Asides

CONWAY – An experienced bunch of University of Central Arkansas Bears will officially kick off fall practice Saturday morning, 28 days in front of their season opener at Arkansas State on Sept. 4 in Jonesboro.

The Bears, who return 20 starters, will be prepping for their first season as part of the ASUN-WAC Challenge after 15 successful seasons in the Southland Conference. UCA will play two ASUN members and four WAC members, all former members of the SLC. It starts with practice No. 1 on Saturday.

“From Day 1, I want to see a lot of retention, because we have a veteran team,’ said head coach Nathan Brown, entering his fourth season as head coach of his alma mater. “When you return that many starters from a team that had so much success last fall, you should see retention, you should see guys playing fast, understanding what our schemes are. And really going out and not making many mistakes.

“Obviously we’ve got a good crop of freshman and transfers that are going to integrate into our system, but for the most part a lot of these guys are back for another year, so we’re excited about that. It should make for a quick install time so we can get into the real part of camp fairly quickly.’

The Bears had a league-best 13 players named to the preseason All-ASUN team, after having 11 student-athletes named to the Fall All-SLC team last fall, including Coach of the Year in Brown. Sophomore wide receiver Tyler Hudson was named the 2020 Fall SLC Offensive Player of the Year and the preseason ASUN Offensive Player of the Year for 2021.

“I think we’re going to have a lot of peer leadership, we’re going to have a peer-led team,’ said Brown. “I think we’ve got some really good teammates, just because they’ve been here. We have 10 or 11 of what we’re calling super seniors who are using their covid-waiver year for their fifth or sixth year.  So when you’ve got a veteran group like that, they should be leaders, they should be the face of your program.

“I also think, if you look up and down our roster, we have as much team speed as we’ve ever had. We’re just really fast. An emphasis has been put on that in recruiting and we have guys who can really run that have been here. But this freshman class and some of these transfers we brought in that will be competing for a spot can really run at the skill positions. That’s something that I’m really excited about.’

Brown said the emphasis early in camp will be on a couple of specific positions.

“We’ve got to develop a backup quarterback, figure out who’s going to win that job,’ he said. “We have three capable quarterbacks (third-year freshman Darius Bowers, second-year freshman Hunter Loyd, true freshman Tyler Gee) behind Breylin (Smith). That’s going to be a great competition and we have to figure out who’s going to be the guy.

“I think offensive line, we feel very comfortable about the first six or seven guys, but we need to continue to build depth there. We have some talented young guys and some guys we were able to redshirt and a couple of true freshmen with a lot of talent. We’ll see how we develop that depth on the offensive line.

“And on the defensive side, it’s really linebackers, there’s going to be a lot of competition in our linebacker room. We feel very solid about our top guys on the defensive line and in the secondary. But at linebacker, you have some key names that are really going to be competing there. Guys like Darin Davenport, Trenton Dunn, T.J. Campbell, Malik Wilson, Kendarrius Moore, a young freshman, Dwain Hunt, another freshman. There are guys that are going to be competing really hard in that room and that will be fun to watch.’

The Bears have several highly touted newcomers, including a quartet of transfers that will be battling for playing time from the start.

“It starts at corner with Willie Langham, a transfer from Tulane,’ said Brown. “He’s a really long corner who started 8-9 games for Tulane last year, so he’s got a ton of experience. Looks the part, can really run, excited to see how he integrates into our defense. 

“Kylan Stribling is a safety who is a graduate transfer from Middle Tennessee. He’s a guy who had a ton of production at an FBS program. And then Davon Wright, a defensive tackle from Tulane, will be competing for a lot of playing time on the defensive front.

 Those three added some maturity to our defense immediately and I’m excited about them.

“On offense, Jaden Salley, an offensive lineman from Arkansas-Monticello has a chance to come in and compete right away. He’s also a graduate transfer, an All-Conference player in the GAC (Great American Conference) who is using his last year of eligibility with us. And then Darius Hale, a true freshman who enrolled early in the spring, at running back. I think he’s as talented and skilled a running back as we’ve had. It will be fun to watch him compete with Cameron Myers and some of the guys we already have here for playing time in the running back room.’

