Grant McCasland's list of accomplishments in his first season as Arkansas State coach is still being compiled, but helping revive what had become a dormant fan base might already be among them.
ASU beat Troy 82-80 on Saturday night and South Alabama 74-62 on Monday night to move into a three-way tie for second place in the Sun Belt Conference standings. Both games were played in front of crowds that were larger than any ASU had seen in three years, too.
A season-high announced crowd of 4,678 watched ASU outlast Troy, its largest home crowd since it beat UALR on Jan. 25, 2014, before 4,440 watched the Red Wolves beat South Alabama on Monday. According to ASU, it was the first time announced attendance was at least 4,400 in consecutive games since the 2003-2004 season.
"Significant difference," said McCasland of the evolution of the home crowd over the course of the season. "I think the initial crowds were -- we had good people here, but you can see the involvement grow. This last one, it was just a lot of energy in the building."
McCasland said he started this season wanting to increase interest in the program, but knew that started with improving the on-floor product.
That's occurred so far, leading ASU (14-6, 5-2) to more overall victories than in each of the last two seasons. With the success, crowds have followed. An announced crowd of 1,283 watched ASU beat Central Baptist on Nov. 14, McCasland's first home game as coach. There were 2,056 to see it beat Louisiana-Lafayette on Dec. 31, and 2,954 to watch it beat Louisiana-Monroe on Jan. 2.
The season's largest boost came last weekend when the return of a student crowd allowed it to crack 4,400.
Average attendance dipped to 1,448 last year, the lowest since the Convocation Center opened in 1987. It averaged 1,856 the year before. It's averaging 2,685 this year, which would be its largest since averaging 3,397 for the 2012-2013 season.
ASU has five home games remaining, its next on Feb. 4 against Appalachian State.
"I think winning is part of it, and I think the people appreciate how you play," McCasland said. "It's a basketball area. People around here really love basketball and they know what good basketball looks like. I think they appreciate the way we compete and the fact that we're approachable."
UALR Men
Improving forward
UALR would like senior forward Lis Shoshi to return from his toe injury as soon as possible. But until that happens, Shoshi's absence is forcing improvement from sophomore forward Oliver Black.
The transfer from Mississippi State couldn't stay on the floor early in the season without getting into foul trouble. But with Shoshi having missed the last three games, and no definite time set for this return, Black has started to make the progress Coach Wes Flanigan has expected.
Black played a season-high 30 minutes while scoring 6 points on 3-for-3 shooting and he pulled down 7 rebounds in Monday's loss to Troy. Two nights before, he played 24 minutes, while scoring 7 points and pulling down 4 rebounds in a victory over South Alabama.
Flanigan said Wednesday that he's hopeful Shoshi can return for Saturday's game at Louisiana-Lafayette, but the Trojans are preparing as if he won't play. That means more minutes for Black, whose next step is defending in the post without committing fouls.
He's picked up four or five fouls in eight games this season. He stayed out of foul trouble Monday, picking up three fouls in 30 minutes, but it might have come at a cost. Troy forward Jordon Varnado scored 25 points, most coming inside, and grabbed 13 rebounds.
"He's got to continue to find that happy medium in there," Flanigan said. "He can be a physical presence in there for us, and I think he will be."
UALR WOMEN
Returning guard
Joe Foley's team is playing the best it has all season, and now it's added some depth.
Sophomore guard Kira Shepard made her season debut last week against Troy, playing six minutes after missing the season's first 17 games recovering from a torn ACL suffered in last year's Sun Belt tournament.
Shepard scored 4 points in 6 minutes in a victory last week over Troy, and on Saturday scored 2 points in 7 minutes in a victory over South Alabama.
Foley, whose team is 14-6 overall, 7-0 in the Sun Belt, said he doesn't need Shepard to be great just yet, rather he's hoping she progresses to being dependable by March. Shepard averaged 14.9 minutes in 30 games last year.
"She's got that experience, she kind of knows what to look for," Foley said. "In four weeks, helpfully she'll give us that added dimension of playing at a longer pace. But, to go out there for the first time, wasn't bad at all."
UAPB WOMEN
Improving health
Even during a tough start to the SWAC season, Coach Nate Kilbert was reciting the same message.
"If we get healthy we can beat anybody in our conference," said Kilbert, the Golden Lions' fifth-year coach. "And I meant that."
With a healthy roster for the first time in weeks, UAPB (6-12, 3-4) handed first-place Texas Southern its first SWAC loss, 49-45, on Saturday night in Pine Bluff, then beat Prairie View A&M 64-47, its most lopsided victory over a Division I team this season.
Kilbert credited the victories to a zone defense made possibly by the health of Niya Head and Destiny Brewton. Head, UAPB's leading scorer at 10.7 points per game, has been slowed by a sore ankle. Brewton, who averages 10.0 points per game, has dealt with back issues.
But both were healthy this weekend. Armed with a full roster and a growing dedication to a zone defense, Kilbert expects more improvement, starting with weekend games at Grambling State and Jackson State.
"We still have some work to do, but the expectations have changed from what we think we can be," he said. "I see us going on this road trip and winning two."
Sports on 01/26/2017