LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The West Alabama men's basketball program kicks off the 2021-22 season, traveling to St. Petersburg, Fla. to participate in the Gulf South Conference/Sunshine State Conference Classic hosted by Eckerd College. During the two-day event, the Tigers will face Florida Southern College and host Eckerd on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
UWA tips off against Florida Southern and Eckerd at 2 p.m. CT/ 3 p.m. ET each day. The competition can be followed via live stats and live stream through the Eckerd athletic website.
This is the second season under the direction of Head Coach Nick Woodruff. The Tigers return eight players from the abbreviated Spring 2021 season, including veteran player Justin Allison in his third season. Other key returners include Shardarrion Allen and Kortrijk Miles, who were named to the 2021 All-Gulf South Conference West Division Team.
The Tigers closed the 2021 season 8-6 overall and 7-5 in conference play. UWA made it to the GSC playoffs' quarterfinals but fell 66-63 versus Lee University.
On Friday, Nov. 12, West Alabama will take on Florida Southern. The Moccasins closed the Spring 2021 season 7-5 with a SSC Championship game appearance. FSC is under the leadership of Mike Donnelly, who took the reins in 2015. He is 103-63 in his seventh season at Florida Southern and 298-215 with 18 years as a head coach.
The Tigers last faced the Moccasins during the 2019-20 season, falling 76-59 on their home court. Florida Southern leads the series 4-3.
UWA will take on Eckerd on Saturday, Nov. 13. The Tritons did not compete during the 2020-21 season due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They closed the 2019-20 season 10-18 and 6-14 in the Sunshine State Conference. Bryan Galuski is in his third year as the head coach of Eckerd and has garnered a 10-18 record with the team. As a head coach, Galuski is 193-204 with 15 years of experience under his belt.
The Tigers last faced the Tritons during the 2019 GSC/SSC Classic, hosted by UWA. West Alabama won the competition 82-63 but is behind in the series, 1-7.
To stay connected with the UWA Men's basketball team, follow @UWA_basketball on Twitter. General athletic news, along with game recaps and box scores, can be found at uwaathletics.com. Additional updates and information are available @UWAAthletics on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
