Hondo hoopster transfers to SAGU

Seasoned guard reunited with Rambo

Caleb Gentry comes from OKWU

WAXAHACHIE, Texas -- Fresh off the most wins in school history, the Southwestern Assemblies of God University men’s basketball team has begun to reload for the 2012-13 campaign.

Second-year Head Coach Donnie Bostwick has announced that Caleb Gentry has transferred from Oklahoma Wesleyan University.

Two years ago he played at OKWU with current SAGU player, Dominique Rambo.

The six-foot junior-to-be is from Hondo (pop. 8,000), Texas, and forty miles west of San Antonio. His prep career was at Hondo High School where he earned the MVP of the District 29-3A award.

He played for Owls head coach Fred McCollum. As senior the team went 30-4 with Caleb and his brother Jason as its top two scorers at 19.8 and 10.3 respectively.

Caleb shot 61% from the field and 69% from the foul line. He averaged 5.0 assists and 3.8 steals and had 171 total assists to just 89 turnovers.

Gentry played for Coach Bostwick as a freshman at OKWU, averaging 4.2 ppg on a team that posted a 29-5 won-lost record.

"Caleb is one of the best defenders I have ever coached,” Bostwick said last week. “He plays fearlessly on both ends of the floor. He is a huge addition to our team."

Gentry will likely make a large impact this season. His skills package will allow him to play at point guard and both the 2-guard and 3-guard roles according to Coach Bostwick.

"He brings great experience," the coach pointed out. "Caleb is a tenacious defender and a winner off and on the floor." 

 Gentry, who lists Steve Nash as his favorite player, was a two-year starter and an All-Conference Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) Honoree. He was also an All-Region selection by the National Christian College Athletic Association.

As sophomore under coach Jason Beschta, who took the reins at the Bartlesville, Oklahoma college, Gentry led the team in scoring with a 12.0 points per game norm.

The Eagles finished in a three-way tie for second in the MCAC with an 8-6 mark. They were 16-16 in all games.

Gentry averaged 26 minutes of playing time per outing, connecting on 40% of an average of 11 shots per game. His 54 three-point baskets led the Eagles.

Successful on 78% of his free throws and averaging 2.2 assists per game were both second best on the Birds.

OKWU, with three players averaging in double-figures offensively, scored 72.3 ppg and drained 7.1 triples per contest.

After tossing in four-points a game in his freshman year, Gentry reached double-digits in 19 of 32 games, including 13-of-18 in one part of the season (14.4 ppg).

His most-effective stretch of play came during seven games against the heart of the conference when he poured in 19.6 ppg. In three games he went over twenty, highlighted by 25 against York College (Neb). He canned 19 in the first of three meetings with first place Bellevue University (Neb). (see MCAC standings below)

In that segment that began in mid-January, he connected on 49% of 102 shots, ripping the nets from downtown 22 times.

About SAGU men's basketball

SAGU went 27-11 and were ranked nationally at various times throughout the past season. The 27 wins equalled the most in school history. The Lions took fourth in the Red River Athletic Conference with a 16-8 ledger.

No. 12 ranked Our Lady of the Lake University (Tex) won the regular-season title (27-8, 21-3) before coming up short in the RRAC tournament to #7 LSU-Shreveport (27-8, 20-4). SAGU defeated both in 2012.

Texas Wesleyan University (25-8, 19-5) came in third, though all three (OLLU, LSUS and TWU) qualified for the NAIA’s 32-team national tourney.

The Lions graduated two seniors in guards Ronald Horne (Waco, Tx / Univ of N.Texas, Waco HS) and Jared Gibson (Dallas, Tx / Oral Roberts Univ, Plano West HS). Both were prolific scorers who eclipsed the thousand-point marker.

Southwestern is a dual Division I member in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the NCCAA.

The Lions broadcast home games in High Definition on the internet, considered the finest production in the NAIA. The SAGU Sports Network offers free access to fans on sagu.tv.  

Contact: Mark “Link” Warde, SAGU Sports Information Director, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 469-658-2847.

MCAC 2012 Standings (NAIA)