CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The 95th season of Austin Peay State University basketball unofficially begins with the Governors facing Southern Illinois in a 6 p.m., Friday contest at the Banterra Center in Carbondale, Illinois.

Head coach Corey Gipson returns for season three at the helm of his alma mater. Gipson has led the Governors to back-to-back Atlantic Sun Conference Men's Basketball Tournament appearances, and helped lead the program to three postseason wins during that span. Additionally, Gipson's 33 wins are the third-most by a head coach throughout two seasons, while those 33 victories also are the eighth-most in program history. Under Gipson and the staff's leadership, six Governors have signed professional contracts since the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, including Isaac Haney, Sai Witt, and Darius Dawson from last year's program.

In addition to Gipson, associate head coach Rodney Hamilton and Tim Ward – who was promoted to associate head coach during the offseason and retains his position of recruiting coordinator – also remain on staff for their third seasons in Clarksville. Assistant coach and Austin Peay alum Dugan Lyne also returns for his second season back with the Governors.

Five student-athletes return from last year's team that earned a postseason win against North Florida in the opening round of the ASUN Basketball Tournament, including reigning ASUN Freshman of the Year Tate McCubbin, who led the team with 71 three-pointers – a freshman program record – 146 rebounds, and 42 steals.

Anton Brookshire and Hansel Enmanuel also return for their third seasons in Clarksville. Brookshire's 82 assists and 52 three-pointers were second and third on the team last season, while the Milwaukee, Wisconsin native averaged 12.1 points and 3.4 assists per game against the conference schedule last season. Enmanuel started a career-best six games during his junior campaign in 2024-25, and his 16 blocks were best for second on the team.

Eight newcomers, consisting of five veterans and a trio of freshmen, also prepare to make their APSU debuts against the Salukis. The five veterans consist of one transfer from Division I, two from Division II, one NAIA, and one NJCAA. All three collegiate newcomers also were three-star recruits out of their respective high schools.

Rashaud Marshall joins the Governors after spending his sophomore season at Arkansas State, where he averaged 4.7 points and 5.3 rebounds across 35 appearances for the Red Wolves. A former four-star recruit and the No. 1 prospect out of Arkansas in 2023, Marshall began his collegiate career at Ole Miss, appearing in 19 games as a freshman.

A four-year letterwinner at Columbia College, Collin Parker was a two-time NAIA All-American and American Midwest Conference Player of the Year. He averaged 16.9 points and 6.8 points per game throughout his career with the Cougars, including 22.6 points and 10.0 rebounds per game as a senior while shooting 54.0% from the field and 45.7% from three-point range with 91 made triples.

Creighton Morisch comes to Clarksville after spending his junior and senior seasons at Sioux Falls, where he started 42 games across 56 appearances, earning First Team All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference honors and being tabbed the NSIC Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 14.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game across 28 starts as a senior.

A two-time First Team All-Great Lakes Valley Conference selection at Missouri-St. Louis, Matt Enright started 96-of-97 games in three seasons for the Tritons. As a junior, Enright averaged 16.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. He was 10th in Division II with 103 three-pointers, and his 44.8 three-point percentage ranked 11th nationally. As a sophomore, the St. Louis, Missouri native averaged 13.9 points and 3.2 assists per game with 57 three-pointers and a 34.5% mark from beyond the arc. 

The Fastbreak

• Austin Peay and Southern Illinois meet for the 20th time in program history. Southern Illinois leads the all-time series, 12-7, and is 8-2 all-time against the Governors in Carbondale.
• Last season, the Salukis defeated the Governors 65-60 in Clarksville (12/14/24). The last time the Govs and Salukis met in Carbondale, APSU came away with a 70-68 victory during the 2023-24 season.
• Austin Peay is 2-0 in exhibition games under head coach Corey Gipson.
• Austin Pay has won 19-straight exhibitions dating back to 2010.
• Austin Peay's roster is comprised of five returners and eight newcomers.
• Austin Peay's five returners accounted for 36.4% of its points and 43.9% of its minutes from last season.
• Last season, the Governors set the single-season program record with 280 three-pointers and 810 attempts from distance. APSU has broken the three-point record each of the last two seasons, with the previous record of 273 having stood since the 2007-08 season.
• The reigning ASUN Freshman of the Year, Tate McCubbin averaged 10.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game last season, he also led the team with 146 rebounds and 42 steals – his 42 steals are the most of any returning player in the ASUN.

Scouting the Salukis

• Southern Illinois is led by first-year head coach Scott Nagy, who is in his 30th season as a head coach.
• Nagy was previously the head coach at Wright State, where he was 167-92 in eight seasons. Nagy also served as the head coach at South Dakota State for 21 seasons, totaling a record of 410-240 during that time.
• Southern Illinois' 2024-25 season ended in the Missouri Valley Conference Quarterfinals following a 70-53 loss to MVC Regular-Season and Tournament Champion, Drake. The Salukis finished the season 14-19 with an 8-10 conference record.
• Despite losing its top three scorers from last year's team, the Salukis return five players and one redshirt. Their top-returning scorer, Drew Steffe appeared in all 33 games as a freshman and averaged 6.8 points and 2.0 assists per game, which were fourth and second on the team, respectively. SIU also returns Davion Sykes, who averaged 4.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game last season. Sykes had nine points and went 4-for-4 from the field in SIU's 65-60 win over the Governors in Clarksville last season.
• Nagy added eight newcomers ahead of his inaugural season at the helm of Salukis basketball. Those eight consist of three freshmen and five veteran additions. Valparaiso transfer Isaiah Stafford highlights the group after ranking seventh in the MVC with 16.9 points per game during his redshirt junior season, while 1.62 steals per game were third in the league. Prince Aligbe joined the team after spending his junior season at Seton Hall, earning 29 starts across 32 appearances for the Pirates and averaging 7.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. 

Up Next

Austin Peay hosts Middle Tennessee in a 7 p.m., Oct. 28 exhibition at Gary Mathews Court at F&M Bank Arena. The contest between the Governors and Blue Raiders will be live-streamed on ESPN+ with Barry Gresham and Ethan Schmidt on the call. Fans also can tune into the Governors Radio Network on ESPN Clarksville (104.1 FM / 540 AM) to hear Brian Rives call all the action.