| Brooks Thompson |
SAN ANTONIO ? The UTSA men’s basketball program welcomed its 2008 spring signing class of Chris Allen (Raytown, Mo./Moberly Area [Mo.] CC), Josh Bonney (White Castle, La./Navarro College), Terry Fields (Headland, Ala./College of Southern Idaho), A.J. Gasporra (Cerritos, Calif./Citrus [Calif.] College), Morris Smith IV (Hazelwood, Mo./Missouri State-West Plains CC) and Demarco Stepter (Memphis, Tenn./Motlow State [Tenn.] CC) to campus with the start of fall semester classes recently.
The group of six joins fall 2007 signees Richie Frohlich (Oldendorf, Germany/Citrus [Calif.] College) and Leslie Jackson (Bryan, Texas/Blinn College) and transfer Sei Paye (Houston, Texas/Louisiana-Monroe).
“We are elated about this entire signing class,” head coach Brooks Thompson said. “We have added talent, depth and experience to our roster, but more importantly, we have added high-character student-athletes from winning programs. This group will have an immediate impact on our program and, because of that, we’re extremely excited about this season. As a coaching staff, we are more optimistic about this season than any in our tenure at UTSA.”
Allen is a 6-2 junior transfer from Moberly Area Community College in Moberly, Mo. The guard was a two-time NJCAA All-Region XVI selection for head coach Kyle Gerdeman and he ranked third in the region in scoring in each of his two seasons. As a sophomore in 2007-08, Allen posted 14.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game and shot 70.9 percent from the free throw line and 49.3 percent from the field. The Raytown, Mo., native was equally as effective as a freshman, recording 14.7 points, 3.6 boards, 2.4 dimes and 1.1 thefts per contest, while shooting 73.7 percent from the charity stripe and 39.7 percent from the floor.
Bonney is a 6-6 junior transfer from Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, where he helped the Bulldogs post 35 wins in two seasons under head coach Lewis Orr. Last year, the White Castle, La., native tallied 10.6 points per game on 46-percent shooting, 7.9 rebounds per game, 21 assists and 19 steals to help lead Navarro to the Region XIV Tournament championship game. During his freshman campaign, Navarro registered a 20-13 record and a trip to the region championship contest.
Fields is a 6-7 junior transfer from College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, Idaho. Under the direction of head coach Barret Peery and current UTSA assistant coach Jeff Renegar, he helped the Eagles to a 30-2 record, the NJCAA Region XVIII Tournament championship game and a No. 3 final ranking in the NJCAA Division I Top 25 Poll last season. The Headland, Ala., native averaged 6.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game and recorded 40 assists and 29 steals as a sophomore. In 2006-07, Fields turned in 7.9 points and 3.4 boards per contest and tallied 48 steals and 36 dimes to help CSI, the all-time winningest NJCAA program in the country, score 105.7 points per game, finish 23-5 and advance to the NJCAA National Tournament semifinal round.
Gasporra is a 6-2 sophomore transfer from Citrus College in Glendora, Calif. In his one season with the Owls, the Cerritos, Calif., native averaged 10.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game and drained a team-high 71 3-pointers on 43.3-percent shooting from downtown. Under the direction of head coach Rick Croy, Gasporra and fellow UTSA signee Richie Frohlich helped Citrus to a 35-1 record and Western State Conference and California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) championships in 2007-08. He also converted 80 percent from the free throw line and 47.2 percent from the floor and registered 61 assists and 48 steals last season.
Smith is a 6-4 junior transfer from Missouri State-West Plains Community College in West Plains, Mo. As a sophomore, the Hazelwood, Mo., native earned all-region accolades after pouring in 12.7 points per game, which ranked ninth in Region XVI. Smith also averaged four rebounds, two assists and 1.1 steals per contest and shot 80.1 percent free throw line, 41.1 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from behind the 3-point line. He helped the Grizzlies to a 27-5 record, No. 18 final ranking in the NJCAA Division I Top 25 Poll and the third round of the Region 16 Tournament. He played his freshman season at Western Illinois, where he registered 4.7 points, 2.8 rebounds 1.5 assists and 0.6 steals per game.
Stepter is a 6-7 junior transfer from Motlow State Community College in Lynchburg, Tenn. Under head coach Bobby Steinburg, Stepter helped lead the Bucks to a 25-4 record, No. 15 final ranking in the NJCAA Division I Top 25 Poll and the Region VII Tournament championship game. The Memphis, Tenn., native posted 12.2 points, a team-high 11.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He pulled down 10 or more rebounds in 18 games, including a school-record 28 in a 76-47 win over Cleveland State Community College on Jan. 26, 2008. Stepter recorded 10.6 points, 7.9 boards and 0.7 steals per game and shot 47.3 percent from the floor as a freshman.
The two fall signees, Jackson and Frohlich, also had successful seasons in 2007-08.
Jackson, a 6-4 junior transfer from Blinn College in Brenham, Texas, posted 9.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and shot 52.8 percent from the floor and 78.9 percent from the free throw line last season, helping head coach Steve Spurlin and the Buccaneers to an 18-12 record and fifth-place finish in NJCAA Region XIV. Jackson played his freshman season at Louisiana Tech, tallying seven points, six rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals in seven games during the 2006-07 campaign. He was a three-time all-district, all-region and All-Brazos Valley selection at Bryan High School.
Frohlich, a 6-9 junior transfer from Citrus College, averaged 6.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, blocked 22 shots and shot 55.9 percent from the field as a sophomore, helping head coach Rick Croy and Citrus College to a 35-1 record and Western State Conference and California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) championships in 2007-08. The Oldendorf, Germany, native posted 4.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, shot 55.2 percent from the floor and recorded 11 steals and seven blocks as a freshman.
In addition to the eight signees, sophomore transfer Sei Paye (Houston, Texas/Louisiana-Monroe) joined the program last season after recording three rebounds, one steal and an assist in five games for Louisiana-Monroe in 2007. Paye averaged 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals per game as a senior at Strake Jesuit High School in Houston and played on the same AAU team ? Houston Heat ? as sophomore Devin Gibson.