STATESBORO – College basketball season is right around the corner, and the Eagle hoops teams are taking a breather from their intense preseason preparation to head out in the community.

Men's basketball coach Mark Byington and his staff will be hosting a free Little Eagles Basketball Clinic presented by Optim Healthcare, a collaboration between Optim Orthopedics and the physician-owned Optim Medical Center-Tattnall, on October 26, 2019. The one-hour clinic will include fun drills for kids ages 6-12, capped off with an autograph session at the end.

While the event is free, parents are strongly encouraged to register their kids online at GSEagles.com/LittleEagles. Check-in will begin at 9 a.m. at the main entrance to Hanner Fieldhouse and the clinic will start at 9:30 a.m. Kids in attendance will receive a free goodie bag from Optim Healthcare.

Both Eagle teams will be introduced at the football game Oct. 26, and both squads will have an autograph session at Chick-Fil-A in Statesboro Monday, Oct. 28, from 6-7:30 p.m. The women's team will participate in Trunk or Treat at Mill Creek Park Tuesday, Oct. 29, from 5-7 p.m.

The Eagle women will host a pair of exhibition games in Hanner Fieldhouse Oct. 30 (Coker) and Nov. 5 (Coastal Georgia) with tipoff for both contests set for 6:30 p.m. The Eagle women open the season at Furman Nov. 10 at 2 p.m., while the men play their season opener at No. 24 Auburn Nov. 5 at 9 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. 

The Georgia Southern men return three starters and 10 lettermen, including 68 percent of their scoring and 69 percent of their rebounding, to a team that finished fourth in the country in field goal percentage and 15th in scoring a season ago. Georgia Southern reached 20 wins for the third time in five years in 2018-19, posting a 21-12 mark for the second consecutive season. It's the first time GS has won 20-plus games in back-to-back seasons in 30 years, and a number of preseason publications have the Eagles slotted in the top-3 in the Sun Belt this season. 

The Georgia Southern women return all five starters, including second-team All-Sun Belt selection Alexis Brown, from last season's squad and return 91.9 percent of their scoring, 90.3 percent of their rebounding and 96.1 percent of their assists. Anita Howard begins her first season at the helm of Georgia Southern women's basketball in 2019-20. The eighth head coach in program history and the first African-American, Howard brings a career head coaching record of 145-55 to Statesboro.

Season tickets are on sale now – men's tickets start at just $100, while season ticket packages for the women are just $50. Single-game home tickets go on sale on Monday, Oct. 28 and patrons purchasing season tickets before this date will have a broader selection of seats to reserve.

Tickets can be purchased at GSEagles.com/tickets.