Nov. 7, 2008

RUSTON -- Louisiana Tech head coach Kerry Rupp will have his first chance to showcase his 2008-09 team to Tech fans Saturday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m. in the Thomas Assembly Center when the Bulldogs take on Oklahoma-Panhandle State University in an exhibition matchup.

It will be Tech's only home exhibition game before the season tips off next week in Lafayette, La.

The Bulldogs have been hard at work preparing for the upcoming season, and the exhibition game will give junior Kyle Gibson the opportunity to show why he was named preseason All-WAC, while debuting other Bulldog players such as junior Magnum Rolle and Kenneth Cooper.

Tech returns only three letterwinners from last season in Gibson and seniors Adrian Rogers and James Loe. From a roster standpoint, the 2008-09 Bulldogs look like an entirely different team with eight newcomers to the squad.

Gibson averaged 16.5 points per contest last season totaling 496 points last season and leading the Bulldog in scoring. Both Rogers and Loe started games for the Bulldogs, while Gibson started all 30.

Rolle and Cooper both sat out last season under the NCAA Transfer Rule and will be eligible to play this season. Freshman Olu Ashaolu redshirted the 2007-08 season and will also be ready to play this year.

New to the Bulldog lineups are juniors Jamel Guyton and David Jackson, sophomore Shawn Oliverson and freshmen Brandon Gibson and Anson Bartlett. All are expected to see playing time this year.

Livestats for the Tech-OPSU game will be available via Gametracker at www.latechsports.com.

The Bulldogs open the regular season against UL-Lafayette in the Cajundome Saturday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m.