2016–17 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball team

2016–17 Conference USA men's basketball standings
	† 2017 C-USA Tournament winner ;

2016–17 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball
2016–17 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball
Conference	Conference USA
2016–17 record	23–10 (14–4 C-USA)
Head coach	Eric Konkol (2nd season);
Assistant coaches	Duffy Conroy; Yaphett King; Tony Skinn;
Home arena	Thomas Assembly Center
	Seasons ← 2015–16 2017–18 →

The 2016–17 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball team represented Louisiana Tech University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulldogs, led by second-year head coach Eric Konkol, played their home games at the Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, Louisiana and were members of Conference USA. They finished the season 23–10, 14–4 in C-USA play to finish in second place. They beat UAB in the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament before losing to Marshall in the semifinals. Despite finishing with 23 wins, the school declined to participate in a postseason tournament marking the first time since 2013 that they did not participate in a postseason tournament.^[1]

Previous season[]

The Bulldogs finished the 2015–16 season 23–10, 12–6 in C-USA play to finish in three-way tie for third place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament to Old Dominion. They received an invitation to the inaugural Vegas 16 where they lost in the quarterfinals to East Tennessee State.

Preseason[]

The Bulldogs were picked to finish in seventh place in the preseason Conference USA poll.^[2] Erik McCree was selected to the preseason All-Conference USA team.^[2]

Departures[]

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Alex Hamilton	0	G	6'4"	190	Senior	Chipley, FL	Graduated
Dayon Griffin	10	G	6'5"	188	Sophomore	St. Petersburg, FL	Transferred to Central Florida
Branden Sheppard	15	F	6'7"	225	RS Freshman	Shreveport, LA	Transferred to Pearl River CC
Merrill Holden	21	F	6'8"	215	Junior	Lincoln, NE	Graduate transferred to Iowa State

Incoming Transfers[]

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Omar Sherman	24	F	6'8"	225	Junior	Duncanville, Texas	Junior college transferred from Paris Junior College

Recruiting class of 2016[]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
DaQuan Bracey PG	Baltimore, MD	St. Frances Academy	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Nov 17, 2015
DaQuan Bracey PG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN:
Jalen Harris SG	Duncanville, TX	Duncanville High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Sep 22, 2015
Jalen Harris SG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
JaColby Pemberton SG	Lancaster, TX	Lancaster High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	N/A	Oct 17, 2015
JaColby Pemberton SG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Oliver Powell PF	Rowlett, TX	Rowlett High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Sep 24, 2015
Oliver Powell PF	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: #127
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 7, 2017.

Recruiting class of 2017[]

US college sports recruiting information for 2017 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Amorie Archibald SG	Deltona, FL	Trinity Christian Academy	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Sep 30, 2016
Amorie Archibald SG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Exavian Christon SG	Hot Springs, AR	Hot Springs High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Sep 21, 2016
Exavian Christon SG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Anthony Duruji F	Potomac, MD	St. Andrews Episcopal School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	May 17, 2016
Anthony Duruji F	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 7, 2016.

Roster[]

2016–17 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	0	Jacobi Boykins	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jr	Lakewood High School	St. Petersburg, Florida
G	1	Derric Jean	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	So	McArthur High School	Miami, Florida
F	2	Erik McCree	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	RS Sr	Murray State	Orlando, Florida
G	3	Jalen Harris	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Fr	Duncanville High School	Duncanville, Texas
G	4	DaQuan Bracey	5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Fr	St. Frances Academy	Baltimore, Maryland
C	5	Joniah White	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	RS So	Grenada High School	Duck Hill, Mississippi
F	11	JaColby Pemberton	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Fr	Lancaster High School	Dallas, Texas
G	15	Jeremiah Taylor (W)	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Fr	Lewisville High School	Lewisville, Texas
F	22	Jy'lan Washington	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	So	Stewarts Creek High School	Smyrna, Tennessee
G	23	Da'Shawn Robinson	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Sr	Navarro College	Houston, Texas
F	24	Omar Sherman	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	255 lb (116 kg)	Jr	Paris Junior College	Duncanville, Texas
G	25	Qiydar Davis	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	RS Sr	Indian Hills Community College	Atlanta, Georgia
G	30	Luke Walker (W)	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	So	Brother Martin High School	New Orleans, Louisiana
F	35	Oliver Powell	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Fr	Rowlett High School	Rowlett, Texas

Head coach

Eric Konkol (UW–Eau Claire)

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule and results[]

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
11/03/2016* 6:30 pm		Southern Arkansas	W 86–69		Thomas Assembly Center Ruston, LA
Non-conference regular season
11/11/2016* 5:30 pm		at South Carolina	L 76–85	0–1	Colonial Life Arena (13,344) Columbia, SC
11/16/2016* 6:30 pm		Alabama State	W 87–56	1–1	Thomas Assembly Center (3,016) Ruston, LA
11/19/2016* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		at Nebraska	L 54–65	1–2	Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,824) Lincoln, NE
11/23/2016* 6:30 pm		Oklahoma Baptist	W 79–63	2–2	Thomas Assembly Center (2,017) Ruston, LA
11/27/2016* 4:00 pm		Maryland Eastern Shore California Bears Classic	W 74–53	3–2	Thomas Assembly Center (2,027) Ruston, LA
11/30/2016* 8:00 pm, P12N		at California California Bears Classic	L 59–68 ^OT	3–3	Haas Pavilion (8,129) Berkeley, CA
12/03/2016* 6:00 pm		Southeastern Louisiana California Bears Classic	W 88–59	4–3	Thomas Assembly Center (2,764) Ruston, LA
12/05/2016* 6:30 pm		Alcorn State California Bears Classic	W 98–65	5–3	Thomas Assembly Center (2,424) Ruston, LA
12/10/2016* 7:15 pm		at Louisiana–Lafayette	L 83–91	5–4	Cajundome (4,491) Lafayette, LA
12/13/2016* 6:30 pm		Prairie View A&M	W 65–52	6–4	Thomas Assembly Center (2,213) Ruston, LA
12/17/2016* 7:00 pm		vs. Grambling State Shreveport-Bossier Holiday Classic	W 89–55	7–4	Hirsch Memorial Coliseum (877) Shreveport, LA
12/20/2016* 6:30 pm		Florida Gulf Coast	L 78–79	7–5	Thomas Assembly Center (2,277) Ruston, LA
12/22/2016* 6:30 pm		LSU–Shreveport	W 95–53	8–5	Thomas Assembly Center (2,044) Ruston, LA
Conference USA regular season
01/01/2017 2:00 pm		at Southern Miss	W 79–55	9–5 (1–0)	Reed Green Coliseum (2,761) Hattiesburg, MS
01/05/2017 6:30 pm		UTEP	W 64–44	10–5 (2–0)	Thomas Assembly Center (3,205) Ruston, LA
01/07/2017 6:00 pm		UTSA	L 68–69	10–6 (2–1)	Thomas Assembly Center (3,513) Ruston, LA
01/12/2017 6:00 pm, ESPN3		at Charlotte	W 79–73	11–6 (3–1)	Dale F. Halton Arena (4,319) Charlotte, NC
01/14/2017 5:00 pm		at Old Dominion	W 75–63	12–6 (4–1)	Ted Constant Convocation Center (6,564) Norfolk, VA
01/19/2017 6:30 pm		Rice	W 74–64	13–6 (5–1)	Thomas Assembly Center (3,313) Ruston, LA
01/21/2017 6:00 pm		North Texas	W 81–57	14–6 (6–1)	Thomas Assembly Center (3,066) Ruston, LA
01/26/2017 8:00 pm, ASN		at UAB	L 70–79	14–7 (6–2)	Bartow Arena (3,642) Birmingham, AL
01/28/2017 5:00 pm, ESPN3		at Middle Tennessee	L 61–71	14–8 (6–3)	Murphy Center (7,805) Murfreesboro, TN
02/02/2017 7:00 pm, beIN		WKU	W 76–67	15–8 (7–3)	Thomas Assembly Center (3,802) Ruston, LA
02/04/2017 6:00 pm		Marshall	W 94–90	16–8 (8–3)	Thomas Assembly Center (4,804) Ruston, LA
02/09/2017 8:00 pm		at UTEP	W 62–61	17–8 (9–3)	Don Haskins Center (6,698) El Paso, TX
02/11/2017 3:00 pm		at UTSA	W 72–66	18–8 (10–3)	Convocation Center (1,212) San Antonio, TX
02/16/2017 6:30 pm		Florida Atlantic	W 95–69	19–8 (11–3)	Thomas Assembly Center (3,012) Ruston, LA
02/18/2017 6:00 pm		FIU	W 77–61	20–8 (12–3)	Thomas Assembly Center (3,418) Ruston, LA
02/23/2017 7:00 pm		at North Texas	W 85–67	21–8 (13–3)	The Super Pit (2,217) Denton, TX
02/25/2017 7:00 pm		at Rice	L 81–88	21–9 (13–4)	Tudor Fieldhouse (3,302) Houston, TX
03/04/2017 1:00 pm, ASN		Southern Miss	W 93–65	22–9 (14–4)	Thomas Assembly Center (3,102) Ruston, LA
Conference USA Tournament
03/09/2017 5:30 pm, ASN	(2)	vs. (7) UAB Quarterfinals	W 69–57	23–9	Legacy Arena (4,005) Birmingham, AL
03/10/2017 2:00 pm, CBSSN	(2)	vs. (6) Marshall Semifinals	L 77–93	23–10	Legacy Arena (3,299) Birmingham, AL
*Non-conference game. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time Source^[3].

References[]

^ "Why Tech chose not to participate in pay-for-play postseason tournament". thenewsstar.com. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
^ ^a ^b "MBK: UAB Voted C-USA Preseason Favorite". Conference USA. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
^ "LA Tech Official Athletic Site". latechsports.com.

[1] "Why Tech chose not to participate in pay-for-play postseason tournament". thenewsstar.com. Retrieved 2017-04-13.

[:0-2] "MBK: UAB Voted C-USA Preseason Favorite". Conference USA. Retrieved 2017-01-25.

[3] "LA Tech Official Athletic Site". latechsports.com.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball
Venues	(1925–1952) Memorial Gymnasium (1952–1982) Thomas Assembly Center (1982–present)
Culture & lore	Tech Hoop Troop
People
Seasons	1911–25 1942–44 1984–85 1988–89 1990–91 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22

2016–17 Conference USA men's basketball standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Middle Tennessee †	17	–	1	.944	31	–	5	.861
Louisiana Tech	14	–	4	.778	23	–	10	.697
Old Dominion	12	–	6	.667	19	–	12	.613
UTEP	12	–	6	.667	15	–	17	.469
Rice	11	–	7	.611	23	–	12	.657
Marshall	10	–	8	.556	20	–	15	.571
UAB	9	–	9	.500	17	–	16	.515
Western Kentucky	9	–	9	.500	15	–	17	.469
UTSA	8	–	10	.444	14	–	19	.424
Charlotte	7	–	11	.389	13	–	17	.433
Florida Atlantic	6	–	12	.333	10	–	20	.333
Southern Miss	6	–	12	.333	9	–	22	.290
FIU	3	–	15	.167	7	–	24	.226
North Texas	2	–	16	.111	8	–	22	.267


† 2017 C-USA Tournament winner