2023–24 Tarleton State Texans men's basketball team American college basketball season
The 2023–24 Tarleton State Texans men's basketball team represented Tarleton State University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . They were led by fourth-year head coach Billy Gillispie and played their games at the Wisdom Gym as members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). They finished the season 25–10, 16–4 in WAC play , to finish in second place. As the No. 2 seed in the WAC tournament , they lost to UT Arlington in the semifinals.[ 1] CIT , where they defeated Texas Southern in the first round,[ 2] Abilene Christian in the quarterfinals,[ 3] Purdue Fort Wayne in the semifinals.[ 4]
This season marked Tarleton State's final year of a four-year transition period from Division II to Division I . As a result, the Texans were not eligible to play in the NCAA tournament , but were eligible to play in the WAC tournament .
On November 14, just four games into the season, head coach Billy Gillispie took a medical leave of absence, leaving Joseph Jones as the acting head coach. Gillespie later signed a two-year contract extension on March 5, but announced he would remain in an advisory role for the remainder of the season in order to fully recover.[ 5]
Previous season
The Texans finished the season 17–17, 9–9 in conference play, to finish in seventh place. In the WAC tournament , the team defeated UT Rio Grande Valley in their first-round game[ 6] Utah Valley in the quarterfinals.[ 7] NCAA tournament during their four-year transition from Division II to Division I, the Texans were invited to the College Basketball Invitational . They were defeated by the Radford in the first round to end their season.[ 8]
Roster
2023–24 Tarleton State Texans men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
G 0
Izzy Miles 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg)
Fr Grissom HS
Huntsville, AL
G 1
Miles Lewis 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg)
Jr Sacramento HS
Sacramento, CA
F 2
Traivar Jackson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg)
Jr West Anchorage HS
Anchorage, AK
G 3
Quinton II Perkins 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 173 lb (78 kg)
Fr Lake Highlands HS
Rowlett, TX
G 4
Lue Williams 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 197 lb (89 kg)
Sr Coastal Alabama CC–South
Atmore, AL
F 5
KiAndre Gaddy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg)
Sr Walla Walla
Dallas, TX
F 6
Jakorie Smith 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg)
Sr East Mississippi CC
Utica, MS
G 7
Kaya Mutambirwa 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg)
Fr Real Madrid HS
Geneva, Switzerland
G 8
Joseph Martinez 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg)
RS Fr Canutillo HS
El Paso, TX
F 9
Emmanuel Innocenti 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 198 lb (90 kg)
Fr ITC Piero Calamandrei
Ranzanico, Italy
G 10
Adam Moussa 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg)
Sr Black Hills State
Cairo, Egypt
G 11
Bubu Benjamin 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg)
Fr Edge HS
Medicine Hat, AB
G 12
Nasan Ayala 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 188 lb (85 kg)
Jr Pratt CC
Queens, NY
G 13
Devon Barnes 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 171 lb (78 kg)
So Shiloh HS
Hinesville, GA
C 20
Kevin Jr. Paul 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 202 lb (92 kg)
Fr Open Tent Academy
Grand Prairie, TX
G 22
Jalen Thomas 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg)
Sr Oklahoma Panhandle State
Amarillo, TX
F 23
Dario Domingos 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 250 lb (113 kg)
Jr UT Arlington
Midland, TX
G 26
Jayden Gordon 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 159 lb (72 kg)
Fr Harlan HS
San Antonio, TX
F 40
Blake Brinkmeyer 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg)
Sr Kirkwood CC
West Des Moines, IA
G 76
Zaakir Sawyer 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 208 lb (94 kg)
Jr Trinity Valley CC
Dallas, TX
F 77
Adil Lalji 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 190 lb (86 kg)
So Seattle Pacific
Seattle, WA
Head coach Assistant coach(es) Legend (C) Team captain(S) Suspended(I) Ineligible(W) Walk-on Roster
Schedule and results
Date
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Site (attendance)
Exhibition
October 30, 2023 *8:00 p.m., ESPN+
Howard Payne W 105–42 30 – Smith
15 – Gaddy
4 – Miles
Wisdom Gym Stephenville, TX
Regular season
November 6, 2023 *6:00 p.m.
at Virginia
L 50–80 0–1
11 – Barnes
5 –
3 – Benjamin
John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, VA
November 9, 2023 *6:00 p.m.
