KINGSVILLE, Texas (Men's Basketball) – Basketball is back! Texas A&M University-Kingsville (0-0) will start the season on Friday, November 11 at 7:30 p.m. when they take on Black Hills State University (0-0), followed by a Saturday night contest against South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (0-0) at 7:30 p.m. in the Gil E. Steinke Physical Education Center-Kingsville Hampton Inn Court.

The Javelinas will return eight total players from a season ago and adds six transfers and freshmen combined. "We increased our depth this year and added better shooting," said head coach Johnny Estelle. "Since being here, every team has fought and battled every game but I believe this team will be able to sustain wins longer than teams in the past. Our guys have been working hard and we are excited about this year." 

The first team that the Hogs will see this season will be against a young Yellow Jackets club who is composed of nine freshmen and four returners. BHS was 12-14 a season ago and averaged 74.8 points per game and held a +0.6 scoring margin over its opponents. A key returner for the Yellow Jackets is Wyatt Krogman who averaged 29.1 minutes per game and averaged 9.7 points per game. Krogman led the way with 113 total assists and he shot 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. Another important returner for Black Hills State is Patrick Mendes who averaged 7.1 points and shot over 80 percent from the charity stripe. 

South Dakota School of Mines will matchup against the Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday night as they look to move on from a 10-16 2015-16 season. The Hardrockers will be a veteran squad as they return seven players including five seniors. Konor Kulas nearly averaged a double-double last season with 16.7 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per game to lead the team, while junior Brian Orr  was behind him with 11.1 points per game. Orr shot 77.3 percent at the free throw line and averaged 25.7 minutes per game. 

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