We expect very good things from Adrian this next year. Jacovin Buckner, a 6-2 small forward, was one of the top scorers for Port Arthur Memorial High School. “Jacovin was a steal for the Seahawks. Not only is he one of the better players in the area, he fits our system,†Cole said. “I believe toughness is central to winning, and Jacovin brings that every time he takes the court. I really look forward to having him on our team.†Corey “Dallas†Bean, a 6-2 guard from Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School, was a first team All-District 22-4A pick this year. “Dallas is a very solid signee. He is a cerebral player who excels individually and also makes those who play with him better,†Cole said. “Dallas is a ‘gym-rat.’ He wants to be a good player, and those are the kind of guys you win with.†Cole found a double-scoring threat in 5-11 guard D’jameon Stearns (16 ppg) and 6-4 small forward Joseph Franklin (15 ppg) from Wheatley High School in Houston, which went undefeated this year to win the district and region championships. “Given the way we would like to play, we are very fortunate to land both D.J. and Joe,†Cole said. “They played in an up-tempo, press-oriented system in high school, and both are skilled players who can score.†The Seahawks also signed a junior college transfer, 6-0 guard Chan-cious Rose, a 2007Aldine High School graduate who was the leading scorer this year for Ohlone College in California. “Chance will be a key to our success this coming year. He is a tough, competitive player who has proven he can play at this level,†Cole said. “He played for a friend of mine at Ohlone College, so I know he has been coached hard and has played against tough competition. His hard-playing style should make him a crowd favorite.†This year, Lamar State is making this transition from non-scholarship Division III to full-scholarship Division I competition. The Seahawks are joining Region XIV, which is considered to be one of the toughest junior college conferences in the nation.

Houston Community College students have been playing intramural basketball for a couple of years in a club sport league that includes some of the North Harris County / Montgomery County College District schools (now know as the Lone Star College System), such as Cy-Fair College, Montgomery College, Kingwood College and Tomball College, to name a few. The Lone Star schools also compete with some teams from a club sport conference made of up community and private junior colleges in the San Antonio area. Lamar State College-Port Arthur officials have been keeping a close eye on that development because we always are looking for non-conference dates that aren't halfway across the state like the schedule we played the first year of the program in 2004. Some of those schools now playing club sports eventually may move into intercollegiate competition. That will be good news from a logistical standpoint of travel expenses. This year, Lamar State certainly won't miss the cost of all those five-hour bus trips to the Dallas area to play in the Metro Athletic Conference. None of the Seahawks' Region XIV dates will be more than a couple of hours away from PA.

I've got the spring conference schedule, but haven't had time to ask the webmaster to post it. I was waiting for Coach Edwards to firm up the fall exhibition schedule and his pre-conference games for the spring. We'll be posting it to the college website soon, and I'll also post it to SETXsports.com The same goes for the basketball schedule. The conference schedule is set, but the non-conference game schedule isn't ready yet.

Lamar State College-Port Arthur head softball coach Vance Edwards put an impressive cap on an extremely productive recruiting season today, when All-Region XIV and All-American shortstop Christina Jaques signed a letter-of-intent to play a second season for the Seahawks. “This is a huge plus for our program,†Edwards said. “We really are excited that Christina decided to come back. She is a team leader, and her statistics demonstrate the tremendous talent she brings to the field.†Jaques, a kinesiology major from Bridge City, had a stellar freshman year as a starter, setting nine team records and leading Region XIV in batting average and triples to earn a berth on the all-conference first team. Nationally, she was ranked No. 23 in stolen bases and No. 27 in batting average at the end of the 2008 season. The National Fast-Pitch Coaches Association put Jaques on its All-Midwest Region first team and later selected her for third team All-American honors. Jaques drew interest from four-year schools after the 2008 season ended, but finally decided to re-up with Lamar State. “I really enjoy playing here, and I’m excited about the coming year,†Jaques said. “I want to be a contributor to the team, and I hope to have the kind of year that will lead me to play for a university team in my junior and senior years.†When the Seahawks take the field in the fall, Jaques will see some familiar faces from her playing days at Bridge City High School. Edwards signed three BC Cardinals this spring – pitcher Shandi Conner and twin sister infielders Jenna and Lauren Angelle. “I played with Jenna, Lauren and Shandi for three years in high school. We know how each other plays,†Jaques said. “The other players Coach Edwards recruited also are very good. We’re going to have a great team.†In addition to the trio from Bridge City, eleven other in-coming freshmen signed with Lamar State this spring, including all-district players from Port Neches-Groves, Hamshire-Fannett, Kirbyville, Warren and Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School in Beaumont. Edwards also re-signed returning sophomore pitchers Shauna Kelly from Nederland and Alison Heidbreder from Houston Waltrip. Lamar State will play a short exhibition schedule during the fall semester and will begin a fourth season in Region XIV in the spring.

