By: Candice Dixson, Sports Information Graduate Assistant
GRAMBLING, La. | The Grambling State University men's basketball team, under the direction of first-year head coach
Donte' Jackson, begin the 2017-18 campaign with its season opener on Friday as the Tigers visit Richmond, Va., to take on Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Tip-off at the Stuart C. Siegel Center is set for 6 p.m. Central Time.
VCU is coming off a 26-9 campaign in 2016-2017 where the Rams lost to St. Mary's (Calif.) in the opening round of the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament. This will be the first meeting between the two schools. VCU is 4-0 against schools from the SWAC.
Grambling State is looking to rebound off a 92-85 loss to Northwestern State in the Hurricane Harvey Exhibition game last Monday. The Tigers finished the 2016-17 season with a 62-57 loss to Texas Southern in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Tournament and concluded the year with a 16-17 overall record and a 10-8 SWAC mark.
Grambling State returns six players off last year's team, including
Diontae Jones,
Anthony Gaston,
Drake Wilks,
Charles Simmons,
Nigel Ribeiro and Ivy Smith Jr.
The Tigers will play six more games on the road before hosting Tougaloo College on Monday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. in the Frederick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
Basketball Facts
- Notable alumni and former players of the Grambling State men's basketball team include Larry Wright, Aaron James, Wilbert Frazier and Willis Reed.
- In the 2016-2017 season, the Tigers advanced to the semifinals round in the SWAC tournament, an appearance that hadn't occurred since the 2013-2014 season.
Despite being voted to finish last in the postseason by the conference, the Tigers finished in fourth place after losing to Texas Southern in SWAC Tournament.
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