KISSISIMMEE, Fla. -- The UTSA men's basketball team will continue a season-opening seven-day road trip with the three game Sunshine Slam, with the Roadrunners opening the event vs. Southern Illinois on Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT at the Silver Spurs Arena. UTSA will then face Oakland on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. and Delaware on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
All three games will be broadcast live on the Roadrunners Sports Network, with Jay Howard calling the action live on The Bull 93.3/92.5 and goUTSA.com. The games will be streamed live on FLOHoops ($) with Brendan Gulick and Spence Siegel calling the action.
I'm in Orlando with @UTSAMBB getting prepped for the Sunshine Slam! The stadium has amazing lighting & the guys were on top of it. Stoked to see what tomorrow brings! #BirdsUp #RunWithUs #actionphotographyhttps://t.co/4MSdjzxoWM pic.twitter.com/9YO3waTalg
— Bobbie Modica (@boshnastyphotos) November 8, 2019
The Roadrunners are seeking their first win of the year after opening the campaign at Oklahoma on Tuesday. UTSA took the Sooners into halftime tied at 36 but OU came out hot and posted a 19-point win over the Roadrunners in the lidlifter.
UTSA's team is buoyed by junior guards Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace. The pair led the nation's backcourts in scoring, combining to average 43.1 points per game in 2018-19. Jackson enters the season as the preseason pick to win Conference USA Player of the Year by the Blue Ribbon Yearbook, while Wallace is on the watch list for the Lute Olson Award, given annually to the nation's top player. The pair were unanimous preseason All-C-USA selections. In addition to the dynamic scoring punch of UTSA's guards, senior forward Byron Frohnen has made 101 consecutive starts to open his collegiate career
UTSA will be facing the trio of opponents for the first time in program history.
The Roadrunners have never posted a 3-0 record in a three-game event in their history. Last year, UTSA went 1-2 in Tampa, Fla., and UTSA's best record in a preseason event came with a 2-0 mark in 2005-06.
In the outing at Oklahoma, UTSA saw several newcomers make their collegiate debuts, including freshmen Erik Czumbel, Jacob Germany and Makani Whiteside, and transfers Luka Barisic and Knox Hellums. Germany, a 6-foot-11, 220-pound center who is the first four-star recruit to ever sign at UTSA, went for nine points and five rebounds in 14 minutes.
Southern Illinois (1-0), coached by first-year skipper Byran Mullins – a SIU graduate – went 17-15 overall and 10-8 in the Missouri Valley Conference last season. The Sulukis have to replace three starters from last year, each double-digit scorers, but return two starters. Guards Aaron Cook averaged 10.4 points and 2.4 minutes per game last season, while Eric McGill averaged 9.5 points and 5.7 rebounds. SIU has added several key newcomers, including Northwestern graduate transfer Barrett Benson, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound center. SIU posted a 76-48 win over Illinois Wesleyan to open its season on Tuesday in Carbondale, Ill.
Oakland (1-0) is led by 36th year head coach Greg Kampe, who has won 618 games in his decorated career. The Grizzlies went 16-17 in 2018-19 and posted an 11-7 record in the Horizon League. The Golden Grizzlies lost a pair of starters, including leading scorer Jaevin Cumberland, a 6-foot-3 guard who averaged 17.2 points and 3.5 assists per game last season. Oakland returns a pair of fifth-year seniors in the post, including Xavier Hill-Mais, who averaged a team-leading 18.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, and 6-foot-11 center Brad Brechting, who sports 9.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game a year ago. On Tuesday, OU opened the season with a 94-66 win over Goshen College (Ind.).
Delaware (1-0) is coached by fourth-year head coach Martin Inglesby and the Fightin' Blue Hens went 17-16 last year with an 8-10 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association. Delaware returns a pair of strong post players from last year, including 6-foot-7, sophomore Justyn Mutts, who had 23 points and 13 rebounds in a 97-51 win over Bridgewater on Tuesday to open the season. Junior guard Ryan Allen had 21 points and four rebounds, draining six 3-pointers.
