A mixture of second-year sophomores, NCAA Division I transfers, and talented freshmen has the Blinn College men’s basketball team excited for the new season.
Following a 2022-23 campaign that saw the Buccaneers finish 23-8 overall and second in the Region XIV South Zone with a 16-3 mark, a revamped Blinn squad is looking to make an even bigger splash.
The Bucs will get their first chance this week when they open play at home against Lone Star College-Tomball at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 1, at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.
“We’re very much trying to temper our expectations, but also holding our players accountable for what we believe is important to achieve,” Bucs head coach Scott Schumacher said. “Any success we have is going to take hard work and a lot of luck. Any coach will tell you that when their team is winning, that team is talented, they’re close, and they’ll sacrifice for each other, but a lot of luck goes into winning, also.”
(Pictured: Blinn College’s Masiah Gilyard dunks the ball during a game against Strength N Motion on Dec. 13, 2022)
Schumacher is hopeful the pendulum will swing the Bucs’ way with the help of returning sophomore guard Masiah Gilyard (guard), sophomore forwards Jamine Charles and Kelvin Tamakloe, and Division I arrivals Jadin Johnson (sophomore guard, Old Dominion), Reese Miller (freshman guard, Abilene Christian), Patrick Neal (sophomore guard, Prairie View A&M), and Nick Folk (sophomore guard, St. Francis). Sophomore forward Dresean Knight arrives from State College of Florida, while first-year freshmen Anthony Isaac (wing), Jaylin Payne (forward), Alan Garcia (guard), Shaun Ray (guard), and Harrison Oriakhi (wing) will look to make an impact for the Bucs.
“I’m very excited about this basketball team,” Schumacher added. “We have three guys from last year’s squad that had significant playing time for us on a great team, and then we brought in some transfers who had some very good experience at the Division I level and some freshmen we expect to really help us.”
Blinn’s top two scorers from last season — Elijah Elliott (16.7 points per game) and Marco Foster (14.7) — have graduated and moved on to Division I programs. Gilyard, who registered 8.6 points per contest to lead the trio of returning Bucs, said there’s a sense of intrigue surrounding the team as they look for new breakout players.
“We have key pieces that are going to help us excel as a team,” said Gilyard. “The team is gelling well together and there’s a sense of togetherness. On the court, everyone seems to have things figured out and the freshmen are ahead of schedule. It’s going to come down to everybody keeping each other involved and keeping each other in the game.”
Johnson said the Bucs’ success will come down to a willingness to take a workmanlike approach to the demands of the season.
(Pictured: Blinn College’s Jamine Charles scores on a layup during a game against Lone Star College-Cy Fair on Nov. 8, 2022)
“We need to take every day step by step without rushing the process,” Johnson explained. “Every practice has to be the biggest practice of the year; every game has to be the biggest game of the year; and we need to maximize each day, each drill, each game, each possession. That approach will translate to success.”
Blinn will be tested throughout the season, starting with a long road trip to the Elite 8 Shootout on Nov. 5-6. The Bucs will battle Murray State College and Northern Oklahoma College-Enid in Enid, Okla. On Nov. 16, Blinn travels to Odessa, Texas, for the three-day Wrangler Shootout, where it will face seventh-ranked Midland College, New Mexico Military Institute, and third-ranked Odessa College.
The Bucs’ Region XIV slate will be just as tough, as their conference lineup includes tilts with No. 24 Lee College, No. 18 Panola College, and No. 9 Trinity Valley Community College. The Region XIV preseason poll, which is voted on by the league’s coaches, predicts Lee to finish first in the South Zone with the Bucs finishing second. Blinn begins region play at home against Bossier Parish Community College at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 29.
“Last year, we finished one game away from winning the South after winning 16 out of 19 conference games,” Schumacher said. “That performance was a result of our players buying in to what we were trying to accomplish, and it’s going to take that same commitment from our guys this season. What is going to help us is the fact that we have mature, older players who have played in this region or have played against some tough opponents at the Division I level. Those guys are going to bring a great understanding of what it takes to win the tough ballgames that are coming.”
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 44 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
