Good Morning, Troy Fam. Let’s be honest, you really don’t wanna work today, right?

Just enjoy these highlights a few more times!

What all do we have stirring in today’s Brew? Check it out below!

🏀 Thunder Down
📝 Making The List
⚾️ Diamond Dandies
⚔️ And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Thunder Down. After battling through a tough non-conference slate, the Troy men’s basketball squad kicked off Sun Belt action on Saturday and did so in victorious fashion.

Victor Valdes and Theo Seng both scored 18 points apiece to lead the Trojans to a hard-fought 70-63 victory over visiting Marshall. Thomas Dowd came up one rebound short of yet another double-double, finishing with 13 points and nine rebounds in the contest.

Dating back to last season, Troy has now won seven straight games against Sun Belt competition.

🏀 The Full Recap

🔼 Linking Up. A pair of Troy men’s golfers showed out recently on the links.

Pierce Becker and Thomas Crane both shot 8-under at the College Tour X Port City Amateur event last week in Mobile, Ala.

Both Trojans finished t-fourth at the event that brings some of the region’s best college golfers together to compete.

🔼 Making The List. While children around the world fret about making Santa’s list this week, Troy men’s basketball junior Thomas Dowd has already made a list of his own.

Late last week, Dowd was named to the Lou Henson Award Early Season Watch List, as announced by CollegeInsider.com. The award is presented annually to the top player in mid-major college basketball.  

Dowd, one of two Sun Belt players to appear on the watch list, is in the midst of a remarkable season for the Trojans. The Dothan, Ala., native ranks 11th nationally in rebounds per game at 10.3 and eighth in double-doubles with six. Dowd also leads the Sun Belt in both categories and ranks fifth in the country in total rebounds (125). 

Dowd is averaging 15.2 points and 10.3 rebounds, making him one of nine players in college basketball to be averaging at least 15 points and 10 rebounds per contest. 

🏀 More On Dowd’s Recognition

🔼 Diamond Dandies. Former and current Trojans alike were honored at last week's Alabama Baseball Coaches Association Awards as former Troy head coach Mark Smartt was inducted into the AlaBCA Hall of Fame, while junior catcher Jabe Boroff was named the Division II Community College Player of the Year.

Smartt, a Troy alum and 1987 National Champion outfielder, spent 19 seasons as a coach with the Trojans, including 13 as an assistant (2003-15) and six as the head coach (2016-21). Smartt was previously inducted into the Troy Hall of Fame in 2023.

Boroff, who joined the Trojans this fall after a standout sophomore campaign at Enterprise State CC, was among the top junior college hitters in the country last spring. The Pike Road, Ala., native took home the ACCC Triple Crown, leading the conference in batting average (.452), home runs (20) and RBIs (62), while posting a .555 on-base percentage and slugging 1.016.

⚾️ More On The Recognition

Today’s Trojan Top Performance, brought to you by Conecuh Sausage, is, junior Thomas Dowd, who not only nearly posted his seventh double-doubles of the season with 13 points and nine rebounds in Saturday’s win, but he was also named to the early season watch list for the Lou Henson Award for the nation’s best mid-major player.

Trojans Top Performance is brought to you by Conecuh Sausage. Conecuh Sausage is made in Alabama, it’s great on the grill and a fan favorite for tailgating. Conecuh Sausage, the Official Sausage of Troy Athletics.

🤔 TROY TRIVIA

For the sixth time in the past eight games, Victor Valdes scored 15+ points for the Troy men’s hoops team in Saturday’s win over Marshall.

In his 77 career games with the Trojans, how many times has Valdes scored 15+ points?

Got a guess?

Scroll to the bottom to find the answer!

*All times Central

Wednesday, December 31st
🏀 Men’s Basketball vs. Texas State @ 1pm

Thursday, January 1st
🏀 Women’s Basketball at Louisiana @ 4pm

Saturday, January 3rd
🏀 Women’s Basketball at Southern Miss @ 2pm
🏀 Men’s Basketball vs. South Alabama @ 3:33pm

⚔️ Click here to view the full Troy Athletic Calendar

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🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Eight

⚔️ Have a great one!