Lions

Lions Highlights

General Information

NCAA Division: Division I
Conference: Southland Conference
Past Conferences: Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Lone Star Conference
City: Commerce, Texas
Arena: Texas A&M-Commerce Field House
NCAA Tournaments: 0

Championships

National Championships: 0
Conference Titles: 22 (1934, 1936, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1948, 1950, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1964, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1984, 1990, 1996, 1998, 2005, 2020)

Team History

Texas A&M-Commerce began play way back in the 1916-17 season, going 4-6 overall that season. The Lions joined the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association in the mid-1920s and became members of the Lone Star Conference for the 1931-32 season. The Lions remained in the Lone Star Conference through the 2021-22 season.

After first moving to the Lone Star Conference, it didn’t take Texas A&M-Commerce long to establish itself as a top-notch program. The Lions shared the conference title in 1934 in what was the first of 22 conference titles they would win in the LSC. The Lions would appear in 22 NAIA/Division II Tournaments over the years, capturing the 1955 NAIA championship when the school was still called East Texas State Teachers College.

On September 28, 2021, Texas A&M-Commerce accepted an invitation to join the Southland Conference and NCAA Division I. The Lions officially became a Division I school on July 1, 2022. The NCAA has a mandated four-year transition process for when schools change divisions. While the Lions can compete for the Southland Conference basketball championship, the team cannot compete in the NCAA tournament until 2026-27, but the basketball team can compete in the CBI prior to that if invited.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders All-Time Records

Points Scored

Rashawn Thomas, 2,033
John Jordan, 1,576
Chris Daniels, 1,407

Rebounds

Nate Granger, 1,146
Jim Miller, 973
Hugo Cabrera, 832

Assists

Larry McGhee, 529
Hosea Lee, 462
Brandon Manning, 395

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders FAQs

Has Texas A&M-Commerce ever defeated Texas A&M?

The Lions have played the Aggies on four occasions and did manage to win one of the games. Texas A&M-Commerce played Texas A&M in its first season and at a time scores were typically in the 20s, the Aggies walloped the Lions 64-5. It would be 31 years before the teams met again, but it was the Lions who pulled out a 52-43 win on Dec. 8, 1947.

Has Texas A&M-Commerce had any players drafted by the NBA?

The Lions have had two players taken by NBA teams. The first, Bill Gaines, was selected by the San Diego Rockets in the 1968 NBA Draft and also by the Houston Mavericks of the ABA. He played just one game for the Mavericks before being waived. The second, Hugo Cabrera, was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1876 but was waived before the season started.

Who has been Texas A&M-Commerce’s most successful coach?

Bob Rogers, a member of the Texas A&M-Commerce Hall of Fame has been the school’s most successful coach even though he was there just five seasons. His teams went 113-34 (.766), winning four Lone Star Conference titles in his time there. The Lions reached the NAIA Tournament in three of his five years, advancing to the semifinals in 1952-53 and the quarterfinals in 1953-54. His 1954-55 team went 29-5 and won the NAIA championship.