SAN ANGELO, Texas – Angelo State men's basketball closes out their exhibition schedule on Sunday afternoon as they welcome the Texas Wesleyan Rams to the Junell Center-Stephens Arena with tipoff set for 3:00 p.m. in San Angelo.

THE MATCHUP                    

ANGELO STATE vs. TEXAS WESLEYAN
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8 - 3:00 P.M.
JUNELL CENTER-STEPHENS ARENA  |  SAN ANGELO, TEXAS
TICKETS

NEWS & NOTES                  

2025-26 REWIND
The 2025-26 campaign saw the Rams win their first five games of the season and 10 of their first 14 games on the way to a 17-14 overall record. Angelo State held the second-best scoring defense in the LSC a year ago, allowing just 67.4 points per game which ranked 30th in all of NCAA Division II basketball.
 
PLAYER TO WATCH LIST
Senior forward Jhordan Ryan was named to the LSC Preseason Players to Watch List following a stellar campaign in 2025-26. The Montserrat native ranked ninth in the league last season with 6.7 rebounds per game as he had eight double-doubles during his first season in the Concho Valley to earn All-LSC Third Team accolades.
 
LONE STAR CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL
Angelo State was picked to finish eighth in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll announced on October 19th by the league's offices in Richardson, Texas. The Rams received 499 points in voting conducted by the conference's head coaches, sports information directors and one media representative from each institution.
 
Defending LSC Champion DBU picked up 35 of the possible 49 first place votes for a total of 841 points to sit atop of the poll followed by Eastern New Mexico, Lubbock Christian, St. Edward's, Western New Mexico, St. Mary's, West Texas A&M, ASU, Texas A&M-Kingsville, UT Tyler, Oklahoma Christian, UT Dallas, UT Permian Basin, Midwestern State, Texas A&M International, Cameron and Sul Ross State.
 
DRAWING A CROWD
The Rams ranked third in the Lone Star Conference in attendance during the 2026-27 campaign as they averaged 749 fans over their 12 home contests with an overall attendance mark of 8,976.
 
ASU HEAD COACH VINAY PATEL
Vinay Patel enters his fifth season at the helm of the Ram Basketball program for the 2026-27 season after taking over in San Angelo on April 29, 2002. Patel has mentored 14 All-LSC honorees during his time in the Concho Valley including Steve Webb being named the LSC Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 and Keyshawn Embery-Simpson was named the LSC Newcomer of the Year in 2024.
 
The Shamrock, Texas native holds over 20 years of collegiate coaching experience with stops at Northwestern Oklahoma State, Oklahoma City University, Rogers State and West Texas A&M.
 
A LOOK AT THE RAMS
Texas Wesleyan enters the weekend with an overall record of 1-3 as they look to snap a three-game losing streak. The Rams fell 75-62 to #11 Oklahoma Wesleyan on Thursday night in Fort Worth, Texas Wesleyan shot 50% (19-of-38) from the floor and were led by Jensen Knowles with 17 points and four rebounds.
 
Texas Wesleyan finished last season 20-10 overall including a 15-7 mark in Sooner Athletic Conference action, advancing to the second round of the NAIA National Tournament before falling to second-seeded LSU-Shreveport, 70-66.
 
2025-26 saw the Rams shoot 43.4% (791-of-1823) from the floor including 30.7% (212-of-690) from behind the arc as they averaged 72.9 points per contest, outscoring their opponents by an average of 2.3 points per game. Texas Wesleyan grabbed 1092 rebounds (36.4/game) to go along with 333 assists, 239 steals, 112 blocks and 430 forced turnovers (14.3/game).
 
Michael DeHorney leads the way offensively for the Rams to start the season as the junior from Chandler, Arizona has gone 13-of-20 (65%) from the floor including 25-of-33 (75.8%) from the free throw line to average 13.5 points per game to go along with 19 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.
 
The Rams are two-time NAIA National Champions (2006, 2017), becoming the lowest seed (27th) to even win a National Title in 2006. Texas Wesleyan has qualified for 13 NAIA National Tournaments, producing 21 All-Americans in a program that dates back to the 1935-36 season.
 
Texas Wesleyan is a private university in Fort Worth, Texas that was founded in 1890. They are currently a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), competing in the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC). The Rams sponsor 21 intercollegiate varsity sports. Texas Wesleyan was offered and accepted membership into the Lone Star Conference on August 19, 2026 as they will officially join the LSC for the 2028-29 season.
 
TXWES HEAD COACH BRIAN WANAMAKER
Brian Wanamaker is in his third season leading his alma mater at Texas Wesleyan University. The former TWU All-American has guided the Rams to back-to-back NAIA Tournaments, advancing to the second round during the 2025-26 campaign.
 
Wanamaker played his junior and senior seasons at Texas Wesleyan, twice earning All-Red River Athletic Conference honors and twice leading the team to the NAIA National Tournament. In 2010-11 was named RRAC Player of the Year and became just the third Ram to earn 1st-team NAIA All-American honors. Following his graduation, Wanamaker was drafted into the NBA D-League and went on to play six seasons in various European professional leagues.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
The Junell Center is one of the most recognizable buildings on the ASU campus and is home to one of the finest playing courts in NCAA Division II – Stephens Arena. The university's Board of Regents approved the plans for the new center, at an estimated cost of $20 million. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held in the summer of 1999, and construction was completed in December of 2001. The first athletic contest held in the facility was on January 17, 2002, as the Rams and Rambelles hosted Texas A&M-Kingsville in a basketball doubleheader.
 
Under head coach Vinay Patel, the Rams are 42-8 inside the Junell Center-Stephens Arena, good enough for a .840 winning percentage. The Rams won their first 21 games on their home court under Patel's guidance, including a 13-0 mark in 2022-23 during Patel's first season at the helm.
 
OPENING THE SEASON
Angelo State opens their 2026-27 campaign on the road as they travel to the Rocky Mountain State for South Central Region matchups against Adams State (Nov. 13) and Western Colorado (Nov. 14). The Rams return to the Concho Valley on Friday, November 20th as they host Sul Ross State in the home opener at the Junell Center-Stephens Arena.
 
LSC BASKETBALL NEWS & NOTES
- The LSC men's basketball season began on October 30th. Three different league institutions started their campaign during opening weekend at D2CCA Tipoff Classics across the country.
- West Texas A&M began 3-0 in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin while Lubbock Christian (Ellensburg, Washington) and St. Edward's (Honolulu, Hawaii) both went 2-1.
- Lone Star Conference Hoops Week took place on October 19-23. Watch interviews from all 17 men's basketball teams and the preseason player of the year on the conference's YouTube page.
- All 17 LSC men's basketball teams are eligible to win the regular season title and advance to the LSC and NCAA Division II postseason tournaments.
- The nine-team LSC men's basketball tournament is scheduled for March 2 on campus and March 5-7 at Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas. Tickets will go on sale in February.
- The NCAA Division III Men's Basketball South Central Regional is scheduled for March 13-14, 16 at a site to be determined. The Elite Eight is set for March 23, 25, 27 at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana.