SPORTS SHORTS: Week of Jan 12

High school basketball

The Texas Association of Basketball Coaches released their Top 25 for each class Jan. 9 and several teams from Southeast Texas remained in place.

On the boys’ side, Beaumont United is No. 2 in Class 6A with a 20-1 overall record. Silsbee remains at No. 3 in Class 4A with a 13-11 record followed by Hamshire-Fannett (19-5) at No. 16 and Hardin-Jefferson (19-5) at No. 19. LC-M dropped out after a district loss to Bridge City.

In Class 3A, Orangefield (18-5) is No. 13 and East Chambers (21-3) at No. 16.

The West Brook Lady Bruins dropped two spots in Class 6A to No. 20 with a 20-3 record. In Class 4A, Hardin-Jefferson (18-5) stayed at No. 7 while Silsbee (20-3) checked in at No. 15. The The Evadale Lady Rebels cracked the Class 2A Top with a 20-4 record.

Beaumont United senior Wesley Yates III continued his hot play and became the school’s all-time leading scorer Jan. 7 when he scored 17 points in a 64-45 victory over Summer Creek. The University of Washington pledge now has 1,710 points.

NFL

Two former Beaumont Central High School graduates faced off Jan. 8 in the NFL’s final regular season game when P.J. Locke and the Los Angeles Chargers played Michael Jacquet and the Denver Broncos in Denver, Colorado.

The Broncos won the game, 31-28.

Lamar Cardinals

Less than a week after announcing Wayne Cordova and Coby Gibson would remain on staff, LU head football coach Pete Rossomando has added a third assistant to his staff – Lorenzo Jackson, who will coach the defensive linemen.

“Lorenzo has learned from, and worked with one of the best in business, Larry Johnson, from Ohio State,” said Rossomando. “Lorenzo is a Louisiana native and will do a tremendous job recruiting the state. We’re excited to have him in the 409!”

Jackson has worked at all levels of the game in his young career, ranging from NCAA Division II all the way to the Power 5 level. He comes to the Golden Triangle from Clinton, Mississippi, where he spent the previous year coaching defensive linemen at Mississippi College.

Jackson took on the full-time role at Mississippi College after a two-year stint in Columbus, Ohio serving as graduate assistant for Ohio State University. During his time with the Buckeyes, Jackson assisted Coach Johnson with the tutelage of the OSU defensive linemen. Jackson played a key role in the development of All-America selection Haskell Garrett, NFL fourth-round draft selection Tommy Togai and NFL free agent signee Jonathon Cooper. He also worked with several other Buckeyes who have gone onto professional playing careers, including Chase Young, Sam Hubbard, and Dre’Mont Jones.

Prior to his time at Ohio State, Jackson spent one season at North Texas as a graduate assistant coach. He also has familiarity with FCS football by getting his coaching start at Grambling State as a graduate assistant coach in 2018.

Jason Baldwin was named Associate Athletics Director/CFO/Strategic Analyst announced Lamar University Director of Athletics Jeff O’Malley on Jan. 9.

“We’re very excited to be bringing Jason onboard,” said O’Malley. “I was thrilled to find out that someone of his quality and character was available for this position. Jason is not only a great fit for our athletics department, but he is a great fit for Lamar University. Jason will play a vital role in budgeting and managing our resources as we continue to grow Lamar Athletics.”

Baldwin joins the LU athletics department after spending the previous 10 years in Huntington, West Virginia, primarily at Marshall University. A two-time graduate from Liberty University, Baldwin got his start as an accounting assistant in 2013, before receiving a promotion in August 2017 to oversee accounting projects and initiatives centered around improving Marshall’s operational efficiency.

In January 2019, Baldwin stepped away from Marshall to take over as the Business Intelligence Report Developer with the West Virginia Resource Planning Board. Five months later, he took on the added role of budget manager at Marshall holding down both positions for three months before putting his entire focus into the budget manager position.

“One of the things that attracted me to Lamar, more than any other, is the strong strategic direction of Dr. Taylor,” said Baldwin. “He places a strong focus on the student experience. To serve students and put them first is so important as we navigate this new world of higher education.

“Lamar University employs some of the best leaders in the industry. I’ve spent 10 years in higher education, and these are some of the most respected and successful leaders in the industry. From Dr. Jaime Taylor to CFO Mark Robinson to your director of athletics, Jeff O’Malley, these are some of the best leaders I’ve known and had the privilege to work with. To have them all together in one place really sets the stage for what Lamar University is going to accomplish in the next five years.”

The women’s basketball team (8-6, 2-1) went 1-1 last weekend and will host Nicholls on Thursday, Jan. 12, at 5 p.m. and travel Saturday, Jan. 14, to play Texas A&M-Commerce at 2 p.m.

The men’s basketball team has lost seven games in a row and is now 4-12 overall and 0-3 in Southland Conference play. The Cards will play host to Nicholls on Thursday, Jan. 12, at 7 p.m. and hit the road Saturday, Jan. 14, and face Texas A&M-Commerce at 4:30 p.m.