NASSAU, Bahamas – Tarleton State Men's Basketball looks to continue its streak of success in Multi-Team Events with the three-game Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship at the Baha Mar Convention, Arts & Entertainment Center.
Tarleton will open the event with the first game played by all teams with a 1 p.m. CT tip against Iona on Friday night. The Gaels enter the matchup 1-5 this season led by former head coach of Cinderella March Madness team Farleigh Dickinson in 2023. The Texans will then take on its second opponent, Hofstra on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. CT. The Purple and White will close out the weekend with a primetime matchup against Indiana State at 6 p.m. CT. The Texans will take on all three opponents for the first time in program history.
The game will be streamed on FloCollege. FloCollege is offered at a reduced price point ($19.99/month). Kyle Crews will have the call on the Tarleton Sports Radio Network. Live stats will be provided by StatBroadcast available on tarletonsports.com. Follow @tarletonmbb on Instagram, X and Facebook for live updates, highlights and content.
Tarleton State will compete for the second time in an MTE outside of the contiguous United States. In 2022, the Texans made it to the Championship game of Paradise Jam in the US Virgin Islands. In 2014, the Purple and White traveled to the Bahamas during the summer under head coach Chris Reisman, but the Texans did not play any regular season counting games.
On the 2024-25 roster, this marks the first time six players are heading internationally. The seven players are:
Izzy Miles,
Matt Krass,
Ronnie Harrison Jr.,
Jordan Mizell,
Collin Course and
Caleb Evans. None of the players on the trip were at the Paradise Jam in 2022.
Last time out the Texans dropped to Michigan, 72-49. Despite the final, TSU led twice in the first half including 25-24 with 7 minutes to go. Tarleton shot a season-high 50 percent from the floor and 71.3 percent from deep in the first 20 minutes. A four-minute span with a stop in play and 7 minutes in between media timeouts to end the half drained the Texans causing Michigan to balloon to a 10-point half time advantage.
The Texans will play two New York schools in back-to-back games. Tarleton has played two NY schools prior to Iona. The Texans knocked off New York Tech in 2002 and Le Moyne in 2019. Coach Gillispie is 3-1 against NY programs in his career. He has defeated Fordham, Stony Brook and Syracuse. His lone defeat came at the hands of Ivy School, Columbia. Gillispie last played a NY school when he played Stony Brook in 2007.
Head Coach
Billy Gillispie is chasing the 200-career win mark, needing eight more more to eclipse the milestone. Gillispie served as an assistant at Baylor from 1995-97. Gillispie returns to the floor after stepping away due to medical circumstances last season after the fourth game of the season.
Tarleton State will return to Stephenville for a Tuesday night tilt against Dallas Christian. The game is set to tip off at 7 p.m. CT and will be streamed on ESPN+. The Texans will host Let it Snow(Globes) Night with early-arriving fans receiving free snow globes.
