By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – With just one week before his first (exhibition) contest in the Hooper Eblen Center and two weeks before his first official game at the head of the Tennessee Tech men's basketball program, Coach John Pelphrey was on hand for the media in Evansville, Ind. as part of the 2019-20 Ohio Valley Conference Media Day.
A nine-year veteran as a head coach with more than 25 years of total coaching experience at the NCAA Division I level, Pelphrey has seen his fair share of media day events.
"It's all similar," Pelphrey said. "It's another indicator that basketball season is coming. The games are coming. There's obviously a level of excitement. This league has had huge success here, especially last season with two teams making the NCAA Tournament, the postseason wins and the players being drafted. College basketball is an exciting thing to be a part of and the Ohio Valley Conference is on an uptick.
"There's notoriety. It's a very, very competitive league for coaches, for players and for programs, so that's very exciting to be a part of. Our players feel that and our coaches feel that with our opportunity to be at Tennessee Tech and in the Ohio Valley Conference. It's very challenging and competitive and the very reason you sign up for this."
The leader of the purple and gold heads into his first season in Cookeville with a very young group on the court, a squad of 17 players that have combined to make just 58 starts at the Division I level. Among the 17 Golden Eagles suiting up this season, 11 are underclassmen and three more are new to the 2019-20 roster.
Despite the youth, the Golden Eagles return several members of the team that earned immediate and sizable playing time during the 2018-19 campaign, including sophomore point guard Jr. Clay. The Chattanooga native, who led Tech in scoring (14.4 points per game), assists (124) and steals (51) a season ago, was named to the Preseason All-OVC Team on Tuesday, a nod to the performance from a rookie campaign that saw him earn spots on the All-OVC Second Team and OVC All-Newcomer Team.
"I'll tell you, I really enjoy this group of guys," Pelphrey said of the team. "For myself and our coaching staff, we're all excited to be here and it is exactly what we thought it was. It's a great home and there's an opportunity for us to build."
Pelphrey went on to explain the importance of Golden Eagle fans as the young team embarks on its inaugural campaign under the newly minted head coach, "We need our fans to be a part of this process. We are learning, growing and trying to get better at taking on challenges, and they (the fans) are a part of it. We want them to take ownership and to be invested. We want them to be at the games and support us, because in college basketball, fans probably impact the game more than any other sport. You're closer to the court and it's just kind of a phenomenon. You can inspire your team and make it even more challenging for your opponent."
Just a few more practices remain for the Golden Eagles before the first taste of action, and Pelphrey can't wait to keep working and building the program towards its next chapter.
"For me as the head coach, I get great energy every single day from going to practice because of who we work for," Pelphrey expressed. "[Tech Director of Athletics] Mark Wilson and [Tech President] Dr. Phil Oldham provide great support and understanding of what we're trying to get done, but the student-athletes… these guys are always trying to learn, listen and grow. They want to get better. They love Tennessee Tech. They love Cookeville. So from that perspective, and for me as a coach, that's exciting. I want to bring my best every single day so that we can get better and take on these challenges and do something that hasn't been done here in a long, long time."
The Golden Eagles will play host to Bryan College in an exhibition contest on Tuesday, Oct. 29 as part of Tech's annual Purple Palooza. Tip for the men's game is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. CT while the night's festivities will kick off at 5:00 p.m.
Tech will officially begin the 2019-20 campaign on Nov. 5 with a 7:00 p.m. road test at former OVC rival Western Kentucky.
Season tickets for Tennessee Tech basketball are on sale now. Call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office, or log on to TTUSports.com to order yours today.
2019-20 Preseason All-OVC Men's Basketball Team
Jomaru Brown, Eastern Kentucky
Tevin Brown, Murray State
Jr. Clay, Tennessee Tech
Darnell Cowart, Murray State
Quintin Dove, UT Martin
Grayson Murphy, Belmont
Nick Muszynski, Belmont
Craig Randall II, UT Martin
Terry Taylor, Austin Peay
Jordan Walker, Morehead State
Josiah Wallace, Eastern Illinois
2019-20 Preseason Player of the Year: Terry Taylor, Austin Peay
2019-20 OVC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Belmont (17 first-place votes) – 237 points
2. Murray State (7) – 223
3. Jacksonville State – 187
4. Austin Peay – 180
5. UT Martin – 154
6. Eastern Kentucky – 128
7. Eastern Illinois – 124
8. Morehead State – 113
9. Tennessee State – 90
10. SIUE – 63
11. Southeast Missouri – 49
12. Tennessee Tech - 36
2019-20 Media OVC Preseason Men's Predicted Order of Finish
1. Belmont (11 first-place votes) - 176 points
2. Murray State (3) – 165
3. Austin Peay (1) – 138
4. Jacksonville State – 126
5. UT Martin – 125
6. Eastern Illinois – 90
Morehead State – 90
8. Tennessee State – 74
9. Eastern Kentucky – 63
10. Tennessee Tech – 53
11. SIUE – 37
12. Southeast Missouri - 33
Preseason Player of the Year: Terry Taylor, Austin Peay
Photo by Thomas Corhern
