LIVINGSTON, Ala. - The University of West Alabama Men's Basketball team is set to open up their 2025-26 season this weekend at the GSC/SIAC Crossover in Xenia, Ohio.
The Tigers are slated to begin their season on Friday with a 7:00 p.m. CST matchup against Albany State, before concluding the weekend on Saturday with a contest against, host, Central State on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. All games are set to be played at the John Wooden Family Fieldhouse.
West Alabama enters the 2025-26 campaign with a brand new roster. This past offseason, Head Coach Nick Woodruff and Assistant Coach Justin Allison brought in 12 newcomers to the program.
BJ Brown Jr., Caleb Parr, and Jakobe Singleton highlight the group of newcomers as the trio was named to the GSC Newcomer's Watchlist. Brown Jr. will be UWA's starting Point Guard to begin the year. The junior is as versatile of a Point Guard as they come, bringing in averages of 19.0 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game from his previous season at Huntingdon College. For Parr, he will give West Alabama a scoring punch. The 6'4"Guard comes to Livingston after spending time at Division I Queens and Northeast Mississippi CC. At Northeast Mississippi CC, Parr averaged 13.7 points on 44 | 40 | 83 percent shooting splits and will be a top scorer for the Tigers. Singleton may be the top overall scorer on UWA's roster. Singleton is a 6'6" forward that averaged 20.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game on 49 percent shooting. The forward is masterful on the low block but can get his buckets from all over the court.
While the Tigers brought in 12 new pieces, they also retained top talent from last year in Rasean Frederick, Travion McCray, and Elliot Tulip. Frederick is back and is ready for his second year with UWA after tearing his ACL in January. Frederick was West Alabama's best big last season as he averaged 11.3 points and 5.3 rebounds before his season was cut short. McCray played heavy minutes down the stretch of the 2024-25 season and is looking to build on his introductory year. As a freshman last season, Tulip played in 24 games and flashed brilliance. The Guard is one of the best shooters on the roster and is set to begin his sophomore campaign on Friday.
Albany State comes into the new year after an 18-12 season in 2024-25. The Golden Rams defeated the Tigers in the season opener last year. ASU went on to secure a berth in the SIAC Tournament and advanced to the Semifinals before being eliminated by Tuskegee.
ASU returns one of the best guards in the region in Shakur Poteat. Poteat was named the SIAC Preseason Player of the Year after averaging 18.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game in 2024-25. The guard scored in double digits in 29 of 30 games and scored 20 or more points in 15 games, including a season-high 31 coming against Edward Waters.
Alongside, Poteat, Blaise Wallace is another weapon for Albany State. Wallace averaged a double-double a season ago with 13.9 points and 10.3 rebounds per game on 48 percent shooting. The 6'7" forward recorded 15 double-doubles in 2024-25 which was highlighted by a 25-point, 24-rebound double-double against Fort Valley State.
Poteat and Wallace will be at the top of West Alabama's scouting report and if they can slow them down, they will give themselves a great chance on Friday.
For Central State, they went 17-16 last season and fell to the Tigers 83-59 on November 10. Out of their 17 wins, 11 of those came at home for the Marauders.
CSU's top returner is Ramar Pryor. Pryor comes into the new season after averaging 14.2 points per game on an efficient 50 | 38 | 82 percent shooting splits. In Central State's last meeting against the Tigers, Pryor led the Marauders with 18 points and seven rebounds. The senior is arguably the top athlete on CSU's roster and he'll have to turn in a big game and get some help from his teammates if they want to defend their home court against UWA on Saturday.
Tip-off for Friday's matchup against Albany State is set for 7:00 p.m. CST while Saturday's contest against Central State is slated for 7:00 p.m. CST from the John Wooden Family Fieldhouse in Xenia, Ohio.
