As I sat in the Thomas Assembly Center late last week watching the Louisiana Tech men’s basketball team practice, I stared at the roster sheet in front of me as much – or more – as I did the court.
Why, you ask?
Because tonight I will join my good friend Teddy Allen on the ESPN+ broadcast to call the Bulldogs’ season opener against Kent State. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m.
The season opener is always a bit of a challenge in any sport for any broadcaster as you try to familiarize yourself with a new group of players.
Before the transfer portal and name, image and likeness (NIL) deals and … well, let’s be honest … buying players became part of the college athletics landscape, I usually had to learn three, four, maybe five new names for a basketball season.
Not anymore.
Head coach Talvin Hester has a roster comprised of 13 players. Twelve of them will be wearing a Bulldog uniform for the very first time tonight.
Twelve. Out of 13.
Welcome to college basketball in 2026, where roster continuity has become more of a luxury than a reality. Second-year guard Jaylen Fenner is the lone returner from last year’s squad. He wears No. 4. I know that one. He’s easy.
The other 12? Well, let’s just say I’ve got some studying to do before tonight’s opening tip.
Hester lost some players to graduation. He lost others to the transfer portal. And now he faces the challenge of taking an almost entirely new collection of players and turning them into a basketball team. Whether we like it or not, this is the day and age of college athletics. At least until someone figures out how to fix it.
And while learning 12 new names and numbers might be a challenge for yours truly, it’s nothing compared to what Hester and his coaching staff have faced over the past several months.
Because learning names is one thing. Building chemistry, establishing roles, developing trust and getting 13 individuals to play as one cohesive unit? That’s an entirely different ballgame.
And it’s not something that happens overnight.
There is talent on this roster. There are players who have enjoyed success at previous stops, whether at the junior college level or at other four-year programs. But talent alone doesn’t guarantee victories.
The question is how quickly Hester can get these guys on the same page, particularly with the Bulldogs entering their first season back in the Sun Belt Conference after 25 years away from the league. If exhibition games are any indication (and sometimes it’s hard to tell), the Bulldogs appear to be ahead of schedule. Hester and Co. “defeated” North Texas, UT Arlington and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in their three preseason scrimmages.
Tonight will be a different monster. This one counts. For keeps. And it is the first time the Dunkin’ Dog fan base will see the product on the floor.
It’s a challenge that isn’t unique to Louisiana Tech. Coaches across the country are dealing with similar situations. The days of recruiting a freshman, developing him over four (or five) years and watching him graduate in the same uniform are becoming increasingly rare. It’s not necessarily better. It’s not necessarily worse for every individual involved.
But it is different.
And for those of us who have spent decades around college athletics, it’s taking some getting used to.
Hester has guided Tech to three consecutive 20-win seasons. He knows how to coach. He knows how to win. The question this season is how quickly he can get an almost entirely new group to do the same.
Until then, my challenge is learning new names, new numbers and a whole lot of new faces early in the season. That begins tonight. And if I happen to glance down at my roster sheet a few more times than usual during the broadcast, now you’ll know why.
