LIVINGSTON, Ala. - The University of West Alabama Men's Basketball team is set for their home opener against Georgia Southwestern on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. from Pruitt Hall.
West Alabama (2-0, 0-0 GSC) enters Wednesday's home opener after sweeping the GSC-SIAC Crossover this past weekend with wins coming against Albany State and Central State. As for Georgia Southwestern (2-0, 0-0 PBC), they come into the matchup with the Tigers after picking up road wins over Converse University and Ferrum College.
Four teams entered the GSC-SIAC Crossover in Xenia, Ohio this past weekend and only West Alabama came out on the other side undefeated. Over two games, UWA averaged 77 points while holding their two opponents to 60.5 points per game. The Tigers also made 15 threes on the weekend, with 13 coming in the season opener against Albany State.
Rasean Frederick currently leads West Alabama in scoring with 17.0 points per game on 55 percent shooting after a 19-point performance against Albany State and a 15-point performance against Central State. After suffering a knee injury in 2024-25, Frederick hasn't missed a beat and continues to be one of West Alabama's best players. In the front court with Frederick is Christian Thompson. Thompson shined in his UWA debut against the Golden Rams, grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds before turning in a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double against the Marauders. The Forward averaged 10.5 points and 13.5 rebounds over the weekend and seems to be the enforcer on UWA's roster.
Jakobe Singleton and Caleb Parr are a dynamic scoring duo off the bench for the Tigers. Singleton and Parr are two of the best pure scorers on the roster as Singleton averages 13.0 points on 53 percent shooting while Parr also averages 13.0 points on 62 percent and 75 percent from three on eight attempts.
Overall, West Alabama looked as though they've taken a leap from last season with another challenge waiting for them on Wednesday in form of Georgia Southwestern.
After an 11-18 campaign in 2024, the Hurricanes made a change at Head Coach, bringing in Kevin O'Connor to lead the Hurricanes in 2025. The O'Connor era is off to a fast start for GSW as the Hurricanes bring a 2-0 record into Pruitt Hall on Wednesday. In their victories over Converse and Ferrum, Georgia Southwestern recorded an average margin of victory of 20.5 points.
Through two games, the Hurricanes are averaging 84.5 points per game on 48 percent shooting and 41.3 percent from three. Guards Amir Reaves, Deonte Williams, Keshawn Brown Jr., and JR Jacobs are all averaging double digit points with Reaves leading the way with 18.5 points per game. Reaves, a 6'2" combo guard, possesses a score first mentality. The junior began his 2025 campaign with a 26-point performance, on 10 shot attempts, against Converse. As for Williams, he's averaging 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game through two contests. The 6'6" wing recorded a statline of 18 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and two steals on 54 percent shooting in Georgia Southwestern's 78-61 win over Ferrum.
While Reeves and Williams lead GSW's scoring efforts, Jacobs runs the offense as he's averaging 6.0 assists per game through the first weekend. Brown Jr. is a spark plug off the bench, averaging 13.0 points in 18.5 minutes per game thus far.
Tip-off for Wednesday's matchup between the Tigers and Hurricanes is set for 5:00 p.m. from Pruitt Hall.
