A-State releases 2020-21 basketball schedule
Red Wolves open campaign with Thanksgiving holiday showcase
ASU Media Relations JONESBORO — Arkansas State is set for 13 home men’s basketball games in the complete 2020-21 schedule released Wednesday.
The Red Wolves will open Nov. 25-27 at the Justin Reed Ole Miss Classic against Jackson State, Central Arkansas and Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss. ASU visits Memphis on Dec. 2.
The home opener is Dec. 4 against Crowley’s Ridge College and home games against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Dec. 9) and Central Baptist College (Dec. 11) follow. After a trip to Stephen F. Austin on Dec.
16, the Red Wolves close the non-conference schedule against Champion Christian on Dec. 20.
A-State faces an 18-game league slate, playing Sun Belt West Division opponents in a Friday-Saturday format. The Sun Belt slate tips off Jan. 1-2 as ASU travels to Louisiana-Monroe. After two road games at Texas State (Jan.
8-9), the Red Wolves host ULM on Jan. 15-16.
After a trip to Louisiana-Lafayette (Jan. 22-23), the Red Wolves host Texas- Arlington (Jan. 29-30), ULL (Feb. 5-6) and Arkansas-Little Rock on Feb. 10. ASU travels to UALR on Feb. 13 before returning to Jonesboro to host Texas State (Feb. 19-20). A visit to UTA (Feb.
26-27) closes the conference slate. The Sun Belt Conference tournament is March 5-8 in Pensacola, Fla.
• Washington makes All-SBC list
Arkansas State junior guard Jireh Washington was on the third team Wednesday when the Sun Belt released its preseason all-conference team in women’s basketball.
Washington led ASU in scoring (13.0 points per game) and assists (111) while ranking second on the team in steals (42) and third in rebounding (4.3 rebounds per game). Her 3.7 assists per game ranked fifth in the league while she ranked ninth in assists/turnover ratio (1.17).
• A-State women’s hoops adds Polish JUCO standout Szydlowska
Another international standout was added to Arkansas State women’s basketball’s 2020 signing class, as Karolina Szydlowska signed her National Letter of Intent Tuesday.
Szydlowska, a 6-0 forward from Wroclaw, Poland, spent the last two seasons at Seward County Community College in Kansas. This past season, she helped the Saints to a 25-7 record and a semifinal finish in the NJCAA Region VI Tournament.
“I’m very excited to add Karolina to our family,” head coach Matt Daniel said.
“She is a swing player that play and guard multiple positions. She loves the gym and wants to pursue a career in basketball professionally, and she works relentlessly at her craft. I can’t wait for her and the rest of the team to get to Jonesboro.”
As a sophomore, Szydlowska earned First Team All-KJCCC West and Second Team All-Region VI honors as she led SCCC in scoring (11.3 points per game), rebounding (7.0 per game) and blocks (1.3 per game). She shot 36.1 percent from the field, including 29.9 percent from three-point range. Her 42 total blocks ranked fourth in Division I of the KJCCC. In conference outings, Szydlowska upped her rebounding average to 7.7 per game, while blocking 26 shots. In her freshman season at Seward, Szydlowska was part of a Region VI runnerup squad that advanced to the NJCAA Tournament.
She averaged 9.8 points in 34 appearances (30 starts) while averaging 6.5 boards and 1.4 blocks per game, the latter which ranked fourth in the conference.
Szydlowska also brings international experience, having played for the Polish U20 National Team.
She joins fellow spring signees and JUCO standouts Jordyn Brown (Clovis, California) and Seynabou Thiam (Dakar, Senegal), as well as guard Hilani Cantone (Apopka, Florida) and guard/forward Victoria Dames (Loganville, Georgia), who inked with the Red Wolves during the early signing period in November.
Photo courtesy of A-State
