OPENING TIP: The sixth season under head coach Penny Collins kicks off with two home games at the Gentry Center: one against Fisk on Monday at 7:30, and another against Kentucky State on Thursday at 7:00.
WHERE TO WATCH & LISTEN: TSU Basketball can be heard on WNSR's flagship network, 560 AM, 95.9 FM (Nashville), 107.9 FM (Smyrna), and WNSR.com. Globally, the broadcast is available on Sirius XM. Additionally, WNSR will provide in-depth pregame coverage 15 minutes prior to tip-off, along with extensive postgame analysis, exclusive interviews with coaches and players, and behind-the-scenes content to engage fans on a deeper level. "The Voice of the Tigers" Greg Pogue returns for his 12th season behind the mic and will be joined by Nashville broadcasting legend Albert Dawson. The action can also be streamed on the TSU Tigers app.
The Matchup:
Tennessee State Tigers (0-0, 0-0 OVC) vs Fisk Bulldogs (0-1, 0-0 GCAC)
Date/Time: Monday, November 6 at 7:30 PM
Location: Gentry Center || NASHVILLE
TV: ESPN+
Radio: WNSR — Greg Pogue (play-by-play), Albert Dawson (analyst)
LIVE STATS
SERIES INFORMATION:
The 26th all-time meeting between TSU and Fisk opens the 2023-24 season, with the Tigers holding a 22-3 record against the Bulldogs. The Tigers have won the last 14 meetings dating back to the 1944-45 season. Last season, TSU defeated Fisk 85-75 in front of a nearly sold-out Gentry Center. Jr. Clay finished with 29 points in his TSU debut, playing 34 minutes. TSU dominated inside the paint, scoring 36 points. Thursday's contest will mark the first-ever meeting between TSU and Kentucky State.ALL-OVC PRESEASON SQUAD: Junior Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. and senior transfer Kinyon Hodges were both named to the Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Team. Fitzgerald Jr. ended the season with averages of 13.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. He reached double figures in 22 games, with his best performance against Brescia, scoring 30 points. Hodges, a transfer from Eastern Illinois, averaged 14.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, shooting 50 percent from the field in his sole season with the Panthers. Hodges concluded the season with 23 games in double figures, including six with 20 or more points.
MR. NASHVILLE ARRIVES: Jaylen Jones enters the Gentry Center as one of the most prolific point guards in Nashville and one of the top three players from the State of Tennessee. Jones will compete for playing time in a veteran guard system.
LOOK THROUGH THE PORTAL: Coach Collins scouted the transfer portal for the newest Tigers and recruited five highly sought-after players: Kinyon Hodges from Eastern Illinois, Jason Jitoboh from Florida, Denim Dawson from Nebraska, and E.J. Bellinger Jr. and Michael Shanks from Belmont. Jitoboh, Bellinger, and Hodges will have one season of eligibility as graduate students, while Dawson and Shanks have multiple seasons remaining. In Collins' five previous seasons, he recruited 11 D1 transfer portal players.
HODGES HOAGIES: Kinyon Hodges, a 6'2" guard from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, spent his first three seasons at Three Rivers College before transferring to EIU last season. A member of the OVC Newcomer Team, Hodges led the Panthers in scoring, averaging 14.9 points per game, and was strong on the glass, pulling down 3.4 rebounds per contest. Hodges recorded 20 or more points six times last season, with a career-best 25 points at UT Martin on Jan. 21. Hodges nearly brought EIU back from a deficit against TSU with 15 of his 22 points in the second half. Hodges was two rebounds short of a double-double (17 pts, 8 rebs.) at SIUE on Feb. 11. A minutes-eater, Hodges played 30 or more minutes in 19 games and had 35 or more minutes in 13 games.
GATOR HUNTING SEASON: Jason Jitoboh, a 6'11" center from Abuja, Nigeria by way of Chattanooga, Tennessee, played four seasons with the Gators but was sidelined his junior season due to an eye injury that required him to wear special protective glasses on the floor. After overcoming incredible odds, Jitoboh found himself in the starting lineup late last season. In 83 games in Gainesville, Jitoboh started 11 games, including the final seven games in Blue and Orange. Jitoboh's final two games saw him finish with eight points and three blocks against Mississippi State at the SEC Championship in Nashville. He added four points, two rebounds, and two assists against Central Florida in the Postseason NIT. Jitoboh scored a career-best 12 points, making all six baskets against Ole Miss on Jan. 24, 2022. On the glass, he had his best outing with 10 rebounds against Vanderbilt on Jan. 22, 2022. Before his season-ending injury as a junior, Jitoboh was on pace for his best season at Florida, averaging 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. Jitoboh is the second Tiger to transfer in from an SEC team, as he will join former Georgia Bulldog Christian Brown, who averaged 12.1 points per game in 17 appearances last season.
CA - NB - TN: Denim Dawson, a 6'6" combo guard from San Bernardino, Calif., saw increased minutes early in Big Ten action as a redshirt-freshman and made eight consecutive starts for the Cornhuskers. Dawson played a season-best 39 minutes against Penn State last season while averaging 14.1 minutes per game. Dawson is looked at as a top perimeter defensive player and an overall excellent athlete. Dawson was a highly recruited three-star athlete from Southern California Academy and originally chose the Big Ten's Cornhuskers over the likes of Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, DePaul, and mid-major powerhouse Iona.
COLLINS ADDS BELMONT FRIENDS: E.J. Bellinger, a 6'4" guard from St. Peters, Missouri, played four seasons at Belmont, averaging 3.2 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. Bellinger's versatility and athleticism make him a valuable addition to the TSU Tigers' roster. Bellinger set a career-best with 14 points, knocking down all four triples against Valparaiso on December 1, 2022. The Missouri product had three other double-digit games as a member of the OVC, dropping 12 points vs Eastern Illinois on Jan. 24, 2022, and 10 points against SEMO (1/6/22) and UT Martin (1/9/21). In 88 games, all as a reserve, Bellinger averaged 7.
