Excited about season
Central Arkansas men’s basketball had its first practice ahead of the 2021-22 season Wednesday morning.
“Last year was so weird, for everybody returning and in high school,” Coach Anthony Boone said. “To be getting back to what seems to be more of a ‘normal’ year, we’re all really excited about it.”
This year’s Bears squad is not only young, but without two of its top scorers from a year ago in Rylan Bergersen and DeAndre Jones, both of which were eligible to return this season despite being seniors in 2021.
Boone said he wasn’t expecting their departures, but he wasn’t surprised by them either.
“They both had an extra covid year and they wanted to spend it somewhere else, which is totally understandable,” Boone said. “They fulfilled their commitments here.”
Jones and Bergersen, who averaged 10.5 and 16.9 points respectively last season, transferred to Eastern Washington and St. Louis. The Bears travel to St. Louis to take on the Billikens on Nov. 9.
The Bears roster currently lists 12 underclassmen and seven true freshmen.
“We have a lot of young guys, but they’re all pretty eager and pretty excited about the season,” Boone said.
While Boone’s squad had several newcomers from the high school ranks, he said he was excited by Darious Hall’s decision to transfer to UCA and play for the Bears. The former University of Arkansas and DePaul guard has averaged a career 4.6 points per game in three seasons.
“I’m really pleased with how he’s been working very hard so far this year,” Boone said. “He’s been putting in his time and I guess putting in extra time.”