SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State men's basketball team will play the final two home games of the 2016-17 season this weekend, taking Texas Permian Basin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday night before facing West Texas A&M at 4 p.m. Saturday in the Stephens Arena at the Junell Center.
Saturday's game will be senior day for the Rams (14-8, 6-8 LSC) as the senior members of the team will play at home for the last time. This year's graduating class includes Quay King, Prince Foster, DeVonte' Pratt, Gustavs Puhovs, Thomas Tshikaya, Shaquan Rhoades, Napoleon Onyeje, Chase Riley and Justin Hollins.
"This group really means a lot to me because last year was my first year as the head coach," ASU head men's basketball coach Cinco Boone said. "Basically all of them chose to come play for me in my first year and then came back for this year along with Justin Hollins , who is a Division I transfer and chose to finish his last year of school here. Last year's group went to a Sweet 16, and I think that's something they'll never forget. I just really appreciate all of the time and work these guys have put into the program, and we look forward to seeing what they're going to achieve in the future."
Of the nine graduating players, King has averaged the most points during his time as a Ram getting 14.5 a game. King recently became the career leader in three-pointers made at ASU, as he has currently hit 157 shots from behind the arc. Foster and Tshikaya follow behind King with 8.6 and 8.3 points per game in their careers. Tshikaya has also been a force on the glass for the Rams, pulling down 348 boards in his career, and Foster has more steals than any graduating player with 63 in two years.
Pratt and Onyeje have both been strong distributors during their time at ASU, racking up 62 and 44 assists, respectively. Pratt has also been a solid contributor on offense with 7.3 points per game.
Off the bench, Puhovs, Rhoades, Riley and Hollins have also made important contributions. Puhovs played in all 31 games in the 2015-16 season and has shot better than 42 percent in his career. Riley has been a sharpshooter off the bench for ASU, hitting nearly 50 percent of his three-point attempts in his final collegiate season. Rhoades played 30 games last season and has seen limited action this year, but has racked up 66 assists in his career as well as 34 steals. Hollins has had just the one season with the Rams, but has been rim-protecting machine in his 14 games played, blocking 33 shots overall.
ASU is coming off tough road swing last weekend that saw them go 1-1 with a win at Texas A&M-Commerce. The Rams defense has been exceptional this season, holding opponents to a 38 percent shooting percentage and ranking in the top 10 in the nation in several statistical categories including blocked shots per game (6), defensive rebounds per game (4), field-goal percentage defense (2), three-point field goal defense (1), and total blocks (7).
Five different Rams have more than 15 steals so far this season, led by DeVonte' Pratt with 26 and Prince Foster with 23. Defending the rim for ASU has been Justin Hollins and Thomas Tshikaya. Together, the pair have blocked have blocked 61 total shots, and as a team the Rams have blocked more than 120. Tshikaya has also cleaned up on the glass all season for the Rams, leading the team and ranking sixth in the conference in offensive rebounds per game. Overall, the native of France averages 8.6 boards per game which is good for fifth in the LSC.
Offensively, Quay King has led the way with almost 20 points a game, which ranks second in the Lone Star Conference. King has gotten a lot of his points from behind the arc this season, hitting 3.86 three-pointers per game, which ranks No. 4 in the nation. King is also the ASU leader in free throws this season, getting to the line 94 times and making 80 percent of those attempts.
Both Tshikaya and Pratt are also averaging double-digits scoring marks on the season, and Foster and forward Brandon Williams are just below the mark at 9.8 and 9.2 points per game, respectively. Williams had the second best game of his Ram career last Thursday, scoring 16 points on 8 of 11 scoring. Foster is the lead distributor for ASU, averaging 3.3 assist per game on the season. Twice in the last three games, the Miami native has reached his season high in assists with eight against Midwestern State and again against Texas A&M-Commerce.
ASU has also seen contribution this season from Napoleon Onyeje, Chase Riley, Michael Thomas and Shaquan Rhoades. Onyeje is second on the team in dishing out assists with 2.7 per game, and has also 3.6 points a game off the bench. JUCO transfer Riley has the best shooting percentage of any Ram from long distance, hitting more than 47 percent of his threes this year. Thomas has chipped in on the glass with 4.1 rebounds per game this year, while Rhoades averages exactly four points a game.
The Rams lost a thriller to UTPB the first time the two teams faced off this season, as Falcon Sammy Allen hit a pair of free throws with under a minute to play to secure a 73-72 win in Odessa. The Falcons currently sit at 19-5 with a 10-4 showing in LSC play, but are coming off a loss to Cameron in their last game.
West Texas A&M, led by guard David Chavlovich, will come to San Angelo with a 21-6 record overall and a 9-5 record in conference play. The Buffs have won their last two matchups against Cameron and Midwestern State and will face Texas A&M-Kingsville before coming to face the Rams.