I don't know whether Chris Roquemore is coming to Lamar State or not. He isn't signed at this point.

From what I could find out, Rose played at Heritage Christian Academy in Cleveland as a senior. This past season, Rose was the leading scorer for Ohlone Community College, which reached the Northern California Junior College Conference semi-finals. He was averaging 14.6 points-per-game going into the confernce tournament.

I should have included that Marcus Houston is a 6-2 guard who graduated from Jasper High School in 2005 and was a 1st team All-District 20-3A selection in his senior year. He averaged 9.0 ppg and 5.1 rpg for the Seahawks in a reserve role during the 2006-07 season. Coach Cole is in the process of competing the siging process for several players. Five players currently are listed on the NJCAA website as having officially signed letters of intent to play for Lamar State in 2008-09: Corey "Dallas" Bean, a 6-3 forward from Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School, who was a 1st team All-District 22-4A selection. Jacovin Buckner, a 6-1 forward from Port Arthur Memorial High School, who was one of the leading scorers on his team this year . Adrian Fontenot, a 6-6 forward from Baytown Sterling High School, who was on the 1st team All-District 21-5A for the past two years. Chan-Cious Rose, a 6-0 guard from Houston, who played for Ohlone College (a junior college) in California this past year. Joshua Washington, a 5-11 guard from Istrouma High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was a 4A district MVP this year and a two-year selection for All-State honors by the Louisiana Sportswriters Association.

Coach Cole did not wipe the slate clean. All of the freshman on the 2007-08 team were invited to return, but that doesn't mean they will be back. Several of those freshmen most likely won't be eligible in the fall because of grades or because they haven't completed the required number of credit hours. It looks like point guard Jason Williamson and his brother, forward George Williamson, will be returning. I'm not sure about the others. Nobody really is until we see the names of the students enrolled in the Basketball class for the fall semester. Marcus Houston, who played for the Seahawks in 2006-07, has indicated that he intends to return to school this fall. He was a contributor late in that season and could help this year's team.

I think that when you see some of the names, you will be impressed with Jerre Cole's first recruiting class, especiallyconsidering that he got a late start because of the hiring situation at the college. And I'd love to give you some names, but I have to wait. No signing is official until the Lamar State president signs off on it. We kind of jumped the gun last week when we announced that the Seahawks had signed Josh Washington, a guard from Baton Rouge. You can read about that signing in "Lamar State College-Port Arthur sports" on this board. We might be announcing some more signings this week. Stay tuned.....

Sophomore pitcher Shauna Kelly, a 2006 graduate of Nederland High School, has re-upped with the Lamar State College-Port Arthur women’s softball team. Kelly, an all-district first team pick in her senior year at Nederland, signed a letter-of-intent last week to play a second season for the Seahawks. She joins a mound staff that includes sophomore Alison Heidbreder from Waltrip High School in Houston and freshman Shandi Conner from Bridge City High School. Kelly and Heidbreder pitched the bulk of Lamar State’s innings in 2008. Kelly saw 93.1 innings of work and ended the season with a 6.00 earned run average and leading all Seahawk pitchers with 60 strikeouts. Lamar State head coach Vance Edwards was pleased to see Kelly returning. “Shauna Kelly is a valuable part of our team,†Edwards said. “She is a leader on the field, and I’m looking forward to her having a successful season for us.†Lamar State competes in Region XIV, one of the toughest junior college conferences in the nation. The Seahawks will play a short exhibition schedule in September and October. Region XIV competition begins in February 2009.

When he started his new job last week, one of the first goals set by Lamar State College-Port Arthur head basketball coach Jerre Cole was finding a scoring point guard to replace offensive sparkplug Noah Cole, who led the team the past two years. Coach Cole found a strong prospect for that position this past weekend when he received a signed letter-of-intent from Josh Washington, a 5’-8†point guard from Baton Rouge, who averaged 19 points, seven assists and five rebounds per game in his senior year at Istrouma High School. Washington was the District 6-4A Co-MVP and a two-year selection for All-State Honorable Mention from the Louisiana Sportswriters Association. “We are excited to get a player with the quality of Josh Washington. He brings exceptional athletic talent to the Seahawk program, and he fully represents the image we are looking for in potential student/athletes,†Cole said. “In our up-tempo style of play, Josh will be asked to both run our team and provide a scoring punch. His style of play is a perfect fit for our aggressive approach.†This year, Lamar State is making this transition from non-scholarship Division III to full-scholarship Division I competition. The Seahawks are joining Region XIV, which is considered to be one of the toughest junior college conferences in the nation.

