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    SFA Returns Size, Experience at Center
    Miller, Kingsley give Lumberjacks good one-two punch down low
    Center Antuane Miller was second on the team in scoring and rebounding last season
    Center Antuane Miller was second on the team in scoring and rebounding last season

    Nov. 10, 2006

    NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Heading into the 2006-07 season, the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack basketball team has just two players listed on the depth chart at center. But both are returning lettermen, and both have the potential to be big-time impact players in the Southland Conference this season.

    Senior Antuane Miller and third-year sophomore Matt Kingsley will be the men in the middle for SFA this season. Miller is coming off a sterling junior season when he was second on the team in scoring and rebounding. Kingsley scored more points coming off the bench than any other non-starter last year.

    Miller is a 6-6, 255-pound Washington, D.C., product. He transferred to SFA from Arkansas-Fort Smith prior to last season. He had an immediate impact on the offensive end, averaging 13.4 points per game. Miller scored in double figures in 21 of his 29 appearances and reached 20 or more points seven times. While his 5.5 rebounds per game were second on the squad, head coach Danny Kaspar is expecting more production in that department this season.

    "I am looking for Antuane to improve his rebounding, more than anything," Kaspar said. "He's a big body, and he needs to get more rebounds for us than he did last year. Antuane is capable of being an all-conference player for us. He's, big strong and has a very good shooting touch for a big man."

    Miller was voted First-Team Preseason All-SLC this year.

    Kaspar is looking for a breakout season from Kingsley, a redshirt sophomore now in his third year with the program. He scored 4.4 points per game in limited action last season. Kingsley scored in double figures four times last season, including an 18-point, 10-rebound outing against Paul Quinn. Both those numbers are career-highs. The 6-9 Houston product is expected to be more of a force down low this year, thanks to some bulk he added during offseason workouts.

    "Matt played quality minutes for us last year and even started a few games," Kaspar said. "He is up to 230 pounds, and I think that will help him be much more of a contributor for us on both ends of the floor. He has great touch for a big man and has shown tremendous improvement since first arriving on our campus two years ago. If Matt really wants it, he could be a very good player for our program."

    • This article is the fifth and final in a series previewing the 2006-07 Lumberjacks. SFA will open the regular season Saturday afternoon by hosting San Diego. The game against the Toreros is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start from the William R. Johnson Coliseum.

    -- SFA --