image via Tennessee State Basketball
Courtesy of Tennessee State Athletics
The Tennessee State men’s basketball team was picked to finish fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll, as voted on by league head coaches and media relations members.
Entering his seventh season, head coach Brian “Penny” Collins looks to continue his success after consecutive 18-win seasons and trips to the OVC quarterfinals.
The revamped Tigers welcome 15 new players, with Knute Wood as the lone returner. Among the newcomers are transfers Ahmir Langlais from USC Upstate; Brandon Weston, who spent time at Seton Hall and Rhode Island; Josh Ogundele, who played at Iowa and MTSU; and Travis Harper II from NCAA Division II Clayton State.
The League once again includes 11 teams. This year those teams will play a 20-game Conference schedule, up from 18 games a season ago.
The season will conclude with the 2025 OVC Basketball Championships presented by United Fidelity Bank (March 5-8), which will be held at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana for the eighth-straight season.
2024-25 OVC Men’s Basketball Predicted Order of Finish
1. Little Rock (20 first-place votes) – 200 points
2. Western Illinois – 172
3. SIUE (2) – 151
4. Tennessee State – 134
5. Morehead State – 131
6. Eastern Illinois – 87
7. Southeast Missouri – 86
8. Southern Indiana – 79
9. Lindenwood – 67
10. UT Martin – 52
11. Tennessee Tech – 51
2024-25 OVC Men’s Basketball Players to Watch
Each team selected two “Players to Watch” to represent their team.
Eastern Illinois
Nakyel Shelton – G, Sr., Washington, Missouri
Kooper Jacobi – F, Grad., Sellersburg, Indiana
Lindenwood
Markeith Browning II – G, Grad., Ypsilanti, Michigan
Jeremiah Talton – G/F, Jr., Quincy, Illinois
Little Rock
KK Robinson – G, Grad., Little Rock, Arkansas
Jordan Jefferson – G, Sr., Marietta, Georgia
Morehead State
Dieonte Miles – F, Grad., Walton, Kentucky
Trent Scott – G, R-So., Tampa, Florida
Southeast Missouri
Teddy Washington Jr. – G, Sr., Blytheville, Arkansas
Rob Martin – G, Jr., St. Louis, Missouri
SIUE
Ray’Sean Taylor – G, Grad., Collinsville, Illinois
Desmond Polk – G, Grad., Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Southern Indiana
Stephen Olowoniyi – F, So., Melbourne, Australia
Jayland Randall – G, Jr., Detroit, Michigan
Tennessee State
Ahmir Langlais – F, Grad., Atlanta, Georgia
Justus Jackson – G, Jr., Surprise, Arizona
Tennessee Tech
Daniel Egbuniwe – F, Jr., Memphis, Tennessee
Rodney Johnson Jr. – F, Sr., Bryan, Texas
UT Martin
Vladimer Salaridze – F, R-Sr., Tbilisi, Georgia
Josué Grullon – G, Jr., Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Western Illinois
Ryan Myers – G, Sr., Brooklyn, New York
Sean Smith – G, Sr., Louisville, Kentucky
