By Chris Parker
Houston boys basketball will be looking for some new players to step up with just one starter and three lettermen returning from last year’s nine-win team.
Those three returning lettermen are: Stone Jackson (junior), Jordan Arthur (sophomore) and Harold Lassiter (senior).
Jackson scored 11.8 points per game last year with 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists.
“Stone is a solid defensive player who rebounds well,” said Houston head coach Jim Moore. “He has also worked on his shot a lot in the offseason and looks to play a big role for us behind the arc.”
Lassiter earned honorable mention all-conference honors as a junior after he averaged 7.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
“Harold is a very good rebounder. He guards well inside, plays hard every second he is on the floor, and continues to earn more and more playing time because he does the right things to make our team better,” Moore said.
Arthur averaged 2.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game as a freshman.
“Jordan is a very good athlete. He is kind of a wild card for our team. When he plays to his potential, our team goes to another level,” Moore said.
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Brady Brookshire (junior), DJ Riley (freshman), Nick Dennis (sophomore) and Zeke Grange (sophomore) will be looking to earn time on the varsity court.
Moore on Brookshire: “Brady is a good rebounder and a smart player. He can shoot it when open. He does a lot of the intangibles that need to be done if teams are going to win.”
Moore on Riley: “DJ will play a major role for us this year. He handles the ball well, sees the floor well, attacks the hole and can shoot the 3. Defensively he has quick hands and can put a lot of pressure on the ball.”
Moore on Dennis: “Nick has worked hard in the offseason improving his shot, handling the ball, and attacking the hole. He will play some big minutes for us this year.”
Moore on Grange: “Zeke is a quick guard that can put a lot of pressure on the ball defensively. He also has been working hard to become more of an offensive threat from 3. He will play a big role for us this season.”
Houston opens the regular season on Nov. 22 at Cuba.
“We are excited to get the season started,” Moore said. “We have a really nice gymnasium that has our team fired up to get to play in. We are returning three lettermen from last year’s team. We have worked hard on our individual games throughout the offseason. We are young and inexperienced, but we are excited to see how we grow throughout the season. We have eyes on being very competitive come district time.”
