College hoops: Eighth isn't enough for Hounds

PORTALES — The pre-practice scene is boisterous on the Greyhound Arena floor. The members of the Greyhound basketball team are part veteran, part new guy and all loud in voice and actions.

As the newest Drake single plays from a player phone through a Bluetooth speaker, players give a quick dance move when they emerge from the arena tunnel and then get in few pre-5 p.m. jumpers.

Third-year head coach Tres Segler emerges through the upper level, energy drink in hand, and lets out a triumphant scream to greet what he is confident is his best roster yet.

The music gets turned off, but the practice stays loud with Segler firing out drill instructions, players yelling, “and 1,” when they draw contact on a layup and teammates cheering each other on every highlight dunk.

The Greyhounds, who open their season this weekend in a pair of neutral-site games at The Pit, plan to be loud and proud all season, and not quiet in a locker room wondering how another season went south.

“This year, more than any year, we have a chance of winning (in the Lone Star Conference),” senior forward Arcaim Lallemand said. “We really can compete now. Before, just making (the LSC tournament) was good. Now, it’s something we want to get out of the way. I feel like we can definitely compete, and not be the underdog.”

The biggest improvement the Greyhounds made following an 11-17 season and eighth-place finish in the 10-team LSC starts in the middle, with a little bit of interior help for the 6-foot-6, 235-pound Lallemand.

“It’s something that was my fault, but we were definitely undersized in the post last year,” Segler said. “Arcaim did a good job in the post, but in the Lone Star he wasn’t necessarily the biggest guy.”

So the recruiting brought in length and athleticism — 6-foot-8 Chukuka Emili from Division-I Houston Baptist, 6-foot-7 Bryce McAlister from Artesia High and 6-foot-10 Antonio Morales from New Mexico Junior College.

“I had help last year, but sometimes it did feel like I was on an island,” Lallemand said. “I feel like these guys really understand help side and communicating on defense.”

Emili, who joins the team as a senior, is reunited with former New Mexico Military Institute teammate Maurice Coleman. Segler said he originally wanted to bring the pair in together, but late is better than never when you get a guy with a 7-foot wingspan.

Coleman, meanwhile, preps for a senior season with an experienced backcourt and he’s just excited to get started.

“On a scale from 1 to 100, I’m at about 130,” Coleman said. “It’s senior year, so it’s a big year for me. I’ve got a lot of brothers on this team who are seniors, and it’s a big year for all of us.”

The backcourt was the Greyhounds’ clear returning strength, as Coleman’s far from the only returner who paid big dividends last season. Segler is also expecting some highlights from 6-foot-5 junior guard Darius Sawyer and his 40-inch vertical leap.

“Zach Parker was our leading scorer last year, and Maurice is the quarterback that leads us,” Segler said. “Nick Brown backed up Lamarquis (Thompson) last year, but he’s been awesome and he can just shoot the ball. Devin Pullum’s going to be great for us. We thought he was going to be freshman of the year, but (Gaige Prim from West Texas A&M) won it. They were first in the conference, so that was fair.”

The Greyhounds open the season with Fort Lewis Friday and New Mexico Highlands Saturday at the University of New Mexico, followed by a pair of games the following weekend at Angelo State’s Messbarger Tip-Off Classic (St. Edward’s and Jarvis Christian).

After that, it’s a pair of exhibitions Nov. 19 at Texas-El Paso and Nov. 21 at New Mexico State. After a road game at Washburn, it’s time for an LSC-heavy schedule. They open LSC play Nov. 29 at home against Midwestern State, part of a 21-game stretch with 18 LSC games.

The day after the LSC season ends, the Greyhounds are off to Phoenix for an exhibition against Grand Canyon University. The exhibitions are helpful for three reasons, Segler said. The Division-I opponents usually incentivize the game by helping cover travel expenses, last year’s exposure helped three Greyhounds land overseas professional roster spots and facing stiffer competition pays off in the LSC.

“if we can play well in those places, going into the Lone Star we’ll be fine,” Segler said. “I think the biggest thing for our guys is there is no such thing as a slow start (in the LSC). We know how tough everybody is. Everybody can beat you, and there’s no, ‘let’s take five games to figure it out.’”