Preseason MVP: In his first season, Yahuza Rasas earned Second-Team All-SWAC and was SWAC Player of the Week twice. An active rebounder, the junior also had 12 games of 10-plus rebounds in 2019-20.

The Ceiling: Texas Southern has won 10 straight SWAC Tournament openers and brings back a good core of returnees to go with four talented redshirts. Unless the Tigers just fall apart, they should challenge Prairie View A&M for league supremacy and are capable of earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament.  

The Floor: There really isn’t much to dislike about Texas Southern, a veteran team that’s bringing in four quality newcomers. If the Tigers don’t have the right chemistry, that may be the only thing to set this team back and hand the SWAC title back to Prairie View A&M for another season.

Projected Starting Five: 

Michael Weathers
G | 6-2 | Sr. | Roeland Park, Kan.

John Jones
G | 6-0 | Sr. | Baton Rouge, La.

Justin Hopkins
F | 6-5 | R-Sr. | Huntsville, Ala.

Yahuza Rasas
F | 6-7 | Jr. | St. Louis, Mo. 

John Walker III
F | 6-9 | R-Jr. | Houston, Texas

Johnny Jones
Head Coach

Impact First-Year Player: Michael Weathers

Season Preview

Texas Southern had four players sitting out last season because of transfer rules, and each made their presence felt on the scout team in practices. The redshirt is off for the four and each is expected to make an immediate impact for the 2020-21 Tigers, who have a good nucleus of players returning.

“They (redshirts) were extremely tough for our team to handle last year with the starters that we had,” Tigers coach Johnny Jones said. “They were really good and they stood out, so all those guys have been pushing for either starting minutes or a lot of playing time.”

Competition for playing time among the Tigers will be intense between the first-year Tigers and a number of experienced veterans returning from a 16-16 team that finished third (12-6) in the SWAC.

Top returnees from a year ago include Yahuza Rasas, John Jones, Chris Baldwin, Justin Hopkins and John Walker, who is expected to have a breakthrough season after being limited to only 87 minutes and seven games due to injuries.

Rasas averaged 9.8 points and a team-best 8.2 rebounds from the forward position and should continue to blossom in his second year in coach Johnny Jones’ system. Hopkins is a capable player who averaged 10.5 points and 4.8 rebounds. Baldwin put together averages of 6.0 points and 4.4 rebounds.

From a guard position, Jones is an excellent shooter, making .864 percent of his free throws and averaging just under nine points. Jones, son of the head coach, will have to pick up some of the slack after the departure of guard Tyrik Armstrong, a first-team All-SWAC selection as a senior, who averaged a team-leading 14.3 points and added 4.1 assists and 1.8 steals a game.

The Tigers must also replace the production of Eden Ewing and his 10.2 points and 4.5 rebounds a game.

Combo guard Bryson Etienne was a walk-on last season who still played 18 minutes a game, averaging around seven points. He had some big games and will be more comfortable on the court. Jones is hoping a second year in the program will be beneficial to 6-foot-10 Jethro Tshisumpa, who despite averaging less than two rebounds, has knack for rebounding and shot blocking.

A player with length at the guard position is 6-3 Michael Weathers, an Oklahoma State transfer who was named the Mid-American Freshman of the Year in 2016-17 at Miami (Ohio), where he led the Redhawks in scoring (16.7), assists (4.8), steals (1.9) and blocks (1.4). Weathers can play either guard position or the perimeter spot, and will help the Tigers improve on the defensive end as well.

The other players who redshirted are Georgetown transfer Galen Alexander, Jordan Gilliam from UC Riverside and Karl Nicholas from Stephen F. Austin, who has the ability to score and plays with a high motor.

“We should be effective with the depth that we have. Guys should be ready to make an impact on the floor,” Jones said. “We will be able to play a lot of guys in our system. 

“It’s going to be about the chemistry of this team and get into a rotation. We hope that will serve as a great advantage for us this season with the number of guys we have that we’re excited about.