UCA finished with a 5-4 record while playing a full fall schedule in 2020, while numerous schools competed in the spring of 2021 and will have a quick turnaround.

PRACTICE SCHEDULE:

Saturday, Aug. 7 – practice 9-11 a.m. (helmets)

Sunday, Aug. 8 – practice 3:30-5:30 p.m. (helmets)

Monday, Aug. 9 – practice 9-11 a.m. (shells)

Tuesday, Aug. 10 – practice 9-11 a.m. (shells)

Wednesday, Aug. 11 – practice 9-11 a.m. (shells)

Thursday, Aug. 12 – Photo/Media Day (1:30 interviews)

Friday, Aug. 13 – practice 9-11 a.m. (shells)

Saturday, Aug. 14 – practice 9-11 a.m. (full)

Sunday, Aug. 15 – practice 3:30-5:30 (helmets)

Monday, Aug. 16 – practice 9-11 a.m. (shells)

Tuesday, Aug. 17 – practice 9-11 a.m. (shells)

Wednesday, Aug. 18 – Kickoff Scrimmage 6-7:30 p.m. (full)

Thursday, Aug. 19 – First day of classes  

    CONWAY – The University of Central Arkansas signed Dreshaun Doyne to a national letter of intent to play basketball for the Bears, according to head coach Anthony Boone.   

    Doyne, a 6-foot-8, 200-pounder from Maumelle, Arkansas, played previously at Southern California Academy as a senior and at Maumelle High School in both his sophomore and junior campaigns.

Doyne averaged 14 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots a game as a senior.

    “Dreshaun is incredible on the glass and has a lot of potential of being a great versatile player for the Bears,’ said Boone.

Conway – The University of Central Arkansas Bears will embark on their first 16-game ASUN Conference basketball schedule beginning in early January.

    The Bears, after 15 seasons in the Southland Conference, will have a whole new slate of conference opponents when the 2021-22 season gets underway on Thursday, Jan. 6. UCA opens on the road, playing at Eastern Kentucky in Richmond, Ky.

    The Bears will compete in the ASUN West Division alongside fellow newcomers EKU and Jacksonville State, along with North Alabama, Lipscomb and Bellarmine. The East Division will consist of Kennesaw State, Florida Gulf Coast, Jacksonville, North Florida, Stetson and Liberty.

    Each team will play its divisional schools twice (home and away) and will play each of the schools from the opposite division once to complete a 16-game schedule.

    “It’s going to be brand new for all of us except (assistant) Coach (John) Cranford,’ said UCA head coach Anthony Boone. “He has a little experience because he was at Liberty, so he has a little knowledge of some of these places. So lots of unfamiliar territory we’re going to be up against.

    “But at the same time, we’re painting that picture for our staff and the players, that it’s new challenges and new experiences, and an exciting opportunity to really establish something good for our program going into this new conference.’

    The Bears will host Lipscomb on Saturday, Jan. 8 in its first ASUN matchup at the Farris Center, as part of one of six doubleheaders with the Sugar Bears. UCA and Lipscomb last played in the second round of the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City, Mo., in March of 1990.

    UCA plays at Bellarmine (Louisville, Ky.) on Jan. 13 and hosts UNA on Jan. 15. UCA and UNA were old opponents in the Gulf South Conference at the NCAA Division II level, playing seven times from 1993 to 2005.

    Jacksonville State (Jan. 20) and Liberty (doubleheader on Jan. 22) close out a three-game homestand at the Farris Center. UCA then embarks on a two-game road swing through The Sunshine State, playing at North Florida on Jan. 27 and at Jacksonville on Jan. 29. Both of those schools are located in Jacksonville, Fla. The other two Florida schools come to Conway for doubleheaders on Feb. 3 (FGCU) and Feb. 5 (Stetson).

