SAN ANTONIO ? Year two of the Brooks Thompson era tips off this Saturday, Nov. 3, when the UTSA men’s basketball team hosts Mary-Hardin Baylor in a 7 p.m. exhibition contest at the Convocation Center. Free live audio and stats will be available online at goUTSA.com.
UTSA returns five letterwinners ? including returning senior starters Isaiah Allen, Andrew Francis, Melvin Smith and Keith Spencer ? from last year’s 7-22 squad. Smith was the team’s top scorer with 12.9 points per game, while Spencer pulled down a team-high 7.1 rebounds per contest. Allen led the team in free throw (74.7) and 3-point field goal (32.2) percentage, while Francis blocked a squad-best 29 shots in just 19 games.
The Roadrunners, who won both exhibitions last season, have never faced UMHB, an NCAA Division III member of the American Southwest Conference located in Belton, Texas. The Cru return 10 letterwinners, including four starters, from last year’s 22-6 team that tied for first place in the ASC West Division.
UTSA opens the regular season at the Convo next Friday, Nov. 9, against another ASC school in Hardin-Simmons. Tip is set for 8 p.m. or 30 minutes following the women’s home opener against Huston-Tillotson slated for 6 p.m.
| Former Oklahoma State and NBA player Brooks Thompson enters his second season as the Roadrunners' head coach. |
2007-08 season outlook
When asked to sum up his outlook on the upcoming basketball season in one word, head coach Brooks Thompson was stumped. Several words came to mind. Progress, excitement and enthusiasm to name a few.
Thompson, who is entering his second season at UTSA, has every right to feel all of those feelings with what is laid out before him for this season. Five returning letterwinners and the debut of a highly-regarded recruiting class have Thompson and his staff looking toward the 2007-08 campaign with much anticipation.
“In terms of wins and losses, last year was not what we expected,” Thompson said. “When you take over a rebuilding program, you are going to take some hits. However, we are strides ahead of where we were at this time last season. We will see progress and we’re all excited about that.”
Seniors Isaiah Allen, Andrew Francis, Melvin Smith and Keith Spencer combined for 100 starts in 2006-07 and give UTSA one of the most-experienced groups of returning starters in the Southland Conference.
“The most valuable tool those four seniors bring back is the experience of playing Division I basketball,” Thompson said. “They’ve been in our system and know what we expect as coaches out of our players. They understand what it takes to be successful on and off the court. They know this is their last year, so they’re excited. They bring a foundation of what I feel it takes to be successful.”
In terms of NCAA Division I letters earned, though, the Roadrunners will be the least-experienced team in the nation with just five letter awards spread evenly among the senior quartet and sophomore Dezon Otis. That statistical anomaly may be misleading as Thompson expects to trot out a team light years ahead in progress from last season. One big reason is a marked improvement in talent and depth.
“Last year, we had five guys who averaged right around 30 minutes a game,” Thompson said. “We couldn’t play the way we wanted to because of our lack of depth. This year, we’ve improved every position by depth and talent. We shoot the ball better. We are more athletic. We are deeper inside, where we were really lacking last year. I really believe we have 15 guys who can and will contribute this season.
“Our depth allows us to throw a lot of different lineups and combinations out there. We have some versatile players, but we need to make sure as coaches that we put them in a position to be successful. It will be a lot more fun looking down our bench and seeing a lot more options to go to this year.”
Smith led the team in scoring last year, averaging 12.9 points per game, while Allen (10.4) and Francis (10.3) also scored in double figures. Spencer and Francis teamed up as one of the top rebounding duos in the league with 7.1 and 6.7 rebounds per contest, respectively. Including Otis, who averaged 10 minutes of playing time in 25 games, the Roadrunners welcome back 70.2 percent of the points and 69.9 percent of the rebounds posted last season.
“You are always optimistic when you return that much scoring and rebounding from the previous season,” Thompson said. “What’s important to note, though, is that no one has been assured of a starting role for this season yet. They must earn that through preseason conditioning, practice and doing things the right way off the floor. We haven’t handed out playing time yet, but we are enthusiastic about the options we have with our lineup.”
While the record was not what anyone associated with the program wanted, ending the season with a 54-49 victory at Stephen F. Austin to complete a season sweep provided the coaches and players with some much-needed momentum heading into year two of the Thompson era.
“Ending the season with that win at SFA shows that we have guys with character,” Thompson said. “There’s nothing worse in the world than quitting. We went on the road to play a team that was fighting for a higher seed for the conference tournament. We played hard and wanted it more and that has me excited about what we’ll see on the floor this year and in the future.”
What he will see immediately is a team with improved talent and depth across the board and that has Thompson justifiably excited about this season.
| Isaiah Allen | Melvin Smith |
Backcourt
The strength of this year’s team may be depth, more specifically backcourt depth. UTSA must replace four-year starter Kurt Attaway at point guard, but two newcomers have the ability to step in and fill that void. Junior Omar Johnson joins the team after earning all-region honors at Barton County Community College last season. The Philadelphia native averaged 17.3 points, 6.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game for the Cougars. Highly-touted freshman Devin Gibson was one of the top players in the Greater Houston area as a three-year starter at Cy-Falls High School, averaging 18.0 points, 6.0 steals and 5.0 assist per contest as a senior.
