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Louisiana Tech AD Tommy McClelland sees Bahamas trip as reward for 74 wins over last three years

Raheem Appleby, Markel Brown

Raheem Appleby, Markel Brown

AP

In each of the last two seasons Louisiana Tech has won a share of its conference’s regular season title, splitting the honors in the WAC with Denver in 2013 and being one of four teams to finish 12-4 in Conference USA last season. Unfortunately for head coach Michael White and his program neither of those seasons ended in the NCAA tournament, with the Bulldogs failing to earn the automatic bid to the Big Dance.

With key players such as guards Raheem Appleby and Alex Hamilton and forward Michale Kyser returning to Ruston, the hope is that Louisiana Tech can take that next step in 2014-15. That’s where the Bulldogs’ August trip to the Bahamas comes into play, as Coach White and his staff will not only have three exhibition games to play but they also are allowed ten practices per NCAA rules.

Having that extra time on the court can help a team. But in the eyes of Louisiana Tech athletic director Tommy McClelland, the trip also represents a deserved reward for a program that has won 74 games over the last three years. McClelland discussed this with Sean Isabella of The News-Star on Friday.

“It’s a great reward for the coaching staff, and I think it’s a great reward for these players,” Tech athletic director Tommy McClelland told The News-Star earlier this week. “You think about Raheem (Appleby) and Speedy (Smith) and Alex (Hamilton) and Michale Kyser and those guys. I know they’ve been disappointed the last two years, I know they haven’t made it to the NCAA Tournament and they are going to fight like heck to get in there this year, but man, what a great opportunity … It’s rewarding and they deserve it.”

Louisiana Tech will have a short stay in the Bahamas, as they leave August 17 and are scheduled to return on August 22. The Bulldogs return the likes of Appleby, Hamilton and Kyser but they’re adding seven newcomers to the program, including junior college transfers Qiydar Davis and Merrill Holden. The practices and exhibitions that come with the trip will help with the growth process of a team adding so many new faces.

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