New look Tigers hope to replicate last season’s success

Coming off a season in which they began the year picked eighth in the Jayhawk Conference and finishing its season in the second round of the NJCAA Division I National Tournament, the Cowley College men's basketball team is hoping they have the ingredients to make a return trip to nationals.

Cowley, picked fourth in the conference entering the 2024-25 season, lost sophomores Jeff Nwankwo, Corey Thomas, Arzhonte Dallas, Damare Smith, Faustin Phanor, and Ajai Flagg, who helped the Tigers make it back to the national tournament for just the fourth time in the past 67 years.

Nwankwo, the Jayhawk Conference Most Valuable Player, is now a member of the Oklahoma Sooners, while fellow First Team all-conference selection Corey Thomas plays for the Bradley Braves.

Dallas gave Cowley three First Team all-conference performers a year ago, and now plays for NCAA Division II the University of West Florida.

"We lost a lot of offensive firepower but have added some experience," Jackson said. "We tried to find a lot of length and athleticism in recruiting. While we may not be the same type of team as last year, we should be able to cause a lot of chaos on defense and use our athleticism to bring excitement to W.S. Scott Auditorium."

With new assistant coach Reggie Scurry in the mix, Jackson and Scurry Cowley brought a few transfer athletes into the program to help make up for the loss of experience.

Dallas Whitney, a transfer from Hutchinson Community College, averaged 8.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as a redshirt freshman for the Blue Dragons. He helped Hutchinson advance to the Elite Eight of the NJCAA Division I National Championship.

"Dallas brings a lot of versatility to the table," Jackson said.

Marcus Whitlock Jr. transferred from NCAA Division I Kennesaw State University, where he redshirted a season ago.

"Marcus will provide us with an outside threat because he can really shoot the ball," Jackson said.

Guard/forward Emarquis Jones transferred to Cowley from Northwest Kansas Tech, where he averaged 8.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game for the Mavericks. He is a versatile, hard-playing forward.

Jahmir Kingcannon is another transfer to Cowley, who spent last season playing at Kansas Wesleyan University. Meanwhile, Xavier Alexander, brother of former Tiger Tre Alexander, transferred to Cowley from Seward Community College.

Forward Leslie Owens is the team's leading returning scorer from a year ago. Owens averaged 7.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game during the 2023-24 season.

"If healthy, Leslie should be a big focal point on offense," Jackson said.

Shamarrie Hugie is another of the team's top returning players from a season ago, as he averaged 6.7 points and 2.9 rebounds while averaging 14 minutes a game.

"We hope Shamarrie takes a big step forward this season," Jackson said.

Avante Nichols also returns for a second year at Cowley after averaging 6.0 points and 2.7 rebounds as a freshman.

Marcus Zeigler returns as the team's starting point guard after averaging 6.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game as a freshman.

"We expect him to have the ball in his hands quite a bit," Jackson said. "The sophomores have all improved and have been providing good leadership."

Freshmen that could make an impact are guards CJ Majors from Toledo, Ohio, and Kyden Thompson, the Class 4A Player of the Year while leading McPherson High School to the state title.

Another guard/forward who could play a significant role is Winston Allen, who attended Oak Park High School and Link Prep Academy.

Other freshmen on the roster are guard Tim Wooden from Kansas City, MO, and forwards Teagan Charles from Kapaun Mt. Carmel and Austin Fortune from Atlanta, GA.

Cowley will play five non-conference games to prepare themselves for the always-challenging Jayhawk Conference.

"NEO and NOC-Tonkawa will provide us with big challenges in the non-conference schedule," Jackson said. "I feel the conference is wide open. Not a lot of teams have many players back from last season."

After finishing second in the Jayhawk Conference to defending national champion Barton County, Jackson said he hopes this year's team gets stronger as the season goes on.

"We need to buy into team play and not worry about who gets it done as long as we get it done as a team," Jackson said. "I hope we are scrappy, tough, and gritty. I am cautiously optimistic that when it matters, we could be a problem for teams."