Men's Basketball 11/1/2024 3:38:00 PM

Blinn set to navigate revamped Region XIV as new season approaches

The Buccaneers open the year at the Elite 8 Shootout on Nov. 4

Men's Basketball 11/1/2024 3:38:00 PM

Blinn set to navigate revamped Region XIV as new season approaches

The Buccaneers open the year at the Elite 8 Shootout on Nov. 4

The Binn College men's basketball team is ready to set sail on a new season, only this time, the waters ahead are rife with new challenges.

The Buccaneers kick things off against Frank Phillips College in the Elite 8 Shootout at 2 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 4, in Edmond, Okla. That matchup is just one of eight non-region games Blinn will play this season before turning its attention to a restructured and stronger Region XIV.

After Jacksonville College and Victoria College disbanded their programs, the Buccaneers' region — Region XIV — has done away with its North and South subdivisions, leaving 12 teams who will now compete in a 22-game region slate for the first time in more than 10 seasons. Instead of the North and South squads facing each other just once during the regular season, those teams will now meet twice. For Blinn and the other teams out of the South, that means home-and-away matchups with a North side that boasted six teams with winning records last season, including national tournament qualifiers Panola College and Trinity Valley Community College.

"These developments obviously make our region a lot tougher," Bucs head coach Scott Schumacher said. "This isn't my first time through a region schedule like this – I'm one of a few coaches in our region who have been through a 22-game slate, so I understand what it means for our guys. There rarely was a situation before where you could get away with having an off night, and that is an even bigger truth now."

The reconfigured region slate presents an opportunity for Blinn to prove itself following back-to-back 23-8 seasons in which the Bucs finished as runners-up in the South behind Lee College.

Scott Schumacher 2023-24

(Pictured: Blinn head coach Scott Schumacher speaks to his team during a game against Bossier Parish on Nov. 29, 2023)

Blinn returns two starters from last season's squad in sophomore forward Anthony Isaac (All-Region XIV South and All-Region XIV last season) and sophomore guard Reese Miller. Sophomore guard Shawn Ray and 2023-24 redshirt sophomore guard Jaden Andrew are also back.

Around that core, Schumacher has pieced together an exciting mix of NCAA Division I transfers and high school standouts.

Among the NCAA transfers are 6-foot-8 forward London Maiden (Kent State University), 6-foot-5 guard Corey Chesley (Virginia Military Institute) and 6-foot guard Isaiah Thompson (Lafayette College). They are joined by first-year Bucs Jakeel Registe – a 6-foot-6 guard who received a handful of Division I offers before signing with Blinn; Dashawn Ceaser – a 6-foot-3 guard who was a Louisiana High School Athletic Association Class 3A All-State first-team selection and named the Class 3A MVP; and Martez James – a 6-foot-5 forward rated as the 76th-best player in the state of Texas out of College Park High School.

"We feel really good about what we were able to do from a recruiting standpoint," Schumacher said. "We always look at Texas first, but I've been doing this a long time, and you tend to build connections in different states and get a chance to find special players in other areas. We took advantage of that again this year."

Other arrivals of interest for Blinn are freshman forwards Nolan Aigberadion and Ziyade Ndancky, who at 6-foot-11 and 6-foot-10, respectively, add to the Bucs' size in the post. Freshman guards Jerry Peoples and Hosea Steele are also intriguing additions and could make an immediate impact.

Anthony Isaac 2023-24

(Pictured: Blinn's Anthony Isaac battles a pair of Paris defenders on his way to the basket during a game Jan. 17, 2024)

Blinn is hoping the new additions will help rebuild an offense which graduated two double-digit scorers from last season's squad.

Isaac checks in as the Bucs' top offensive threat after he averaged 15.1 points per game as a freshman. He had 10 games of 20 or more points to go with 11 double-doubles (points and rebounds). He paced Blinn with 8.3 rebounds per game. Miller was a threat at the 3-point line last year, where he shot 31% while averaging 6.7 points. Ray came off the bench to average 3.6 points for the Bucs.

"We lost some good sophomores from last year, but the guys who have come back and the new guys coming in are big pieces for what we're trying to accomplish this year," Isaac said. "We've improved everywhere – our wings, our big men, our guards – and I think that makes us more prepared for the long haul of the season."

Miller said Schumacher has made it a point to regularly remind his team that in the revamped region, an off night could spell defeat. The Bucs finished 14-5 in region tilts last season.

"Nothing is guaranteed in our region," Miller said. "I think we learned that last year where maybe we took some teams lightly and didn't get the outcomes we wanted. Those are lessons we'll learn from and we'll share with the new players, because our goal is to get that top seed this year."

Trinity Valley and Panola both begin the season featured in the NJCAA Division I top-25 poll, where they sit fifth and 16th, respectively. Lee and Kilgore College did not crack the poll but received votes.

Reese Miller 2023-24

(Pictured: Blinn's Reese Miller shoots during a game against Dallas College North Lake on Nov. 10, 2023)

Blinn's region schedule begins with a home game against Coastal Bend at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 4.

"Everybody in this region does a good job coaching their teams and getting them ready to compete each and every night," Schumacher said. "This region is a bear, there's no ifs, ands, or buts about it – it's a grind every day. You have to have guys who are mentally tough and ready to endure the ups and downs of the schedule, and I think we have those guys."

Fans wishing to follow the Bucs this season can catch live broadcasts of home games at www.buccaneersports.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule.

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 49 national championships since 1987.

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