TCC’s Basketball Teams to Open 2015-16 Season on the Road
Special to the Outlook
Tallahassee Community College released its 2015-16 men’s and women’s basketball schedules on July 23, exactly 100 days from the Oct. 30 season opener that will officially usher in the Eagles’ 25th Anniversary season as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
Both teams will open the season on the road – the Eagle women in Atlanta, Ga., against a yet to be named opponent at the Atlanta Metro State College Classic; the Eagle men in Niceville, Fla., where first-year head coach Mark White will make his Tallahassee debut at the Quality Inn Classic hosted by Northwest Florida State College.
White won’t have to wait long for a shot at a marquee victory – the Eagles play Southwest Tennessee Community College and Georgia Highlands College during the two-day event. Southwest Tennessee, whose 2015 season ended one win shy of a trip to the national tournament, knocked off the Eagles in Tallahassee at last November’s Capital Courtyard Classic en route to a 24-4 record and No. 11 NJCAA ranking. Georgia Highlands, meanwhile, won the NJCAA Region 17 championship and advanced to the national semifinals, where they lost in overtime to eventual national champion Northwest Florida State.
The meeting with Georgia Highlands is the first of six games against teams who advanced to Hutchinson, Kan., for last season’s national tournament. Highlighting that slate will be three tussles with the aforementioned Northwest Florida State Raiders during the 2016 Panhandle Conference schedule, including a Feb. 2 date in Tallahassee.
After the opening weekend, the Eagles play three straight games at home beginning Thursday, November 5 against Hillsborough Community College. And while it will mark White’s first home game as TCC head coach, it will not be his first time to walk the sidelines in the Bill Hebrock Eagledome. White brought his former school, East Mississippi Community College, to Tallahassee each of the last two seasons to participate in the Eagles’ December Holiday Classic.
Following home games against St. Petersburg College (November 7) and TAAG Academy (November 10), the Eagles will hit the road for ten straight, beginning with a second meeting against Georgia Highlands on November 13 at the Georgia/Florida Shootout in Barnesville, Ga., hosted by Gordon State College. Tallahassee will play host Gordon State the next night then travel to Santa Fe College on Tuesday, November 17 in a doubleheader with the Eagle women.
