JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State athletics department will hold its annual Men's and Women's Basketball Tip-Off Luncheon on Nov. 3 in the Stadium Club of Burgess-Snow Field as part of the opening week to the 2010-11 season for both programs.

The event, which will feature men's head coach James Green and women's head coach Annette Watts, as well as selected players from each squad, will begin at 11:30 a.m. Seating is limited, and the first 75 people to sign up will eat free, so reservations should be made quickly by calling (256) 782-5368.

Both Green and Watts will address the crowd on their respective teams and upcoming seasons and lunch will also be served. The men will hit the floor for the first day one day later with a Thursday evening exhibition game against West Georgia at 7 p.m., while the women will host Georgia Southwestern in a Nov. 7 exhibition at 2 p.m. Admission to both exhibition games is free.

Green, who is entering his third season at the helm of the Gamecock men's program, returns six letterwinners from last year and welcomes a highly touted corps of newcomers. Jax State will play a road-heavy schedule in 2010-11, but the Gamecocks will be in Pete Mathews Coliseum for 12 home dates.

Seniors Nick Murphy and Jeremy Bynum highlight the Gamecocks' cast of returnees, while 10 newcomers will have to jump in and contribute immediately. Murphy is already the 20th member of the school's 1,000-points club, while Bynum is less than 200 points from joining him. Also back is junior Stephen Hall, who was fourth on the team in scoring and rebounding a year ago.

Watts, who came to JSU after a nine-year stint at Davidson, will begin her tenure at JSU this season. She returns seven letterwinners, including all five starters from a year ago, led by junior Brittany Wiley. The Gamecocks will play 13 home games this season, including non-conference dates with rival Samford and in-state foe Stillman.

Wiley returns averaging 10.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, while junior Destiny Lane and sophomore Danielle Vaughn each bring an average of over seven points per game back to the JSU program this year. Seniors Zenobia Pitts and Danielle Beneby shore up the Gamecocks' backcourt, while a group of five newcomers will be added to the mix in Watts' inaugural season.

Season tickets packages that include all men's and women's games are currently available through the JSU Athletics Ticket Office. Plans start at just $60 and can be purchased by calling the ticket office at 1-877-JSU-TIXX or (256) 782-TIXX.