On the night of January 23, St. Edward's men's basketball team was at a low point in a season adrift in them. The Hilltoppers lost to Texas Permian Basin on a last-second 3-pointer from a center with only two other 3-pointers in his five-year collegiate career. 
 
St. Edward's had an 11-9 record, including 5-6 in conference play, with only a month remaining in the regular season. Everyone would be hard-pressed to find anyone outside of St. Ed's locker room who believed the Hilltoppers were a lock for the Lone Star Conference Tournament, let alone the NCAA Tournament. 
 
Fortunately, the 2024-25 St. Edward's men's basketball team story is precisely that: Belief.
 
"We had a lot of low points, starting with losing BLAKE NIELSEN for the season to a torn ACL. Then, we lost a few games where we had the ball in the final minute with a chance to win and didn't come away with any of them," St. Edward's Head Men's Basketball Coach Andre Cook says. "It was miserable, upsetting, but to our guys' credit, they kept showing up, they kept working, and they never stopped believing in our plan, which is a testament to their character."
 
The original plan was to build an offense around all-conference guard GAVINO RAMOS and Nielsen, a 6-foot-6 all-conference point forward and walking mismatch who's too big to defend with a guard in the post, too quick and skilled to defend on the perimeter with a post, and too good of a playmaker to shade help to. 
 
Those skills would be enough to compensate for a roster more than halfway turned over from the previous year in a new defensive philosophy installed by new assistant coach Jeff Evans that requires constant coordination and complete buy-in. 
 
The plan worked through the first two games, with Nielsen averaging 22.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists on 56.3 percent shooting in wins over Alaska Anchorage and the University of Mary. Then, the team received the news Nielsen was out for the season. 
 
"We had one day to process losing BLAKE NIELSEN, our best player and team captain, before we had to hop on a plane to Colorado," Cook recalls. "We were in tears and had to figure out everything on the fly. But these 14 guys didn't run from a challenge, and they kept showing up to work." 
 
Without Nielsen to drive the offensive identity St. Edward's already established, the Hilltoppers had to lean on the defensive one they were trying to forge. In May, Cook hired Evans as his new assistant and defensive coordinator, bringing a system that produced a highly successful 23-year career as the head boys basketball coach at Palo Duro High School and one RMAC Tournament Championship as an assistant at Fort Lewis College.
 
It is a pressing and trapping philosophy that injects chaos into a game. It's also one that needs complete buy-in due to its risk-reward balance. 
 
Bringing two defenders to the ball can lead to stretches of surrendering open layups and corner 3-pointers, like when the Hilltoppers surrendered seven 3-pointers to Dallas Baptist's Drew Calderon and UT Tyler's Mareng Gatkuouth in losses. However, like counting cards, the odds shift in St. Edward's favor over the aggregate, so long as it remains in constant communication and trusts each defender is where they need to be. 
 
St. Edward's ranked second in the LSC in turnovers forced per game (17.1), third in steals per game (9.6), and ranked in the top 25 nationally in both categories. 
 
"I give Jeff Evans all the credit for that. He came in, took over the defense, and provided the accountability we wanted with a system that's been successful everywhere he's coached," Cook says. 
 
While the forced turnovers provided free-for-all opportunities in the open court, St. Edward's needed to find a new hub to anchor its motion offense. For that, Cook turned to graduate center LEWIS ROWE, inserting him in the starting lineup and featuring him as a primary go-to option.
 
The 6-foot-10 center was a basketball nomad who moved from Prince Alfred College to Virginia Military Institute, New Mexico Junior College, and Sam Houston State before arriving at the Hilltop. In his first open runs with teammates, there were glimpses of footwork, physicality, touch, and passing chops muddled by lost conditioning after a year of sporadic playing time. 
 
"Lou needed someone to believe in him, and that's what we did. He world with Blake to get himself into shape and felt comfortable in Austin at St. Ed's," Cook says. "When Blake got hurt, we moved him into the starting lineup, and I think Lou felt someone finally had confidence in him. From there, he took his conditioning to the next level. Lou is always in the gym, working with LUKE KISER on his game. Suddenly, we're running plays for him, centering the offense more on him, and this snowballing of confidence started." 
 
Rowe emerged as the team's leading scorer for most of the season, settling the offense down from the post and facilitating from the low block and elbows. Only injuries slowed him down, ending the year averaging 13 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 27.2 minutes per game on 56.2 percent shooting to earn All-LSC Second Team honors. 
 
"By the end of the year, he was playing on one leg. It just speaks to his toughness because he could have shut it down," Cook says. "The doctor told him his knee would need surgery after the season, but he didn't want to let his teammates down. It says a lot about him and how invested he is in just the nine months he's been a part of St. Edward's. In this era of one and two-year players, we're all figuring out how to put a roster together that cares for each other and the name in the front as much as these guys did." 
 
In CONOR MCMANUS, the Hilltoppers have a redshirt junior who believed in the plan Cook had for him, bringing him along slowly in preparation for this breakout season, ranking 10th in the LSC in steals and second in 3-pointers, earning the final LSC Defensive Player of the Week award of the season. 
 
"Conor is one of those kids who always takes the right path and does everything to the best of his ability," Cook says. "He got stronger and more athletic over the summer, which led to more confidence. He's earned everything, and I'm so proud of him." 
 
