MONTGOMERY—With the calendar about to turn over into a new year, the Alabama State University men's basketball team turns their thoughts to achieving another Southwestern Athletic Conference championship and another appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
 
ASU will begin the journey on the road as they open SWAC play at Grambling State on Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 7:30 p.m.  Following that game, the Hornets will journey to Jackson, Miss., where they will face Jackson State on Thursday, Jan. 5, also at 7:30 p.m.
 
ASU will enter Tuesday's game with a 3-9 record, and have played 10 of those first 12 games on the road.  ASU was able to pull out a 78-72 victory over Reinhardt University in their last outing, but it was the play of the opponent that Head Coach Lewis Jackson was eager to see.
 
“We really wanted to get Reinhardt on the schedule because of the way they play,” Jackson said.  “They were quick off the dribble and could get into the lane and make things happen.  They were also very good at hitting the three's and that is the way most of the teams in our league are going to play and it is a challenge we are going to face for our next 18 ball games.”
 
The Hornets continue to work on their defense as they enter SWAC play.  Even though the defense is nowhere near the championship team of last season, ASU will enter conference action as one of the SWAC's best defensive scoring teams.  They are second in the conference allowing 69.8 points per game.
 
Kenderek Washington continues to lead ASU in scoring at 15 points per game.  He has scored in double digits in 11 of the Hornets' 12 games and also leads the team in rebounding at 5.3 per outing.
 
Tramaine Butler looks to become the latest Hornet to reach the 1,000 career points club during the conference season.  He needs only 147 more points to reach the milestone.  He is averaging 11.6 points per game.
 
Ivory White continues to be the productive player he has been his entire career.  He is averaging a career-best nine points and almost five boards per outing, while Jeffrey Middlebrooks is second in the conference in assists with 55, averaging 4.6 per game.
 
The Hornets used the preconference part of the season to work on depth and post play and they may have found both in the play of Philip Crawford.  He has only played in four games so far, but is averaging 9.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.  He is coming off a 21-point, 18-rebound performance against Reinhardt.  His play should help the younger post players come along as the season progresses.
 
ASU will begin the home portion of the conference season on Saturday, Jan. 7 when they host Mississippi Valley State at 5 p.m.