    The Bears play at Kennesaw State on Feb. 9 and at Jacksonville State on Feb. 12 before hosting Bellarmine on Feb. 16 and EKU (doubleheader) on Feb. 19. UCA then closes out the regular season with road games at UNA in Florence, Ala. (Feb. 23) and Lipscomb in Nashville, Tenn. (Feb. 26).     

    The ASUN Conference Tournament (dates to be determined) will include all 12 teams and will be played on campus sites, with the higher seed hosting.

    “The competition in the ASUN is really good,’ said Boone. “It’s similar to the Southland in that there are some really strong teams. Liberty has been really, really good over the last few years. Lipscomb has had a really good program for quite some time, and Bellarmine has run a really good program for a long time. And of course, Florida Gulf Coast had their run in the NCAA Tournament a few years ago, and they have a really good program.’

    Boone said he and his staff and players are looking forward to the new challenge.

    “There will be lots of new challenges but it will be exciting,’ he said. “They’re going to be some good times, they’re going to be some frustrating times. But through it all, it’s still the game of basketball and we’re going to place most of the emphasis on ourselves and what we can do to be good.’

Conway – University of Central Arkansas pitcher Noah Cameron was taken in the seventh round by the Kansas City Royals in Monday’s Major League Baseball Draft.

Cameron, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound left hander from St. Joseph, Mo., is UCA’s 13th MLB draftee since 2011 and the fifth selected by Kansas City in the past four years. He is UCA’s fifth-highest selection (199th overall) in history and follows just a year after right hander Gavin Stone was drafted in the fifth round (159th) by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Cameron, who played at Central High School in St. Joseph, located an hour from Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium, missed the 2021 season after undergoing arm surgery following the abbreviated 2020 season. He finished his freshman season in 2019 with a 6-2 record and a 2.95 earned-run average to earn Freshman All-America honors by Collegiate Baseball. He struck out 91 batters and walked just 19 over 94.2 innings and 14 starts. Cameron was a second-team All-Southland Conference selection and on the Academic Honor Roll as well.

In 2020, a season cut short by the pandemic, Cameron went 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA, striking out 31 and walking just two batters over 28 innings (second in the SLC) and four starts.

“I think Noah has all the qualities that they’re looking for,’ said UCA head coach  Nick Harlan, who was the Bears’ pitching coach for both of Cameron’s seasons in a UCA uniform. “He’s a big, strong, durable left-handed arm that throws three pitches for a strike. He has a strong arm, the ball jumps out of his hand and he locates his fastball and he locates a plus off-speed pitch. And he doesn’t give up a lot of free bases. He’s in the zone.

“He throws a heavy, heavy fastball. The ball gets on top of you and it’s a heavy fastball. He makes it uncomfortable for hitters. And he’s constantly ahead in the count. And when you can throw three pitches for strikes, and locate a fastball on both sides of the plate and you’re ahead in the count, you keep hitters guessing. So it’s a very uncomfortable at-bat.’

Harlan said Cameron was a huge factor in UCA’s run to the SLC championship game in 2019 as a true freshman.

“His resume was so good from 2019 and 2020, two really good years,’ said Harlan. “His freshman year was such an impactful year, such a significant part of what we did in ‘19, being one game away from the conference championship.

“And he was on track in ‘20 to do it again, and maybe even have a better year when we got shut down.’

Harlan said Cameron has the makeup, along with the ability, to be an MLB pitcher.

“He’s a big body, strong kid and kind of has an effortless delivery,’ he said. “He has a low heart rate on the mound. He has a plus changeup and he developed a really good slider. He gets ahead and then he has the stuff to put people away. That’s what he does, he earns the opportunity to strike people out and then he has the stuff to do it.

“So he has all the qualities that a professional team is looking for. I think Noah has a great opportunity to advance in professional baseball and one day be playing on TV.’

