Texans ranked 5th in latest NJCAA preseason polls

LEVELLAND, Texas—New year. New Team. Same mission.

The South Plains College men's basketball team will begin their 2016 campaign on Nov. 2 when they host Wayland Baptist JV at 6 p.m. on 'Meat the Texans' night in the season home opener at the Texan Dome in Levelland.

The Texans come into the season ranked fifth in the country in the latest NJCAA preseason polls, and are picked to win the Western Junior College Athletic Conference, as voted on by head coaches in the WJCAC. 

South Plains returns five members from their 2015 squad that placed second in WJCAC play a season ago, including Jerron Love, the WJCAC Freshman of the Year. A native of Yonkers, New York, the 5-foot-10 guard averaged just over seven points per game while shooting 40 percent from behind the arc.

"We're feeling real ready," Love said. "I'm really excited about the team we have this year. With the coaching staff and players that we have, it's going to be a real exciting year. We can't underestimate anybody and need to go out and play to our tempo every night. All of us are exceptionally talented, but what's going to get us over the hump is paying attention to detail and listening to the coaches."

Roberto Gallinat, a 6-foot-3 guard from Atlanta, Ga., also returns for the Texans after averaging 9.2 points per game during his freshman stint. A threat from the perimeter while also showcasing the ability to create havoc on the inside, Gallinat will be a key component for the Texans' offense this season.

"I feel very confident in our team, and we have a lot of depth and good chemistry," Gallinat said. "I need to go out and make my teammates better. I don't care about stats. I just want to win and have fun with my teammates."

After suffering a season-ending knee injury at New Mexico Junior College on Jan. 9, Justice Green looks to be healthy and ready to lead the Texans' offense once again. The 6-foot-4 sophomore guard from Tuscaloosa, Alabama played in 21 games as a freshman, averaging 7.1 points per game while shooting 45 percent from the floor. A persistent presence from the three-point line with the ability to get above the rim and score inside the paint, Green will be playing with a chip on his shoulder when he takes the court for the Texans in 2016.

"I'm feeling healthy, and my knee is almost 100 percent," Green said. "My role is going to bring energy to the court and help my teammates get in the best position to make plays. Coach Green has been preaching to go out and practice 100 percent, and I know this season we have all the pieces to the puzzle. I'm definitely going to have a chip on my shoulder and go out and do what I need to do."

With the foundation set in place by a trio of explosive offensive weapons, South Plains head coach Steve Green is well aware of what having experience on the floor, in both good and bad situations, can mean to a team during the course of a season.

"We have five guys that played last year, and six who have been in the program who are returning, and we've added some other parts," Green said. "We've added some shooters, and we're really quick and fairly athletic. We've got, I think, an experienced team that's kind of been through this conference, and nobody is going to be shocked at how difficult it is."

Green enters his 17th season at the helm of the Texans program where he has amassed more than 400 wins, won six WJCAC titles and captured two national championships, most recently in 2012. With a group of veteran players and a Hall of Fame coach leading the way, the Texans will be battle tested come tipoff.

"That's the key word, experience, and they've had it, both good and bad," said Green, "and they understand the difficulty of a 16-game schedule in this league, and you have to play each and every night. They've all been to that tournament in Phoenix, and we're going back to it again. So, it's like I have some companions on the floor with me, that when I say something, they can say 'hey, I think he knows what he's talking about,' because they can kind of verify it."