Jags Eager to Begin ‘06-’07 Season

7/4/07


It’s still football season on Southern University’s campus, except for one place, the F.G. Clark Activity Center. The Jaguars have a new coaching staff and are ready to begin the new season. This is Coach Alex Moore’s first head coaching job coming from a small high school in rural Louisiana and he seems very excited about the task that is set before him. With an 11 man roster, the Jaguars will definitely be a sight to behold this season. But Coach Moore doesn’t seem to be letting that get him down. “I knew coming in here that it was going to be a lot of hard work, but if we pace ourselves and work together as a team, I think we can have ourselves a 20+ win season.”



Last year, the Jags finished 19-13, most of these wins coming from conference play, finishing with a 15-3 conference record, sealing them a spot in last year’s March Madness Tournament. That dream was short lived, however, they lost to Duke University lead by J.J. Reddick in the first round of the tournament. The Jaguars played a closely contested game until Duke finally pulled away midway through the second half, eventually winning 70-54. Coach Moore feels like they should put that behind them and all of his players agree. One player in particular, the senior, Sid Lovelace agrees wholeheartedly. “It’s a new day, we’re a new team. We’ve got a new staff. We’re looking into moving in the right direction. Coach wants to put together a cohesive unit that will eventually win an NCAA Tournament Championship down the road. I’m proud to be a part of laying the foundation for that.”



Coach Moore and the Jaguars definitely have their work cut out for them, but since all of the players seem to be on board - and who wouldn’t be when you’re talking about winning? - it seems like things may be looking up for this small school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.



Besides winning, the coach is trying to bring back the fans and the alumni of Southern University as well. With a student body of nearly 9,000 and attendance being around 24%, they definitely have their work cut out for them. But, as with other things, Coach Moore looks at this with a positive attitude. He laughs and says, “They’ll be back. As soon as they Bayou Classic is over, they will be back.” The Bayou Classic is the annual football game played every Thanksgiving weekend between the Grambling State Tigers and the Southern Jaguars. Will the students be back? Will they have something to look forward to? The players and the coaching staff certainly believe that they will have something for the students and staff to talk about.