The Samford men’s basketball team returns four of its top five scorers from a team that posted the program’s second winning season in the last three years.
Point guard Josh Sharkey, who averaged 16.3 points and 7.2 assists per game, leads the group of returnees. Sharkey, entering his senior season, already holds the school career records for assists with 541 and steals with 203. Following last season, Sharkey earned second team All-SoCon honors.
Brandon Austin (12.8 pointer per game, 4.5 rebounds per game), Myron Gordon (12.2 ppg.) and Robert Allen (9.9 ppg., 8.3 rpg.), a SoCon All-Freshman team honoree, round out Samford’s top returning scorers.
Deandre Thomas (3.3 ppg.) and Logan Dye (2.7 ppg.) also return with experience from last year’s squad. Forward Jalen Dupree will be eligible to play after transferring from Murray State and sitting out last season. Stanley Henderson, who redshirted last season, will also return to this year’s squad.
Several newcomers also join the team this season. Guards K.J. Davis, Preston Parks, J.P. Robinson and Donte Tatum, and forward Logan Padgett are new to the program this season. Davis is a transfer from East Carolina, and Parks comes to Samford from UT-Martin.
The Samford women’s basketball team enters the 2019-20 season with a new head coach for the first time since 2002. Carley Kuhns, who served the last three seasons as the head coach at Valdosta State, has replaced 17-year head coach Mike Morris, who retired from Samford in the spring.
The women’s team loses just one player from last season, guard Cassidy Williams. The team returns leading scorer and rebounder Natalie Armstrong, who averaged 10.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
In addition to Armstrong, the Bulldogs return Ta’Naisha Hill (8.7 ppg.), Shauntai Battle (6.8 ppg.) and Paige Serup (6.2 ppg.), as well as point guard Charity Brown (4.4 assists per game). Experienced players Samantha Fitzgerald (5.3 ppg.), Katie Allen (5.2 ppg.), Makaila Woolard (3.4 ppg.), Olivia Crozier (3.2 ppg.), Raven Omar (2.2 ppg.) and Leslie Golden also return this season.
A pair of transfers have been added for this season. Guard Sarah Myers from Maryland, and Christen Carter from South Alabama join the program. Also new this season will be freshman signee Kathleen Wheeler.
