ABILENE – At the end of the 2011-12 men's basketball season,
Joe Golding knew what he had to do in order to make this program feel like his own.
He pared the roster of every player but one from last year, brought in 11 new players and set his sights on pushing the Wildcats back into the Lone Star Conference Post-Season Tournament in the program's 40th and final season in the LSC.
Senior guard
Desmond Woodberry – who red-shirted last year after suffering an early season injury – is the only letterman returning to the team in 2012-13, although walk-ons
John Lewis, L.C. Alexander and
Trevor Wait are also back.
Golding and his assistants, Brian Burton and Jaret von Rosenberg hit the recruiting trail hard in the spring and summer and brought in five NCAA Division I transfers and one junior college transfer and signed five high school players.
Senior center
Steven Werner transferred to ACU from Sam Houston State and could be one of the top big men in the league, while the backcourt duo of
Eric Lawton (who played for Golding when he was an assistant at Arkansas-Little Rock) and
Elliott Lloyd (Northern Colorado) could give the Wildcats two of the top guards in the LSC. Junior forward
Cornelius Cammock (Paris Junior College) also figures to play a large role for the Wildcats.
Golding is especially excited about freshman guard
Parker Wentz, who was one of the top prep players in the state last year at Trinity Christian High School in Lubbock. Wentz will be a major contributor to the Wildcats from the get-go and could earn a starting spot as the Wildcats go with a smaller, quicker lineup.
"At the Division II level, when you bring transfers in, you never know what you're getting until you get them on campus," Golding said. "But I've been very impressed with our guys this year both on and off the floor.
"I feel like these are my guys," he said. "Last year was a tough situation for everyone involved, and I knew it was going to be going into the year. But I feel much more comfortable with t his group. I know what I have and they're my guys now and it's on me. Coach Burton and and Coach von Roseberg did a great job getting guys here who are winners and leaders and know what we expect here at Abilene Christian."
The Wildcats will open the season on Wednesday, Oct. 25, when they take on Baylor in an exhibition game in Waco. ACU's first regular season game of the season will be Saturday, Nov. 10, at Dallas Baptist.
Season and individual tickets for 2012-13 ACU men's and women's basketball are now on sale via the
ACUSports.com ticket page. Season tickets are priced at $50 and provide admission to all 17 home dates throughout the regular season. Single-game tickets start at $7 for adults and $3 for children 18 and under, while doubleheader tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children.
