By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Air Force Classic beckons for the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team as the Golden Eagles head to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado for its first road contest of the season Monday evening, squaring up with the Air Force Falcons in an 8 p.m. CST tilt.
This marks the first of four contests for Tech as part of the Air Force Classic and also the second of three games in six days to kick off the 2015-16 season.
Tennessee Tech (1-0) at Air Force (0-1)
Monday, Nov. 16, 2015
8:00 p.m. CST
Clune Arena (5,843) – United States Air Force Academy, Colo.
The Broadcasts
TV: None
Radio: 106.1 The Eagle (Dylan Vazzano)
Webcast: Mountain West Network (Josh Howe)
ABOUT AIR FORCE
Tech hits the road for the beginning of the Air Force Classic, squaring off with Air Force Monday, Nov. 16 (8 p.m. CST).
Now in their fourth season under head coach Dave Pilipovich, the Falcons went 14-17 (6-12 MWC) last year.
Air Force returns just 62 combined starts from last season.
Trevor Lyons and Hayden Graham represent the top two returning scorers from 2014-15, averaging 7.9 and 7.8 points per game, respectively.
Tech leads the all-time series with Air Force, 2-1, dating back to 1996. In each victory the Golden Eagles held the Falcons to under 50 points on offense.
The contest will mark the first meeting between the two programs since 2002.
PIEDMONT COLLEGE RECAP
Tech opened the 2015-16 season with a 110-72 victory over Piedmont College Nov. 14 in the Eblen Center.
Following the win, Tech has now won 41 of its past 42 home-opening contests dating back to 1974, a win percentage of .976.
Tech's season-opening win also made Steve Payne a perfect 5-0 in home openers in his career as TTU's head coach.
The Golden Eagles drained 14 shots from beyond the arc, the most by a Tech team since hitting 14 in a 103-76 victory over Southeast Missouri on Jan. 3, 2009.
Tech hit triple digits on the scoreboard for the first time since a 112-56 victory over Hillsdale College during the 2013-14 season.
Seven Golden Eagles made their NCAA Division I debut, including Ryan Martin (who also made his first career start), Markell Henderson, Hakeem Rogers, Tre Hansbrough, Savonte Frazier, Conner Hall and Courtney Alexander II.
Both Aleksa Jugovic and Anthony Morse posted career-highs in scoring with 20 and 13 points, respectively.
TECH PICKED 4th IN OVC EAST
Tech was predicted to finish 4th in the East Division in the 2016 OVC race in voting by the league's head coaches and SIDs.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
The Golden Eagles' 2015-16 roster features 14 players (13 scholarship student-athletes) representing six states and two countries.
There are just two Golden Eagles who hail from the state Tennessee, but six Tech players call Georgia home. Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Oklahoma all represent home for one player.
Three Tech players were born outside the United States, with two still living in their native countries when not in Cookeville. Aleksa Jugovic is from Serbia, Ryan Martin is from England and Josiah Moore was born in Canada before moving to Atlanta.
Tech has four seniors, two juniors, three sophomores, a redshirt freshman and four true freshmen.
Seven Golden Eagles stand 6-foot-4 or shorter while the other seven rise to 6-foot-5 or taller.
GIVE ME SOME SUGAR
Making just his fourth career start, Aleksa Jugovic enjoyed his best performance in the purple and gold to date in the season-opener, exploding for a career-high 20 points while dishing out five assists with no turnovers. The sophomore shot 8-of-9 from the field while knocking down four out of five 3-point attempts.
Fans can follow Jugovic on Twitter under his handle/nickname @SerbianSugar.
Between his junior and senior years in high school, Jugovic starred for the Serbian U-18 national team, starting at point guard at the 2013 FIBA Europe U-18 Championships. He averaged a team-high 30.2 minutes while recording 8.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
The sophomore is one of three current Tech players to have earned adidas® OVC Freshman of the Week, having taken home the honor three times in 2014-15 (Dec. 1, Dec. 29, & Mar. 2).
Jugovic was recruited by assistant coach Frank Davis, Tech's all-time career leader in 3-point field goals made (251) and 3-point field goal percentage (.407). The former Tech standout believes Jugovic can break both records in his time in the purple and gold and numbers support that claim so far.
