by Sports Xchange

Updated: October 9, 2008, 12:00 AM EST

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Guards Charlie Harper, Anthony Miles and Brooks Ybarra were extraordinary scorers at the high school level. With the Cardinals needing someone to run with Kenny Dawkins and Brandon McThay, all are starting candidates. Harper, in particular, was lauded among some top 50 recruiting lists for Texas.

KEY EARLY-SEASON GAMES: Lamar has done a good job of combining the "money" games with some good mid-level competition across the nation. The Cardinals will take their December shots against Kentucky, Louisville, Texas Tech and Memphis. But the games Lamar needs are during a three-game stretch starting Nov. 18, when the team meets Louisiana-Lafayette, Denver and nearby Rice. Those games will help gauge the Cardinals entering the Southland season.

PROGRAM DIRECTION: Steady. The Cardinals still remain a favorite without Nabors, but the road got a lot tougher, and teams such as Texas-Arlington and Texas-San Antonio see a chance in the West Division. Lamar still is one of the league's better teams, and should remain among the elite for some time.

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP: PG Kenny Dawkins, SG Brandon McThay, SF Ashton Hall, PF Jay Brown and PF Tristan Worrell.

ROSTER REPORT:

--F Justin Nabors is out for likely four months and, if that is the case, likely gone for the season. Coach Steve Roccaforte said there is a good chance Lamar would redshirt Nabors if he was out an extended period of time. Nabors fractured his right leg and dislocated his right elbow during an August pickup game. He was the second-leading returning scorer and the leading returning rebounder. Nabors was among the top six in the Southland, shooting at a 52.7 clip from the floor.

--PG Kenny Dawkins had one of the better all-around seasons last year, and he will have to repeat it this season. Dawkins was sixth in the league in scoring (14.6), third in assists (4.5) and 3-point shooting (42.0), and second in free-throw percentage (83.2) and steals (2.0).

--G Shane Mahoney will have another go of sorts with the team. Coming off a freshman season in which he saw action in most of Lamar's games, he sat out last season as a medical redshirt due to a foot injury. With much of the Cardinals' backcourt depth depleted, Mahoney will have a chance for serious playing time.