SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State men's basketball team opens its 2015-16 season this Monday night when the Bobcats host UT-Tyler at Strahan Coliseum in a game that tips off at 7:00 p.m. The game can be heard on 1300 The Zone in Austin and KTSW in San Marcos.
Head coach
Danny Kaspar returns for his third season as head coach after leading Texas State to its best turnaround season since 2006-07 after the Bobcats finished the 2014-15 campaign with six more wins than the previous year. One of the winningest coaches in Texas and one of the Top 24 winningest active NCAA Division I coaches, Kaspar has a 487-233 career record.
The Bobcats return seven players from last year's team, and Kaspar added three junior college transfers and four freshmen.
Headlining the list of returning players is preseason All-Sun Belt Conference pick
Emani Gant, who averaged 12.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Gant will miss Monday's night's game with an injury.
The Bobcats also return senior forward
Cameron Naylor, who averaged 8.2 points, and 4.9 rebounds and started 16 games last season. In addition,
Kavin Gilder-Tilbury chipped in 7.9 points and 3.5 rebounds. In addition,
Ethan Montalvo averaged 7.7 points and made 11 starts last season.
Texas State also returns three other lettermen from last year. They are
Ojai Black,
Austin Evans and
Kendell Ramlal. Black is expected to step in as Texas State's starting point guard after splitting time with
D.J. Brown last season.
The three junior college transfers are
Bobby Conley,
Maljhum McCrea and
Anthony Roberson. Texas State's four freshmen are
Nathan Josephs,
Courtney Julien,
D'Angelo West and
K.J. Malveau.
About UT TylerUT Tyler enters Monday night's game with a 0-1 record this season after a loss on Sunday to Texas Lutheran, 83-67. The Patriots have five players returning from last season and have added nine transfers and four freshmen. The head coach at UT Tyler is former Texas State assistant Jamon Copeland, who is entering his third season at the helm after serving four years as the head coach at Ava Maria.
The Patriots are led by senior guard Anthony Gonzales, who averaged 13.4 points and 3.6 rebounds last season. Gonzales led UT Tyler with 16 points and Joey Cuervo added 11 points on Sunday.
Up NextFollowing Monday night's game, Texas State will travel to UTEP for a non-conference game at the Don Haskins Center on Saturday. The game tips off at 8:30 p.m. (Central).
