STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State Men's Basketball will open their 2025-26 home campaign against Texas A&M – Corpus Christi with tip off slated for 6 p.m.
 
The Texans home opener sponsored by Dr. Robert Barberee will be streamed on ESPN+ as will all home games this season. The game will also be streamed on the radio by 90.5 KTRL and available online on the Tarleton Sports Radio Network. Live Stats will be provided by Stat Broadcast. For the latest updates, content and highlights, follow @tarletonmbb on Instagram and X.
 
For the third time this season across the men's and women's games in the EECU Center, fans will be entertained with a top-notch halftime performance. The world-famous Steve Max – Master of Simon Sez is set to conduct a game of Simon Sez involving lucky members of the crowd at halftime. Steve Max has performed in a variety of different arenas across the NBA and College Basketball. Most recently, he was in Gainesville, Fla. On the campus of the Florida Gators. For more information on Steve Max, follow him @thesimonsezguy on Instagram and X.
 
Tarleton State opened their season with a pair of road games. In the season opener against SMU, the Texans and the Mustangs scored the exact same amount in each half. The Texans scored 38 in the first and 38 in the second with SMU scoring 48 in each. Junior transfer Dior Johnson broke out onto the season scoring 23 points in his Texan debut. He made six shots from the floor including three triples. Freddy Hicks made 13 free throws to total 15 points on the night. Hicks made the second most free throws among all NCAA players on opening night. He was also a perfect eight-for-eight from the charity stripe. Ultimately, the Texans fell, 96-76.
 
On Wednesday, the Texans headed to Baton Rouge for their first meeting in program history. LSU controlled the game throughout, but Tarleton State's bench production shined in the loss. The Texans had four total players in double figures, with three coming off the bench. Leading scorer, Kade Douglas scored 19 points, connecting on four from beyond the arc. Matyas Vrabel and AJ Dent Jr. also scored in double figures scoring 10 apiece.
 
Freddy Hicks has always made a living at the line. Throughout his six seasons he has made 480 of his 652 attempts. The senior leads all active NCAA D1 players by 6 makes and by over 50 attempts. Hicks is the D1 era leader for the Texans in free throws made (381), double the second-best Jakorie Smith (160).  Hicks took 15 attempts from the charity stripe on opening night. He converted on 13 of them, an 86.7 percent clip. Hicks made the second most FT's among all players in the NCAA on Opening Night.
 
Freddy Hicks returns for the Texans for his sixth collegiate season and fifth as a Texan. Hicks led the team in points, rebounds and assists per game last season, playing in seven contests. Hicks is the Texans D1 era leader in rebounds (445), total points (1040), field goals made (301), field goals attempted (728), free throws made (376) and free throws attempted (509). He missed the first 16 games of the season due to a foot injury and then reinjured it and missed several more contests. He became the first Texan in its D1 era to score 1000 points in his Texan career coming on a free throw against Utah Valley in the final regular season game of the season. Hicks was the 2021 WAC Freshman of the Year and has been a two-time Preseason All-WAC selection.
 
Former Tarleton State Texan, Lue Williams brother, Sheldon plays for the Islanders. Sheldon is in his second season with the Islanders, his fourth season of collegiate basketball. Sheldon started his collegiate career at Coastal Alabama CC the same as his brother Lue. Sheldon won conference player of the year in 2024, after Lue had won the same award in 2022. Sheldon also won Alabama JUCO Player of the Year and was named an NJCAA First Team All-American. Sheldon and Lue never played at Coastal at the same time with Lue playing from 2019-22 and Sheldon starting the 22-23 season and finishing in 2024.
 
Texas A&M – Corpus Christi head coach Jim Shaw was on the initial coaching staff of Gillispie's time at Tarleton State alongside assistant Steve Shields, the father of current GA Hayden Shields. Joseph Jones later joined the staff after the resignation of Shields. Shaw is one of three former assistants under Gillispie to become a collegiate head coach after their tenure with the Texans.  Shaw is the only D1 head coach, with Kyle Cooper serving as the head coach at Howard College and two-time assistant Zach Settembre the head man at New Mexico Highlands. Four former Texan assistants under Gillispie are currently serving as D1 assistants as well.
 
Tarleton State will continue its homestand on Tuesday night against Merrimack at 7 p.m. The game on Veterans Day will honor Military Appreciation Day and sponsored by Technip FMC.