SOUTHPAWS
True freshman Courtney Alexander II is changing the hand he shoots with for the second time in his young career. As a prep player, the forward shot primarily with his left hand, making the switch to his right during his senior season. The rookie began the transition back to his left hand for the 2015-16 season in October.
Torrance Rowe also shoots lefthanded and former Golden Eagle and current Graduate Assistant Manger Mitchell Hill was a southpaw during his Tech career as well.
YEAR IN RESIDENCY
Following a redshirt season in 2014-15, Savonte Frazier made his Golden Eagle debut against Pidemont College, dishing out five assists and hitting his lone field goal attempt, a 3-pointer, to finish with three points.
Steve Payne raved about the youngster's improvement over the summer, making note of his improved strength and shooting ability.
Payne also was quick to talk about his strong leadership ability, which he has displayed since day one in Cookeville, which all starts with his drive and toughness.
GOOD GENES
Courtney Alexander II has one of the best role models in which to model his game after that a freshman collegiate player can have. And he lives in the same house.
His father, Courtney Alexander Sr., was the 13th overall selection by the Orlando Magic in the 2000 NBA Draft.
Courtney Sr. went on to play three seasons in the Association, including stints with Dallas, Washington and New Orleans.
In college, he led the NCAA in scoring with 24.8 points per game as a senior at Fresno State.
IT STARTS WITH A PHILOSOPHY
The Golden Eagle basketball team owns a philosophy that does not change from year-to-year.
Share the ball and play hard.
Be great defensively.
Know how we win. We win with great defense and an inside-out offense.
We win with high basketball IQ and low turnover totals.
This year's class also brings a special kind of chemistry and different energy level than previous teams.
The players approach everything with a willingness to learn and eagerness to get started and better every day.
BLOCK PARTY
Adept at rejecting an opponents attempt at the bucket since his arrival to the Tech squad in 2012, Anthony Morse has quietly climbed his way up the all-time list for career blocks.
After blocking one shot in the season-opener, Morse now has 52 in his career and needs just 14 more to crack the top 10 in Tech history.
At the conclusion of his career in 1997, only three players (Adonal Foyle, Tim Duncan, and Alonzo Mourning) had more blocks in NCAA history than Tech's all-time leader, the late, great Lorenzo Coleman. With 439 rejections in four seasons, he still sits 12th all-time.
FAMILIAR ROOTS
By far the youngest player on the roster, Micaiah Henry hardly looks like a typical teen that just celebrated his 18th birthday. At 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds, there is plenty to work with in the post for the Tech squad.
The youngster has shown improvement since his arrival on campus, possessing a knack for rebounding and blocking shots.
He also comes from some familiar territory to the Golden Eagle program, hailing from Columbia High School (Ga.).
TTU legend Lorenzo Coleman, Tech's all-time leader in blocked shots also attended Columbia High School. The post also posted the most double-doubles in program history with 40 in four years.
ONE SHOT, ONE OPPORTUNITY
After receiving just one year of eligibility from the NCAA following his transfer from South Plains College, Ryan Martin is out to make the most of his lone season at the Division I level.
The native of London, England was heavily recruited by St. Jonh's University and drew interest from Arizona State, Gonzaga, VCU, Utah State and Louisiana, but the uncertainty of his status with the NCAA cooled most teams away from the big man.
Martin practiced all of last season with the Golden Eagles and participated in Tech's exhibition contest against Bluefield College.
Steve Payne loves Martin's energy level, raving about a motor that never seems to quit. He likes that the Brit plays with emotion and can use it to his advantage.
The senior possesses great rebounding ability and the option to step back and knock down shots from beyond the arc.
At South Plains College, Martin started 32 of 33 games as a sophomore, averaging 12.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
In his Golden Eagle debut, Martin tallied 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting and hauled in five rebounds with just 23 minutes of action.
EARNING A SPOT
A walk-on to the Tech roster back during the 2013-14 season, Mason Ramsey has done plenty to earn the respect of his teammates and coaches in his two season in the purple and gold.
The local Livingston, Tenn. native was awarded a scholarship by Steve Payne following the 2014-15 season, Ramsey's first year of action on the court in Eblen Center.
After redshirting in 2013-14, Ramsey became the first Tech freshman since 1986-87 to open his career with a double-double, posting 14 points and 14 rebounds.
Photo by Sean Setters