Kiser and MASON COURTNEY transferred in and provided gritty play, doing a lot of the unsung work to connect one big moment to the next as the backup point guard and starting wing.
 
"Luke was a star at [Division III] UT Dallas and embraced coming off the bench as a 12-15 minute per game guy. He played through sprained ankles, a bad back, and pain shooting down his leg to prove he could play and help his team win at a higher level, and he checked both boxes. He's a winner," Cook says. "Mason is brilliant and uniquely himself. He believes in himself and doesn't care what others think about him. He's an easy guy to root for."
 
LATIEK BRISCOE provided scoring punch off the bench and is one of the few Hilltoppers capable of creating a quality shot near the end of the clock. Freshman frontcourt player SAM MCKINNEY met every moment, providing spacing, rebounding, and flashes of interior play, and fellow first-year forwards WONDER KAHOZI and TRAVON WILLIAMS stepped up at different points with solid defense. 
 
"Latiek had some ups and downs, but he's so talented, and the best version of LATIEK BRISCOE often led to the best version of St. Edward's basketball," Cook says. "I enjoyed all of our freshmen. BRAEDEN SPINDEN is a local kid who worked hard every day at practice. Sam made the all-freshman team and is going to be one of those four-year guys who put up great career numbers and makes all-conference teams, and Travon and Wonder each had good moments and were great teammates." 
 
Senior JAKE DEFRANZA played his role when called upon, hitting 56.3 percent of his 3-pointers, and LUCA BAREI struggled with injuries but shot 47.1 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from deep when available.
 
Still, St. Edward's opened conference play with a pair of losses at Lubbock Christian and Midwestern State, the latter going down to the last second on Ramos's missed 3-point attempt in a one-point loss. 
 
After a pair of home wins against Texas A&M International and Kingsville to open the new year, St. Edward's suffered a three-game losing streak at UT Tyler, Dallas Baptist, and Oklahoma Christian, missing 3-pointers to tie the game on the final possession against UT Tyler and Oklahoma Christian, after bouncing back with a blowout win over Cameron, St. Edward's lost that ill-fated game on UTPB's buzzer-beating 3-pointer. 
 
"One thing I said after the UTPB game is if that shot clanged off the rim, we'd be sitting here telling everyone how well they played. It was a well-played game for both teams, so why should two inches either way on one shot determine where we're at? Let's stick to the process," Cook recalls. "I also have to give Gavino a lot of credit for keeping everyone together. He's our team captain, constantly communicating with everyone, offering encouragement, and playing every day through injuries, bumps, and bruises."
 
St. Edward's bounced back with a crucial win over Angelo State, led by its frontcourt of Rowe and JAMISON KAY. Then, a combined 38 points from McManus and Rowe to defeat Texas A&M-Kingsville, capped off by Kay's steal and breakaway dunk. 
 
Ramos blocked a corner 3-point attempt in the closing seconds of overtime to secure a win over Texas A&M International, and Kay stepped up with a career-high 26 points in the absence of Rowe, who exited the game early with an injury. Kay was a revelation in February, averaging 15.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. He shot over 50 percent from the field and 3-point line while expanding his shot creation and playmaking responsibilities at star-level usage to earn All-LSC Third Team.
 
"I've always told Jamison there's more to his game. What he's given me in two years is always good, but he has a greater level he can reach," Cook exclaims. "There's more room in there for him to be a leader. He's someone whose game was hurt by Blake's injury. Jamison was probably averaging 20 points in our preseason scrimmages and games, and then we asked him to move to the four and change his game. To his credit, he did, and I'm proud of him. I'm glad we have him another year so he can continue making the strides we saw this year." 
 
Ramos also found his rhythm, leading the team with 16.6 points and 4.25 assists, hitting 48.6 percent of his 3-pointers in February while shooting 31-for-37 from the free-throw line. 
 
St. Edward's star point guard elevated his game. The rest of the team followed, reeling off consecutive wins over UT Tyler, Cameron, and Oklahoma Christian, then rallied the team after losing to Eastern New Mexico, scoring 18 points on eight shots to defeat West Texas A&M on the road for the first time in program history. 
 
"Gavino was the one who rallied everyone on the bus ride between Eastern New Mexico and West Texas A&M, convincing everyone we were going to win somewhere we'd never won before," Cook says. "One of the driving forces for our late-season run was everyone on the team wanting to do this for him." 
 
St. Edward's entered the season's final week needing one win in two games against St. Mary's to clinch an LSC Tournament berth. Courtney and McManus took over in the second half to clinch a Tournament berth with a victory at home, and then Ramos delivered a master-class performance in his final game in his hometown, San Antonio, with 23 points and the game-winner over the Ratters. A week later, Ramos and Rowe combined for 40 points to defeat St. Mary's in the first round of the LSC Tournament, clinching a berth in the NCAA Tournament. 
 
"We hadn't won a playoff game in Gavino's entire career here, so to see him slap our name on the wall after defeating St. Mary's in the LSC Tournament was special," Cook says. "All season, we stared adversity straight in the face and didn't run from it. They kept working and believing and found a way to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years. In my 29 years of coaching, this team ranks pretty high up there."