Bostwick Signs First Recruits

Lions Corral Prep Sidekicks

Wood-Dvorak, O’Neill commit to SAGU

TIPPING THEIR HATS TO SAGU: Hallettsville Head Coach Rich Dozier is flanked by Clayton O'Neill (left) and Christian Wood-Dvorak, who donned purple and gold to sign with the Lions. WAXAHACHIE, Texas  --  The new men’s basketball coach at Southwestern Assemblies of God University, Donnie Bostwick, is wasting little time roping in new talent.

Last week he lassoed a pair of Brahma Bulls from South Texas.

Christian Wood-Dvorak and Clayton O’Neill, both 6-foot-3 players at Class 3A Hallettsville High School, signed their National Letter of Intent to suit up for the SAGU Lions this season.
Wood-Dvorak was named Mr. Basketball in Texas as a junior when the Brahmas went 36-2 and earned All-State honors as a senior when he averaged 20.2 points and 11.9 rebounds per game.

"Christian has been a joy to coach," said Hallettsville coach Rich Dozier. "He is a very humble and hard- working young man. I am very excited that basketball will help him reach his goal of a college education."

This year he was part of another Hallettsville squad that made a deep run in the state playoffs, posting a 33-5 mark.

Wood-Dvorak netted 19.7 ppg and 11.5 rebounds an outing. He added 3.3 steals, 2.9 assists and 1.6 blocked shots per contest. He bucketed 23 triples and 74% of 227 foul shots.

Described by some as relentless on the court, he plays like a 6’6 forward. At 205 pounds, he is in the mold of current SAGU star, Nathaniel Ward (Waco, Tx / Connally HS).

Playing in the TABC* State All-Star Game over the weekend, Wood-Dvorak scored 17 points and ripped down 11 boards. He connected on three triples late in the game to rally his team to a victory after trailing for three quarters.

O’Neill poured in 15.6 ppg last winter, grabbing 7.1 boards, while being credited with 2.6 assists and 2.1 thefts in each game. He was second on the team in treys, popping in 43. O’Neill drew the second most free throw attempts among the Bulls, making 66% of his 195 tries.

Earning Their Props

"Clayton will be a player I use as an example for the rest of my coaching career," Dozier said. "He has used his passion for basketball to become a solid basketball player, student and community member."

Coach Bostwick expects Wood-Dvorak to play at the ‘4,’ sometimes referred to as the small forward position. He could step in and make an impact his freshman season. O’Neill will provide solid depth at the ‘3-guard.’

"Coach Dozier does an excellent job teaching the game and pushing kids to play the game the way it is supposed to be played," Bostwick said. "Both of these young men bring toughness, talent, and huge upsides as they enter our program."

"As the new head coach at Southwestern Assemblies of God University, my goal is to bring in quality young men that are used to winning," added Bostwick, who previously coached at Oklahoma Wesleyan. "Christian and Clayton exemplify both of these characteristics."

“I am very pleased to have both of these gentlemen in the fold,” Bostwick added. “They are character-athletes, good students and have great personalities. I’m sure they will mesh well here!”

Hallettsville Hoops Honors

SIGNING CEREMONY: SAGU Coach Donnie Bostwick sits between Clayton O'Neill and Christian Wood-Dvorak and their Hallettsville teammates.Christian Wood-Dvorak:  Freshman Year - Academic All-District. Sophomore Year - Academic All-District, 1st Team All-District, All-Area, All-Region, named to three All-Tournament Teams.  Junior Year - Academic All-District, 1st Team All-District, All-Area MVP, All-Region, All-State, UIL All-Tournament, named to three All-Tournament Teams, TABC Player of the Year, named Mr. Basketball.  Senior Year - Academic All-District, District MVP, Area MVP, All-Region, All-State, Academic All-State, Area All-Star Game MVP, named to three All- Tournament Teams, TABC All-Star.

Clayton O’Neill:  Sophomore Year – Honorable Mention All-District.  Junior Year - Academic All-District, 1st Team All-District, All-Area, named to one All-Tournament Team.  Senior Year - Academic All-District, 1st Team All-District, All-Area, named to one All-Tournament Team.

About the Purple Pride

SAGU posted a 12-19 mark last winter when they were one of the country’s highest scoring teams (80.4 ppg). They look to shore up their defense and rebounding deficiencies to make noise in the RRAC.

Three players ranked at or near the top of the national leader board, statistically. Ronald Horne (Waco, Tx / Univ of North Texas) scored more points than anyone in the NAIA, averaging 23.5 ppg. The country’s supreme rebounder was Nathaniel Duce Ward (Waco, Tx / Connally HS) at 12.3 rpg, while Jared Gibson (Dallas, Tx / Plano West HS) was #2 in three-pointers made, with 103. All three return.

Bullish in Basketball

Playing under coach Dozier the Brahmas racked up a remarkable 103-10 record over the past three winters, advancing to the UIL State Final Four the last two years. Four players from Hallettsville have signed to play college hoops following this past season.

Along with SAGU’s duo are shooting guard Dante Haynes (St. Gregory’s University, Shawnee, Ok) and point guard Camp Dozier (U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, Ct), the coach’s son.

Dozier, with a 148-33 coaching ledger, is leaving Hallettsville after five years to coach the girl’s varsity team at Sonora High School in West Texas. It is located on I-10, 175 miles northwest of Austin.

Along with his wife the Doziers have six children; two who are foster kids, two biological and two who are adopted. By coaching the Sonora Lady Broncos, Dozier will be able to coach his two daughters, one of whom is a freshman, the other a sophomore.

SAGU Classic Not Finalized

Southwestern often plays host to a men’s basketball tournament in November, the Coca-Cola Classic. Arranging teams who can travel that weekend has prevented the event from becoming official.  Last season the Lions welcomed Texas Wesleyan University, who went 30-4, along with Missouri Valley College and Columbia College (Mo), who posted 14-17 and 26-6 marks.

News and Notes

  • Coach Bostwick hopes to announce another player signing in the next week, as well as introducing his first hire, an assistant coach.
  • The 2011-12 team schedule is nearing completion. Should teams in the Red River Athletic Conference play everyone twice – at home and away – that would fill 24 of the openings each member has for games.
  • Who will serve as the Red River Athletic Conference tournament host next March will soon be decided, perhaps as early as this week. A meeting of league officials and head coaches has been slated for this week in Waxahachie, and an announcement is forthcoming. SAGU has been selected to entertain the tourney the past several years and could again in 2012.
  • The Lions will be sporting new road threads this season. That likely means lots of purple.
  • Livestreaming on SAGU SPORTS Live. John Cookman, Director of Media Services, will announce later the schedule for basketball games that be broadcast over the internet. The Hi-Def production is offered free on computers, laptops, iPhones and on many communication systems. The plan probably includes all home games for both the men’s and women’s teams, starting in January.

*Texas Association of Basketball Coaches

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 469-658-2847.