Stephen F. Austin

Nov. 1, 2002

PLANO, Texas ? Led by the league?s top returning scorer in Damany Hendrix, Lamar University has placed three student-athletes on the preseason All-Southland Conference men?s basketball first and second teams. The five spots on the 2002-03 first team are occupied by players from five different universities while seven of the 11 Southland teams are represented on the two clubs.

Players selected All-Conference after last season who return are automatically named preseason All-Southland. Vacant spots are filled based on nominations and voting by the league?s head coaches. All five first-team players and one second-teamer are returning All-Conference players from a year ago. All five of last year?s first-team players were seniors.

Hendrix, a 6-6 forward, returns after averaging 17.7 points and 4.5 rebounds in his first season for the Cardinals last year. A senior transfer from Santa Rosa College, Hendrix also had 30 assists, 28 steals and 14 blocked shots in 29 games last season. He finished third in the Conference in free-throw percentage at 84.3 (134-159) on his way to being named second-team All-Southland last season.

Joining Hendrix on the first team are Jason Coleman of McNeese State University, Donald Cole of Sam Houston State University, Amir-Adbur-Rahim of Southeastern Louisiana University and Percy Green of Stephen F. Austin State University. Coleman and Cole were second-team picks elevated from last year?s team while Abdur-Rahim and Green were third-team selections last season.

Coleman, a 6-4 guard from Brooklyn, N.Y., helped lead the Cowboys to regular-season and tournament championships last season. His 14.4 points per game ranked 11th in the Southland and he served as one of the top 3-point threats in the Conference with 35.0-percent (30-76) aim.

Cole, a 6-8 forward from Port Arthur, Texas, was voted newcomer of the year last season after finishing fifth in the Southland in scoring (16.4) and leading the way with a 10.2 rebound average. The only Conference player to average a double-double last year, the left-hander transferred to SHSU from Navarro Junior College.

Abdur-Rahim, the younger brother of Shareef, who plays for the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA, transferred to SLU last year from Garden City Community College. The only non-senior on this year?s preseason teams, Abdur-Rahim (6-3, guard) finished sixth among Southland scorers last season with 15.9 points an outing. He also ranked sixth in the Conference in 3-point percentage at 36.7 (27-77) and was 15th with 1.22 steals per game.

Green, a 6-7 forward, who transferred to SFA last year from Garden City, averaged 14.0 points while shooting 50.3 percent from the field.

The top second-team player is Damond Williams of McNeese, who is an automatic selection after being voted third-team All-Southland last March. A transfer from Panola Junior College, he averaged 11.4 points while playing in 21 games for the Cowboys.

Players voted to the other four second-team spots are Ron Austin and Lew Arline of Lamar, Mack Callier of the University of Texas-Arlington and Kirby Lemons from the University of Louisiana-Monroe.

FIRST TEAM
Damany Hendrix    Lamar                    F Sr. 6-6 Vallejo, Calif.
Jason Coleman     McNeese State            G Sr. 6-4 Brooklyn, N.Y.
Donald Cole       Sam Houston State        F Sr. 6-8 Port Arthur, Texas
Amir Abdur-Rahim  Southeastern Louisiana   G Jr. 6-3 Atlanta, Ga.
Percy Green       Stephen F. Austin        F Sr. 6-7 Oklahoma City, Okla.



SECOND TEAM
Damond Williams  McNeese State             F Sr. 6-6 Chicago, Ill.
Mack Callier     Texas-Arlington           F Sr. 6-6 Tyler, Texas
Ron Austin       Lamar                     G Sr. 6-3 Detroit, Mich.
Kirby Lemons     Louisiana-Monroe          F Sr. 6-7 Midland, Texas
Lew Arline       Lamar                     F Sr. 6-6  Silsbee, Texas