TCC releases 2015-16 basketball schedules
2015-16 Men's Basketball Schedule
2015-16 Women's Basketball Schedule
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (July 23, 2015) – Tallahassee Community College released its 2015-16 men’s and women’s basketball schedules on Thursday, exactly 100 days from the October 30 season openers 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 it 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 February 2 date in Tallahassee.
After the opening weekend, the Eagles play three straight at home beginning Thursday, November 5 against Hillsborough Community College. And while it will mark White’s first home game as Tallahassee’s 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.
Next up is a three-day trip to Pensacola, Fla., for the Pirate Thanksgiving Classic, November 26-28, and games against ASA College Miami, Miami Dade College and 2015 NJCAA Tournament participant Trinity Valley (Texas) Community College.
December opens with return trips to Hillsborough (December 3) and St. Petersburg (December 5) then, following exam week, features the annual Florida College’s Men’s Basketball Shootout on December 12 and 13 in Gainesville, Fla., where the Eagles will play Polk State College and Florida State College at Jacksonville.
Tallahassee plays its final three non-conference games at home – December 15 vs. Gordon State and December 28 and 29 in its Holiday Classic against Shelton (Ala.) State Community College and Central Georgia Technical College.
Like their male counterparts, the Eagle women and third-year head coach Franqua “Q” Bedell will take on a road-heavy non-conference schedule.
Following the opening two games in Atlanta, Tallahassee will play its home opener Tuesday, November 3 against Daytona State College then host the third annual Veterans Day Classic November 11. The high school/college doubleheader will begin with Lincoln High School and Florida High squaring off followed by the Eagles taking on Fort Benning (Ga.) Military Academy.
Two days later, Tallahassee heads north to Rome, Ga., for a pair of games at the GHC Classic against Shelton State (November 13) and Georgia Highlands (November 14) then on to Gainesville for the November 17 date with Santa Fe.
The signature home event of the non-conference schedule takes place November 19-21 when the Eagles host a three-day event featuring another mix of high school and collegiate action. Tallahassee gets games against Hillsborough (November 19), Atlanta Metro State (November 20) and Darton (Ga.) State College (November 21) and will host some of the top high school programs in the country – Lincoln High returns for one game and will be joined in prep action by TPLS (Va.) Christian Academy, Forest Trail (N.C.) Academy, who is coached by former NBA veteran Delaney Rudd, and two Florida powers – The Rock School and IMG Academy.
Tallahassee closes the non-conference schedule with a quartet of classics and nine straight games overall on the road.
First up is a trip to Athens, Texas, for the Budke/Serna Classic, hosted by national power Trinity Valley, where the Eagles will play Panola (Texas) Junior College and San Jacinto (Texas) College-North, November 27 and 28, respectively.
On December 3, Tallahassee will play at Hillsborough in another doubleheader with the Eagle men. After that are trips to the Chipola College Classic (December 11-12), Northwest Florida State College Winter Classic (November 15-16) and Daytona State College Classic (December 29-30). Only Northwest Florida State has released opponents and game times – the Eagles play Bishop (Ala.) State Community College on December 15 and Georgia Highlands the following day.
During Panhandle Conference play, the Eagle women, like the men, will get three shots at the defending national champions, Chipola – as well as three against Northwest Florida State, who advanced to the national quarterfinals.
Chipola visits the Bill Hebrock Eagledome for games January 9 and February 13.
Both the Eagle men and women open the 2016 Panhandle Conference schedule Saturday, January 2 with a home date against Pensacola State College.