Mike Davis reached numerous milestones in his six years as head coach at Texas Southern, capturing four SWAC regular season titles and an equal number of conference tournament championships.

And last season, the Tigers defeated North Carolina Central in a First Four game, winning a NCAA Tournament game for the first time in eight tries.

But Davis is gone, taking his services to Detroit Mercy. Also departing the TSU program was 5-foot-7 Trae Jefferson, the SWAC Player of the Year, who transferred out to play closer to home.

“You couldn’t ask for anything more than how his team performed, so we certainly want to come in and not only continue the winning ways, but hopefully raise it to a different level,” said first-year Tigers coach Johnny Jones. “The success that coach Davis had here has made this job very attractive.”

Prior to spending last season as associate head coach at Nevada, Jones was head coach at LSU for five seasons, compiling a 90-72 record.

Under Davis, TSU constantly turned around its roster on a yearly basis. Jones pretty much had to do the same thing this season even though established senior starters Trayvon Reed and Derrick Bruce return. The 7-2 Reed averaged 9.7 points and 8.7 rebounds in his first season at TSU last year.

“He can play,” Jones said. “We have to make sure he’s dialed in all the time. When he is, he has a chance of being one of the better centers in the country.”

Bruce was the Tigers’ third-leading scorer from a 16-20 team that finished 12-6 and a share of second in the SWAC. The 6-3 guard averaged 13.9 points a game and delivered in the clutch. Another returnee, Robert Lewis, added 5.8 points per game and is a good perimeter shooter.

Reed and Bruce are good cornerstones, but Jones is going to rely heavily on transfers and recruits. Chief among the newcomers are Jalyn Patterson and Jeremy Combs, who both are LSU transfers.

The 6-1 Patterson did not play in 2017-18. He is a graduate transfer who played his first three seasons at LSU under Jones, averaging 5.8 points over a course of his career. 

Ankle issues have limited the play of the 6-7 Combs, who saw action in six games for LSU last year. In three prior seasons at North Texas, Combs collected 18 double-doubles.

Eden Ewing, a 6-8 senior forward, played sparingly in his only season at Purdue after transferring from Tyler Junior College. Ewing sat out at TSU last year and will be eligible at the second semester. Ewing can play all over the floor, from the wing to the 5 spot. He has outside shooting range and can defend the perimeter.

“There’s a lot of things about him that gets us excited,” Jones said. 

Devocio Butler, a 6-5 senior forward, played at Colorado State in 2016-17, averaging 5.9 points. Butler could be a force in the league. 

“The good things is, we have a good core of guys from the team last year that are back and there are some new additions, and guys who were here but didn’t play any minutes,” Jones said. “When you put them together, we feel there’s great things in store for this team.”

Team Profile:

Projected Starting Five: 

• Jalyn Patterson, Sr., 6’1, G, Atlanta, Georgia
• Derrick Bruce, Sr., 6’3, G, Moreno Valley, California
• Jeremy Combs, Sr., 6’7, F, Dallas Texas
• Eden Ewing, Sr., 6’8 F, Richmond, Texas
• Trayvon Reed, Sr., 7’2, C, Mobile, Alabama

Preseason MVP:
Trayvon Reed. After transferring from Auburn, the 7-foot-2 Reed at times was unstoppable in his first season at TSU, averaging 9.7 points and 8.7 rebounds. When motivated, Reed is dominating. A presence in the middle, Reed amassed 92 blocks while shooting .683 percent from the field.

The Ceiling: 
The Tigers are known for turning around their roster on a yearly basis and contending for SWAC championships. Coach Johnny Jones was a winner at LSU and the first-year Tigers coach brought in talented LSU graduate transfers Jalyn Patterson and Jeremy Combs to make a realistic push for another title.

The Floor: 
Replacing Trae Jefferson’s scoring and exciting play won’t be easy. If the newcomers don’t produce as coach Jones believes they are capable of, a third consecutive SWAC tournament championship will be out of reach. 

Game of the Year: 
Feb. 9, 2019 vs. Prairie View A&M at H&PE Arena. The two teams split the series last year with each school prevailing at home. TSU outlast Prairie View 100-94 at the H&PE Arena.

Impact First-Year Player: 
Jalyn Patterson, Sr., 6’1, G, from LSU