Tiger Men's Basketball opens up their 2023-24 season after a championship appearance in the 2023 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament.
During the 2022-23 season, the Tigers finished with a 20-7 (12-4 SCAC) record. The Tigers made it to the SCAC Tournament Final where they would ultimately fall to Schreiner. The Tigers outscored opponents by 8.4 points per game, averaging a total of 77.1 points per game. The Tigers overall shot 43 percent from the field and 33 percent from three-point land. The Tigers were on locks defensively as well, finishing 14th in the country in steals per game (10.3) and 16th in turnovers forced per game (18.56).
The 2022-23 Tigers were highlighted by senior
AJ Clark (San Antonio, Texas / Johnson). Clark was named first-team All-SCAC and SCAC Defensive Player of the Year. Clark was also named 2023 SCAC Man of the Year and SCAC Elite 19. To add to his trophy case, Clark would also be recognized as second-team All-Region by D3hoops.com.
The Tigers weren't just centered around one player, though. Senior
Tanner Brown (San Antonio, Texas / Brandeis) and junior
Jacob Harvey (Huffman, Texas / Hargrave) were named second-team All-SCAC while senior
Ben Hanley (Flower Mound, Texas / Flower Mound) was selected as an honorable mention. The Tigers also went international this summer, as six Tiger players were selected to represent Team USA in the 2023 FIBA 3x3 U21 National League Asia-Pacific Conference in Handan, China. The players selected would be Harvey, as well as junior
Braxton Barry (Houston, Texas / Westbury Christian), first-year
Christian Green (San Antonio, Texas / Veterans Memorial), senior
Grayson Herr (Farmington, Connecticut), junior
Jacob Millhouse (Plano, Texas / Independence), and senior
Abdullah Roberts (Houston, Texas / Homeschool Christian Youth Association).
Although the Tigers lost Clark and Hanley, the Tigers brought back three of their starting five. Brown, Harvey, and Barry will all be back in action for the Tigers this season. Head Coach
Jimmy Smith is excited for the season to get underway, as he has noted that the men have looked efficient in practice. The Tigers are excited about first-year
Christian Green. Green is a 6'6" forward who has the potential to handle the ball, look for him to make an immediate impact on the floor.
2023-24 Schedule Overview
The Tigers will open up their season on November 18th and 19th against Whitman and No. 23 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in Georgetown. Then the Tigers will play their first home game against Concordia University (TX) on November 25th. After that, the Tigers will host No. 15 Mary Hardin-Baylor on November 28th. To begin SCAC play, the Tigers will play against Southwestern on December 2nd. As the new year rolls around, the Tigers will host Schreiner on January 2nd. To round out the regular season, the Tigers will travel to Shreveport on February 18th.
Check Out The Full Schedule
Preview - Season Opener
The Tigers will open up the season by heading to Georgetown to play in the Paul Peak Classic on November 18th and 19th. The Tigers will play against Whitman at 2:00 PM on the 18th and then face No. 23 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at 1:00 PM on the 19th.
On the Whitman Blues: The Blues head into the Paul Peak Classic with a 1-1 record. The Blues started their season with an 86-75 loss against Carnegie Mellon but bounced back with an 80-64 win over St. Olaf. So far this season, the Blues are led by senior guard Jai Deshpande who averages 21 points per game. This will be the first meeting between the Tigers and the Blues.
On the No. 23 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags: The Stags are 1-0 so far in their 2023-24 season with an 81-44 win over UC Santa Cruz. In this game, the Stags were led by guard Josh Angle who had 30 points and a 57.1 field goal percentage. All-time, the Tigers are 0-3 against the Stags since their first meeting in 2010. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2014, which the Tigers lost 54-64.
Coach Speak
"I am very excited about this group!" Said Head Coach
Jimmy Smith. "We have a really good mix of returning experience and youth. The team has been working very hard this fall and have really come together as a team. We showed flashes of what we can be in our first exhibition game against a really big and athletic UTSA team. In our second exhibition game, we went on the road against a good Division 2 program in UC-Colorado Springs. It was a great back and forth game and we were able to overcome a lot of adversity to pull out a one point win. I feel like we gained a lot from both of these exhibition contests that will help us be as prepared as possible for our opening slate of games. We have put together as tough of a non-conference schedule as possible and are really excited about the opportunity to compete against the top Division 3 programs from across the country!."
Looking Ahead - Leslie Robinson Thanksgiving Classic
The Tigers will host their home opener, the Leslie Robinson Thanksgiving Classic, on November 25th and 26th. The Tigers will play against Concordia University (TX) on the 25th and Hardin-Simmons University on the 26th.
