RICHARDSON, TEXAS – The University of Texas at Tyler men's basketball program has been selected No. 14 in the 2025 Lone Star Conference (LSC) Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, as announced by the conference office on Monday afternoon.
The Patriots received 260 points to land at No. 14 in the annual preseason rankings. Dallas Baptist University (DBU) was chosen as the preseason favorite after earning 850 total points and 42 first-place votes.
In addition to the team poll, St. Mary's guard Damani Claxton was named the 2025–26 LSC Preseason Player of the Year. Claxton headlined a list of 17 LSC Players to Watch for the upcoming season, which included Sam Phipps representing UT Tyler.
UT Tyler finished the 2024–25 season with an 8–20 overall record and a 5–17 mark in conference play. Head coach Tim Moser enters his third season leading the Patriots and will rely on a core of key returners complemented by a talented group of newcomers.
The Patriots open their 2025–26 campaign on Nov. 21 in Denver, Colorado, taking on Regis. Conference play begins Dec. 4 when UT Tyler visits Texas A&M International in Laredo, Texas.
LSC Men's Basketball 2025-26 Preseason Poll
| Rank |
Team |
1st |
Total |
| 1 |
DBU |
42 |
850 |
| 2 |
St. Mary's |
2 |
724 |
| 3 |
Lubbock Christian |
4 |
720 |
| 4 |
St. Edward's |
|
669 |
| 5 |
West Texas A&M |
2 |
654 |
| T6 |
Angelo State |
|
592 |
| T6 |
Eastern New Mexico |
|
592 |
| 8 |
Midwestern State |
|
558 |
| 9 |
UT Permian Basin |
|
468 |
| 10 |
Texas A&M International |
1 |
350 |
| 11 |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
|
330 |
| 12 |
Cameron |
|
301 |
| 13 |
Oklahoma Christian |
|
266 |
| 14 |
UT Tyler |
|
260 |
| 15 |
Western New Mexico |
|
193 |
| 16 |
UT Dallas |
|
188 |
| 17 |
Sul Ross State |
|
88 |
Preseason Player of the Year
Damani Claxton, G, Sr., St. Mary's
Players to Watch
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Cl. |
Major |
Hometown |
| Jordan Crawford |
Angelo State |
G |
Sr. |
Sociology |
Ruston, La. |
| Jordan Mitchell |
Cameron |
G |
Sr. |
Interdisciplinary Studies |
West Memphis, Ark. |
| Xavion Brown |
DBU |
G |
Sr. |
Kinesiology |
Sacramento, Calif. |
| Jose Murillo |
Eastern New Mexico |
F |
Sr. |
Business Administration |
Chihuahua, Mexico |
| Amondo Miller Jr. |
Lubbock Christian |
F |
Sr. |
Communications |
Littleton, Colo. |
| Jonathan Jackson |
Midwestern State |
G/F |
Gr. |
Exercise Physiology |
Sachse, Texas |
| Miles Gibson |
Oklahoma Christian |
G |
Jr. |
Finance |
Allen, Texas |
| Blake Nielsen |
St. Edward's |
G |
Gr. |
Finance |
Perth, Australia |
| Damani Claxton |
St. Mary's |
G |
Sr. |
Exercise & Sport Science |
Bronx, N.Y. |
| Antwonne Holmes |
Sul Ross State |
G |
Jr. |
Business Administration |
El Paso, Texas |
| Caylen Goff-Brown |
Texas A&M International |
G |
Sr. |
Psychology |
Tulsa, Okla. |
| Allen Singleton |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
G |
Sr. |
Engineering |
League City, Texas |
| Zach Spitzer |
UT Dallas |
F |
Jr. |
Interdisciplinary Studies |
Allen, Texas |
| Tash Lunday |
UT Permian Basin |
F |
Gr. |
Kinesiology |
Flandreau, S.D. |
| Sam Phipps |
UT Tyler |
F |
Sr. |
Information Technology |
Wellsville, Utah. |
| Brock Mishak |
West Texas A&M |
G |
Jr. |
Business |
Fort Collins, Colo. |
| Cortaviaus Seales |
Western New Mexico |
G |
Sr. |
Marketing |
Rock Island, Ill. |
