Region XIV men's basketball tournament title and NJCAA berth up for grabs this weekend in Kilgore

Amanda L. Booren - 3/4/2008

PASADENA, Texas – The San Jacinto College men’s basketball team will compete for a berth in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national tournament this weekend at the Region XIV tournament in Kilgore.

As the No. 3 seed, San Jacinto (22-8, 16-6) will play the sixth-seed Trinity Valley to open the tournament on Saturday, March 8, 2008, at 1 p.m., at Kilgore College’s Masters Gymnasium. Tyler Junior College has secured the top seed, and the second seed will be Paris Junior College. The top eight teams in the conference advance to the tournament. The additional four teams who have secured a berth in the tournament are Angelina College (No. 4), Navarro College (No. 5), Panola (No. 8) and Blinn (No. 7).

“I think we have a team that can go to regionals and win three in a row,” said SJC assistant coach Scott Horstman. “From seeds one to eight, it’s the most balanced it’s been in a long time. Anyone could win it.”

San Jacinto is led by sophomore guard Stavon Williams (Roosevelt High School / Minneapolis, Minnesota) who averages 15.7 points per game, best on the team and 11th in the conference. Williams has started 25 games this season, and played in 27, for head coach Scott Gernander’s squad, which is looking for its 20th trip to the national tournament. SJC last won the national title in 1986 after completing an undefeated season with a 37-0 record. Gernander is finishing his 21st year at the helm of a San Jacinto College program that has made eight national tournament appearances under his tutelage.

SJC closed out the regular season Tuesday night at home with a 119-83 rout of Tyler.

To listen to the games, visit http://www.tsrnsports.com/.

For tournament updates and live game coverage, visit the Region XIV tournament website at www.kilgore.edu/xivtournament.asp.

For more information about San Jacinto College athletics, visit www.sjcd.edu/athletics.