SAN ANTONIO — The UTSA men’s basketball team will hold its first official practice on Friday, Oct. 15, but it will be closed to the public. However, fans will have the opportunity to get their first glimpse of the team at Roadrunner Ruckus — the annual tipoff event for the UTSA men’s and women’s basketball programs — which will follow at 8 p.m. in the Convocation Center.
Head coach Brooks Thompson welcomes back four letterwinners for his fifth campaign in the Alamo City.
Last year, a senior-laden squad registered a 19-11 record for the first back-to-back 19-win seasons in 18 years and finished fifth in the Southland Conference with a 9-7 mark for the most league victories since 2004-05. UTSA also got off to the first 4-0 start in school history, posted the best 15-game start (12-3) in program annals and won a school-record 10 non-conference contests, including handing Iowa its first home-opening loss since 1962 and a victory against Conference USA Tournament Champion Houston.
Graduation hit the Roadrunners hard, though, as Thompson said farewell to eight seniors, including four starters and four reserves who saw significant minutes the past two seasons.
All is not lost, as three-time all-conference guard Devin Gibson, a senior from Houston, and 2009-10 Southland Freshman of the Year Melvin Johnson III, a sophomore wing from Dallas, headline a group of four veterans back for this season.
Gibson averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game during his junior campaign en route to earning second-team All-Southland accolades. He became the 13th Roadrunner to reach the 1,000-point plateau and enters his senior season ranked ninth with 1,104. Gibson, the 2009-10 Southland Student-Athlete of the Year, reached double figures in scoring in 21 contests, including four 20-point outings, and shot 82.5 percent from the free-throw line.
Johnson III emerged as one of the circuit’s top shooters as a freshman, draining 45 3-pointers while shooting 42.5 percent from beyond the arc. The Humble Christian Life Center Academy product averaged 7.7 points per game and shot a team-best 86.5 percent from the charity stripe.
Also back are junior guard Sei Paye and senior guard Chip Ivany. Paye, a Houston native, averaged 2.3 points in 18 games as a sophomore. Ivany, a Pflugerville Connally High product, recorded six rebounds, two points and a pair of assists in nine contests.
Arguably the top recruiting class in the Thompson era is expected to make an immediate impact. Seven freshmen, two redshirt juniors and a pair of transfers will look to join forces with the four returnees and put UTSA in contention for its fourth consecutive Southland Tournament appearance.
Stephen Franklin, a 6-6 forward from Aurora, Colo., who averaged 13.8 points and 6.1 boards at College of Eastern Utah in 2008-09, and 6-4 forward Larry Wilkins, a San Antonio Madison product who spent two seasons at JUCO powerhouse Midland College, both missed last season but are expected to play key roles.
Junior transfer Alex Vouyoukas, a 6-9 forward/center from Athens, Greece, averaged three points and three rebounds at Indian Hills (Iowa) CC last year, while sophomore transfer Kalif Bakare, a 5-11 guard from Houston, earned 2008-09 Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year honors.
Seven freshmen are expected to be major contributors this season.
An international flavor has arrived in the form of 6-8 forwards Jeromie Hill and Igor Nujic, both standouts for the Australian Institute for Sport, and 6-4 guard Djuro Majstorovic, a Belgrade, Serbia, native who was a four-time all-league performer for Fredericksburg (Va.), Christian High.
A pair of Phoenix-area products in 6-4 wing Jordan Sims, a two-time all-state performer at Liberty High, and 6-0 guard Ryan Whitehead, a three-time all-region honoree at Desert Edge High, will look to provide depth in the backcourt. Meanwhile, 6-7 forward/center T.J. Williams, an all-state performer at Jonesboro-Hodge (La.) High, and 6-6 forward Tyler Wood, a two-time all-district player at San Antonio Madison High, will look to contribute in the post.
