Texas State Men’s Basketball Release Season Preview

Returning seven players from last year, the Bobcats look to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997 with the addition of seven new players to the roster.

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State men’s basketball team is coming off its most successful season this century after winning 22 games, reaching the Sun Belt Conference Tournament finals and advancing to the CollegeInside.com Tournament quarterfinals. Returning seven players from last year, the Bobcats look to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997 with the addition of seven new players to the roster.

In the second of a five-part series previewing the 2017-18 team, TXStateBobcats.com takes a look at the player competing for time at the shooting guard position.

The lone returner at the shooting guard position is Tyler Blount. The senior appeared in 35 games and made one start last season. He averaged 2.8 points and 0.7 rebounds per game in 9.2 minutes per contest. Of his 32 made field goals, 22 were three-pointers while he connected on 34.9 percent of his long distance attempts.

“Tyler has played better this year than last year at this point,” said head coach Danny Kaspar. “He is shooting and defending better. We would like him to cut down on his turnovers but overall he has improved in a lot of areas and we are happy about that.”

Blount started both of the exhibition games on his way to contributing 7.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg and 2.0 apg in 18 mpg. The Virginia Beach, Virginia native connected on 6-of-11 shots with a 2-for-6 performance from beyond the arc.

Isaiah Gurley is the main competitor for the starting position with Blount. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Gurley arrived in San Marcos after playing one season at McLennan College. He averaged 17.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game on his way to being named to the NJCAA All-Region V team, All-NTJCAC First Team and NTJCAC Newcomer of the year. The junior made 51.0 percent of his shots, 34.7 percent from three-point range and 81.3 percent at the free throw line.

Gurley previously played two years at Canisius. He appeared in 30 games off the bench during the 2015-16 seasons in which he put up 2.8 ppg and 1.9 rpg. The 2014-15 campaign saw him redshirt.

“Isaiah is a very good shooter and athlete with size. We could see him as a potential starter at the two-guard spot,” Kaspar said.

Also competing for playing time at shooting guard is Shelby Adams. A freshman from Converse, Texas, he was rated a three-star prospect by Rivals. His senior year saw him be named to the TABC 6A All-Region IV and All-District 27-6A first teams while averaging 21.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.8 apg and 2.3 spg. Adams shot 49.8 percent from the field, 32.1 percent from beyond the arc and 78.0 percent at the charity stripe.

“Shelby is a swing player that can play either shooting guard or small forward,” said Kaspar. “He is a bright freshman prospect that should become a very good player for us. He will get quality minutes this season like Marlin Davis did last season.”

During the two exhibition games, Adams averaged 4.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 1.5 spg. He made 3-of-9 shot attempts and was 3-for-6 at the free throw line. The freshman capped off the victory over Rogers State with a steal and slam in the closing seconds.

The Bobcats open the regular season on Sunday at 3 p.m. CT at Air Force. The game is the first of four contests for TXST in the Men Against Breast Cancer Showcase.

For the latest on Texas State men’s basketball, visit the official website of Texas State athletics at www.txstatebobcats.com, follow the team on Instagram and Twitter at @TxStateMBB and like on Facebook at /TexasStateMensBasketball.