What to know about the eight men's teams competing in the 2023 Gulf Coast Showcase
The 10th annual Gulf Coast Showcase at Hertz Arena will host eight mid-major men's basketball programs in tournament play from Monday through Wednesday.
Last year's champion, FGCU will not be back to defend its title, as eight fresh squads will compete. Iona, High Point, Long Beach State, Illinois State, Louisiana, Wright State, Hofstra, and Buffalo make up this year's field.
Here is everything you need to about the teams participating in this year's showcase. Records are through play on Friday.
Iona
Head Coach: Tobin Anderson (first season)
Conference: Metro Athletic Athletic Conference
Record: 1-1
What To Know: First-year head coach Tobin Anderson replaces Rick Pitino and is looking to lead the Gaels to a strong start after flipping Farleigh Dickinson's record from 4-22 to an NCAA Tournament team that recorded the tournament's second-ever win over a No. 1 seed (Purdue) by a No. 16 seed last season. Iona averages five blocks per game and 16.5 points off of turnovers. Graduate guard Idan Tretout leads the Gaels in scoring at over 20 points per game, while junior forward Greg Gordon enters the Showcase averaging a double-double.
High Point
Head Coach: Alan Huss (first season)
Conference: Big South
Record: 1-1
What To Know: Huss begins his first stint as a head coach for the Panthers after spending eight years at his alma mater Creighton (most recently as associate head coach), which made last year's Elite Eight. So far this year, High Points is averaging over 100 points per game and is shooting just under 40 percent from behind the arc on over 30 attempts per game. Sophomore forward Kimani Hamilton leads the Panthers in scoring at 17.5 points per game, while junior guard Duke Miles follows closely behind at 17 points per game while going 63 percent from the floor.
Long Beach State
Head Coach: Dan Monson (17th season)
Conference: Big West
Record: 1-1
What To Know: The 49ers return all five starters, as well as one of the nation's best rebounding duos in brothers Lassina and Aboubacar Traore. The pair notched 29 double-doubles last season, which marked the third most of any duo in the country last year, and have combined for 18.5 rebounds per game so far this year. Senior guard Marcus Tsohonis leads Long Beach State in scoring this year, averaging 19.5 points per game while shooting 40 percent from three.
Illinois State
Head Coach: Ryan Pedon (second season)
Conference: Missouri Valley Conference
Record: 1-1
What To Know: The Redbirds are strong on the boards, averaging 41 rebounds per game, including 10.5 offensive boards per game, and are outrebounding opponents by 7.5 per game. 7-foot-1 senior Brandon Lieb leads the attack on the boards, averaging 9.5 per game along with six points. Senior guard Malachi Poindexter leads Illinois State in scoring at 17.5 points per game and corrals 6.5 rebounds per game.
Louisiana
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (13th season)
Conference: Sun Belt Conference
Record: 1-1
What To Know: The Ragin' Cajuns reached the NCAA Tournament last season, losing to Tennessee in the first round. They have started the season slowly behind the arc (29.8 percent), but make up for it with efficient play in other areas as they shoot 44 percent from the floor as a team. Junior guard Themus Fulks leads Louisiana in scoring at 22.5 points per game on 66 percent three-point shooting, along with six assists per game. Junior forward Joe Charles makes the trip to Fort Myers averaging a double-double.
Wright State
Head Coach: Scott Nagy (eighth season)
Conference: Horizon League
Record: 0-1
What To Know: The Raiders enter the Showcase shooting 50 percent from the floor as a team and 40 percent from three-point land. Graduate guard Trey Calvin dropped 33 points in 34 minutes in Wright State's loss to Colorado State, where the Raiders came up with five steals and four blocks as a team but committed 15 turnovers.
Hofstra
Head Coach: Speedy Claxton (third Season)
Conference: Coastal Athletic Conference
Record: 1-1
What To Know: Ten-year NBA veteran and Hofstra alumnus Speedy Claxton is looking to lead the Pride to their third 20-win season in just as many years. Hofstra is averaging 84 points per game. The Pride average over six steals per game and over 20 points off of turnovers. Graduate guard Tyler Thomas leads the Pride in scoring at 19.5 points per game while averaging 47 percent from behind the arc. Hofstra enters the Showcase boasting four players averaging over five rebounds per game, led by 7-foot sophomore Silas Sunday, who is averaging eight points and seven rebounds per game.
Buffalo
Head Coach: George Halcovage III (first year)
Conference: Mid-American Conference
Record : 0-2
What To Know: George Halcovage III takes the reins for the Bulls after winning two national championships as an assistant at Villanova under Jay Wright. It's been a sluggish offensive start to the year for Buffalo, who average under 40 percent shooting from the floor as a team while committing 14 turnovers per game. Senior forward Isaiah Adams leads the Bulls in scoring at 16.5 points per game.
Full Tournament Schedule
Tickets: Start at $19 and parking at Hertz Arena is $15. Go to gulfcoastshowcase.com for details.
Watch: All Games on FloSports
Monday
Iona vs. High Point, 11 a.m.
Long Beach State vs. Illinois State, 1:30 p.m.
Louisiana vs. Wright State, 5 p.m.
Hofstra vs. Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday
Iona/High Point loser vs. Long Beach State/Illinois State loser, 11 a.m.
Louisiana/Wright State winner vs. Hofstra/Buffalo winner, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Seventh Place game, 11 a.m.
Fifth Place game, 1:30 p.m.
Third Place game, 5 p.m.
Championship game: 7:30 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: College basketball: Previewing the 2023 Gulf Coast Showcase men's teams
