Arkansas Tech College is the preseason favourite to win the 2024-25 Nice American Convention males's basketball championship.
The 24th-ranked Surprise Boys are ranked within the prime 25 of the NCAA Division II Nationwide Basketball Coaches Affiliation preseason ballot for the primary time for the reason that 2012-13 season.
ATU is again within the nationwide dialog in NCAA Division II males's basketball due to some of the profitable seasons in program historical past. The 2023-24 Surprise Boys completed 25-7 total, received a share of the GAC common season championship, received the GAC Match title and superior to the NCAA Match.
It was simply the tenth 25-win marketing campaign within the 101-season historical past of Arkansas Tech males's basketball.
“We did three issues rather well,” stated ATU head males's basketball coach Mark Downey. “Our chemistry was unimaginable. Everybody was to win. No one cared who bought the credit score. We defended rather well, then we shot the ball rather well. It was a enjoyable group to teach. These teams don't come round fairly often. It's been a blessing and it's good to have loads of these guys again.”
Amongst these returning is guard Cassius Brooks, who averaged 13.2 factors per sport final season. Brooks took his sport to a different degree in March, averaging 21.Three factors per sport to earn GAC Match Most Precious Participant honors after which poured in 22 factors towards eventual nationwide champion Minnesota State College in first spherical of the NCAA Match.
“Now, we’d like this manufacturing each evening,” Downey stated.
Senior Kade Shaffer is again at level guard after a breakout season in 2023-24. Shaffer averaged four.6 assists per sport a 12 months in the past, together with a college single-game file 16 assists towards East Central College on February Three, 2024.
“Kade appears to be like like a choir boy, however he's bought a canine in him,” Downey stated.
Different returnees embrace senior ahead Sean Cobb, who averaged 5.2 factors and four.Three rebounds per sport in 2023-24; junior guard Trey Allen, who scored a career-high eight factors within the 2024 GAC Match championship sport and is poised to play an even bigger function in 2024-25; sophomore guard Braden Tanner, who shot 40 p.c from Three-point vary as a freshman; and graduate pupil ahead Seybian Sims, who could possibly be a contender for GAC Defensive Participant of the 12 months after battling by way of two injury-plagued seasons.
Seven newcomers seem on the lively Surprise Boys roster. When requested who he expects to contribute from day one, Downey talked about junior ahead Albright Obode, junior guard Jakob Zenon and sophomore ahead Robert Millard.
Obode is a switch from Neighborhood School of Baltimore County-Catonsville, the place he averaged 12.7 factors and 11.1 rebounds per sport final season.
Zenon was the 2023-24 Nationwide Junior School Athletic Affiliation Division III Nationwide Participant of the 12 months at Dallas School North Lake, the place he averaged 18.eight factors per sport and led his workforce to the nationwide championship in 2023-24.
A Dardanelle native, Millard comes house to the Arkansas River Valley after enjoying at Oberlin School (Ohio) as a freshman final season. He shot 41 p.c from Three-point vary in 2023-24.
Arkansas Tech will start its 102nd males's basketball season by internet hosting Missouri Southern State College at 7:30 pm on Friday, November eight and Newman College at four:30 pm on Saturday, November 9 at Tucker Coliseum.
Tickets can be found at www.arkansastechsports.com/tickets.
Stay protection will likely be accessible on www.arkansastechsports.com and the ATU Athletics YouTube channel.
Surprise Boys basketball radio protection for the 2024-25 season on KCJC 102.Three FM and the EAB Media Group app will start with the Nov. 18 sport towards Mission College.
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Tech Tidbits is a column written by Sam Strasner, ATU director of college relations and radio play-by-play voice for ATU soccer and basketball.