Henderson State begins its 2017-18 basketball season this weekend as the Reddies travel to Lancaster, Texas to take part in the GAC/NSIC Challenge beginning Friday.
 
The Reddies will open with a contest against Minnesota State-Moorhead at 3 p.m. Friday, then take on Minot State Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
MSU-Moorhead finished with an overall record of 24-6 and won the North Division title in the Northern Sun Conference with a 19-3 record last year. The Dragons advanced to their third straight NCAA tournament last season, losing in the opening round to East Central 115-106.
 
MSUM is picked to finish fourth in the NSIC according to a preseason poll of the league's coaches.
 
Tanner Kretchman is the Dragons' top returning player after averaging 16.7 points per game while collecting 200 assists as a junior.  The native of Fargo, N.D. earned First-Team All-NSIC and Second-Team All-Central Region honors last year and led the nation in Division II in assist-to-turnover ratio last year.
 
Henderson's Saturday opponent, Minot State was picked to finish seventh overall in the NSIC. The Beavers finished the 2016-17 season with a 14-15 overall record and a 10-12 mark in league play.
 
Minot State returns three starters and seven letterwinners from last year's squad led by senior Tyler Rudolph. The Bismarck, N.D. native was named First Team All-NSIC last season after averaging 21.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Rudolph, who was also named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II All-Central team and the D2 Conference Commissioner's All-Central Region team, led the NSIC in total rebounds (291) and double-doubles (14).
 
Also returning are seniors Luis Ricci Maia and Russ Davis. Ricci Maia started 22 games last season, was second on the team averaging 12.9 points per game, Davis, who made 26 starts last year, averaged 9.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest.
 
Henderson State was picked to finish sixth by the GAC coached. The Reddies recorded their best finish since the 2011-12 season posting a 16-13 record overall and a fifth-place finish in the Great American Conference.
 
Third year head coach Jimmy Elgas looks to improve on that mark with the help of eight returnees along with several talented newcomers that are expected to have a huge impact.
Henderson's up-tempo style of basketball averaged 79.4 points per contest a year ago, ranking fourth in the GAC. However, defense was an issue with opponents averaging 77.0 points per contest.
 
The Reddies return nearly 50 percent of its scoring with Kaylon Tappin set for his senior year. Playing injured for the last half of the season, the All-GAC Honorable Mention selection led the team in scoring averaging 14.2 points per game. The 6-1 guard from Little Rock scored in double-figures 20 times including 20 or more points in nine games.
 
Also returning for his senior year is guard/forward Matt Panaggio who averaged 5.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game a year ago.
 
A do-it-all player, the Port Orange, Fla. native averaged 22 minutes per game notched a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds against East Central in the GAC Tournament.
 
Senior Brad Nairn played in all 29 games, making six starts for the Reddies as a junior. The 6-6 forward from Nassau, Bahamas shot over 60 percent from the field for the season while averaging 6.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
 
Junior guard Eric Dailey has played in 55 games in during his career averaging 4.9 points while dishing out 120 assists. The Little Rock native totaled 267 points and shot 44 percent from the field a year ago.
 
Sophomores Tyler Williams, Kyle Murphy, DJ Franklin and Moctar Dieng all saw action as freshmen in 17 or more games.
 
Franklin played in 26 games averaging 4.0 points, while Murphy appeared in 21 contests scoring 3.3 points including knocking down 14 3-point field goals.
 
Williams totaled 28 points and 22 rebounds in 97 minutes of playing time with Dieng totaling 20 points and 18 boards in 111 minutes of work. Both are expected to see more playing time this season.
 
Josh Jones redshirted last year after transferring from NCAA Division I Richmond. The 6-5 guard from Memphis, Tenn. played in 34 games for the Spiders as a sophomore averaging 10 minutes per game.
 
Prior to his two years at Richmond, Jones played for Memphis Central High School where he averaged 22 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals per game as a senior and was a McDonald's All-American nominee.
 
Another impact player will be newcomer Tanner Hamilton who is another Division I transfer from Northwestern State (La.) University.
 
The 6-10, forward from Texarkana, Ark. attended Trinity Christian School where he was a three time all-state, all-region, all-area and district MVP honoree. Hamilton averaged 21.8 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 6.5 blocks per game his senior season. He was also named Texarkana Gazette Player of the Year as a junior in helping lead the Warriors to a 30-2 record and a district championship.
 
Cameron Ricks comes to Henderson from Drury University where he appeared in 24 games, averaging 2.6 points and 8.9 minutes per game.
 
The 6-1 guard from Little Rock also played one season at Arkansas State University Mid-South CC in 2015-16 where he earned All-Region honors. Ricks averaged 11.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game and shot 52 percent from the field in helping his team to a 22-6 record playing and an Elite 8 finish.
 
Henderson added three freshmen to the roster in Chris Parker, Raekwon Rogers and Preston Crowder.
 
Parker is a 6-1 guard from Plano, Texas where he played for NTSI (National Top Sports Institute) Post Graduate Basketball Academy.  In 2017, he averaged 17.0 points and 4.0 assists per game and earned Texas All-Region 1 Selection.
 
Rogers attended Little Rock Central where he earned Class 7A All-State honors and was an Arkansas Basketball Rankings All-Star Selection. The 6-7 forward averaged 16.4 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists his senior season while shooting 52.3 from the field including 41 percent beyond the arc.
 
Crowder earned Class 4A All-State honors his senior year at Arkadelphia High School. The 6-6 forward was a two-time 7-4A All-Conference selection and an Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star nominee. Crowder scored 1039 points in his high school career, and averaged 16.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game as a senior.

 
LIVE STAT LINKS
vs. MSU Moorhead
vs. Minot State