By Joe Budzelek (@JBudzelek)
What a difference a year has made for new Tennessee Tech head coach Tobin Anderson.
Since the turn of the century, Anderson has steadily built one of the most diverse résumés of success in college basketball in the New York area, first at the Division III level at Clarkson University and Hamilton College, followed by a dominant decade at St. Thomas Aquinas College, where his final seven seasons included four NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearances and five East Coast Conference regular-season and tournament championships apiece.
Following the 2021–22 season, Anderson earned his first Division I head coaching job at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he imported his final starting backcourt from STAC — 5-foot-8 Demetre Roberts, 5-foot-9 Grant Singleton, and 6-foot-4 Sean Moore — to lead the charge in Anderson’s lone season in Teaneck. That season resulted in one of the most unlikely first-round upsets in NCAA Tournament history, as the 16-seed Knights, despite fielding the shortest roster in Division I, toppled Purdue University and 7-foot-4 behemoth Zach Edey.
Just two days after FDU’s second-round loss to eventual Final Four participant Florida Atlantic, Anderson received the call to cross the Tappan Zee Bridge and replace Rick Pitino at Iona. The stint lasted just two seasons, unjustifiably to many, as Anderson faced the challenges of roster management during the new frontier of free-market college basketball.
“My evolution as a coach has coincided with the evolution of college basketball,” he reflected. “The sport has changed massively: NIL, revenue sharing, roster retention, recruiting, all of it. When I got to FDU, things were still fairly normal for mid-majors and low-majors. Nobody was really making money yet. Now it’s completely different. Last year at South Florida, being in the American Athletic Conference and learning from Bryan Hodgson — who spent a long time in the SEC — really helped me understand how to build rosters and recruit in this era.”
For decades, Anderson has been renowned as an energetic, adaptable, player-focused leader who consistently builds belief, culture, and winning teams centered around strong guard play and pressure defense. Now, he believes he has fortified those traditional coaching strengths with a modern approach to roster building. Combined with Tennessee Tech’s impressive facilities and upcoming move to the Southern Conference, Anderson is eager to reach new heights in Cookeville, where he reportedly signed a five-year deal to become the program’s new head coach.
“At every place I’ve taken over, there’s usually been a little bit of losing beforehand,” he said. “Tennessee Tech hasn’t had a ton of recent success, so we have to get people excited again.”
Despite the program’s 63-year drought since its last NCAA Tournament appearance, Anderson has quickly assembled a competitive and versatile roster that combines his trademark hard-nosed defense with a bevy of skilled guards and enough size to battle the SoCon’s more physical teams. While the Golden Eagles still face an uphill climb, Anderson sees a paradigm shift coming in how Tennessee Tech is viewed.
“The best way to do that is to win games,” he deadpanned. “Cookeville has a campus of about 10,000 students, and if we win and connect with the community, people will come. Hooper Eblen Center can become one of the best mid-major atmospheres in the country. The infrastructure is already there. That part is taken care of.”
In building next season’s roster, Anderson leaned heavily into the relationships he and his newly assembled staff have cultivated over the years. Six-foot-nine fifth-year senior De’Ante Green and 6-6-six sophomore Caleb Sanders followed Anderson from South Florida.
“De’Ante and Caleb know me well,” Anderson proclaimed. “They know how we practice, how hard we work, and how we’re going to play, De’Ante was a Top 100 recruit coming out of high school and originally went to Florida State. He’s had some ups and downs in college because of injuries, but he’s incredibly coachable, works extremely hard, and is a great leader. He was basically a captain for us last year even while injured. He wants to prove himself.”
“Caleb Sanders had a great fall at South Florida and looked like he was going to be a major rotation guy, but some older players ended up getting those minutes. He’s hungry, (a) tough kid, competes, does all the dirty work, and keeps improving. Both guys have chips on their shoulders, and I love coaching players like that.”
