Preseason graphic announcing Red Wolves placement in Sun Belt Preseason Poll.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ARKANSAS STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL INSTAGRAM

The Red Wolves will tip off the new basketball season with one of the highest rated rosters in school history. 

After a roller coaster of a season in 2023, Arkansas State basketball ended the season with a record of 20-17. The Red Wolves struggled early in the season, dropping as low as 2-7 on the season.

But A-State managed to turn things around in conference play. In the postseason, the Red Wolves made it all the way to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament finals, where they eventually lost to the James Madison Dukes (who had the most wins in Division 1 basketball). 

The Red Wolves were also invited to the Ro College Basketball Invitational, where they advanced to the semifinals before narrowly losing to High Point. Head Coach Brian Hodgson ended the season as a finalist for the Joe B. Hall Coach of the Year awards.

The Red Wolves will enter the 2024-25 season with higher expectations than ever before. For the first time in program history, Arkansas State is projected to finish first place in the SBC.

“We’re excited about where we’re at right now, obviously, and the preseason recognition is great for our guys, great for the university and the community,” Hodgson said.

Hodgson said his team does not put much stock in any preseason recognition, referring to such recognition as “rat poison” for a basketball team.

“We didn’t win anything last year. Good year, we won 20 games, but we went to the Sun Belt Championship and fell short,” Hodgson said. “So it’s not like we’re coming off this phenomenal season where we won the Sun Belt. That left a bad taste in our mouths. We know we didn’t play as well as we could in that championship game, and we have eight returners that remember that feeling.”

Coach Hodgson said his team’s greatest strength this season was roster depth, something that he felt was a weakness the previous season.

“We’re absolutely going to have a deep rotation, because we have a lot of guys that deserve to play,” Hodgson said. “I ideally want to be down to 10 or less in a game, but if we’re playing 12 guys and we’re really good, and we’re getting what we need then we’ll play 12 guys.”

Guard Taryn Todd takes a shot during a team practice.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ARKANSAS STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL INSTAGRAM

The Red Wolves roster this season will feature eight returning players from last season’s squad, including senior guard Taryn Todd. The Canadian-native led the Red Wolves last season in points average and steals, and he was awarded pre-season Second Team All SBC honors this year.

Junior forward Izaiyah Nelson returns to First National Bank Arena for his third season with the Red Wolves. Nelson was a defensive stud for A-State last season, leading the Red Wolves in rebounds and blocked shots. Nelson was ranked 17th in the nation in blocks as a sophomore, and has earned pre-season Third Team All-SBC. 

“I always try to be the best leader that I can, but I also always try to just ‘stay Zay’ and let people know that it’s ok to be you,” Nelson said. “There’s times when you need to step up and be that leader, but you got to let everyone know it’s ok to have fun too.”

Junior guard Derrian Ford started in 31 games last season, and was an effective three-point shooter. Ford will be looking to make an even bigger impact for the Red Wolves this season.

“I’ve been working on making shots off the bounce,” Ford said. “Just being in the gaps on defense, and shooting the ball more consistently.”

Forward Izaiyah Nelson goes for a dunk in a game against Troy.

PHOTO COURTESY OF A-STATE ATHLETICS

Other returning players include senior forward Dyondre Dominguez, who scored in the double-digits in 22 games last season. Redshirt sophomore guard Terrance Ford Jr. missed much of last season due to injury, and Coach Hodgson said that the Chicago native would see some starts at the point guard position. Senior guard Avery Felts saw plenty of minutes last season thanks to his skills as a three-point shooter, and will likely get plenty of time on the court this season. Senior guard Zane Butler was an effective sixth man last season, and Hodgson mentioned that Butler would see time as a starting point guard as well.

Just like last season, the Red Wolves took full advantage of the transfer portal over the offseason. Headlining the group of transfers this year is forward Kobe Julien, a senior transferring from the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. Julien was the leading scorer in the Sun Belt Conference last season. This season, Julien was named preseason Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and First Team All-SBC. 

While he was a man of few words during his press conference, Julien remarked on the dynamic of being both a leader and “the new guy” at the same time.

“At the beginning it was pretty hard, because I didn’t think my voice had weight,” Julien said. “But once I started saying things, players started gravitating towards me more, and listening to what I had to say.”

Other notable transfers include junior guard Joseph Pinion, who comes to Jonesboro from the University of Arkansas. Pinion was a four-star recruit coming out of Morrilton, Arkansas, and was a prolific free throw shooter during his two seasons with the Razorbacks. Sophomore forward Rashaud Marshall was a four-star recruit out of Blytheville, Arkansas, but saw little playing time at Ole Miss, where he played as a center. Hodgson said he and his family have grown close with Marshall, and hopes to utilize him as often as possible. Sophomore guard Cody Head played in every game for Lipscomb, and was named to the ASUN All-Freshman Team last season.

Unlike last offseason, the Red Wolves are also bringing in new recruits.

Arkansas State made headlines when they signed Josh Hill, a four-star forward from Wheeler, Georgia. With the signing, Hill became the highest-rated recruit in A-State basketball history. Hill came out of high school as a top-100 player, and at 6’11” is the tallest player on the roster.

Freshman forward Justin Johnson was a three-star recruit from Miami, Florida, and graduated from Putnam Science Academy, one of the nation’s top prep programs. Johnson was ranked in the top-200 nationally. 

Hodgson said the near-meteoric rise of the Red Wolves this season has intimidated many other non-conference programs (to the point that many outright refused to play them). 

“Of the high majors that turned us down, I’d say all but two turned us down. We tried every SEC team, every ACC team, every Big 12 team, every Big 10 team. We went down to the American and tried everybody there, tried everyone in the Atlantic 10, in the Mountain West,” Hodgson said. “Not that everybody is scared of Arkansas State. Some of these teams had full schedules. But some were advertising games on dates that we had available, and we got a lot of ‘no’ responses, or some ‘hell no’.” 

A-State has still managed to put together a tough non-conference schedule. Of the 12 non-conference matchups, the Red Wolves are slated to play four teams ranked at the top of their respective conferences, including the second-ranked team in the nation, the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Red Wolves will also have a challenge in an in-state matchup with the Little Rock Trojans, who received votes in the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll. 

The Red Wolves will begin their season with an exhibition game against Division II opponent Trevecca Nazarene. The game will tip-off 11 a.m. this Saturday in FNB Arena.

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