By Malcolm Butler
Talvin Hester isn’t sugarcoating where his Louisiana Tech Bulldogs stand during the opening week of official practice.
They are banged up, inexperienced together, and have plenty to learn.
“We really only have 10 healthy guys right now that can actually practice,” Hester said. “The summer it was like seven. So just a lot of learning, to be really honest with you. We’ve got a long, long, long way to go.”
That isn’t necessarily surprising considering Hester and his staff essentially rebuilt the roster during the offseason.
Of the 13 players on Tech’s 2026-27 roster, sophomore guard Jaylen Fenner is the lone returner from last year’s team that finished 20-14 and advanced to the Conference USA Tournament championship game.
Hester said last year’s team had four returners and still didn’t truly find its stride until late January and February.
That means this year’s learning curve could be even greater.
“We’ve got one returner this year, and he’s a sophomore,” Hester said. “Though he was monumental in the change in our team last year, becoming a starter in January and kind of helping push us forward, he’s still a sophomore.
“Jaylen’s still learning. On a senior-led team, he’d be one of our youngest guys, but he’s our most mature, oldest experienced guy. So just trying to take baby steps right now until we can get to the point where we can move further faster.”
Fenner played in 32 games with 24 starts as a freshman, averaging 5.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
Now he finds himself in a much different role.
“I take a lot of pride in that,” Fenner said. “I feel like me being the only one that’s returning, me buying into the standard early last year, people have got to buy in. People have got to look at me as an example and buy in off of that. See how hard I play, how hard I go every day and do the same thing so they can be successful in the program.”
Hester said Fenner’s decision to remain at Tech despite the wholesale roster turnover says plenty about the sophomore and his family.
“I don’t think he was satisfied,” Hester said. “He was happy about the team success, but he wanted to be better as a player and an individual. So he wanted to come redo it.”
The Bulldogs added a mixture of freshmen, junior college transfers and four-year transfers, creating varying levels of experience as Hester attempts to teach his system.
Hester said players such as Izuchukwu Emelife, who practiced at Lamar, along with Division II transfers Kyran Tilley and Ethan Blackmon, have some familiarity with the pace and demands of four-year college basketball. But the others will need time.
Hester believes Tech’s upcoming scrimmages will provide an important measuring stick.
“They have to see another team, and they have to see what this level is like,” Hester said. “They’re not going to see it in practice if all of us haven’t been at Division I. Once we start scrimmaging and seeing other teams and seeing how hard other teams play and how much other teams want it, then you can hold them accountable because now they’ve seen the standard.”
As for what Hester eventually wants the Bulldogs to look like, that part hasn’t changed dramatically. Defense will remain a priority.
“I have an idea what I want to look like,” Hester said. “I don’t know if we can get there. I still want us to be as good defensively as far as guarding the ball and things of that nature.”
Hester doesn’t believe this year’s roster will possess the same rim protection and shot-blocking ability some of his previous teams have had, but he sees the potential for a better interior offensive presence.
“I think we’re a little bit better interior,” Hester said. “I think we have bigs that can score a little bit on the inside.”
More important than schemes at this point is creating team chemistry. Hester said that process has become increasingly important in the transfer portal era, when coaches often have only a few months to build relationships with a mostly new roster.
Tech even participated in an off-campus team-building exercise this offseason, something Hester said his program had never done before.
“It’s not just about getting them to run and jump fast,” Hester said. “It’s getting them to care about each other and move the ball and share and understand that this is bigger than themselves.
“You have to buy into a team concept, and if you can buy into a team concept, we is always greater than me.”
Fenner has tried to help that process away from the court, organizing meals and spending time with his new teammates.
“I feel we’ve grown pretty close actually for how quick it’s been,” Fenner said. “I feel we’ve got a good camaraderie going on.”
Tech will also be adjusting to a new league as the Bulldogs return to the Sun Belt Conference for the first time since 2001. For Hester and the Bulldogs, one of the biggest positives will be geography.
After years of lengthy Conference USA trips, Tech will have conference road games at nearby schools such as ULM, Louisiana-Lafayette and Southern Miss.
“I think the biggest excitement for me is the travel,” Hester said. “People don’t understand how hard it was to travel in Conference USA.”
For now, though, his focus is much closer to home. Hester hopes the Bulldogs are playing their best basketball when February and March arrive, just as last year’s team did.
“My role is to get this team ready to play ball in February and March,” Hester said. “We stuck with it. We grinded. We fought. Gave ourselves a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament by playing for a championship.
“I just focus on my job and try to do the best I can at it.”
