JOURNAL SPORTS
Look at most college basketball rosters these days and more often than not, there’s not a lot of local flavor.
Centenary coach J.A. Anglin is bucking that trend.
He has signed five north Louisiana prep standouts, including Captain Shreve’s Niran Ogunyemi and Antonio “A.J.” Dixon Jr. from Huntington.
Also in the Gents’ recruiting class: Natchitoches Central star Ja’Dell Demery, Malique Smith of Red River, and Madison’s Dawson Brown.
“We have put a premium on evaluating talent in our backyard. Recruiting Shreveport-Bossier and north Louisiana is and will continue to be priority for our coaching staff at Centenary,” said Anglin, who took over the NCAA Division III program last summer.
“A.J., Niran, Ja’Dell, Malique, and Dawson have been a part of winning programs over the last few years. They have all made deep runs in the LHSAA playoffs in their respective divisions,” he said. “We are excited about the addition of our local talent and the rest of our 2026 recruiting class.”
Dixon led Huntington to a 21-9 record and a state quarterfinals berth. He was first-team All-District 1-5A, made the Shreveport Times All-City team, and was a Louisiana High School Basketball Coaches Association All-Star.
Ogunyemi was also All-District 1-5A, making the second team, as he helped Captain Shreve go 20-12 and also reach the state quarterfinals. He was All-City honorable mention.
Brown and Demery were all-state selections.
NCHS’s star led the Chiefs to the 1-5A championship, a 28-5 record and was the district Most Valuable Player. Demery made second-team All-State in Class 5A with averages of 18.3 points and 12.8 rebounds. He was picked as an LHSBCA All-Star, and made the Times All-Area team after the Chiefs reached the state quarterfinals.
Brown was a star for a 29-5 Madison team that was a LHSAA Non-Select Division III state finalist. A second-team Class 2A All-State pick, Brown averaged 18.5 points and 10.5 rebounds. He was first-team All-District 2-2A.
Smith was All-District 3-2A first team. He sparked Red River to a 22-11 record and a regional round playoff berth after a state tournament appearance in his junior season. He was honorable mention Times All-Area.
Anglin is building his first full recruiting class at Centenary after getting hired by the Gents last July following a successful five years as head coach at Bossier Parish Community College. The Shreveport native was a member of Northwestern State’s 2006 NCAA Tournament team that beat Iowa, and later played at LSU Shreveport. He has been a longtime Division I assistant coach, notably under Tim Floyd at UTEP.