Men's Basketball's 16th Season Features OLLU Hall Famer Marcus Thompson At the Helm
SAN ANTONIO (Oct. 16, 2024) – Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) Athletics Hall of Famer Marcus Thompson, who was inducted in 2021, embarks on his first season as head coach for the men's basketball team this season. Thompson, who had been an assistant coach for the team under former Head Coach Chris Dial for two years, took over the Saints upon the departure of Dial, who was tapped to begin the inaugural men's basketball team at Texas A&M University-San Antonio.
Coaching staff
Thompson brings a wealth of talent to this head coaching position, having led his teams as a player from 2010-2014 to an impressive 86-45 record, a regular-season co-championship, postseason quarterfinals, two semifinals and a runner-up finish. His leadership also marked the program's first NAIA National Championship appearance, a significant milestone in the team's history. He also still holds the NAIA record in steals in a game with 15 that he recorded on Feb. 14, 2014.
BJ Alzaid is now Thompson's full-time assistant coach after joining the program six years ago as a part-time assistant. Eric Leung returns as assistant and Antonio Gipson as manager. The staff welcomes assistant coach Frederick Parker.
Nonconference schedule
The team's journey begins in the preseason at Wayland Baptist University in Plainview on Oct. 25. They will host Southern University at New Orleans for their first home game of the season on Oct. 29. The Saints will then travel to the Southeastern Classic in Lakeland, Fla., Nov. 8-9. They will play Ave Maria University and Southeastern University.
The Saints will travel to Beaumont, Texas, on Nov. 30 for a game against NCAA D1 Lamar University. They will play their last nonconference game on Dec. 15 against the University of the Incarnate Word.
Conference lineup
The Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) adds one more team to the cadre of men's basketball opponents. Texas A&M University-San Antonio begins its inaugural basketball season this year. Expected to lead the conference this year is 2024 league champion LSU-Alexandria, who won the regular-season and postseason titles. Texas College and LSU-Shreveport also qualified for Nationals, but LSU-Shreveport was the only team to advance to the final site. The Pilots ended up losing in the Round of 16 to conclude their season.
RRAC opponents are listed by regular-season finishes:
- LSU-Alexandria – 24-7/19-3
- Xavier University of Louisiana – 22-7/17-5
- Texas College – 22-9/17-5
- LSU-Shreveport – 24-9/16-6
- OLLU – 14-15/11-11
- North American University – 12-16/11-11
- University of the Southwest – 15-16/10-12
- Jarvis Christian University – 11-16/9-13
- Paul Quinn College – 7-18/7-15
- Huston-Tillotson University – 8-20/6-16
- Texas A&M University – Texarkana – 8-20/6-16
- Louisiana Christian University – 5-23/3-19
Top senior returners
Trey Law, a key player for the Saints, will complete his fourth season with the team. He returns with a total of 81 games played, 54 as a starter, and an impressive record of 384/666 field goals for .577, 23/74 three-points for .311, 210/299 free throws for .702, 114 offensive rebounds, 195 defensive rebounds, 124 assists, and 62 steals. Law joined the Saints 1,000-Point Club last season, and he has had 1,001 points in his three seasons, making him a crucial player to watch this season.
Xavier Purnell will also complete his fourth season as a Saint. He has played in 73 games and has logged 92/217 field goals for .424, 28/80 three-pointers for .350, and 48/76 free throws for .632. He has a total of 112 rebounds, 59 assists and 31 steals.
Rob Gil transferred to OLLU and is playing his third and final season. He has played in 58 games and has logged 170/366 field goals for .464, 34/120 three-pointers for .283, and 161/199 free throws for .809. He has 186 total rebounds, 227 assists and 63 steals.
Breion Powell played his first season in 2023-2024 and will complete his collegiate career this season. He has tallied 294 points and 129 rebounds. Lonzo Rand is also playing his second and final season. He has scored 362 points and added 90 rebounds, 50 assists and 24 steals.
Other returners are senior Marvis Odia, junior Caleb Landon and sophomore Matthew Gonzalez.
Newcomers
The top newcomer is 6'5" forward Trevon Dennis, a graduate student transfer from Mid Plains Community College and York University. Junior newcomers include Jelen Hanspard, Kenyon Elliott, Matthew Lewis, Wahkil Lopez, Daniel Cruz and Arthur Celestin and freshmen Davonte Durst and Ognjen Cocic.
Development team
The development team is led by senior Stacey Adams, and returning juniors Luke Gonzalez and Ahmed Shaw, and sophomores Eddie McAfee and Ricardo Marquez. Newcomers are junior Caleb Richardson, sophomore Daniel Smith Jr. and freshmen Caden Cooper, Dylan Hemphill, Ryan Calderon, Nathan Guevara and Cameron Walker.
The team begins its season on Nov. 1 at home against Coastal Bend. The men will play San Antonio College, St. Philips College, University of Texas at Tyler, Concordian University-Texas, Lackland AFB, Schreiner University, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, McLennan University, Strenth N Motion, Palo Alto College and Northwest Lakeview College. The y will play their postseason Feb. 9-10 at Kerrville, Texas.
Fan engagement
The team, in coordination with women's basketball, will plan various special events throughout the season, beginning with their first home game on Oct. 29. The theme for the games is Halloween/Blackout – anyone dressed up in a costume or wearing a black shirt will get in free. There will be a costume contest for children, students and staff/faculty. Great prizes will be given out to the best costumes in the various categories during the men's halftime. Lots of other activities will be going on throughout the games, so fans won't want to miss this special event and other future events sponsored by men's and women's basketball, plus the OLLU Student Government Association.
The Saints' home games will be live-streamed on the OLLU Saints Network, providing fans with the opportunity to support the team from anywhere. This initiative aims to bring the excitement of the game to Saints fans with a video scoreboard featuring player introductions, goal-scoring celebrations and more. OLLU wants its fans to feel engaged and connected to the team, no matter where they are.
Admission price for home games is $10 and free to faculty, staff and students with ID.
Hear from Head Coach Marcus Thompson as he discusses the upcoming season