Clarksville, TN – With tipoff of the 2024-25 season just 42 days away, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) basketball team returned to the hardwood for the first day of practice, Monday, at the F&M Bank Arena Practice Facility.
This preseason is unlike many others over the past decade, with the team playing just a month and a half ago as part of its 2024 International Tour in Spain. But, as it may, this morning’s first day of practice saw a new face sporting the Red and White, showed a level of intensity that only a Corey Gipson practice could, and displayed the growth that multiple players have taken both throughout the offseason and since the International Tour.
Let’s start with the roster.
The 2024-25 Governors return six players from last year’s team, including five returning lettermen: Sai Witt, Isaac Haney, JaVar Daniel, Daniel Loos, Anton Brookshire, and Hansel Enmanuel. Anton Brookshire also returns to Clarksville for his redshirt junior season.
The five returning lettermen accounted for 837 of APSU’s 2,619 points last season (31.96%) and 2,283 of its 7,125 minutes (32.04%). The reigning ASUN Sixth Man of the Year, Sai Witt, leads the group in both categories after averaging 12.8 points across 21.4 minutes per game a season ago across 34 appearances.
In addition to the six returners, the roster features nine newcomers consisting of six veterans from nearly all levels of collegiate basketball.
LJ Thomas is the lone student-athlete coming directly from the Division I level, having transferred from North Carolina State where he appeared in 42 games off the bench for the Wolfpack throughout his freshman and sophomore campaign.
Quan Lax comes to Clarksville after being tabbed an NAIA First Team All-American after leading Freed-Hardeman to a National Championship last season. The Bolivar, Tennessee native helped the Lions secure three Mid-South Conference Championships during his three-year career in Henderson, and averaged 13.4 points and 3.7 assists per game.
The remaining veteran newcomers consist of Akili Evans and Tekao Carpenter from Moberly Area Community College, Me’Kell Burries from Lincoln Memorial, and Darius Dawson from Missouri Southern.
Gipson also added a trio of freshmen in Tate McCubbin and Terrell Gaines and the newest face on the team, Bowen Hammer.
Now, we could sit here and rattle off numbers about any one of the players on this year’s team, but let’s talk about something fans want to hear: what the team has looked like in the early stages of the preseason.
Some thoughts through the first official practice with the 2024-25 Governors
Today was a “cheat the player day,” where the coaches called fouls or such to see how the players reacted to calls that they would especially see on the road.
The team has a lot more size. Coming in at an average height of 6-5, the team added height with players like Tate McCubbin (6-8), Bowen Hammer (6-8), Darius Dawson (6-6), and Akili Evans (6-5) to go along with players like JaVar Daniel (6-10), Sai Witt (6-8), and Hansel Enmanuel (6-6).
Speaking of JaVar Daniel, he has taken a big step. Corey Gipson mentioned that Daniel has been the most improved team over the last few weeks. The 6-10 guard/forward averaged 3.0 points and 1.6 rebounds per game in eight appearances last season and could be a consistent contributor during his sophomore campaign.
LJ Thomas is a tough, fun player to watch. Thomas is not afraid to attack the paint, taking on defenders much taller than himself, but also showed he is a more than solid shooter. He went 13-for-26 in two seasons at NC State and knocked down multiple contested threes this morning.
Rebounding is an emphasis. There were multiple drills in practice prioritizing grabbing difficult rebounds and going back up to the basket, which multiple players, Darius Dawson in particular at times, excelled in.
Quan Lax is a player that fans should look forward to making a big impact in multiple areas. It was on display multiple times throughout the International Tour, but Lax is a facilitating guard with superb lock-down skills.
Tate McCubbin and Bowen Hammer showcased similar skillsets, with the ability to slam the ball down and hit jump shots, while fellow freshmen Terrell Gaines showed consistent speed and maneuverability both on and off the ball. All three have the ability to play solid minutes for the Govs this season on a team that is tied for its most true freshman on a team since the 2019-20 campaign.
Corey Gibson’s Coaching Corner
With Head Coach Corey Gipson
On Early Expectations… “The expectation is for us to have a lot of carry over from our Spain trip in August where we got some live game reps. What we really wanted to see on this first day of practice was if we had that carry over and the leadership from the player personnel.”
To Govs Fans… “This team here doesn’t sniff the bone before they bite it. This teams goes ahead and bites the bone down to the bone.”
