FORT SMITH, Ark. - University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Men's Basketball begins a new campaign this weekend as the Lions are slated to start the 2024-25 season Friday with the MIAA/GAC Challenge in Little Rock.
The Lions will take on Harding at 5:30 p.m. Friday followed by a 6 p.m. matchup against Ouachita Baptist Saturday. Both games will be played at Little Rock Christian Academy and streamed on the LRCA YouTube page. Live stats will be available at uafortsmithlions.com.
Tuesday, November 12 will then see the Lions host University of the Ozarks at 6:30 p.m. at the Stubblefield Center for its annual Toy Toss game. The game will be streamed on the MIAA Network and broadcast on Fox Sports Radio 103.5.
Live stats for all three games will be available at uafortsmithlions.com.
NOTES:
LAST SEASON: UAFS finished the 2023-24 season with a 7-21 overall record.
SEASON OPENER: The Lions are 8-7 in season openers in the NCAA II era.
KEY RETURNERS: UAFS returns third-team All-LSC selection Payton Brown as well as second-leading scorer Roland McCoy. Starting forwards Ryan Maxwell and Jace Linenberger also return for the Lions.
NEW FACES: The Lions will have 10 new faces this season, including six NCAA I transfers. Transfer forward Isaiah Lewis will also make his UAFS debut after redshirting last season.
RECORD WATCH: Brown ranks fifth on the all-time scoring list with 1,276 points and is fifth with 174 made threes.
SCOUTING HU: The Bisons went 12-17 in the 2023-24 season and return three of their top five scorers, including All-GAC selection in guard Rylie Marshall. Marshall averaged 14.7 points last season and shot 41.8 percent from beyond the arc.
SCOUTING OBU: The Tigers went 8-19 one season ago and will have to replace their top three scorers. Guard Reggie Martin is the top returner at 10.3 points per game.
SCOUTING UO: A NCAA III member, the Eagles went 9-16 in 2023-24. Guard Justice Marmara is the Eagles' top returner at 11.0 points per game after they lost their top two leading scorers from last season.
THE SERIES: UAFS holds a 2-2 record against Harding, leads 3-1 over Ouachita Baptist and is 3-0 against Ozarks.
HEAD COACH: Zane Gibson begins his second year at the helm of the Lions after serving as an assistant coach for the Lions from 2016-18.
