Year Five of Ladner Era Opens Monday Night Against William Carey

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Year five of the Jay Ladner era officially opens on Monday night when the Southern Miss men's basketball team hosts William Carey in its regular season opener. The Golden Eagles and Crusaders meet at 7 p.m. on ESPN+ inside Reed Green Coliseum.

Game 1: Southern Miss (0-0, 0-0 SBC) vs. William Carey (0-0, 0-0 SSAC)
Monday, November 6 at 7 p.m.
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: Southern Miss Radio Network
Reed Green Coliseum (8,095) - Hattiesburg, Miss.

Monday's game will feature Lee Roberts and Larry Boyd on the ESPN+ call. Fans can listen on the Southern Miss Radio Network, Southern Miss Game Day App, or their local Southern Miss Network affiliate to hear John Cox on the call.

Southern Miss is coming off a Sun Belt Regular Season Championship after going 25-8 in Jay Ladner's fourth season at the helm of the program. The Golden Eagles appeared in the National Invitational Tournament for the 12th time and won a conference championship outright for the third time in program history. The Golden Eagles return Austin Crowley, the Preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year, who averaged 16.0 points per game during his junior campaign. Crowley is part of a returning core that features nine players, including 6-foot-4 guard Cobie Montgomery who had to redshirt last season. Southern Miss welcomes seven newcomers to Hattiesburg after seven players departed the program due to graduation (five) or transfer (2) opportunities.

KEY STORYLINES
- Southern Miss finished with 25 wins for the fourth time in program history during the 2022-23 season
- Crowley's breakout campaign last season included Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year, First Team All-Sun Belt, First Team All-NABC District 23, Lou Henson All-American, Lou Henson Player of the Year Finalist, and Howell Trophy Finalist
- The Golden Eagles lost Felipe Haase, Marcelo Perez, Tyler Morman, DeAndre Pinckney and Nico Aguirre to graduation. Denijay Harris (Arkansas) and GianFranco Grafals (Nova Southeastern) opted for the transfer portal
- Southern Miss hit big in the portal for the second consecutive season after landing Victor Iwuakor (UNLV/Oklahoma), Andre Curbelo (St. John's/Illinois), Luke Ladner (Loyola New Orleans), Bryson Hall (Wallace State/Delta State), Lieb Yat (Seminole State College), Jose Benitez (Francis Marion) and Tegra Izay (Harcum/La Salle)
- Izay and Yat are the first 7-footers to don the Black and Gold since 7-foot-1 big man Gustavo Lino played for Southern Miss in 2009
- Juan Cardona was promoted to Associate Head Coach over the summer after producing one of the top defenses in college basketball
- Southern Miss' 18-win turnaround from the 2021-22 to 2022-23 was the second-best in NCAA Division I history. Iowa State owns the top spot at +22 in 2021-22

BREAKING DOWN WILLIAM CAREY
- William Carey sports a 2-1 record after splitting a pair of games at the SSAC/SUN Challenge last week
- The Crusaders own wins over Southern University New Orleans (85-76) and Coastal Georgia (77-64)
- Hattiesburg native Dylan Brumfield leads the team in scoring at 19.7 points per game
- Brumfield also leads William Carey in rebounds per game (6.0), total assists (13) and steals (5)
- Earl Smith, who had eight points last year against Southern Miss, is the only returning starter from that game

THE SERIES
- Southern Miss leads 14-2 all-time against the Crusaders, dating to 2003
- Southern Miss has won four-straight since losing in 2018
- Ladner is 4-0 against William Carey since he took over in 2019-20
- All 16 meetings have come at Reed Green Coliseum
- Only three of the 16 meetings have been decided by single digits, including both Southern Miss losses

Follow @SouthernMissMBB on Facebook, Instagram and X for updates.

Season Tickets are available for the 2023-24 season. Fans can purchase tickets at SouthernMissTickets.com, by calling 1-800-844-TICK (8425) or visit the Pat Ferlise Ticket Office on campus weekdays during normal business hours.

Year Five of Ladner Era Opens Monday Night Against William Carey

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Players Mentioned

Nico Aguirre

Jose Benitez

Austin Crowley

Andre Curbelo

GianFranco Grafals

Felipe Haase

Bryson Hall

Denijay Harris

Victor Iwuakor

Tegra Izay

Luke Ladner

Cobie Montgomery

Tyler Morman

Marcelo Perez

DeAndre Pinckney

Lieb Yat