FHSU Sports Information Department
Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball begins its tune-up for the 2015-16 on Friday night (Nov. 6) in Manhattan, Kan. The Tigers take on Kansas State University in exhibition play at Bramlage Coliseum. Game time is set for 7 pm.
Television Broadcast: The game will be available on Fox Sports Kansas City. Fans can also watch online at ESPN 3 (WatchESPN), but the game is subject to blackout in certain areas.
This is the first exhibition game of the season for FHSU. The Tigers will also travel to Lawrence, Kan., on Tuesday (Nov. 10) to take on the University of Kansas. The Wildcats have already played one exhibition against an MIAA opponent. They defeated Emporia State 80-42 last Friday (Oct. 30).
Tiger fans have much anticipated the return of All-American point guard Craig Nicholson to the court. He along with Dom Samac and Jake Stoppel are three seniors that played a big role for the Tigers last year. Up to his season-ending injury 16 games into last season, Nicholson led the team in scoring at 14.9 points per game and led the MIAA in assists at 6.1 per game. With his season cut short, Nicholson was an All-MIAA Honorable Mention selection last year, but was a first-teamer in 2013-14 as a sophomore when he also garnered All-America honors. Samac was an All-MIAA Third Team selection last year as he averaged 10.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Stoppel was the top rebounder on the team at 5.6 per game.
The rest of the experienced players for FHSU are underclassmen, which includes sophomores Hadley Gillum, Drew Kite, and Kade Spresser. Redshirt-freshman Grant Holmes takes to the court for the first time this season. Outside of those four, the Tigers have nine new faces on the squad, which includes three transfers and six true freshmen.
Fort Hays State and Kansas State last met in exhibition action in 2011, when KSU won 90-60.