By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Celebrating its 100th anniversary, the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team will kick off the 2022-23 campaign with a familiar trip east to Knoxville, squaring off with No. 11 Tennessee on Monday's opening night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Tip is slated for 6:00 p.m. CT against a Vols squad that downed No. 2 Gonzaga, 99-80, in an exhibition affair in Frisco, Texas back on Oct. 28. The Golden Eagles claimed their own exhibition win on the 28th as well, downing Cumberland 80-69 in Cookeville.
The contest will mark Tech's third with the Vols since head coach John Pelphrey took over the reins of the Golden Eagles program.
The Tech roster adds several new faces to the mix for this season, but also welcome back five returners from the 2021-22 squad. Back for the purple and gold are junior guard Diante Wood, junior forward Daniel Ramsey, sophomore forward Jalen Stayton, sophomore guard Bailey Gilliam, and redshirt freshman forward Isaiah Nelson-Ododa.
Two freshmen and 10 transfers make up the rest of the roster this season, with a slew of experience mixed among the group. Local guard Grant Strong (Clay County HS) will join forward Jerome Beya (Sunrise Christian Academy [KS]) as the lone rookies on the squad.
Guard Ty Perry (Lafayette) and forward Jaylen Sebree (Florida Atlantic/Morehead State) make up a duo of graduate transfers set to make an impact both on the court and from a leadership standpoint. Center Nolan Causwell (Laramie County CC) and guard Brett Thompson (Mineral Area CC) represent a pair of junior college transfers with valuable minutes to add to the depth of the team.
Guards Jayvis Harvey (James Madison/Georgia Highlands College) and Erik Oliver (Laramie County CC/South Dakota) boast experience at two levels of the game and are expected to play big roles this season for the Golden Eagles. Sparta native Grant Slatten returns to the Upper Cumberland after spending his freshman year at Ole Miss, providing another weapon for Pelphrey to utilize.
Bogdan Zimonjic comes to Tech after a year at Florida Atlantic and a summer playing for his native Serbia. Marcus Lee Jr. represents the team's second manager in as many years to earn a walk-on roster spot after transferring to Tech last year from UT Southern. Walter Peggs Jr. became the third manager to earn a role on the roster on Oct. 21 after spending last season at Columbia State Community College.
Thompson led the purple and gold in scoring in the contest against Cumberland, dropping 17 points with four assists and three boards. He also drew a whopping 10 fouls, sacrificing his body all night. Oliver tallied 14 points off the bench, sinking 4-of-5 tries from distance.
Perry also contributed double-digits in points, producing 13 with three assists. Wood led the team with six dimes and tied Sebree for the team lead with seven boards. Sebree chipped in nine points and three dimes while Jayvis Harvey tacked on nine points.
Season tickets for Tennessee Tech men's basketball are now on sale. To order, call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office or visit TTUSports.com.
Photo by Emily Armstrong