And his off-the-field intangibles may be the key, according to Harlan.

“Noah has the character to show up and to do it every day, and that’s what pro baseball demands,’ said Harlan. “He can do it consistently and he can be the same guy every day. He has the character to show up and work a process and pro ball absolutely demands that.’

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark — The Arkansas Activities Association will be moving the Regional Basketball Tournaments, the State Basketball Tournaments, and the State Basketball Finals back one week to allow conferences to finish their regular seasons and tournaments.

Due to the amount of COVID-19 cancellations during the regular season, a conference tournament may be needed for correct seeding into the regional and state tournaments.

The state basketball finals will still be played at the Bank of Ozk Arena in Hot Springs as scheduled.

New Tournament Dates

Regional Tournament Dates:

1A, 2A, 3A, & 4A – March 3-6

State Tournament Dates:

1A, 2A, 3A, and 5A – March 8-15

4A and 6A – March 9-13

State Basketball Finals: 

March 18-20

Waco, Texas – The second-ranked Baylor Bears nailed 13 three-pointers and had five players in double figures on Tuesday afternoon in a 93-56 victory over the University of Central Arkansas Bears at the Ferrell Center in both teams final non-conference tune-up.

Baylor (7-0) continued its hot hand from the perimeter against UCA, making at least 13 threes in all three meetings with the purple Bears over the past four seasons, including 18 last year.

UCA (1-7) kept pace from the three-point line, making 12 of 26 (46.2 percent) but shot just 35 percent overall.

UCA was playing its fourth Power 5 team of the season, was shorthanded Tuesday, playing without two starters, senior guard Rylan Bergersen and sophomore forward Khaleem Bennett, who were at home battling illness. Bergersen is UCA’s leading scorer both this season and last.

Sophomore point guard DeAndre Jones kept the Bears within striking distance in the first half with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists, while hitting 5 of 8 from three-point range. As a team UCA was 8 of 15 from beyond the arc, but Baylor made 10 of 18 threes which led to a 53-35 halftime advantage. Jones finished with a team-high 19 points and made 6 of 9 from three-point range, the most by a Bear since Jones had six against Nicholls on Jan. 18, 2020.

“We certainly missed Khaleem and Rylan,’ said UCA head coach Anthony Boone. “But the guys that were here, they banded together. We told them, all-out effort. We have to be who we are, it doesn’t matter the circumstances. We can’t let it be because we’re playing Baylor and they’re No.2 in the country _ and I think they have a good chance at making a run at the national championship _ or whoever it is we’re playing, or we have guys not with us.

“Whatever the situation is, we have to do what we do, we have to be who we are. And for the most part our guys did that. I was pleased with our effort and their fight. It would have been easy to just come in here and lay an egg from the beginning. And our guys really fought, especially the first half.’

The Big 12 Bears, who finished 26-4 overall and 14-1 at home a year ago, pulled away from UCA in the second half. Baylor shot 55.9 percent from the field in the first half and an even 50 percent for the game. MaCio Teague led the Baers with 20 points, while All-American Jared Butler had 17 points and Jonathan Tchatchpoua had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Baylor entered the game leading the nation in three-point shooting at 47.3 percent and went 13 of 30 for the game, with seven different players making at least one.

“They played like we expected them to,’ said Boone. “We played pretty good defense, but when they’re open, we help on drives and they kick it out. And those guys knock them down. They’re a really good shooting team. And I think we shot the ball pretty good from outside, too. But it’s just they had the size also to go with it to get some of the points in the paint that they got, and we couldn’t finish some of our opportunities.’

Baylor outscored UCA 40-14 on points in the paint but UCA managed to keep the rebounding margin close as the home team won that matchup 43-35. UCA also turned the ball over 24 times, which led to 31 Baylor points.

The Bears will open Southland Conference play at McNeese at 4 p.m. Saturday in Lake Charles, La., then return home to host New Orleans on Wednesday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. at the Farris Center.