Six-foot-five senior Shaun Arnold played two seasons for new associate head coach Matt Capell, who rejoins Anderson after a decorated career both coaching alongside and succeeding him as head coach at St. Thomas Aquinas. The versatile big guard holds the rare distinction of earning conference Defensive Player of the Year honors at both of his Division II stops — first at STAC and most recently at Indianapolis. Despite never playing for Anderson directly, Arnold’s tutelage under Capell should help him emerge as a senior culture-setter with a hard-nosed, full-court-press mentality.
Six-foot-three senior Davante Hackett followed assistant coach Tom Bonacum from Stonehill. Bonacum also served as an assistant under Anderson at both FDU and Iona. Hackett’s fearless three-level scoring ability makes him a strong candidate to lead Tennessee Tech in scoring next season. Anderson is also close friends with the family of fifth-year senior Caleb Hollenbeck. The 6-foot-4 floor spacer just completed his first Division I season at Marshall, where he emerged as one of the team’s most reliable three-point shooters, knocking down nearly 40 percent of his attempts.
While the familiarity of that aforementioned quintet should help Tennessee Tech hit the ground running, Anderson is equally excited about retaining starting senior point guard Ty Owens and rotational junior power forward Mekhi Turner.
“Nowadays, whenever there’s a coaching change, a lot of players immediately jump into the portal. That’s just the reality,” Anderson said. “But Ty and Makai really embraced everything we were doing. They worked hard, communicated with the staff, spent time around the program, and bought in. As competitors, those two are outstanding. I’m really happy they stayed. They’ve improved a ton already this spring.”
A pass-first point guard who does most of his scoring inside the arc, Owens will be counted on as a veteran facilitator and invaluable mentor to incoming freshman Kamai Samuels, a top-200 recruit who finished his high school career at powerhouse Putnam Science Academy.
Turner started four games last season, but there is a strong possibility De’Ante Green finishes next year with the most starts at center, assuming good health. Should Anderson opt for more five-out looks in his motion offense, 6-foot-8 Texas Rio Grande Valley transfer Dane Christensen hit 38 percent of his three-point attempts during Southland Conference play while splitting time between the four and five positions. JUCO addition Kyler Fox will also compete for minutes at center, as Anderson has described the six-foot-eight forward as a “legitimate rim-running lob threat with great athleticism and size.”
In addition to Hackett, Tennessee Tech added veteran scoring punch through transfers Trent Mosquera and Christian “Cbo” Newton. A rotational player during his first two seasons at Le Moyne, the 6-foot-5 Mosquera broke out as a junior, earning second team all-NEC honors after leading the Dolphins in three-pointers made and finishing second on the team in scoring, rebounding, steals, and blocks while averaging 2.3 assists per game. Like Anderson, Le Moyne head coach Nate Champion runs an uptempo motion offense, making Mosquera a natural plug-and-play fit and potential two-way leader.
The 6-foot-3 Newton wrapped up his sophomore season at Abilene Christian, where the Wildcats’ weaponized full-court pressure defense should translate seamlessly to the defensive mindset of Anderson and Capell. Newton was one of ACU’s most consistently intense on-ball defenders and closed the season strongly offensively, averaging 12.5 points per game over the final 14 contests. Whether he starts or becomes an instant-offense sparkplug off the bench, Newton appears likely to become a fan favorite as a two-way dynamo.
Simply put, Anderson and his staff quickly assembled a roster with quality depth that appears ready to compete immediately in the SoCon. The veteran coach is especially excited about the team’s collective hunger for success.
“The goal every year is simple: Compete for a top seed in the conference tournament, win the conference tournament, and go to the NCAA Tournament,” Anderson said. “You don’t bring in veteran guys like De’Ante Green, DJ Hackett, Trent Mosquera, Dane Christensen, Cbo Newton, and the returning veterans just to slowly build over time. We want to win now.”
“Overall, I think we have a deep, athletic roster with versatility, speed, and defensive potential. I feel really good about where we are heading into June.”
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