LIVINGSTON, Ala. - With the start of the 2024-25 season just four days away, the University of West Alabama Athletic Department provides an in-depth look at the Men's Basketball program.

After a 19-11 season and a trip to the GSC Semifinals in 2023-24, the Tigers will officially kick off their 2024-25 campaign this weekend at the SIAC/GSC Crossover with matchups against Albany State on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Central State on Sunday at 4:00 p.m.

Head coach Nick Woodruff has built a winning culture in Livingston, as he enters his fifth year at the helm. UWA is 78-30 in the Woodruff era, winning two GSC Championships and making a pair of appearances in the NCAA Tournament. This season, Woodruff adds one of his former players and West Alabama standout, Justin Allison, to his staff as the main assistant.

Championships are the expectation for coach Woodruff and his staff, so after the Tigers failed to reach the GSC Championship game last season, Woodruff completely overhauled the roster this past offseason. In 2024-25, UWA only returns four players from last year's roster while bringing in nine newcomers.

Jaylen Lemons and Thaddeus Williams headline the short list of returners as the duo led the Tigers in scoring last season. Lemons enters his second year in the program after averaging a team-high 13.7 points per game in his first season with West Alabama. The 5'11" guard stands as one of the best shooters in the GSC as the senior comes into the new campaign after shooting 38.8 percent from three last season, ranking second in the league. Lemons' backcourt partner, Williams, was just as good in 2023-24. Williams averaged 13.6 points per game, while leading the team in assists with 2.4 per game. The 5'11" guard was also active in the passing lanes, registering 1.1 steals as the Tigers' electric backcourt duo looks to pick up where they left off.

Caleb McGill and Marcellious Lockett are also key returners for UWA in 2024-25. McGill is a 6'6" combo forward who can stretch the floor and score in bursts for West Alabama. The forward saw his minutes take a leap late in 2023-24 and is in contention to start at the four this season. As for Lockett, he is slated to assume a bigger role in the new campaign after only playing in five games this past season. Standing at 6'3", Lockett will most likely be the Tigers' backup two-guard, providing a scoring punch for the bench unit.

For the newcomers, Michael McIntosh, Jalil Robinson, and Charles Fofanah headline the class. McIntosh joins the program after competing with Coastal Alabama last season. The 6'7" forward was a handful for teams to handle on the JUCO circuit as he averaged 17.2 points and 7.6 rebounds on 63|40|70 percent shooting splits. 

As for Robinson, he joins the Tigers after playing for AUM in 2023-24. Robinson is a quick and shifty guard that knows how to get to his spots which allowed him to average 10.1 points and 2.7 assists per game in 23 minutes a night last year. 

Fofanah is one of the better two-way players on West Alabama's roster, entering the program after playing for Northwest Kansas Technical College. At Northwest Kansas, the 6'3" guard started all 32 games and put together a statline of 13.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals. 

Alongside McIntosh, Robinson, and Fofanah, Woodruff also brought in transfers, Rasean Frederick, Hugh Hargett, Dadrevius Weathers, Travion McCray, Bryson Hall, and freshman Elliot Tulip. Frederick and Hall will provide more depth and experience for the Tigers' frontcourt as both played at Division I schools in 2023-24. Weathers is another big that will add athleticism to that group. The forward played at Hutchinson CC last season and produced in the 19 minutes per game that he was given, averaging 9.7 points and 4.9 rebounds on 62 percent shooting.

McCray, Hargett, and Tulip are all guards that will battle for minutes to kick off the year. McCray is a 6'1" transfer guard from West Carolina that hasn't played in two seasons due to injuries. When active, the guard performed well, scoring 9.2 points per game for the Catamounts.

For Hargett, he played in a handful of games for Division I North Alabama last season. The combo guard enters his sophomore season in 2024-25 and possesses one of the best jump shots on the team along with West Alabama's only true freshman in Tulip. 

UWA is set to begin their 2024-25 season this weekend when they travel to Clinton, Mississippi for the SIAC/GSC crossover.