Men's Basketball | 11/5/2018 12:17:00 PM

Braves Begin 2018-19 Campaign with Tough Match-Up at Tulsa

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TULSA, Okla. – The 2018-19 season will get underway Tuesday when the Alcorn State University men's basketball program travels to Tulsa for a 7 p.m. tip at the Reynolds Center.
 
The Braves (0-0) brought back a starter and seven letterwinners from a year ago. Alcorn was picked to finish seventh in the SWAC Preseason Poll.
 
Alcorn head coach Montez Robinson enters his fourth season at the helm. He hoists a 33-21 record in the league and was the 2016-17 SWAC Coach of the Year.
 
Junior Maurice Howard comes back as the highest returning scorer for the Braves, averaging 10.3 points per game. Howard broke the program's single-season record for most three-pointers made with 74. He shot at a .357 mark from three-point range, and .368 in conference play.
 
Sophomore Troymain Crosby returns after finishing the 2017-18 season strong. He netted at least 15 points in each of the last four games including a 20-point outing against Texas Southern. At the SWAC Championships against Prairie View A&M, Crosby started and registered a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds.
 
Alcorn's lone returning starter is junior Devon Brewer. He made 24 starts last year and averaged 5.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Brewer led the team in field goal percentage with a .555 (76-137) clip.
 
Perhaps the biggest return to the roster is senior Reginal Johnson, a 1000-point scorer. He was the 2017-18 SWAC Preseason Player of the Year, but broke his leg in the non-conference against Tulane and missed the rest of the way. Although he's still recovering, Johnson is eligible to play this year. He was a 2016-17 HBCU All-American and led Alcorn in scoring as a junior with 15.6 points per outing.
 
The Braves reloaded with five JUCO transfers this year including a seven-footer Alonzo Campbell. Alcorn also brought in junior forward Deshaw Andrews who was an NJCAA Division I All-American.
 
Tulsa (0-0) returns three starters and eight letterwinners from a team that finished 19-12, 12-6 American last year. Senior point guard Sterling Taplin was named to the Preseason All-Conference Second-Team after averaging 11.8 points, 4.4 assists and 3.7 rebounds last season.
 
It's just the second-ever meeting between the team teams. The Golden Hurricane took the first 92-79 in 1984-85.
 
The game will be nationally televised on ESPN3. Click here for the link.
 
NOTES
- The Braves are looking to open the season with a win over a Division I school for the first time since 1997-98 when they beat Southeastern Louisiana 114-110.
 
- Alcorn will get healthy bodies back after battling an injury-plagued season a year ago. Three student-athletes were on the team last year but redshirted including junior Khari Jabriel Allen, junior Harold Givens and sophomore Noah Plain.
 
- Alcorn will play a loaded non-conference schedule which includes trips to Tulsa, Vanderbilt, Kent State, Liberty, Mississippi State, UAB and South Florida.
 
- The Braves ranked first in the SWAC in assists with 13.1 per game last year. They were second in both three-point percentage (.338) and three-pointers made per game (7.5). Howard finished third in the league individually in three-pointers made per game with 2.3.
 
- Alcorn was undefeated last year when it shot over 50 percent from the field, and also unbeaten when it scored over 80 points.
 
- Alcorn will look to replace A.J. Mosby who graduated last year and led the team with 15.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game on the season. Mosby, an HBCU All-American and All-Conference Second-Team selection, was drafted in the second round of the NBA G-League by the Northern Arizona Suns. Additionally, Mosby was on Team SWAC in the inaugural Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship and helped the team reach the final four out of 32 conferences.
 
- Prior to Alcorn's injury-filled season last year, the program was coming off back-to-back second-place finishes with 13-5 records in conference. It was the first back-to-back winning seasons at Alcorn in 15 years.
 
- Robinson's coaching staff includes the 2004 SWAC Newcomer of the Year and All-Conference First-Team honoree Delvin Thompson who played at Alcorn, Derek Thompson who has over 10 years of collegiate coaching experience and Evans Davis who most recently was the head coach at Armstrong State.
 
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