The Tigers are 1-4 with a win at Oregon State and losses at Drake, Wichita State, Oklahoma and Oregon. The Tigers return 2 starters from last season (a squad that posted a 17-16 overall record, including an 11-7 mark in SWAC play). The Tigers are projected to finish 9th in the conference this season.
The Tigers are lead by G Lawrence Johnson-Danner, F Kevin Galloway and G Harrison Smith. Johnson-Danner is averaging 16 points/game (leads the team), 3 rebounds/game and 1 assist/game. Johnson-Danner, a 6'4" redshirt freshman, can hit the long ball (he leads the team at 42% so far this season) hitting four against Wichita State and five against Oregon State.
Galloway is averaging 14 points/game, 6 rebounds/game (leads the team) and 7 assists/game (leads the team). Galloway has transferred twice, from Kentucky and USC, before landing at Texas Southern, and was a big scorer in High School with 17 points/game as a senior.
Smith is averaging 12 points/game and 4 rebounds/game. Smith transferred to Texas State from the University of Texas (another Texas team that we own) and head coach Tony Harvey says of him: "He's a solid player who can score and shoot the ball," Harvey said. "He's also a good defender."
Texas Southern is trying to become a consistent contender while trying to overcome the APR penalties incurred by the previous administration. As a matter of fact they think they can surprise and contend for the league title if everything breaks their way. The biggest problem is: If Galloway struggles the team will struggle to score at times and he cannot afford to turn the ball over. Many people think that the reason they won 17 games last season is because of two players who are both gone this year. But if the Tigers have better chemistry and more depth because of the newcomers, the team may be better off in the long run. The Cats should roll in this game.
