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NWF Men’s and Women’s Basketball Open Up Their 2024-25 Seasons Friday at Raider Arena
Posted: Oct 31, 2024

NWF Men’s and Women’s Basketball Open Up Their 2024-25 Seasons Friday at Raider Arena

 

NICEVILLE, Fla. – The 2024-25 basketball season has officially arrived, and Northwest Florida State Men's and Women's basketball teams will hit the court Friday night at Raider Arena for their season openers.

 

It's been 229 days since the last competitive game at Raider Arena, where both teams were battling in the FCSAA State Championships in Niceville. The men narrowly lost a close, one-possession game to Chipola, while the women triumphed over top-seeded Gulf Coast to claim their sixth state title in program history.

 

Both teams advanced to their respective national tournaments, coming just short of capturing national championships. The men fell to eventual champions Barton in the Elite Eight, and the women lost a hard-fought battle in overtime to Hutchinson in the National Title game.

 

Now, both teams are back with renewed determination. A new season brings a fresh opportunity to compete for national titles, and it all begins on November 1 at Raider Arena.

 

TIP-OFF

  • Raider Arena will host four games on Friday and Saturday as part of the Raider Classic.
  • Both days will feature two women's games and two men's games, with the first two games of each day as neutral-site matchups.
  • On Friday, the action starts at 1:00 p.m. with a women's game between DME Academy and #6 Gulf Coast State, followed by a men's game between South Georgia Tech and Southern Union at 3:00 p.m. Saturday's schedule includes Gulf Coast against Central Georgia Tech at 1:00 p.m., followed by Southern Union facing Copiah-Lincoln at 3:00 p.m.
  • The last two games each day will highlight the Raider teams. On Friday, the Raider women will open their season against Central Georgia Tech at 5:00 p.m., followed by the Raider men against Copiah-Lincoln at 7:00 p.m. The Raider women return Saturday at 5:00 p.m. to play DME Academy, with the Raider men concluding the weekend at 7:00 p.m. against South Georgia Tech.

 

RETURNING FOR THE RAIDERS

WOMEN

  • Bart Walker returns for his tenth season leading the Raiders and his eighth year in his second stint at Northwest Florida State.
  • The Raiders bring back seven players from last year's team: Allyson Ferguson, Nevaeh Scott, Aja Pollard, Mekhia Chase, Kyla McBride, Jade Ondineme, and Deborah Davenport.
  • Deborah Davenport is the only returning starter, having averaged 8.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks across 33 games last season. She also contributed 12.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game over four national tournament games.

MEN

  • Steve DeMeo returns for his ninth season at Northwest Florida, marking his third year in his second stint with the Raiders.
  • The Raiders head into the 2024-25 season with an entirely new roster, as no players from last season's lineup will be returning. The only returning players, Tyrese-Melo Garcia and Gabriel Martinez, both redshirted last season.
  • The team welcomes several NCAA Division I transfers aiming to make an immediate impact, including Davion Hill (Missouri State), Logan Bourgeois (East Carolina), Curtis Williams (Pepperdine), Josh Hayes (Appalachian State), Nathan Ojukwu (Illinois-Chicago), and Dwayne Pierce (Iowa State).

 

RANKING THE RAIDERS

  • Both the Raider men's and women's teams start the season ranked in the top ten of the NJCAA Preseason Poll and in the top five in the FCSAA Coaches' Poll.
  • The Raider women open the season ranked second nationally, just behind defending champions Hutchinson, and hold the top spot in the state coaches' poll.
  • The Raider men begin the season ranked sixth in the national preseason rankings and are second in the FCSAA Coaches' Poll, behind Daytona State, who is ranked third nationally.