By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball will officially kick off the 2023-24 season Monday evening, traveling east down I-40 for a match-up with No. 9 Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. It marks the second straight year the Golden Eagles will open a campaign against the Vols.
Tip is slated for 5:30 p.m. CT against a UT squad that downed No. 4 Michigan State, 89-88, in an exhibition affair in on the Spartans' home floor in East Lansing, Mich. The Vols also claimed an exhibition win against Lenoir-Rhyne in Rocky Top, 90-48.
The action can be followed live via radio with Dylan Vazzano and Frank Harrell on the call on 106.1 The Eagle. Fans can also view the action live on SEC Network+.
The contest will mark Tech's fourth with the Vols since head coach John Pelphrey took over the reins of the Golden Eagles program.
This season, the purple and gold welcome 10 newcomers with seven members of the 2022-23 squad back in Cookeville. Back for the Golden Eagles are Harvey, Wood, Grant Slatten, Grant Strong, Erik Oliver, Bogdan Zimonjic, and Jerome Beya.
New to the crew for 2023-24 campaign are sophomore guard Brandon Brown (Bristol, Tenn. / Lees-McRae), sophomore guard Nick Choate (Livingston, Tenn. / Livingston Academy), sophomore center David Craig (Johannesburg, South Africa / Mercer), sophomore guard Josiah Davis (Kitchener, Ontario / West Virginia), junior guard David Early (Logan, W.Va. / Marshall), sophomore forward Daniel Egbuniwe (Memphis, Tenn. / Little Rock), junior forward Rodney Johnson Jr. (Bryan, Texas / Weatherford College), freshman guard Kyle Layton (McKinney, Texas / Mountain Brook [AL] HS), freshman forward Rylee Samons (Pikeville, Ky. / Pikeville HS), and junior guard DeSean Woods (Lexington, Ky. / Southern U.).
In Tech's first exhibition contest with UT Southern, Preseason All-OVC Team honoree Harvey tied for the team lead with 16 points. Davis, a sophomore transfer, also tallied 16 points in the affair, finishing 6-for-9 from the floor with four rebounds, two assists, and two steals off the bench.
The Celina native Strong tallied 14 points while shooting 5-for-8 from the field and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc.
Competing in Clarksville, Tenn. in a charity exhibition with Austin Peay, junior transfer Early paced the team with 12 points and a pair of dimes. Craig, a sophomore transfer, tacked on nine points in 15 minutes off the bench, chipping in four boards as well. Johnson led the Golden Eagles with seven rebounds in 22 minutes of action.
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 Jim Dillon