The Lamar State College-Port Arthur women’s intercollegiate softball program got a boost this week when the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Foundation donated $5,000 to support the Seahawks team, which competes in Region XIV, one of the toughest junior college conference in the nation. Foundation president W.L. Pate said the donation comes from the 31st annual Babe Didrikson Zaharias Golf Tournament. “In addition to promoting the legacy of Beaumont’s ‘Babe,’ ‘The World’s Greatest Female Athlete,’ the foundation has been a driving force in promoting women’s athletic programs at Lamar University,†Pate said. “We want to have a similar relationship with Lamar State College-Port Arthur. Through the participation of Valero, our title sponsor, we were able to make this contribution to Lamar-Port Arthur women’s softball.†Lamar State president Dr. Sam Monroe said, “We are grateful to Valero and the Babe Zaharias Foundation for their thoughtful support of our women’s athletics. This donation will further advance the softball program as it begins its fifth year of competition.â€

Oops, I should read my own press releases more often. Cole as an assistant coach at Arizona Western College when Dawkins was a freshman there.

He did, but I think it was in California at Porterville College.

The National Fast-Pitch Coaches Association has named Lamar State College-Port Arthur freshman shortstop Christina Jaques to its All-American third team. The NFCA previously selected Jaques to its All-Midwest Region first team. Jaques, a kinesiology major from Bridge City, earned all-conference first team honors this year after leading Region XIV in batting average (.506) and triples (8), and coming in third in runs scored (28), fourth in stolen bases (18 of 20) and on-base percentage (.527) and ninth in hits (40). Jaques was ranked No. 23 in the nation in stolen bases and No. 27 in the nation in batting average at the end of the 2008 season. She set Lamar State nine team season records this season. Lamar State head coach Vance Edwards said, “Christina is an exceptional athlete and a very hardworking young lady. She is very deserving of these honors.â€

Here is the Lamar State press release: Lamar State College-Port Arthur named its new men’s basketball coach today, introducing 15-year veteran coach Jerre Cole, who has been an assistant coach at Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kansas, since 2006. The Washington, Kansas, native was a high school first-team all-state selection of the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association. He began his college playing career at Highlands Community College, where he led his team in scoring as a sophomore. After earning an associate degree from HCC, Cole transferred to Missouri Valley College, a Division II NAIA school, where he earned All-Heart of America Conference and All-District honors. Cole began his college coaching career in 1993 with a two-year stint as varsity assistant and head freshman team coach at Missouri Valley College. He then spent a year as a graduate assistant coach at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas. From 1996-2001, Cole was the lead assistant coach at Porterville College in Porterville, California. During that time, the Pirates posted a 147-22 overall record, the best record of all California junior colleges over those five years. Porterville won the 2000 California JC state championship and four straight Central Valley Conference championships. Cole was inducted into the Porterville College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004. From 2001-2005, Cole was head coach at Peru State College in Peru, Nebraska, a Division II NAIA school. Cole led the Bobcats to their first-ever Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament berth and only the 11th twenty-win season in school history. In 2005-2006, Cole was the lead assistant coach at Arizona Western College, where the Matadors posted a 28-7 record, won the Region I championship and advanced to the “Elite Eight†of the National Junior College Athletic Association’s national championship tournament. Cole earned a bachelor of science degree in secondary education from Missouri Valley College and a master of science degree in physical education from Emporia State University. Cole and his wife, Kimberly, have one daughter, Claire, age three.

Lamar State College-Port Arthur will introduce the new head coach of its men's basketball team during an 11 a.m. press conference Tuesday in the Carl Parker Center, 1800 Lakeshore Drive on the Lamar State campus.

Lamar State College-Port Arthur head softball coach Vance Edwards acquired offensive and defensive standouts for his 2008-09 team Friday, when Warren High School third baseman Amber Holland and shortstop Stormy Morris signed letters of intent to play for the Seahawks in the 2008-09 season. Holland, the District 22-2A Offensive Player of the Year, and Morris, the district’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year, led Warren to a 12-1 record and a district championship this year. In 2007, Morris was the district Offensive Player of the Year, while Holland was a first team all-district selection.

