THE GOOD NEWS
A new gym on the Chicago State campus is scheduled for a mid-year completion. With the way the team finished the season, the Cougars could possibly generate a buzz on the commuter campus and gain some much-needed fan support. On the court, an athletic and gritty team should give those fans something to cheer about.

THE BAD NEWS
Chicago State has to shake its reputation as one of the worst programs in Division I. And there's a cloud hanging over the entire athletic department, stemming from an NCAA investigation into rules violations within the women's basketball program a few years ago. Some published reports have stated there has been a threat of shutting down the entire athletic program via the death penalty, but nothing has come to fruition yet.

KEY RETURNEES
The Cougars have a solid nucleus returning in guards Royce Parran, David Holston and Kevin Jones Jr. Forwards Kourtney Calvin and Michael Henderson are the top frontcourt players. Calvin's importance was evident late in the season, when the Cougars lost a couple games as Calvin sat out with a sprained ankle. Coach Kevin Jones will need to find a true center, someone in the 6-foot-10 range, to take another step toward the Mid-Con Tournament title.

ROSTER REPORT

--G Royce Parran was outstanding all season. Just 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds dripping wet, Parran led the Cougars in scoring 17 times. He finished the season averaging 18 points and 3.9 assists per game. Parran's top scoring performances were 35 points early in the season against Cal State-Fullerton, and 39 in the final regular season game against Oakland.

--G David Holston evolved into an outstanding player by the middle of the season. Just 5-foot-6, Coach Kevin Jones was obviously concerned about playing Holston and Parran together. But Mid-Continent Conference teams never really figured out how to exploit the defensive liabilities created by two small players. Holston is a clutch shooter, and none of his shots were bigger than the game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds of a 57-53 win over IUPUI in the conference tournament semifinals. He averaged 13.4 points on the season, but 16.5 against conference opponents.

--F Kourtney Calvin started just eight games, but he was a mainstay in the lineup during the point of the season when the Cougars started playing well. He sprained his ankle in early February and missed several games, but returned for the conference tournament. The 6-foot-8 native of New Orleans averaged 6.2 points and 5 rebounds per game, and had a single-game high of 22 points in a game against UMKC just prior to injuring his ankle.

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