Lutz Era Begins Tuesday against Alma Mater TLU at American Bank Center

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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Head coach Steve Lutz will coach his first-ever game at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi against his alma mater Texas Lutheran on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the American Bank Center.
 
Lutz was announced the head coach of the Islanders in April 2021 after spending the previous four seasons as an assistant coach at Purdue. Lutz, from San Antonio, played three seasons at TLU and served as the team captain as a senior. He graduated in 1995.
 
Lutz and the new-look Islanders brought in 12 newcomers, including 10 transfers (most in NCAA Division I). Among the newcomers is a graduate transfer big man San Antonio Brinson from NJIT, where he averaged 9.0 points and 3.9 rebounds per game last season.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi returned three starters, which included senior guard Myles Smith, senior guard Simeon Fryer and senior forward De'Lazarus Keys. Smith was second on the team in scoring with 9.1 points per game, while Keys was the team's leading rebounder and averaged 8.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per outing.
 
Smith was named to the Preseason All-Conference First-Team. He's just 22 points away from reaching the 1,000 plateau in his career and enters the year with 978 points, 349 rebounds, 239 assists and 96 steals. Two years ago, he was the team's leading scorer with 13.5 points per outing.
 
The Islanders were predicted to finish sixth out of eight in the SLC Preseason Poll. They ended 5-19 overall and 2-13 SLC last season.
 
Texas Lutheran had its 2020-21 season significantly shortened due to COVID-19. The Bulldogs finished 4-7 overall and 4-6 in the SCAC. TLU competes at the NCAA Division III level.
 
Tuesday's game will be streamed live on the Islanders Digital Network with Steven King on the call.
 
NOTES
- The Islanders are 19-3 all-time in season-openers and also 19-3 in home openers. Last season, they beat Texas A&M-International 64-53 on opening day.
 
- A&M-Corpus Christi is 202-101 all-time at home and 134-74 in the American Bank Center.
 
- The Islanders are 2-0 all-time against TLU with the last meeting being an 80-42 victory in 2017-18. A&M-Corpus Christi also won 60-49 in 2012-13.
 
- Lutz brought in an entirely new staff with three new assistant coaches, a director of operations, video coordinator and a pair of graduate assistants.
 
- The men's basketball program is only in its 23rd season. Their best year came in 2006-07 when they won the SLC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 15 seed.
 
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