- UTSA -
Roadrunners to face Southern Illinois, Oakland and Delaware
KISSISIMMEE, Fla. -- The UTSA men's basketball team will continue a season-opening seven-day road trip with the three game Sunshine Slam, with the Roadrunners opening the event vs. Southern Illinois on Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT at the Silver Spurs Arena. UTSA will then face Oakland on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. and Delaware on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
All three games will be broadcast live on the Roadrunners Sports Network, with Jay Howard calling the action live on The Bull 93.3/92.5 and goUTSA.com. The games will be streamed live on FLOHoops ($) with Brendan Gulick and Spence Siegel calling the action.
The Roadrunners are seeking their first win of the year after opening the campaign at Oklahoma on Tuesday. UTSA took the Sooners into halftime tied at 36 but OU came out hot and posted a 19-point win over the Roadrunners in the lidlifter.
UTSA's team is buoyed by junior guards Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace. The pair led the nation's backcourts in scoring, combining to average 43.1 points per game in 2018-19. Jackson enters the season as the preseason pick to win Conference USA Player of the Year by the Blue Ribbon Yearbook, while Wallace is on the watch list for the Lute Olson Award, given annually to the nation's top player. The pair were unanimous preseason All-C-USA selections. In addition to the dynamic scoring punch of UTSA's guards, senior forward Byron Frohnen has made 101 consecutive starts to open his collegiate career
UTSA will be facing the trio of opponents for the first time in program history.
The Roadrunners have never posted a 3-0 record in a three-game event in their history. Last year, UTSA went 1-2 in Tampa, Fla., and UTSA's best record in a preseason event came with a 2-0 mark in 2005-06.
In the outing at Oklahoma, UTSA saw several newcomers make their collegiate debuts, including freshmen Erik Czumbel, Jacob Germany and Makani Whiteside, and transfers Luka Barisic and Knox Hellums. Germany, a 6-foot-11, 220-pound center who is the first four-star recruit to ever sign at UTSA, went for nine points and five rebounds in 14 minutes.
Southern Illinois (1-0), coached by first-year skipper Byran Mullins – a SIU graduate – went 17-15 overall and 10-8 in the Missouri Valley Conference last season. The Sulukis have to replace three starters from last year, each double-digit scorers, but return two starters. Guards Aaron Cook averaged 10.4 points and 2.4 minutes per game last season, while Eric McGill averaged 9.5 points and 5.7 rebounds. SIU has added several key newcomers, including Northwestern graduate transfer Barrett Benson, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound center. SIU posted a 76-48 win over Illinois Wesleyan to open its season on Tuesday in Carbondale, Ill.
Oakland (1-0) is led by 36th year head coach Greg Kampe, who has won 618 games in his decorated career. The Grizzlies went 16-17 in 2018-19 and posted an 11-7 record in the Horizon League. The Golden Grizzlies lost a pair of starters, including leading scorer Jaevin Cumberland, a 6-foot-3 guard who averaged 17.2 points and 3.5 assists per game last season. Oakland returns a pair of fifth-year seniors in the post, including Xavier Hill-Mais, who averaged a team-leading 18.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, and 6-foot-11 center Brad Brechting, who sports 9.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game a year ago. On Tuesday, OU opened the season with a 94-66 win over Goshen College (Ind.).
Delaware (1-0) is coached by fourth-year head coach Martin Inglesby and the Fightin' Blue Hens went 17-16 last year with an 8-10 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association. Delaware returns a pair of strong post players from last year, including 6-foot-7, sophomore Justyn Mutts, who had 23 points and 13 rebounds in a 97-51 win over Bridgewater on Tuesday to open the season. Junior guard Ryan Allen had 21 points and four rebounds, draining six 3-pointers.
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