Oct. 31, 2011

RUSTON, La. - After two weeks of practice the Louisiana Tech men's basketball team is ready to hit the hardwood for the first time in less than a week in an exhibition game against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Nov. 6 at 3 p.m. at the Thomas Assembly Center.

Bulldogs' head coach Michael White has been working on installing his style of fast-paced offense and pressure defense that the players have been picked up quickly especially on defensive end of the court.

"We had a great preseason and a very good first 10 days or so of practice," said White. "We have hit a little bit of a low since playing against each other gets monotonous after awhile."

Standing out among the returners has been juniors Brandon Gibson (Marianna, Fla.) and J.L. Lewis (Gonzales, La.) and sophomores Cordarius Johnson (Coushatta, La.), Kenyon McNeail (Conway, Ark.) and Lonnie Smith (Birmingham, Ala.).

The veterans are not the only players making a good impression in practices as the freshmen have stepped up to show what they can do on the court.

"Our freshman class has been unbelievable with their maturation and work ethic," White said. "They have a chance to be a special group."

After the exhibition contest against the Javelinas, Tech will official tip-off the White era on Nov. 13 against Mississippi College at 3 p.m.

Season tickets for the Bulldogs and Lady Techsters are currently on sale and can be purchased by calling the Tech Ticket Office at 318-257-3631, emailing techtickets@latech.edu or logging onto LATechSports.com, the official home of Louisiana Tech Athletics.