FRISCO, Texas – UTSA head coach Steve Henson has been named the 2018 Conference USA Gene Bartow Coach of the Year, as voted by Conference USA head coaches and media members, it was announced at a press conference on Wednesday.
Henson guided UTSA to its best finish in five years as a member of Conference USA, posting an 11-7 league record and a fifth-place showing in the regular season. Just two years after taking over a program that had won five games, he led the team to 18 victories heading into this week's conference championship. It marks the school's first winning season since the 2011-12 campaign. He has also helped build a strong home court advantage for the Roadrunners, going 11-3 at the Convocation Center in each of his years two seasons at the helm.
The Roadrunners success this season is due largely to a number of key first-year members that Henson brought to the program. A UTSA frosh was named the Conference USA Freshman of the Week 10 times this season, with Jhivvan Jackson earning seven plaudits and Keaton Wallace three. Jackson was named C-USA Freshman of the Year and second team All-Conference after setting a new UTSA freshman scoring record, while Wallace, the team's co-second-leading scorer was listed on the All-Freshman squad. Additionally, junior guard transfer Deon Lyle stepped in to become the team's leading three-point shooter and co-second-leading scorer en route to earning C-USA Sixth Player of the Year.
Henson becomes the second coach in UTSA history to be named conference coach of the year, joining Tim Carter, the 1999 Southland Conference Coach of the Year. The last seven C-USA Coach of the Year awards have come from seven different schools.
UTSA'S PROGRESSION UNDER HENSON
| Pre Henson | --- Henson Era --- | ||
| 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | |
| Statistic | Actual | Actual | Actual |
| Record | 5-27 | 14-15 | 18-13 |
| C-USA Record | 3-15 | 8-10 | 11-7 |
| Points per game | 72.4 | 66.2 | 78.8 |
| Opponent points per game | 84.3 | 69.4 | 75.2 |
| Scoring margin | -11.9 | -3.3 | +3.6 |
| Field goal percentage | 41.6 | 39.4 | 43.7 |
| Field goals made per game | 24.8 | 23.5 | 27.9 |
| 3-point field goal percentage | 31.8 | 28.2 | 36.5 |
| 3-point FG made per game | 6.9 | 5.2 | 10.3 |
| Free throw percentage | 70.2 | 66.7 | 68.4 |
| Free throws made per game | 15.8 | 14.1 | 12.6 |
| Rebounds per game | 33.9 | 39.2 | 39.9 |
| Assists per game | 11.4 | 10.6 | 14.2 |
| Steals per game | 6.4 | 5.6 | 6.4 |
Henson and the fifth-seeded Roadrunners (18-13, 11-7 C-USA) open the Conference USA Championship at 6:30 p.m. against No. 12 seed UTEP (11-19, 6-12 C-USA) in the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
All-Conference USA Teams
First Team
Jon Elmore, Marshall
Nick King, Middle Tennessee
Ahmad Caver, Old Dominion
Chris Cokley, UAB
Justin Johnson, WKU
Second Team
C.J. Burks, Marshall
Giddy Potts, Middle Tennessee
Roosevelt Smart, North Texas
Jhivvan Jackson, UTSA
Darius Thompson, WKU
Third Team
Brian Beard Jr., FIU
Ronald Delph, Florida Atlantic
Jacobi Boykins, Louisiana Tech
Adjin Penava, Marshall
B.J. Stith, Old Dominion
All-Defensive Team
Brian Beard Jr., FIU
Adjin Penava, Marshall
Tyrik Dixon, Middle Tennessee
Ahmad Caver, Old Dominion
William Lee, UAB
All-Freshman Team
Anthony Duruji, LA Tech
Zack Bryant, UAB
Jhivvan Jackson, UTSA
Keaton Wallace, UTSA
Taveion Hollingsworth, WKU
Conference USA award winners
Freshman of the Year
Jhivvan Jackson, UTSA
Newcomer of the USA
Nick King, Middle Tennessee
Defensive Player of the Year
Adjin Penava, Marshall
Sixth Player of the Year
Deon Lyle, UTSA
Player of the Year
Nick King, Middle Tennessee
Gene Bartow Coach of the Year
Steve Henson, UTSA
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