Trojans Hit the Road for Mean Green Showcase

TROY, Alabama – The Troy men's hoops team heads to Denton, Texas as it plays in the Mean Green Showcase hosted by North Texas. The Trojans will play Samford, Idaho and North Texas on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

Tip for the games on Monday and Wednesday versus Samford and Idaho, respectively, are slated for a 5 p.m. tip, while the Trojans' final game against North Texas is set for 4:30 p.m. All of the games can be heard on the Troy Sports Radio Network with Barry McKnight. The Trojans' final game of the tournament can also be watched online at MeanGreenSports.com

Coming off its first loss of the season, the Troy (2-1) squad looks to rebound from a 79-63 loss to UAB. In the game, the Trojans worked their way back from a 13-point deficit, but couldn't find a way to take the lead. Troy was led by Jordon Varnado, who earned his third-straight game with 20-plus points, shooting 9-of-14 from the floor, on his way to a game-high 24 points, while reeling in seven rebounds.

John Walton III led all on the glass with 10 rebounds, narrowly missing a double-double with nine points. Wesley Person shot 3-of-8 from long range on his way to double figures with 13 points.

Varnado currently leads all NCAA freshmen in points per game, averaging 23.7. His 23.7 points-average ranks first in the Sun Belt.

Samford (2-1) comes to Denton riding a 2-game win streak. After falling on the road to Louisville, the Bulldogs returned home to post convincing wins over AUM and Kennesaw State. The Bulldogs are led by Darius Jones-Gibson who is averaging 16.0 points per game. Two other Bulldogs average double figures in Christen Cunningham and Matt Rose with 13.7 and 11.0 points, respectively. On the glass, Eric Adams and Rose are reeling in 6.0 boards per contest.

Idaho heads to North Texas after a 85-59 victory over Linfield at home. The Vandals (2-1) are led by Victor Sanders, whose career night pushed Idaho past Linfield. He ended the night with a career-high 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 6-of-8 from downtown. He is also averaging a team-best 5.0 rebounds per game, along with Nahshon George. The Vandals play host North Texas on Monday, before playing Troy on Tuesday.

North Texas (2-0) is perfect at home this year with wins over Jarvis Christian and Texas College. The Mean Green is averaging 111.0 points per game, and are led by Jeremy Combs who is averaging 21.0 points per contest. Five other Vandals are averaging double digit points per game. On the glass, Combs also leads North Texas, reeling in 8.5 rebounds per game.

Folllowing the Mean Green Showcase, the Trojans return to Trojan Arena for a homestand against Southern Miss and Austin Peay.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Wesley Person

Jordon Varnado

John Walton III