Last year, SMU snapped an eight-season NCAA Tournament drought.
A mere NCAA Tournament appearance apparently will not be a sufficient payoff for head coach Andy Enfield’s third season at SMU, which begins with a visit from Southern on Monday in Dallas.
“We have some bigger goals at SMU and look forward to the challenge,” said Enfield, whose team finished 20-14 last season with a First Four loss to Miami (Ohio).
The challenge for Enfield and his staff will be molding practically a new team after the Mustangs lost all five starters and five others from last season’s roster.
Forwards Jaden Toombs (8.3 points per game, 4.6 rebounds per game) and Jermaine O’Neal Jr. (4.5 ppg) are the only rotation members back as SMU has added eight transfers and two freshmen to the mix.
“Our whole team is 75% new,” Enfield said. “It’s a new opportunity to have guys buy into the system offensively. We did a great job in the preseason of pushing the pace of our offense and sharing the basketball.”
Oregon State transfer Johan Munch, a 6-foot-11 power forward, will pair with Toombs on the frontcourt. The Denmark native averaged 7.9 points and 5.1 rebounds last year.
The Mustangs’ highest-touted pickup in the transfer portal was Tulane senior point guard Rowan Brumbaugh, who averaged 19.2 points, 3.5 assists and 1.6 steals last season. Freshman Cameron Lomax scored a team-high 22 points in just 15 minutes when SMU topped Texas A&M 94-88 in exhibition play on Oct. 25.
Southern comes off a 17-17 season that included an 11-7 record in Southwestern Athletic Conference play and the school’s first appearance in the SWAC championship game since 2016.
Southern also overhauled its roster with 14 newcomers joining fifth-year guard Cam Amboree (9.6 ppg, 3.6 apg) and redshirt sophomore center Lionel Bell (1.4 ppg, 1.7 rpg).
Joseph Hunter, a junior guard from Seminole State (Okla.) Junior College, is expected to be an impact player after averaging 18.3 points and 7.5 rebounds a game last season.
Noah Boyde, a 7-footer formerly of LSU and Western Kentucky, will provide a defensive and rebounding presence.
Southern coach Kevin Johnson welcomes the opportunity to challenge his new roster against high-level competition.
The Jaguars open the season with a five-game, 11-day road trip against SMU, TCU, Drake, Iowa State and Minnesota. They’ll visit Nebraska, Vanderbilt, Fresno State, Oregon, Pacific and California before Christmas.
“We want to challenge our team early, learn from each game and continue to grow as we get ready for conference competition,” Johnson said.
–Field Level Media
