Texas State men’s basketball will open its 2020-21 season with a pair of games, the first against the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Nov. 25 followed by a second game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Nov. 28.
These games will be the first opportunities for fans to see what Texas State men’s basketball is capable of under Interim Head Coach Terrence Johnson. Johnson says he does not plan to drastically change the team’s current play style. Instead, he intends to take what was already in place and make it his own.
Texas State’s top returning scorer from last year’s 21-11 (13-7 in Sun Belt) team is junior guard Mason Harrell, who averaged 8.9 points per game. Closely behind Harrell are junior forward Alonzo Sule (8.1) and senior forward Isiah Small (8.0). Small led the team last year in rebounds with 203 (6.5 per game). Graduate guard Marlin Davis led the team with 3.9 assists per game.
The Bobcats’ Nov. 25 game against the UMHB Crusaders will be an exhibition match and will not count toward their record.
In the 2019-20 season, the Crusaders began strong, going 9-2 before beginning conference play. In the American Southwest Conference, UMHB went 7-9 and finished the season 15-11 overall.
UMHB’s squad has three returning starters, all of whom are seniors. The young Crusaders group has a combined 14 freshmen and sophomores on the team to start its 2020-21 season.
Senior guard Byrale Carter is UMHB’s top returning scorer. Carter averaged 14.3 points per game in 2019-20 before an injury cut his season short. In 2018, he was selected to the ASC West Division Newcomer of the Year award, as well as the West Division All-Defensive Team.
This will be the first game of the season for both programs and the first time the Bobcats and Crusaders will face off.
Tip-off is at 6 p.m. in Strahan Arena.
Come Nov. 28, the Bobcats will take a trip down to the coast for a game against a familiar opponent, the TAMU-CC Islanders. This will be the 17th matchup between the teams. TAMU-CC holds a 10-6 advantage all-time against Texas State, but the Bobcats have won the last two games and five of the last eight.
The last matchup came Dec. 5, 2018, when the Bobcats won 61-55 in a close contest at the American Bank Center.
The Islanders will be led by the backcourt duo of senior guard Myles Smith and sophomore guard Jordan Hairston. Smith led the team in both scoring and assists, averaging 13.5 points per game and 3.1 assists per game. Smith also led the team in three-pointers made at 59 (.415 three-point percentage). Hairston was second on the team in scoring at 12.9 per game and has the best returning three-point percentage at .444.
The game starts at 2 p.m. in the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.