2023 Basketball Preview

Texas State Basketball teams start new season on Monday

Basketball season is finally here for the Texas State Bobcats as both the Men’s and Women’s teams prepare to hit the hardwood for the start of the 20232024 season.

With the season officially starting on Monday, here is how the Bobcats will look for the upcoming season.

WBB looks to defend their crown

Last season saw the Texas State Women’s basketball team bring home the program’s first conference title since 2008 and first Sun Belt title in program history as the Bobcats finished the season as co-champions of the Sun Belt Conference.

Texas State advanced all the way to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship Game before falling to co-champion James Madison.

The Bobcats qualified for the Women’s NIT Tournament before falling in the first round to former conference rival Stephen F. Austin.

This will be a new look team as Texas State returns only five players from last year’s roster including seniors Nicole Leff, Sierra Dickson, Morgan Hill and graduate student Timia Jefferson. The lone underclassman for the Bobcats returning for the team is sophomore Kennedy Claybrooks.

Texas State hit the transfer portal hard for this season bringing in five transfers to San Marcos.

One of the standouts in this year’s transfer class is graduate student Ji’Niah Henson.

Coming over from Morgan State, Henson was a first team all conference player and a second team HBCU All American while leading Morgan State to NIT Tournament Bid.

Joining Henson are fellow transfers Gara Beth Self of Louisiana Monroe and Jaylin Foster of Western Kentucky along with Crystal Smith and Tiffany Tullis of Blinn College.

The Bobcats also added two freshman in Emillia Steele of Colleyville Hertiage and Julia Coleman of Westminster Christian Academy in St. Louis, Missouri.

The Bobcats were picked to finish seventh in the Sun Belt Coaches Preseason poll.

MBB looks for rebound season

After winning back to back regular season conference championships, the Texas State Men’s Basketball team fell back to earth finishing in 11th place in the conference standings.

But the season was not all bad for the Bobcats as Texas State stunned the conference by making a run to the Sun Belt Conference Semifinals before falling to eventually conference champion Louisiana.

Texas State returns six players from last year’s team with seniors Drue Drinnon, Tyrel Morgan, and Dylan Dawson.

Also returning for the Bobcats are junior Brandon Love and sophomores Jordan Mason and Davion Sykes.

The Bobcats added three D1 transfers in Coleton Benson of Army, Chris Nix of UT Martin and Christian Turner of Troy.

Texas State also added three more players from the Junior College ranks in Elijah Tate, Joshua O’Garro and Dontae Horne.

The Bobcats signed two high school players during the offseason as well in Ryan Bolton of Waller and San Marcos’ own Kaden Gumbs.

Texas State was picked to finish in 10th place in the Sun Belt Preseason Coaches Poll.

cmcwilliams@sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc