Josiah Hill

The TJC men’s basketball team opens the season on Friday, hosting Strength ‘N Motion at Wagstaff Gymnasium on the Tyler Junior College campus.

Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Wagstaff Gymnasium has a new floor with new lighting for Tribe fans so they can see their Apaches.

Coach Mike Marquis has almost an entirely new team for 2024-25. There are a couple of returners, but they did not see any minutes last season.

Josiah Hill, a 6-10 forward from Mansfield, and Saliou Mbaye, a 6-3 guard from Senegal, are both back on the Apaches’ roster after missing last season with injuries.

Joey Brown, a 6-7 guard, comes to TJC from Ball State University. He is from Indianapolis.

Freshmen guards Caden Bell, Trey Calloway and Chris Uwayo Jr. — all 6-1 — are “dynamic guards that can play multiple positions and score at all three levels,” Marquis said.

Bell is from Durham, North Carolina, while Uwayo is from Raleigh, North Carolina. Calloway is from Atlanta, Georgia.

Also joining the Apaches is 6-8 forward Rahman Olajuwon, who is the son of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon. His brother, Abdullah Olajuwon, plays for Kilgore College. The two are fromm Houston.

“That’s a unique experience,” Marquis said. “Rahman has been terrific for us. It will be interesting when we play each other’s team. We’ll have to see who dad is for.”

Other Apaches are 6-5 guard Fareed Allim (Houston), 6-7 guard/forward Luis Diaz (Dominican Republic), 6-7 guard Zander Frazier (Montgomery, Alabama), 6-3 guard Keithen Jackson (Beaumont), 6-10 forward Ahmed Jwao (The Gambia), 6-3 guard Jeremiah Lewis (Hammond, Louisiana), 6-7 forward Siul Murillo (Panama) and 5-9 guard Jackson Tomlin, who played for Tyler HEAT.

After Friday’s game, the Apache Ladies and Apaches will play a doubleheader against Southwestern Christian College of Terrell.

The Apache Ladies play at 5:30 p.m., followed by the Apaches at 7 p.m.