The Bobcats didn’t finish the year how they wanted to.

After achieving a school-best 23 wins in the 2018-19 season, Texas State lost four of its last five games, including a semifinals appearance in the Sun Belt tournament.

It wasn’t easy to get there. Eleven of the Bobcat’s 18 conference games were decided by single digits last year. But with the majority of his key players returning, head coach Danny Kaspar feels his team is set to contend for a league title again.

“If we're healthy and our attitudes are good, I think we have a chance to really compete,” Kaspar said. “It's a wide-open league this year.”

The toughest challenge for Texas State will be finding new starters at both guard spots and the power forward position.

The Bobcats have the most experience returning at point guard, where redshirt junior Marlin Davis is set to battle with sophomore Mason Harrell. Davis was the team’s starter in 2017-18, but suffered a season-ending knee injury 16 games in and was redshirted last year. Harrell served as the primary backup at the position last season, but Kaspar said he’s seen the sophomore’s confidence grow during the offseason.

“I think Marlin's got a battle on his hands because Mason Harrell's got a lot better,” Kaspar said. “I may start somebody based on what they're doing in practice … Marlin has missed quite a bit last year. And Mason has been at it. So I can't tell you who's going to start there.”

The other two starting spots will be a trickier puzzle to solve. Junior forward Quentin Scott averaged 11.4 minutes last year, but the team also brought in junior Isaiah Small from junior college to compete with him. The team also has zero shooting guards left from last season’s roster, leaving fellow JUCO transfers Caleb Asberry and DeShawn Davidson to fill the void.

“That is a big question mark for us,” Kaspar said. “Can our two-guard situation be strong enough? Can we fill our two-guard position, can our recruits come in and do the job at the two-guard spot?

“These new guys gotta learn our system and realize this is what we do.”

Texas State should still look a lot like last year’s squad, though. The team’s identity is still predicated on the two-way play of Nijal Pearson. Senior forward Eric Terry remains as a low post threat, backed up by the Bobcats’ athletic sixth man, redshirt sophomore Alonzo Sule, and bulky senior center, Chandler Davis. Junior guard Shelby Adams should also see a bump in playing time on the wing.

If the team can find the familiarity it built over the course of last season, Kaspar believes the Bobcats are in for another big year.

“Last year, there were a lot of seniors throughout the league. I mean, everybody had a lot of seniors on the team, including us,” Kaspar said. “If we have everybody healthy, I'd like to think that, out of 12 teams, that we're a top-three or -four team.”

Preseason MVP:
Nijal Pearson. Pearson was one of two underclassmen named to the 2019 All-Sun Belt First Team. Heading into his final season as the school’s all-time leader in starts, he’ll also have the chance to break records in points, 3-pointers and steals.

Game of the Year: vs. UT-Arlington, Jan. 25.
The last time the Mavericks were in San Marcos, the game was sent into overtime twice on buzzer-beaters from UTA guard Brian Warren.

Impact First-Year Player:
Caleb Asberry