2022-23 'Roo Men's Basketball Preview

SHERMAN, Texas - The Austin College men's basketball heads into the 2022-23 campaign looking to find its way back into the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament this season after a string of injuries derailed the team's season and left the 'Roos 5-20 overall and 2-14 in conference play a year ago.

Head coach Rodney Wecker returns plenty of important pieces and also welcomes a large group of transfers and freshmen this season, and the 'Roos will be built for speed in the upcoming year. Leading the way is senior wing Tristan Dick, whose size and athleticism at 6-foot-3 enable him to play multiple positions on both ends of the court. The All-Conference selection averaged 12.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.0 steals-per-game last year, and has been a double-digit scorer in two of his first three seasons with the 'Roos.

He'll be joined by two other seniors this season in guard Jonathan Lawrence and post player Rex King. Both have gotten plenty of minutes over the course of their careers, with the 6-foot-3 Lawrence shooting just under 30% from long distance in his career while the 6-foot-5 King posted 4.3 points-per-game while shooting nearly 54% from the field a year ago. Also returning this season is forward Jason Jones Jr., a 6-foot-4 All-SCAC performer who has been one of the top rebounds in the SCAC in each of his first two seasons. As a sophomore last season, Jones averaged 8.5 points and 8.3 rebounds-per-game, and in his first two seasons has a career field goal percentage of 55.1%.

Jackson Rennie and Chase Antosca bring more scoring to this year's roster, with Rennie a deadly shooter from the perimeter after knocking down 90 triples at a clip of 34.7% last season as a freshman, while Antosca has shown a strong ability to take his defenders inside and score in the paint. The junior guard averaged 7.9 points and shot 49.4% a year ago, while Rennie averaged 12.3 points-per-game in his first collegiate season. 

The 'Roos will have plenty of other options in the backcourt from other returners like Joshua Joe, Kaleb Bennett, and Christian Luera this season, giving Wecker the depth to run and play tenacious defense this season. Joe returns after missing all of last year with an injury after averaging 7.1 points in 11 appearances as a freshman. Bennett saw action in 21 games last year, while Luera has logged time in 24 games in his first two season with the 'Roos. Adding to the frontcourt depth will be Ocie Berry, a 6-foot-7 sophomore who saw time in 20 games last year.

Austin College welcomes in a pair of transfers in T'Cory James, a 6-foot-1 guard, and DeMarion Scott, another perimeter player at 6-foot-2. Wecker also brought in six freshmen in this year's class, including the 6-foot-7 Ethan Pearce and the 6-foot-6 Jordan Hudgins, while 6-foot-4 wing players Nate Williams and Kidus Getenet will also be expected to make an impact. Rounding out the class are another pair of athletics guards in 6-foot-3 Bryce Andrews and 6-foot-1 Tristen Armas.

Austin College opens up the season at home on November 8, when the 'Roos take on Hendrix College at 7:30 p.m. in Hughey Gym.