at FIU C–USA/WAC Alliance W 82–65 1–1
34 – Smith
14 – Gaddy
5 –
Ocean Bank Convocation Center Miami, FL
November 11, 2023 *7:00 p.m., ESPN+
UNT Dallas W 93–52 2–1
20 – Gaddy
13 – Innocenti
5 – Barnes
Wisdom Gym (1,040)Stephenville, TX
November 14, 2023 *7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Bradley SoCal Challenge campus gameL 63–86 2–2
16 –
6 – Williams
1 –
Carver Arena Peoria, IL
November 20, 2023 *4:00 p.m., ESPN+
vs. Austin Peay SoCal Challenge Sand Division semifinal W 66–59 3–2
28 – Smith
7 –
4 –
The Pavilion at JSerra San Juan Capistrano, CA
November 22, 2023 *4:30 p.m., FloHoops
vs. Cal State Bakersfield SoCal Challenge Sand Division championship W 59–40 4–2
17 – Smith
13 – Innocenti
5 – Moussa
The Pavilion at JSerra (259)San Juan Capistrano, CA
November 29, 2023 6:30 p.m., ESPN+
at Stephen F. Austin
W 68–66 5–2
18 – Williams
9 – Williams
3 – Lewis
William R. Johnson Coliseum Nacogdoches, TX
December 2, 2023 4:00 p.m., ESPN+
UT Rio Grande Valley W 77–75 6–2
18 – Gaddy
10 – Gaddy
5 – Barnes
Wisdom Gym (1,327)Stephenville, TX
December 5, 2023 *7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Hardin–Simmons W 92–56 7–2
16 – Williams
6 – Benjamin
3 – Moussa
Wisdom Gym (1,210)Stephenville, TX
December 12, 2023 *7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Sterling W 85–47 8–2
17 – Smith
12 – Gaddy
4 – Smith
Wisdom Gym (605)Stephenville, TX
December 18, 2023 *7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Jacksonville State C-USA /WAC AllianceL 62–65 8–3
20 – Barnes
9 – Innocenti
4 –
Wisdom Gym (1,754)Stephenville, TX
December 21, 2023 *5:30 p.m., ESPN+
at No. 8 Tennessee
L 46–65 8–4
12 – Barnes
8 – Smith
5 – Williams
Thompson-Boling Arena Knoxville, TN
December 29, 2023 *9:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Loyola Marymount
W 79–66 9–4
24 – Gaddy
12 – Gaddy
8 – Innocenti
Gersten Pavilion Los Angeles, CA
January 4, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+
UT Arlington W 78–76 10–4
19 – Innocenti
8 – Jackson
5 – Barnes
Wisdom Gym (1,078)Stephenville, TX
January 11, 2024 9:00 p.m., ESPN+
at California Baptist
L 63–77 10–5
12 – Barnes
5 – Innocenti
2 –
Fowler Events Center Riverside, CA
January 13, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Grand Canyon
L 48–74 10–6
11 – Barnes
5 – Gaddy
2 –
GCU Arena Phoenix, AZ
January 18, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Abilene Christian W 79–71 11–6
25 – Smith
9 – Innocenti
4 –
Wisdom Gym (2,104)Stephenville, TX
January 20, 2024 6:30 p.m., ESPN+
at UT Rio Grande Valley
W 77–73 12–6
28 – Williams
8 – Gaddy
7 – Innocenti
UTRGV Fieldhouse Edinburg, TX
January 25, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Southern Utah L 70–73 12–7
22 – Barnes
9 – Innocenti
5 – Innocenti
Wisdom Gym (1,677)Stephenville, TX
January 27, 2024 4:00 p.m., ESPN+
Utah Tech W 86–68 13–7
28 – Smith
7 – Innocenti
7 – Moussa
Wisdom Gym (2,110)Stephenville, TX
February 1, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Abilene Christian
W 76–73 OT
14–7
25 – Williams
12 – Gaddy
3 – Smith
Moody Coliseum Abilene, TX
February 3, 2024 4:00 p.m., ESPN+
Stephen F. Austin W 75–64 15–7
27 – Williams
6 – Gaddy
4 –
Wisdom Gym (2,140)Stephenville, TX
February 8, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Utah Valley
W 72–61 16–7
21 – Williams
10 – Innocenti
4 –
UCCU Center Orem, UT
February 10, 2024 5:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Seattle
W 82–77 17–7
26 – Smith
7 –
4 – Innocenti
Redhawk Center Seattle, WA
