Men’s basketball team gears up for season opener in Waco
This year's Hill College men’s basketball team, comprised of three sophomores and 13 freshmen, is gearing up for an exciting 2024-25 season which officially kicks off Friday, November 1, in Waco.
Assistant Athletic Director/Head Coach Swede Trenkle, who enters his 21st season at Hill College, said the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference (NTJCAC) is stacked with talent once again this year with four of the eight teams nationally ranked in the top 30, according to the latest preseason poll.
“Some of our non-conference games this year also include playing the top team in the nation South Plains College (No. 1) twice, Odessa College (No. 13), Murray State College (top 30) twice, and Lee College (top 30), Trenkle said. “We also play Frank Phillips College which might actually be better than all of the others.”
Sophomore forward Charles Okafor, who was an all-conference player a few years ago, returns to the lineup for Hill College bringing a wealth of playing experience and talents to this year’s squad.
“Charles is our best athlete and has great experience,” Trenkle added. “I am also expecting great things from sophomore guard Allen Omana, who had a really good freshman season last year – as he can really shoot the 3-pointers and plays bigger than he is.”
Trenkle also said freshmen Derrick Morris and Kemauri Mellender will be expected to hold down most of the point guard position for the Rebels.
“We ae very happy and excited about all of our freshmen,” Trenkle said. “They have been working very hard to understand how tough and how hard it is to play at this level. We are expecting at least six or seven of them to play a lot of minutes this season.”
Coaching alongside Trenkle this season will be Julien Addison, now in his second year as assistant coach for the Rebels.
“[Julien] is a great asset to our team,” Trenkle said. “He is one of the best assistant coaches I have ever had.”
A few conference foes who continue to have strong teams from year to year include Ranger College, McLennan Community College, and Collin County Community College.
“Things get tough right out of the gate for us,” Trenkle said, “as our opening game of the season is Friday against Lee College in the first round of the McLennan Classic in Waco.”
Although Hill College will play a majority of the top 30 nationally ranked teams on its schedule at tournaments throughout the season, it will be hosting Murray State College Nov. 26 at the Bob Bullock Sports Center in Hillsboro.
Conference play doesn’t begin until early 2025 when the Rebels travel to Southwestern Christian College on Jan. 11 in Terrell.
Other key conference home matchups this season include McLennan Community College (Jan. 29), Collin County Community College (Feb. 22), and Ranger College (March 8).
One final feather in the Hill College men’s basketball program’s hat is the addition of facility upgrades to the Bob Bullock Sports Center. Some of the major improvements include a new gym floor, flooring throughout the facility, new coaches’ offices, enhanced locker rooms, etc.
“We are very excited about our facility upgrades,” Trenkle said. “Everything looks so nice and clean, and I feel blessed to basically be in a brand-new gym and office. A sincere ‘thank you’ to those individuals who were responsible for these fantastic upgrades.”
The NJCAA Region 5 Men’s Basketball Tournament will be held March 12 at McLennan Community College in Waco.
For more information on the Hill College men’s basketball program, please visit https://hillcollegeathletics.com.
2024-25 Hill College Men’s Basketball Roster
0 – Andrew Robinson, G, Sophomore
1 – Daylyn Martin, G, Freshman
2 – Theodoros Panagiotopoulos Andritsopoulos, F, Freshman
3 – Derrick Morris, G, Freshman
4 – Christian Djemis, G, Freshman
5 – Marko Milentijevic, G, Freshman
10 – Hamzah Abdullahi, F, Freshman
11 – Joshua Campbell, G, Freshman
12 – Kemauri Mellender, G, Freshman
13 – Tahmar Mann, G, Freshman
14 – Charles Okafor, F, Sophomore
15 – Allen Omana, G, Sophomore
20 – Canon Edgecombe, G, Freshman
21 – Jalon Thompson, F, Freshman
22 – Stefan Todorovic, G, Freshman
23 – Quincy Owens Jr., F, Freshman
Assistant AD/Head Coach – Swede Trenkle
Assistant Coach – Julien Addison