TXST MEN’S BASKETBALL
It is an exciting time for the Bobcats and Head Coach Terrence Johnson as Texas State enters their final season in the Sun Belt before moving on to the Pac-12 conference.
Though the talk of the move to the Pac-12 conference has dominated the conversation, Johnson is focused on the Bobcats last year in the Sun Belt.
“It’s exciting times in San Marcos,” Johnson said. “To be the lone representative of the Pac-12 in the state, it’s been a lot. It’s been a topic of discussion whether I’m pumping gas at the gas station or trying to run through the airport. A lot of people are excited about what’s to come. Credit has to go to Dr. Damphousse and Don Coryell for their vision and where they see the university heading. Right now our focus is on the Sun Belt.”
Texas State returns three players from last season’s team who finished the regular season with a 16-16 overall record and finished seventh in conference play before falling to Old Dominion in the third round of the conference tournament.
Senior guard Mark Drone and junior guard Kade Gumbs, a San Marcos High School graduate, will look to lead the program after being named to the Pre-Season All-Conference team. In the world of the transfer portal and NIL, Johnson believes his program is heading in the right direction.
“They have unbelievable crazy energy in San Marcos so I’m just blessed to be a leader of men during these times in this country we live in right now,” Johnson said. “I take nothing for granted. We have three returners that are the right three [for us]. We understand the landscape of college basket- ball and the way it’s heading. We want to pour into these guys and let them know we care about them. We want winning to be a byproduct of our daily habits. We walk in the door with our culture first and it will be no different this year.
“It provides an opportunity for these young men to find a fit that works best for them,” Johnson said. “Then it puts a little more pressure on us to figure out ways home to maintain relationships through retention and keeping those guys here. We are going to reap the fruits of our labor” Joining Gumbs and Drones from the transfer portal are senior guards Jalen Bolden and Kyndall Davis. Bolden averaged 13.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists for the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks last season while Davis averaged 5.5 points per game and 2.9 rebounds per game for the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. Senior center Makai Willis will also look to make an impact, transferring from ULM after averaging x10.4 points per game and 7.3 rebounds.
In addition to their transfers, Johnson is also looking to see the impact of his two highly touted freshmen in D.J. Hall and Robert Fields.
Hall led Plano East High School to a 40-0 record in 2023-24 season before averaging nearly 24 points per game in his senior year and was named to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches 6A All-State team.
Fields averaged 17 points and 12 rebounds per game at McDonogh High School in Baltimore, Maryland.
“We are excited about those two guys,” Johnson said. “When we recruited them, we thought they could play right away. They have the size and the IQ in the field to be impactful. These guys are hard workers and come from great families. They are great fits. … We expect them to play right away.”
Going into this season, one of the strengths for the Bobcats is their depth which Johnson felt has been missing in the past few seasons.
“One of the benefits of our team right now is that we have depth,” Johnson said. “That’s something we haven’t had in awhile. It will pay dividends especially in a league like this where it’s physical. We’ve had our fair share of injuries, knock on wood, but we want to stay healthy and we need the depth. We also need guys that can come in and be impactful in the game.”
With three centers, two forwards and 10 guards listed on the roster, Johnson’s roster design will look to benefit the Bobcats.
“We are guard-heavy,” Johnson said. “It was by design to get some better guards. We felt like we were losing some guards that had laid the foundation for our program over the last few years but I like where we’re at right now. I love our talent level and our depth.”
Texas State was picked eighth in the Sun Belt preseason poll with eight teams earning first place votes in the conference.
With the league being wide open with no descernible favorite, Johnson feels his team is capable of competing for the conference title.
“This league is up for grabs,” Johnson said. “If we can do what we need to do night in and night out, we can make some noise this year.”
The Bobcats start the season with an exhibition game against Huston- Tillston. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. Sunday at Strahan Arena.
Senior guard Mark Drone was named Preseason Second Team All-Conference at Sun Belt MBB Media Days. Texas State enters their final year of the Sun Belt before moving on to the Pac-12 in July 2026. Daily Record photo by Gerald Castillo
