RUSTON – The Louisiana Tech Men's Basketball team opens up the 2024-25 season Monday night as the Bulldogs host the Generals of LSU-Alexandria.
GAME INFORMATION Date/Time: Monday, Nov. 4 | 6:30 p.m. CT Location: Thomas Assembly Center (Ruston, La.) TV: ESPN+ Radio: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics App Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats Tickets: LATechSports.com/Tickets
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (0-0) Third-year head coach Talvin Hester was able to blend in seven newcomers in 2023-24 in route to a 22-win season and a second-place finish in CUSA. He will be tasked with the same thing as seven newcomers join the 2024-25 squad, mixed in with six returners (five of which made a combined 67 starts last season).
One of those returners is Daniel Batcho who was the lone Bulldog to be named to the 10-person preseason All-Conference USA team, but he was also voted as the CUSA Preseason Player of the Year.
Last season, the forward was named CUSA Newcomer of the Year, First Team All-CUSA, and CUSA All-Defensive Team after averaging 15.2 points while leading the league and ranking top 25 in the country in both rebounds per game (9.8) and blocks per game (2.4).
Another key returner for LA Tech is point guard Sean Newman Jr. who was an Honorable Mention All-CUSA selection last season. In his first year with the Bulldogs, he led the team and the league in total assists with 146, the 15th most in a single season in program history, as well as in assists per game at 5.2 (ranked 42nd in the country).
LA Tech will not be quite as old as they were in 2023-24 with five seniors, all of which were in at least their fifth year of college basketball. The Bulldogs will still be a veteran club in 2024-25 though as 10 of the 13 players are upperclassmen (five are in at least their fourth year of college basketball).
The Bulldogs lost 61 percent of their scoring from last year's team, primarily due to the departures of starters Isaiah Crawford, CUSA Player of the Year and CUSA Defensive Player of the Year, and Tahlik Chavez, Third Team All-CUSA. The two graduates combined to average 30.2 points per game last season.
ABOUT LSU-ALEXANDRIA (2-0) LSUA has already gotten its 2024-25 season off to a good start, winning all three of its contests. The Generals claimed wins over Wiley, 84-70, and Loyola, 89-77, as well as knocking off Lamar in an exhibition game.
Four Generals are averaging double-digit points in the early season, led by Kashie Natt with 16.0 points per game. Natt was an NAIA First Team All-American and RRAC Player of the Year last season after averaging 17.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game while also registering 78 assists, 67 steals, and 22 blocks.
Also returning for LSUA is RRAC Co-Freshman of the Year Isaiah Howard who made 26 starts last season while dishing out a team-best 121 assists.
LSUA, led by second-year head coach Dimario Jackson who was named the Louisiana Small College Coach of the Year by the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches (LABC), is ranked No. 12 in the preseason NAIA Coaches' Top 25 poll, the highest ranked team from the Red River Athletic Conference.
The Generals finished 2023-24 with a 24-7 overall record, including a 19-3 mark in RRAC play.
THE SERIES Monday will mark the first ever meeting on the hardwood between LA Tech and LSU-Alexandria.
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