STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Kade Douglas will be the second Texan to return to the Tarleton State Men's Basketball program for the 2026-27 season, head coach Eric Haut announced on Tuesday.

Douglas joined the Texans for his first season in Stephenville ahead of his junior campaign last season. The Lancaster, Texas, native, was one of three players for the Purple and White to play in all 32 games last year. He made six starts during the season including five in WAC play.

"Kade is a coach's son (Ferrin Douglas, head coach at Lancaster HS in TX) and a great young man who comes from a strong basketball family, and that shows up in the way he approaches the game every single day," said Haut. "He brings a high-level work ethic, a team-first mindset, and a commitment to getting better, which is very important in building our program. His experience, leadership, and competitive edge are going to be huge for our program moving forward. We're fired up to have him back in Stephenville and can't wait to get to work!"

As a junior, he scored in double figures five times, leading the Texans in scoring on three of those occasions. His first double-digit scoring performance came on the second game of the season at LSU. He shot four-for-seven from the floor to score 19 points. He then followed up with back-to-back 10+ point efforts with 18 points against Texas A&M – Corpus Christi. Between the two games he scored 37 points while making seven threes. His best game came against ACU where he scored 24 points in a 65-62 Texan overtime victory. He made eight of his 16 shots from the floor and three beyond the arc. The junior was also a perfect five-for-five from the charity stripe.

"From the moment I stepped into this program, I've been challenged to grow and become better every day," said Douglas. "With Coach E and staff leading the way, I'm ready to elevate my game and embrace this new chapter. Tarleton State, the brotherhood, and the journey ahead means everything to me. As we step into the United Athletic Conference, I'm locked in, motivated, and ready to make an impact with my team. I'm back."

He ended the season third on the team in total made three pointers made while shooting 33 percent from beyond the arc. He made a triple in 15 of his 32 games played running off a string of making one in eight of nine consecutive games. Douglas played 41 of the 45 minutes against ACU at home. He also averaged 1.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. 

"He's also a proven 3-point shooter at the division one level, which is something we've made a clear priority for our roster," added Haut. "Kade's shot making, along with his ability to consistently stretch defenses and create space for his teammates, will make an immediate impact on the offensive end of the floor. What also really excites me is his defensive potential. Kade has all the tools to become an elite defender at this level. He takes a lot of pride in that side of the ball, and with his mindset and work ethic, I believe he can develop into a lockdown defender who impacts winning every single night."

Douglas started his collegiate career at UT Arlington where he played his first two seasons. Across the two years, he played in 56 games with eight starts. He logged 14.0 minutes per game while scoring 4.8 points per game. Douglas made 81 field goals in his Mavericks' career, with 57 of them coming from beyond the arc where he shot at a 33 percent rate. He only missed one free throw during his sophomore season connecting on 18 of 19. Overall, in his UTA career he shot 84.8 percent from the free throw line.

During his time with the Mavs, he reached double figures in scoring in 10 total games. He scored a career-high of 20 twice during his time, one in each season. He scored 20 points for the first time against Alcorn State as a freshman where he shot six-for-12 from deep, also a career high. He made five or more triples in a game in three contests as a rookie. As a sophomore he tallied six double-digit scoring games including a 20-point effort on the road at Utah Valley in his first WAC start. He made eight shots from the floor including four from beyond the arc. His 20-point game started a streak of four consecutive games with at least 10 points. Each of these performances occurred with him starting and he broke his starting streak the same night he snapped the double figures streak as well.

A 2023 Lancaster High School graduate, he spent four season splaying varsity basketball under his father, Ferrin Douglas, who was District Coach of the Year and co-Coach of the Year in two of his prep seasons. As a senior, he was the District 14-5A MVP. As a recruit, he was the number 31 ranked player in the state of Texas and the 39th combo guard in the nation. He also earned a selection to the Texas All-State Academic Team with a 4.0 GPA.

More additions to the Tarleton State 2026-27 roster are yet to come as well as a full schedule release at a later date.