
The Lancers Begin 2023-24 with a Pair of Home Games Against SF State and Jackson State
11/2/2023 1:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
RIVERSIDE--- The 2023-24 California Baptist University men's basketball season will begin on Monday, November 6, against San Francisco State, and the week will end on Friday with Jackson State on Parent and Family Weekend.
The opener kicks off a six-game homestand to begin the season as the Lancers will host eight of the 11 games in the Dale E. & Sarah Ann Fowler Events Center, where the Lancers boasted a 12-5 record a season ago. CBU has enjoyed a 139-33 record in the confines of their home gym since 2013-14 and will look to increase those numbers again in 2023-24.
CBU, for the first time since the 2K Empire Classic in 2019, will host a multi-team event in the form of the Joust. The Joust will feature matchups against Portland State, Cal Poly, and St. Thomas on November 17th, 18th, and 19th and will also feature neutral site matchups of the participating teams. The matchup with St. Thomas will serve as the first-ever meeting between the two programs, while the Lancers will seek to avenge losses to Portland State and Cal Poly they suffered in 2022.
The only three road games in the non-conference slate are against Oregon, UC Riverside, and New Mexico State. The matchup against Oregon is arguably the most intriguing on the schedule and marks the fifth straight season CBU has faced a Power Five opponent. Last season, the Lancers picked up their first win over a Power Five opponent when they defeated Pac-12 foe Washington in Seattle, 73-64. The Ducks finished last season 21-15 and lost in the Quarterfinals of the NIT Tournament to Wisconsin. The matchup is slated for December 12 at 7 p.m. in Eugene.
CBU and the Western Athletic Conference are entering the first year of their partnership with Conference USA, with all WAC schools featuring home/away matchups on their non-conference schedules. The Lancers will host Western Kentucky and visit New Mexico State as part of the alliance, with those matchups set to occur in late December. CBU and NMSU had faced off eight times as conference foes before the Aggies left for Conference USA this offseason, with the Aggies holding the upper hand with five wins to the Lancer's three. The game will take place in Las Cruces on Saturday, December 30. CBU will host the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky on Tuesday, December 19, as their other CUSA matchup and will serve as the first meeting between the two programs.
The high level of competition on the schedule has Head Coach Rick Croy excited about the new year and is hopeful that it will strengthen his team for conference.
" Being able to play eight non-conference games in our Fowler Events Center against such quality competition provides great opportunities for our guys and all of Lancer Nation. Our team has had a great summer, and I am really excited to watch them compete. We are thankful for this strong non-conference schedule, as it is going to prepare us for a WAC Conference that just keeps getting better."
Croy will enter into his 11th season at the helm of the Lancers where he has compiled a 217-96 record. Croy became the winningest coach in the programs history last season passing Jerry King for the mark. Croy will enter year 11 with a new look staff that features three new assistant coaches in Dave Rice, Reginald Howard, and Dominic Lippi. Croy will also be joined by Hardy Asprilla and Doc Wellman who have both been with Croy and the Lancers since 2013.
The Lancers will enter 2023-24 with a host of new faces to join a solid returning core. The returners include Hunter Goodrick, Blondeau Tchoukuiegno, Scotty Washington, and Malik Wade, who combined last season for 36 starts and 2,037 minutes played. Goodrick was the team's leading rebounder, averaging 6.5 per game, and was fourth in scoring after transferring last year from South Dakota. Tchoukuiegno was the team leader in steals last season, while Washington and Wade were valuable rotation pieces for the Lancers last year.
CBU welcomes nine new players to the roster, including six transfers and three freshmen. The transfers are highlighted by Dominique Daniels Jr. from San Bernardino Valley College, Yvan Ouedraogo from Grand Canyon, and Brantly Stevenson from Cal Poly, all of whom figure to start on opening night. Chris Chiles (Citrus College), Zach Wrightsil (Marquette), and Kendal Coleman (LSU) round out the transfers. The transfer class for CBU brings 19 years of experience combined at the JUCO, DI, Power-5, and NAIA levels.
Tylen Riley, Jonathan Griman, and Tasman Goodrick will be the incoming freshmen for CBU. Tasman Goodrick is the younger brother of Hunter Goodrick and comes via Hunter's Hill HS in Syndey, Australia.
MATCH INFORMATION:
Opponents: San Francisco State and Jackson State
Date and Times: Monday, November 6 at 7 p.m. and Friday, November 10 at 7 p.m.
Location: Riverside, CA
Watch: ESPN+
Tickets Here
Season tickets are still available for purchase at cbulancers.com or click here