Spring athletes in action: College basketball

Four men's basketball players with Spring high school ties have scheduled action this week:

Darius Gatson, Sam Houston State University
Position: Guard
High school: Klein Forest High
This week: Saturday, Dec. 29, versus Howard Payne University
About Gatson: Gatson is a senior guard for Sam Houston State University. The Houston native is a 2009 graduate of Klein Forest High School, where he earned academic all-conference honors. Before transferring to Sam Houston State University, he spent two years at Trinity Valley Community College, where he earned second team all-conference honors as a sophomore and honorable mention recognition as a freshman.

Michael Simpson, Missouri State University
Position: Forward
High school: Klein Collins High
This week: Sunday, Dec. 30, versus Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
About Simpson: Simpson is a freshman forward for Missouri State University. He is a 2012 graduate of Klein Collins High School in Spring where he was a two-time all-district selection and ranked No. 37 on the Greater Houston Top 150 Seniors List. An honors student with a 3.6 GPA he also played AAU ball for the elite Texas Pro squad scoring 1000 points. The Spring native is the son of Bob and Mary Anne Simpson.

Kendall Holmes, Texas Lutheran University
Position: Guard
High School: Klein Forest High
This week: Saturday, Dec. 29, at Wayland Baptist University
About Holmes: Holmes is a freshman guard for Texas Lutheran University. The Houston native is a 2012 graduate of Klein Forest High School.

Kasey Shepherd, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Position: Guard
High School: Spring Dekaney High
This week: Saturday, Dec. 29, versus University of Arkansas, Little Rock
About Shepherd: Shepherd is a freshman guard for University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He is a 2012 graduate of Dekaney High School in Houston. As a senior, he was the district defensive player of the year, helping the team to a 27-12 record. Shepherd is a three-time academic all-district honoree. The biology major from Houston is the son of Jeffrey and Paula Shepherd.