LONGVIEW, Texas -- LeTourneau men's basketball sets its sights on the 2025-26 season, and a new conference awaits with several familiar foes.
The YellowJackets will open the season with an exhibition at Sam Houston State (Nov. 3), then begin things at home against old ASC rival UMHB (Nov. 15) at 6:30 p.m., looking to set the tone for their upcoming campaign.
Head coach
James Wallace remains at the helm for his fifth season, and associate head coach Joel Wallace also stays on for his fifth season as his brother's right-hand man. Also returning are player development coach
Cody Ripato and assistant
Chris Grotemat, and new assistant
Walker Blaine adds some more firepower to the excellent staff.
THE ROSTER
Following the graduations of
Deonte Jackson,
Caedmon Liebengood, and Blaine, the coaching staff went to work, bringing in 10 new faces to support the 10 returners on the roster.
Graduate student
Jackson Mayes returns after averaging 14.9 points per game in just over 24 minutes per game last season. Battling through multiple nagging injuries, Mayes brought the shooting touch and scoring punch the YellowJackets needed, and he looks to continue doing so in 2025-26.
The senior class is headed up by
Teigan Edwards, who became a trusted sixth man off the bench and a valuable starter when utilized last year. He averaged 7.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists last season, including a career-best 20 in a win over Sewanee last season. Edwards has also shown his defensive prowess on multiple occasions, collecting two or more steals 11 times last year.
Also returning for his senior season is
Connor Miller, who brings floor spacing and a hardworking mentality on both ends. Miller shot 33.6 percent on his threes in 2024-25, including hitting three or more from distance on six occasions. His 5-of-6 from three and 17 points helped LeTourneau beat new conference foe Texas Lutheran last season.
The returning junior class includes guard
Branson Lynn and forward
Logan Brinkoeter. Lynn hit 41.2 percent of his threes last year, and hit a career-high in points with 21 at Dallas last year. Brinkoeter played in 25 of a possible 26 games last season, averaging 3.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in 14.1 minutes per game. He prepares to help anchor the middle for LeTourneau in 2025-26.
The sophomore returners include
Cooper Smith,
Alex Ferrell,
Ezra Seay,
Dalton White, and
Ben Formby. Smith averaged 5.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 2024-25, appearing in all 26 games and starting 15. Often given the toughest defensive assignments, Smith rose to the occasion, and looks to continue to shine in that area this season. Ferrell returns to the court after missing all of last season with an injury, and Seay, White and Formby look to grow in their respective games as well.
Among the 10 new faces for the YellowJackets are junior transfers
Ryan Unkelbach (Ohlone College) and
David Martinez (Concordia Texas), who arrive with something to prove, hoping to show themselves as valuable rotation pieces.
The freshman class of
Jayden Prioleau,
Eric Arreola,
Jak Kinder,
Max Frels,
Suraj Olasode,
Tyler Henry,
Patrick Penosky, and
Noah Stull provide some needed youthful energy and work to contribute right away.
SCAC OUTLOOK
The YellowJackets were picked fourth in the SCAC preseason poll, garnering 91 points in the voting process.
St. Thomas received 10 first-place votes to earn the preseason number one spot, while Colorado College and McMurry each got a first-place vote.
THE SCHEDULE
The season opens with the exhibition contest at Sam Houston on Nov. 3 in Huntsville.
The regular season -- and home -- opener is set for Nov. 13 against Mary Hardin-Baylor (7 p.m.). It will be the first of 12 games inside Solheim Arena. Admission is free for all home games in 2025-26.
LeTourneau also hosts Belhaven on Nov. 15 to complete the first week of the season.
The YellowJackets then head to Lookout Mountain, Ga., for the first time and compete in the 84 Lumber Classic, hosted by Covenant College. LeTourneau will play Oglethorpe (Nov. 21) and Centre (Nov. 22) inside Barnes PE Center.
The annual R.G. Night is set for Dec. 2 as LeTourneau begins conference play against Centenary.
LeTourneau will also host Hardin-Simmons (Dec. 12), Millsaps (Dec. 18), and Lewis & Clark (Dec. 20) in non-conference play. Hardin-Simmons is ranked No. 20 in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25 and LeTourneau will play in Abilene on Dec. 6.
In SCAC play, LeTourneau also hosts Texas Lutheran (Jan. 23), Concordia Texas (Jan. 24), Dallas (Jan. 30), Austin College (Jan. 31), Ozarks (Feb. 13), and Hendrix (Feb. 14).
LeTourneau is in the Blue Division with Ozarks, Hendrix, Centenary, Austin College, and Dallas.
The SCAC Tournament is set for Feb. 27-March 1 in Conway, Ark., with six teams qualifying. The top three teams from each division qualify for the tournament.
FOLLOW THE YELLOWJACKETS
Be sure to follow LeTourneau athletics all season long on letuathletics.com and on social media at Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram for up-to-date scores, news, and other information.
