NEW ORLEANS – Senior Mark Drone and junior Kaden Gumbs were selected to the All-Sun Belt Conference Preseason Second and Third Teams, respectively, as announced by the league office on Monday. In the preseason coaches' poll, Texas State came in eighth in the 14-team conference.
 
Drone averaged 11.5 points. 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game in only 10 contests due to injury. When he was on the court, the Jackson, Mississippi native had a major impact. He scored 17 points in his Bobcat debut at Troy and followed with a 30-point effort on 12-of-20 shooting at Southern Miss. The Jackson, Mississippi native also made the game-winning layup in overtime against South Alabama and put up 18 in the regular season finale double overtime victory over James Madison.
 
Gumbs is finished the 2024-25 season putting up 11.0 points, 4.0 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals per contest. He was an efficient 45.8% (115-for-251) from the field and 86.8% (66-of-76) at the charity stripe. The San Marcos native posted 20 games with double-digit points and 17 with four or more assists. He also record one double-double (27 points, 10 rebounds vs. McMurry) and flirted with a triple-double in the Sun Belt opening victory against Georgia Southern with 12 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

The Bobcats totaled 106 points in the preseason poll to finish just ahead of Louisiana (95) and behind App State (123). James Madison was picked as the favorites to win the league with 175 points and one first-place vote. A total of nine points separated the next four teams of Arkansas State (154 pts; 3 first-place), South Alabama (152 pts; 4 first-place), Troy (148 pts; 1 first-place) and Old Dominion (145 pts; 2 first-place).
 
Prior to the season opener in two weeks, Texas State will host Huston-Tillotson in an exhibition game on Sunday. Tipoff for the game is scheduled for 4 p.m. inside Strahan Arena.
 
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