Join three RSU seniors as they preview the 2015-16 season

CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Rogers State men's basketball team turns to a core group of returners as they continue to contend in the NCAA Division II Heartland Conference, entering year three in the league.
 
"We are very excited about this group, this team, and this year," sixth-year Head Coach Justin Barkley said. "This is a team our community, University, and athletic department can be proud of, and hopefully when the ball is thrown up, we have a group that will compete at a high level."
 
The Hillcats return eight players from a 20-win team a season ago, finishing second in the standings, going 14-6 in conference play. Leading the charge is a trio of senior guards in J.C. Hartzler (Tulsa, Okla.), Donald Moore (Chicago Heights, Ill.), and Corey Ayala (Metropolis, Ill.), who averaged a combined 27 points per game in 2014-15.
 
Hartzler is closing in on becoming the fourth Hillcat to join the 1,000-point club entering his fourth year with the program, just 82 points shy of the milestone. The senior landed on the All-Heartland Conference Second Team a season ago after averaging 14.3 points per game playing all 28 contests. He hit double-digit scoring in 21 games as a junior, including matching his career-high scoring 26 points against St. Mary's in both meetings.
 
"J.C. has lived up to everything we hoped he would be as a former Tulsa World Player of the Year, and is a few hundred points from being the school's all-time leading scorer. We can't put a price on what he's meant for us, and I expect big things from him," Barkley mentioned.
 
Moore returns to the RSU backcourt following his first season on the Hill where he appeared in all 28 games, making 21 starts. He ranked fourth on the team's scoring list in 2014-15, averaging 9.9 points per game, and dished out a team-leading 77 assists.
 
"Donald has been more consistent and handled the challenges much better this preseason, so we are asking more of him from a production standpoint. I am excited for Donald and what he has been to this point, and hoping that carries over once we start the season," Barkley added.
 
Ayala is back at RSU for his third season with the navy and red having started in 22 of his 52 career appearances. His 115 career assists ranks 10th in program history after distributing 68 last season, while averaging 2.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
 
"Corey has come back and really helped our basketball team, and most importantly been a leader," Barkley stated. "That is what has impressed me the most. He has been steady, aided our progress from a conditioning standpoint in the weight room, and really taken the new guys under his wing leading by example."
 
Jordan Huffman (Broken Arrow, Okla.) is back on campus for his redshirt sophomore campaign looking to make a difference from the bench for the Hillcats after seeing action in 20 games a year ago. Kyler Ng (Miami, Okla.) rounds out the group of returning guards for Coach Barkley entering his second season at RSU.
 
"I am expecting a breakout year from Jordan. He saw some spot minutes last year, but has worked his tail end off and this is the best I have seen from him. I expect a big role for him moving forward," Barkley said.
 
RSU will rely on its depth at the forward positions from players returning to a familiar system, both offensively and defensively. Juniors Jeylyn Sharpe (Ketchum, Okla.) and Johnathon Buckley (Kellyville, Okla.) along with sophomore Matt Lea (Stilwell, Okla.) add some local toughness to the lineup for the Cats.
 
In 21 starts and 25 appearances last season, Sharpe ranked fifth in scoring for RSU posting 7.8 points a game, while shooting higher than 50 percent from the floor. He is one of the most experienced returners for RSU having played more than 1,000 minutes in 51 career games in the navy and red.
 
"Jeylyn is coming back from a late-season injury, but hopefully you will see an improved and hungry player, from right here in our backyard," Barkley added.
 
Buckley and Lea provide the coaching staff added depth as quality options from the bench after appearing in 26 and 25 games a season ago. Buckley begins his fourth year on the Hill with 51 career appearances and three starts under his belt posting 3.3 points and 3.1 points last season. Lea showcased his shot-blocking abilities as a true freshman in 2014-15 swatting away 15 shots, which ranked 10th in single-season history, and added 2.3 points and 2.1 rebounds a contest.
 
"These guys have been in our program and are products of northeastern Oklahoma," Barkley stated. "They bring it every day and that does not go unnoticed or underappreciated under my watch. I am very excited with how they approached the offseason, the summer, and the preseason."
 
The addition of three, highly-touted transfers and a former Oklahoma Class 4A Player of the Year bolster the lineup adding size and an outside-shooting presence. Travis Julien (Vacherie, La.) and Robert Johnson (Cleveland, Ohio) come to the Hill from Nicholls State and Northern Michigan, respectively, for their final collegiate season.
 
"Travis is a different type of player that we have not had recently. He is a 6-8, long, and athletic player that runs the floor well. We felt like he was a system guy that fit what we are trying to do. His ability to be active around the rim and push the ball in transition were things our team lacked a year ago," Barkley indicated. "We are expecting some maturity and leadership from Robert and hopefully he can fill some big shoes that are missing. I've been very pleased with what he has done to this point. He will be one of those guys we feel like can use his body to defend well and rebound in the interior."
 
Junior Travis Hester (Crozet, Va.) joins the team as a three-point specialist from NCAA Division I Saint Peter's and Chase Littlejohn (Stilwell, Okla.) makes the jump to the college ranks after a decorated prep career as the all-time leading scorer in Stilwell High School history. Caleb Jones (Verdigris, Okla.) begins his first season in the RSU front court as a sophomore.
 
"One thing that Travis does really well is his ability to stretch the defense and really shoot the basketball. He is continuing to work on the things that will allow him to become a complete player, and once he adapts and figures out what our system is all about, he has a bright future here," Barkley said. "Chase is coming in and trying to adapt to the college game, but I think he is going to be a guy that our fans come to appreciate in the years to come."
 
While still not postseason eligible, the Hillcats have quickly become one of the top teams in the league and face another demanding schedule in 2015-16. RSU opened with three exhibition contests against NCAA Division I teams Oral Roberts, New Mexico, and Tulsa before early season tests with perennial power and No. 18 Metropolitan State University of Denver (Nov. 13) and Western State (Nov. 14).
 
"We feel like our program is battle tested and any of our flaws were exposed in those three exhibition games. That is what we wanted as a coaching staff. We wanted to find out what we need to be better at before our season opener against a national powerhouse at the Division II level. Hopefully, the early games will allow us to grow and mature in a hurry and learn to build off it," Barkley concluded.
 
Don't miss a minute of the action this season by catching all 28 games with live audio on the Hillcat Network and live video coverage of all home games at www.rsuhillcats.com/live.