“Omar is a jet,” Thompson said. “He’s a tremendous basketball player who scored 17 points a game in junior college. Devin is as talented a player as you will see at that position. Both can distribute, defend, penetrate and score, so we feel we’re very solid at the point.”
Two of the four returning starters ? Allen and Smith ? are wings. Smith’s 12.9 points-per-game average led the team and he scored in double figures in 23 contests, while Allen was second at 10.4 and drained a team-high 49 3-pointers. Otis saw action in 25 games last year, posting 44 points, 18 boards and 11 assists in his debut season.
Junior transfers Orrin Greer and Joey Shank and freshmen E.B. Davis and Cody Dotson-Lara make up a strong incoming group of guards that will make UTSA nine deep in the backcourt. Greer scored 29.5 points per game at Monroe (La.) Neville High School before earning all-region honors at Jacksonville College. Shank emerged as a deadly 3-point threat for American River College the past two seasons, averaging more than 15.0 points per game in his two-year career. Davis, the younger brother of Ricky Davis of the Minnesota Timberwolves, was an all-state performer for Massachusetts private school powerhouse Lawrence Academy, while Dotson-Lara was a three-year starter and honorable mention all-district selection at San Antonio Madison High School.
“With Melvin, Isaiah and Dezon coming back, we feel good about our experience at the wing,” Thompson said. “Joey Shank shoots lights out and is a very deceptive athlete. Orrin averaged 30 points a game in high school and is extremely athletic. E.B. Davis is a freakish athlete who can really run the floor and defend. Cody is a local kid who can shoot lights out and is a phenomenal student.
“Talking about all of our guards ? and we have a lot of them ? is fun because we’re going to be able to pressure people defensively and push the pace with the quality depth we have there.”
| Andrew Francis | Keith Spencer |
Frontcourt
Arguably the thinnest area on the team a year ago may now be the deepest. The return of two starters in Francis and Spencer and a redshirt junior in Travis Gabbidon combined with the addition of three promising newcomers has Thompson excited about the prospects of his frontcourt this season.
Francis, a Houston native, sat out last fall semester per NCAA transfer rules but quickly established himself as a force in the paint in the SLC. He scored 10.3 points and pulled down 6.7 rebounds per outing in 19 games. Spencer consistently was near the top of the league’s rebounding statistics throughout the season. The San Diego, Calif., native pulled down 206 boards ? 7.1 per contest ? and posted six double-doubles on the year. Gabbidon sat out last season after battling an injury, but earned JUCO All-American honors two seasons ago at College of Southern Idaho.
“Andrew is as athletic as anybody in the league,” Thompson said. “He can rebound, score and defend the interior and perimeter. Even though Travis did not get to play last season, he has a year in our system under his belt. He presents some matchup problems in that he can really shoot the ball from the outside. Keith Spencer has proven that he is one of the better rebounders in the league. He has really improved all facets of his game over the past year.”
Thompson signed three newcomers ? junior transfer Antoine Dade and freshmen JohnMark Ludwick and Russ Permenter ? that all could see plenty of action this year. Dade, who hails from Orlando, Fla., earned all-region honors after registering 12.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game at Iowa Western Community College last season. Ludwick was an all-state performer at San Antonio Reagan High School where he scored 19.0 points and grabbed 9.3 boards per contest in 2006-07. Permenter was a three-time all-district performer at Temple High School, averaging 23.0 points, 15.0 rebounds and 7.0 blocks per game as a senior.
“Antoine is a monster inside and I look for him to contribute heavily this year,” Thompson said. “Russ Permenter may be the surprise in the league. He’s big and strong, but he’s also very skilled. JohnMark Ludwick is big enough to score with his back to the basket but also skilled enough to face up or shoot the three.
“With the players we have coming back and the depth we have added down low, I feel very good about our frontcourt entering the season.”
Schedule
The schedule will present UTSA with plenty of challenges in the non-conference portion. Road dates at perennial powerhouses Texas (Nov. 12), Arkansas (Dec. 12) and Oklahoma State (Jan. 2) provide measuring sticks for any program. The Roadrunners have six games out of league play, including Conference USA member SMU (Dec. 1), at the Convocation Center and play Navy at the Alamodome (Nov. 17). UTSA opens with Hardin-Simmons at home on Nov. 9 and also hosts Paul Quinn (Nov. 26), Missouri-Kansas City (Nov. 29), Texas Wesleyan (Dec. 19) and McMurry (Dec. 28).
UTSA plays its traditional 16-game SLC slate, opening at Lamar on Jan. 12 before returning home to host Central Arkansas (Jan. 17) and Northwestern State (Jan. 19). Other conference home contests include Texas State (Jan. 26), Sam Houston State (Feb. 6), UT Arlington (Feb. 20), McNeese State (Feb. 27), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (March 1) and Stephen F. Austin (March 8). The SLC Tournament is set for March 13-16 at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.