Six members of this year’s Lamar State College-Port Arthur women’s softball team were recognized this past week for academic and sports honors. Freshman infielder Jessica Tapp from Anahuac and sophomore first baseman Brooke Collins from Vidor qualifed for the spring semester President’s List, which recognizes students who earn a perfect 4.0 grade point average while completing at least 12 semester credit hours. Sophomore outfielder Ashley Lapeyrolerie of Bridge City, freshman pitcher Alison Heidbreder from Houston and sophomore pitcher Sadie Dykes from Van Vleck qualified for the spring semester Deans’ List, which requires an overall grade point average of at least 3.6 for the semester. Freshman shortstop Christina Jaques from Bridge City earned national honors from the National Fast-Pitch Coaches Association, which selected her to its All-Midwest Region first team. Jaques previously earned all-conference first team honors after leading Region XIV in batting average (.506) and triples (8), and coming in third in runs scored (28), fourth in stolen bases (18 of 20) and on-base percentage (.527) and ninth in hits (40). Region XIV, know as one of the most competitive junior college conferences in the nation, demonstrated that dominance in capturing 10 of 16 positions on the All-Midwest Region first team and 13 of 16 positions on the second team. Jaques was ranked No. 23 in the nation in stolen bases and No. 27 in the nation in batting average at the end of the 2008 season. She set Lamar State team season records for runs (49), hits (68), triples (12), runs batted in (25), batting average (.489), on-base percentage (.575), slugging percentage (.835), stolen bases (33) and put-outs (153). Lamar State head coach Vance Edwards said, “I’m very proud of these players. Christina is an exceptional athlete. Jessica, Brooke, Ashley, Alison and Sadie are leaders on the field and in the classroom. It’s a privilege to be their coach.â€

Just an update here, and, unfortunately, just a teaser because the announcement won't be made until next week. The search committee had face-to-face interviews with the three finalists for the head basketball coach positition this week. The committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. today to vote. The AD then will make a recommendation to the president, who will make the final decision. The announcement will come next week, depending on the availability of the new coach. Any one of the three finalists would make a great head coach. Each had strong points in their favor and have more than a decade of coaching experience. It's going to be a tough decision. After hearing what each coach had to say, I can guarantee two things about next year's Seahawks team: 1. They will be in shape (or else) 2. They will be in class (or else)

Lamar State College-Port Arthur head softball coach Vance Edwards will cap a big week of recruiting Friday, when Ashley Cocoran, a senior second baseman from Port Neches-Groves High School, signs a letter of intent to play for the Seahawks in the 2008-09 season. The signing ceremony will be at noon at PN-G High School. Earlier this week Edwards signed Monsignor Kelly High School infielder Ashlin Tahaney and Bridge City High School infielders Jenna and Lauren Angelle. Lamar State previously signed LaPorte utility player Amanda Barnes, Kelly outfielder Hannah Godina, Bridge City pitcher Shandi Conner and PN-G infielder Sami Jo Williams. Edwards will announce more signings in the coming weeks.

Bridge City High School softball stars and twin sisters Jenna and Lauren Angelle will sign letters of intent at 4 p.m. this afternoon to play for Lamar State College-Port Arthur in the 2008-09 season. The signing will be in the Bridge City High School library. The Angelles are the fifth and sixth signees this year for Seahawks head coach Vance Edwards, who signed Monsignor Kelly High School all-state infielder Ashlin Tahaney at 2 p.m. today in Beaumont. Lamar State previously signed utility player Amanda Barnes from LaPorte, outfielder Hannah Godina from Kelly and infielder Sami Jo Williams from Port Neches-Groves.

Senior infielder Ashlin Tahaney, who helped Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School win the 2008 TAPPS state championship, will sign with a letter of intent at 2 p.m. Wednesday indicating she will play softball at Lamar State College-Port Arthur. The ceremony will be at Kelly High School in Beaumont. Tahaney, who played on two state championship teams during her four years at Kelly, hit .420, with 11 doubles, two triples, one home run and 36 runs batted in this year. She had a solo home run and a game-winning RBI double to take the Bulldogs to the 2008 state championship game. Tahaney was a first team all-state selection in 2007. This year’s all-district and all-state teams have not been announced. When Tahaney begins fall practice at Lamar State, she will see at least one familiar face on the team, Kelly teammate Hannah Godina, an all-district and all-state outfielder who previously signed with the Seahawks. Godina had the game-winning RBI that secured the 2008 state championship trophy for Kelly. Lamar State also previously signed utility player Amanda Barnes from LaPorte and infielder Sami Jo Williams from Port Neches-Groves. Head coach Vance Edwards plans to sign several more players in the coming weeks.

No, Hillary and Barack aren't in the running for the Lamar State job, and neither is DickieV. I kept waiting for him to apply, but I understand that he is holding out for a call from the big show. What might be "too long" to some people is "just right" for the college, which is making a decision that will be pivotal to the continued progress of the men's basketball program. After reference calls, the list of seven candidates, any of which would be excellent coaches to lead the program, were ranked 1-7 and the first three on the list were invited to come for a personal interview. The No. 2 candidate had accepted another assistant coach job at a junior college only about 45 minutes from where he was living. So, the fourth person on list was invited. Here's where it stands. Three finalists will visit the campus this week, beginning today, for personal interviews. The announcement of the new head coach should come by the middle of next week, depending on the availablity of the new coach.