October 18, 2012

Men's basketball team to host open intrasquad scrimmage Saturday evening

The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team will host its first open scrimmage of the season Saturday, immediately following the home volleyball match against Tennessee State. The scrimmage, which will pit the 2012-13 players against each other.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team will host its first open scrimmage of the season Saturday, immediately following the home volleyball match against Tennessee State. The scrimmage, which will take place in the Eblen Center at approximately 4 p.m. CT, will give Golden Eagle fans a sneak peak at head Steve Payne's second squad at Tech.

Tech returns three starters from last year's squad, including All-OVC first-team selection and senior guard Jud Dillard. Dillard led the Ohio Valley Conference last season in rebounds and finished fourth in points per game. He finished second on the team in points behind NBA draft selection and All-OVC first-teamer Kevin Murphy.

Others returning for the Golden Eagles include starters senior Terrell Barnes and junior Dennis Ogbe. Ogbe, who was honored as member of the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll for the second straight season, will look to build off his strong 2011-12 campaign in which he led the Golden Eagles in field goal percentage. Barnes will return as Tech's primary post presence, providing invaluable size for the Golden Eagles.

Also making a return to Tech are sophomores Javon McKay and local Cookeville product Mitchell Hill. McKay will look to earn a starting roll on the Golden Eagles after playing significant minutes in his redshirt freshman season a year ago. Hill will provide Tech with invaluable depth at the guard position this season, and make a splash with his three-point shooting ability.

Junior Matt Marseille make his return to the team after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the preseason of last year. Marseille will look to bounce back and make an immediate impact as a wing for the Golden Eagles.

Season tickets are currently available for the men's basketball 2012-13 season. To order tickets or for additional information, visit or call the Athletics Ticket Office in Eblen Center. The office is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to noon, and from 1 to 4:30 p.m. The phone number is (931) 372-3940. Tickets may also be ordered online by clicking the Tickets option on the official Tennessee Tech Athletics website at TTUsports.com.