February 15, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at UT Arlington
W 80–78 18–7
22 – Williams
7 – Innocenti
5 –
College Park Center Arlington, TX
February 22, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Grand Canyon W 77–74 19–7
24 – Smith
14 – Gaddy
4 – Innocenti
Wisdom Gym (3,000)Stephenville, TX
February 24, 2024 4:00 p.m., ESPN+
California Baptist W 82–65 20–7
33 – Barnes
5 –
10 – Moussa
Wisdom Gym (2,276)Stephenville, TX
February 29, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Utah Tech
W 85–74 21–7
24 – Smith
8 – Williams
5 – Smith
Burns Arena St. George, UT
March 2, 2024 6:30 p.m., ESPN+
at Southern Utah
W 88–83 22–7
22 – Smith
8 – Gaddy
6 – Moussa
America First Event Center Cedar City, UT
March 7, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Utah Valley L 60–63 22–8
18 – Barnes
8 – Smith
3 – Jackson
Wisdom Gym (N/A)Stephenville, TX
March 9, 2024 4:00 p.m., ESPN+
Seattle W 69–66 23–8
21 – Gaddy
10 – Innocenti
5 –
Wisdom Gym (2,024)Stephenville, TX
WAC tournament
March 15, 2024 10:30 p.m., ESPNU
(2)
vs. (3) UT Arlington Semifinals L 84–87 23–9
24 – Barnes
7 – Innocenti
4 –
Orleans Arena Paradise, NV
CIT
March 19, 2024 *6:00 pm, ESPN+
Texas Southern First round – Lou Henson Classic W 82–71 24–9
21 – Williams
10 – Gaddy
6 – Moussa
Wisdom Gym (1,426)Stephenville, TX
March 20, 2024 *6:00 pm, ESPN+
Abilene Christian Quarterfinals – Lou Henson Classic W 86–59 25–9
16 – Gaddy
8 – Innocenti
6 – Innocenti
Wisdom Gym (1,576)Stephenville, TX
March 25, 2024 *6:00 pm, ESPN+
Purdue Fort Wayne Semifinals L 72–73 25–10
16 – Moussa
7 – Smith
4 – Moussa
Wisdom Gym (1,686)Stephenville, TX
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in
Central .
Source:[ 9]
References
^ Loewe, Andrew (March 15, 2024). "#2 Tarleton State falls on wrong end of last second shot in WAC Tournament Semifinals against #3 UT Arlington" . Tarleton State University Athletics . Retrieved January 29, 2025 . ^ Loewe, Andrew (March 19, 2024). "Tarleton State knocks off Texas Southern in opening round of Lou Henson Classic" . Tarleton State University Athletics . Retrieved January 29, 2025 . ^ Loewe, Andrew (March 20, 2024). "Tarleton State routs Abilene Christian to win the Lou Henson Classic Championship, to host the CIT Semifinals Monday night" . Tarleton State University Athletics . Retrieved January 29, 2025 . ^ Loewe, Andrew (March 25, 2024). "Tarleton State record-breaking season comes to an end in CIT Semifinals" . Tarleton State University Athletics . Retrieved January 29, 2025 . ^ Thamel, Pete (March 5, 2024). "Sources: Tarleton State, Billy Gillispie near 2-year extension" . ESPN.com . Retrieved April 9, 2024 .^ "Survive and advance: Texans hold off Vaqueros in WAC Tournament opener, win first D1 conference tournament game in Tarleton Athletics history" . Tarleton State University Athletics . March 7, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2025 .^ "Tarleton falls in WAC Tournament quarterfinals to Utah Valley, awaits potential postseason tournament invite" . Tarleton State University Athletics . March 9, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2025 .^ "Hicks' big day not enough as Tarleton's season ends in OT thriller against Radford in CBI" . Tarleton State University Athletics . March 19, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2025 .^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Schedule" . tarletonsports.com . Retrieved April 9, 2024 .
Venues People Seasons NCAA Final Four appearances in italics
