Leon Gilmore III's possible return, other notes from SFA basketball

Just four days ago, The Sawmill reported that Stephen F. Austin senior forward Leon Gilmore III was no longer a part of the basketball program in Nacogdoches. Although head coach Kyle Keller has not publicly addressed the status of his premiere front-court defender, Gilmore's absence may be short lived.

A source with first-hand knowledge of the situation reached out late on Wednesday evening to suggest that the earlier comments from Saturday (indicating that the former Creighton transfer's departure was permanent) may have been premature. Thursday afternoon, sporting a new clean-cut look but not dressed in team gear, Gilmore participated in practice at William R. Johnson Coliseum with teammates for the first time in the 2017-18 preseason.

If he is in fact reinstated, it would be welcomed news for a program who opened the practice season with just eight healthy scholarship players (more on this later).

The details surrounding Gilmore's departure and potential return to the program remain unclear and may never be fully explained, but he was a big part of SFA's runner-up finish in the Southland Conference a year ago and could certainly help the team in its pursuit of a fifth league title in six years.

As the Lumberjacks prepare to begin a new season, here are some other notes from a spirited first week of practice:

TJ Holyfield looks like a man possessed -

The younger brother of former Sam Houston State center and Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year Michael Holyfield is a bonafide contender to be the league's top player in 2017-18. The younger Holyfield, junior forward TJ, was SFA's leading scorer a year ago and an integral part of the Lumberjacks' upset of West Virginia in the NCAA Tournament during his freshman year. The improvement since then continues to be notable.

"What do you think of him today?" asked Keller with his trademark wry smile, beaming like a proud father as TJ flushed an emphatic jam during Thursday's practice.

Holyfield spent part of the summer in China on a mission trip with SFA's chapter of Athletes in Action, but even with the time off, the lean 6-foot-8 forward has arrived ready to play and potentially carry this team to new heights. He was the best player on the floor during practices this week and there's a good chance he'll continue to be that through numerous games in the 2017-18 season.

Injuries continue to hamper progress -

After a few exceptionally healthy seasons for SFA, the injuries became a bit of a concern last year. Unfortunately, the Lumberjacks are not off to a great start in that department this time around either. Notably, sophomore point guard John Comeaux had arthroscopic surgery on his knee late last week that will likely sideline him for the better part of the next month. He joins sophomore Nathan Bain, junior Shannon Bogues and senior Ty Charles who are each experiencing a variety of ailments as the Lumberjacks inch toward their November 11th tip-off with the Longwood Lancers.

The timeline for Bain's return is still promising and there's a good chance he will not miss a game. Charles, who continues to rehab from offseason shoulder surgery, won't be as fortunate. The Lumberjacks' "heart and soul," as Keller calls him affectionately, will be eying the beginning of league play to make his season debut. SFA coaches are hopeful that Bogues will not miss extended time as he deals with muscle cramping. Sophomore Kevon Harris was also absent on Thursday as he attended to a dental situation, but he is expected to join his teammates when they resume practice next week.

It's early, but the "most improved" title might go to Aaron Augustin -

Stephen F. Austin's only notable loss from last season's team is senior guard Dallas Cameron, a solid contributor who played mostly out of position at point guard during his senior year. Between freshman Cameron Mack, an absolute natural at the position, transfer Comeaux (when he returns) and Aaron Augustin, who has taken leaps and bounds in his development this offseason, point guard could go from a major weakness on this team to one of their strengths in less than a year.

Augustin was essentially the leader of the pack during summer drills with so many players absent and he appears to have taken advantage of the extra attention. His natural speed that often failed to show last year amidst youthful indecision looks freshly calibrated and, well, fast.

Whether or not his shot has improved at all really is still to be seen, but as former point guard Trey Pinkney proved during SFA's run of dominance in the Southland Conference between 2012 and 2016, sometimes that really just doesn't matter from a floor general.

Either way, despite what some people thought of Augustin after his freshman year, the young trio of point guards in Nacogdoches should be a lot of fun to watch this season. Mid-Major Madness may disagree, but SFA is widely expected to be among the favorites (again) in the Southland Conference in 2017-18 and, if health can be sustained, they could potentially be in store for more than just that.