By Charlie Cavell, BPCC Athletic Coordinator
Bossier Parish Community College head men’s basketball coach J.A. Anglin and the Cavaliers begin the 2021 basketball season on Wednesday versus the Panola College Ponies.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Coach Billy Montgomery Gymnasium.
Anglin, a Shreveport native, will be making his head coaching debut when the Cavaliers take on the Ponies. Hired on March 30, of last year, Anglin takes over from Chris Lovell, who left to become the head coach at East Texas Baptist University.
Anglin takes over a BPCC program that has had its most productive four-year period in over a decade.
The Cavaliers posted four consecutive double-digit win seasons under Lovell, including 39 combined wins over the last two seasons.
BPCC posted a 20-11 overall record and a 12-7 record in NJCAA Region XIV in 2019-20. The 20 wins were the most for a Cavaliers team since 2004-05.
The 12 wins and second place finish in Region XIV were the best for a BPCC team in program history.
The 2021 Cavaliers have just one returning player and starter in point guard Paul King. A sophomore from Monroe, King played in all 31 games last season and average 10.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
Last season, King set a school record with 16 assists in a game against CMP Academy. He also scored the most points in a game since 2012-23 pouring in 40 points against Creating Young Minds Academy on Feb. 26, 2020.
In addition to King, BPCC has 15 newcomers, including local products Christian Caldwell of Southwood and Decari Markray of Doyline.
A 6-foot-6!guard/forward, Caldwell was an All-District 1/5A selection at Southwood. He who helped lead the Cowboys to a District 1-5A title as a junior in 2018-19.
Markray, a 6-4 guard, led Doyline to the Class B state championship last year. He racked up numerous accolades along the way, including Most Valuable Player honors in the district, parish and state.
BPCC was picked to finish eighth in a preseason coaches poll conducted by Brandon Ogden of the Tyler Morning Telegraph. Here’s the results of the poll:
Region XIV Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Navarro College Bulldogs
2. Tyler Junior College Apaches
3. Kilgore College Rangers
4. Trinity Valley Community College Cardinals
5. Panola College Ponies
6. Paris Junior College Dragons
7. Blinn College Buccaneers
8. Bossier Parish Community College Cavaliers
9. Lamar State College-Port Arthur Seahawks
10. Jacksonville College Jaguars
11. Coastal Bend College Cougars
12. Victoria College Pirates
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, attendance at Wednesday’s game versus Panola is by invitation only. Fans can watch the livestream of the game by clicking on the following link: BPCC vs. Panola
