Bearcats Aiming To Take Next Step In 2021-22

HOLLY SPRINGS, Miss. – The Rust College men's basketball program hosted its first ever conference tournament game on campus last season as the GCAC's fourth seed and will look to build off its momentum heading into the new campaign.

The Bearcats, who almost doubled its wins in 2020-21 (7) than it had in the previous two years combined (4), get six student-athletes back including Ronald Strothers, Christopher Agbo, Jordan Watkins, Elijah Johnson, Kristopher Huntsman, and Terrell Jennings.

Fresh faces for Coach Newton's crew will be all transfers as the team will not carry a single incoming freshman outside of Huntsmen (who played last season). Brought into the program are Devonte Lanier (Tennessee State), Keshon Tabb (Virginia Union), Wesley Anderson (Harris-Stowe State), Marquis Pepper (Harris-Stowe State), Malik Anderson (Texas-Permian Basin), Christopher Owens (Hinds CC) and Jalen Cummins (Coastal Alabama North CC).

Strothers was one of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference's biggest surprises last winter, landing Conference Newcomer of the Year and All-GCAC Second Team honors as he leads all returners in scoring (12.1 points per game) and placed top-20 in the league with 19 three-pointers.

Agbo is the only Bearcat back in the fold who had a double-double, going for 12 points and 18 boards at Crowley's Ridge. He was a force in the paint, swatting the second-most blocks per game (0.93), fourth-highest block total (13) and corralled the fourth-best rebounding average in the conference (7.00).

Watkins played the role of floor general for Coach Newton, posting the 12th-most efficient assist-to-turnover ratio among his GCAC peers, producing 1.35 assists for every turnover he committed.

Johnson missed the previous season due to injury but was one of the league's most well-rounded athletes in 2019-20, topping the conference in double-doubles (8), was third in boards per contest (8.00) and sixth regarding blocks a night (0.64).

Huntsman recorded 40 points, 16 rebounds, eight assists, a steal and a block while making 65.2 percent of his 23 field goal attempts over 14 games.

Jennings logged 13 points, ten boards, an assist, block, and steal over 72 minutes of action.

Lanier played 57 minutes at the NCAA Division I level at TSU, totaling nine rebounds, six points, a pair of blocks and steals plus a assist.

Tabb finished second on the Panthers in assists (60) and steals (34) to go along with the third-most triples (21) while averaging 4.1 points and 1.4 rebounds.

Wesley Anderson made one appearance for HSSU, dropping five points, four boards and an assist while playing 39-of-40 minutes versus William Woods on February 6, 2021.

Pepper started 13 games, producing four double-figure scoring outputs including a season-high 19 points opposite Texas-Tyler. He drained half of his 54 shots beyond the arc and converted 40-of-86 field goals from the floor (46.5%).

Malik Anderson averaged just over 11 points and just under four boards with 21 assists over a small four-game sample with the Hornets.

Owens registered 50 points (42 of which came off three-pointers) plus 18 rebounds, eight assists and swiped a steal for Hinds Community College in Raymond, Mississippi.

Cummins hit 56.1% from the floor while averaging 8.5 points per game in a 17-contest span for Coastal Alabama Community College's North campus.

Coach Newton and the Bearcats open the 2021-22 campaign versus Oakwood on October 27.