Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
St. Thomas
Men's Basketball Heads to Minnesota to Take on St. Thomas
November 07, 2025 | Men's Basketball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point men's basketball (1-0) hits the road for the first time in the 2025-26 season on Saturday, heading north to St. Paul, Minnesota, to take on the St. Thomas Tommies on Nov. 8 inside Lee and Penny Anderson Arena.
The game on Nov. 8 will mark the first time that Army will take on the Tommies in program history. The matchups will mark the first time any two basketball programs will play in the Lee & Penny Anderson Arena, named after the lead donors for the facility.
Lee Anderson, a Minnesota native and a graduate of the USMA Class of 1961, was an outstanding cadet and men's basketball player. He played an integral role in the paint for Army throughout his career and helped lead the program to its first three appearances in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).
The two teams face off on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. ET, with the game also streaming live on the Summit League Network.
ARMY STORYLINES:
WHAT HAPPENED LAST GAME: Army gained its first win of the 2025-26 season on Monday, defeating the Maritime College Privateers, 73-49. The Black Knights earned their seventh straight win over the Privateers, moving to a 7-0 advantage in the head-to-head series. Three Black Knights finished the game in double-digits. Sophomore guard Kevin McCarthy finished with a game-high 18 points, freshman guard Jackson Furman added 17 points off the bench and sophomore forward Jacen Holloway finished with 13 points.
THE WALLET: A role player off Army's bench last season, Kevin McCarthy played an active role in Army's first game of the season. In his first start of the season, the third in his career, the sophomore sharpshooter scored a career-high 18 points and also added career-highs in field goals made (7), three-pointers made (4) steals (3), and minutes (28).
MAKING A SPLASH: Freshman guard Jackson Furman made an immediate impact for the Black Knights, earning 17 points off the bench in his first collegiate game. Furman's performance is the most a freshman has scored in their debut in 11 seasons and the second most since 2000. Tanner Omlid was the last Black Knight with numbers similar to Furman, scoring 18 points in his collegiate debut against Air Force on Nov. 8, 2013.
THE BOOGEYMAN: Sophomore forward Jacen Holloway also saw a strong showing on Monday's win over Maritime, setting multiple career-highs in his fourth career start. Holloway finished the night with a new career-bests of 13 points and five made field goals. He also matched his career-highs in free throws made, steals and minutes.
TATE ON THE BOARD: Junior forward Tate Laczkowski, the tallest player on Army's roster, served as the biggest rebounding threat for Army in game one. Laczkowski finished the game with a team-high nine rebounds in his first career start. The junior also added four points and one block.
CHEF (RYAN) CURRY: Curry returns to Army for his third season after serving as a key role in for the Black Knights for the past two seasons. The junior played in all 33 of Army's games, starting in all but one matchup. He finished last season averaging 12.5 points a game, the third highest on the team, plus led the team in assists and three-point percentage. The former Patriot League All-Rookie Team (2023-24) member will see an even higher workload in the 2025-26 year, poised to be Army's starting point guard and the Black Knights' biggest offensive threat.
JORNADO WARNING: Jorn Everson played a key role off Army's bench last season, starring as the Black Knights' sixth man. Everson played in 32 games last season, having a breakout 22-point performance in Army's College Basketball Invitational win over Elon. The stretch forward finished the first game of the season with nine points and also added a career-high six rebounds in his first start of his career.
FOR THE YOUNG GUNS: The Black Knights' roster will look different this season after graduating an eight-person senior class. Now on the 18-man roster, there are five upperclassmen and 13 underclassmen, with nine sophomores and four freshmen. The new freshmen joining Army include Jackson Furman, Dillon Watt, Dylan Benner and Jahaan Green. Before joining the Academy, Furman, Benner and Green each played a year at the United States Military Academy Preparatory School (USMAPS).
HELD IN HIGH REGARD: Team captain, Jackson Mayo, was named USMA's Deputy Brigade Commander, the second-highest-ranked position in the Corps of Cadets, over the summer. The senior started the season scoring six points with two made three-pointers in Army's win over Maritime.
History with St. Thomas
- This is the first matchup between these two programs.
Scouting the Tommies
- St. Thomas is 0-1 to start the season, falling on the road to Saint Mary's of the West Coast Conference, 58-84. Last season, the Tommies finished 24-10 overall, ultimately falling in the Summit League Championship to Omaha.
- Head coach John Tauer enters his 15th season at the helm at St. Thomas, holding a 291-108 record throughout his time at the university.
- Nolan Minessale, a sophomore guard from Brookfield, Wis., led the Tommies against Saint Mary's with 24 points while adding a team-high five rebounds and two assists.
- Nick Janowski was the second of the Tommies to finish in double digits in the first game of the season, scoring 14 points. Carter Bjerke added a team-best three assists and three steals in the loss.
