Claunch announces 12 UTSA roster additions for 2024-25

SAN ANTONIO – UTSA men’s basketball first-year head coach Austin Claunch announced on Tuesday the 12 new additions to fill out the inaugural roster for the new era of Roadrunners basketball. All transfers in the group, the newcomers provide a versatile mix of skill, size and athleticism that allows the new-look Roadrunners to feature players in multiple roles through Claunch’s high-tempo approach to the game. Among the new additions are six true guards, four hybrid post players, and a pair of athletes who can play multiple positions in the frontcourt and backcourt. The signees hail from eight different states with two international players in the mix.

Last season, this next generation of Roadrunners collectively averaged 42.8 percent field goal shooting with individual averages of 7.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 1.5 apg in an average of only 20.5 minutes per game. Last year, this collective group combined for an average of 86.9 points, 35.3 rebounds, 15.1 assists and 8.7 steals per contest. The roster additions also made a cumulative 10.3 made three-pointers per game.

The 12 newest players are joined by returning sophomore Nazar Mahmoud, who played in 14 games off the bench for UTSA during his rookie season.

Zach Gonsoulin
A 6-foot-1, 175-pound guard originally out of Houston, Gonsoulin has spent the past two seasons at TCU. Before starting his college career, Gonsoulin attended the renowned IMG Academy in Florida as part of the IMG Post-Graduate National Academic Team, helping the squad to a 30-6 record. For the Ascenders, Gonsoulin averaged 12.1 points, 3.3 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, while shooting 45.3 percent from the field, 50 percent from three and 100 percent at the free throw line. He played high school ball at Ridge Point in southwest Houston, shooting 64.2 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from the perimeter as a senior, while averaging 12.2 points, 3.1 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game and leading the team to the fourth round of the playoffs. Gonsoulin played AAU for former Texas star TJ Ford, collecting averages of 29.8 points, 6.1 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 4.2 steals – shooting 57.6 percent from the field and 55.2 percent from three.

David Hermes
A 6-foot-10, 225-pound hybrid forward joining UTSA from Stockholm, Sweden, by way of two years at Indian Hills Community College in Iowa, where he helped the Warriors to a 29-6 record, National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) D1 Region XI and NJCAA D1 North Central District Championships, on the way to a Final Four run in the 2023-24 NJCAA DI Men's Basketball Championship. Born in Syria, Hermes is an all-around workhorse with great feel and footwork, can score with his back to the basket or space the floor with perimeter shooting. Last season, Hermes shot 47.6 percent from the floor and 39.3 percent from beyond the arc, posting averages of 6.1 ppg and 3.7 rpg. Hermes played power forward for the Syrian National Team in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers, averaging 3.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists – also joining the SNT for four games in the 2023 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament. Hermes also previously played for Ciudad de Huelva Baloncesto in Spanish Liga EBA (2022). He graduated from Central Pointe Christian Academy in Kissimmee, Fla., aiding the team to a 30-5 record and a Sunshine Independent Athletic Association (SIAA) playoff appearance.

Raekwon Horton
A 6-foot-6, 215-pound hybrid forward who finishes above the rim through contact, Horton is a proven defensive disruptor and has been part of multiple NCAA tournament teams. Originally coming out of Santee, S.C., he played in 35 games last season at James Madison, helping the Dukes to a 35-4 record, a Sun Belt Conference title and an NCAA first-round upset of fifth-seeded Wisconsin – in which he scored eight points with seven rebounds. Horton also kicked off the season on a high note, hitting the game-winning three in overtime to upset No. 4 Michigan State in the season opener. An opponents’ defensive nightmare who can also handle the ball and finish in traffic, Horton averaged 21.8 minutes with 6.9 ppg on 54.2 percent shooting, adding in 4.3 rpg, 1.4 spg and 1.1 apg. He scored in double-figures in 10 games. Before JMU, he played two seasons at College of Charleston, where he made 66 appearances (all but one game) and was part of the Cougars’ pivot from middle-of-the-road to conference champions and a 2022-23 NCAA tournament appearance. Across two seasons at CofC, Horton averaged 5.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in under 20 minutes per game. Before college ball, he played a post-graduate year at the prestigious Vermont Academy after attending W.J. Keenan High School in Columbia, S.C. – where he holds the 52-point single-game scoring record. Over his final two high school seasons, he led Keenan to a 55-7 record and back-to-back AAA State Championships. He’s a two-time South Carolina 3A Player of the Year and two-time Region Player of the Year – recording 19.03 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 2.3 spg and 1.9 apg across his junior and senior seasons. He was rated a three-star prospect by Rivals heading into college and was a 2020 McDonald's All-America nominee.

Tai’Reon Joseph
Shooting guard who rates as a four-star transfer prospect (Rivals) coming to San Antonio after playing last season at Southern, Joseph is originally from Baton Rouge, La. A 6-foot-3, 180-pound lightning-in-a-bottle scorer who is fast with the ball in his hands, Joseph played in 19 games for the Jaguars with 16 starts in 2023-24. He crested double-figures in 18 games, including performances of 20+ points in 11 contests. Nicknamed “Scootah”, he’s proven difficult to contain in transition and coming off ball screens, and was the top scorer in the Southwestern Athletic Conference at 20.5 points per game with 43.8 percent shooting, while also chipping in 3.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.6 steals per outing. However, injury brought his season in Baton Rouge to an early end. Before SU, he played 29 games at Radford after making 27 appearances as a rookie at Austin Peay. Playing alongside Javonte Smart (LSU) and Reece Beekman (Virginia) in high school, Joseph helped Scotlandville Magnet School to four consecutive state championships and a No. 12 position on the 2019-20 ESPN High School Top 25. Was named a Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-State selection as a senior averaging 18.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists, shooting 48.9 percent from the floor – following two straight All-State Honorable Mention seasons.

Paul Lewis
A 6-foot-2, 180-pound combo guard originally from Woodbridge, Va., and the latest in a family of gifted hoopers, Lewis arrives in San Antonio after two seasons as a guard at Vanderbilt, appearing in 56 games for the Commodores. A three-star rated (247Sports) transfer at 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, Lewis is a three-level scorer possessing a natural knack for creating space and keeping defenders off balance. He averaged 4.4 points, 1.2 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 31 games last season for Vanderbilt. Lewis posted a career-high 18 points against Georgia and helped Vanderbilt reach the 2023 SEC Tournament semifinal with 11 points in the win over LSU and then eight points, three assists on his card in the quarters win over Kentucky. A 2022 McDonald’s All-American Game Nominee, Lewis was rated a three-star prospect by Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN after a standout career at Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, Va. Lewis was named VISAA Division I All-State first team as a senior and earned All-State first team in Virginia as a senior, securing All-WCAC accolades as a sophomore and senior. He was also named the Sun Gazette 2021-22 Player of the Year. Lewis averaged 14 points, four assists and five rebounds per game during his prep career. On the AAU circuit, Lewis suited up for DC Premier. His brother, Matt was just selected in the 2024 NBA G League Expansion Draft after signing with the Minnesota Timberwolves organization after earning CAA Player of the Year to cap a standout career at James Madison.

Jesús Carralero Martin
A 6-foot-7, 225-pound hybrid post player from Málaga, Spain, Carralero Martin joins the Roadrunners after playing 25 games with four starts last season at Missouri. With the Tigers in 2023-24, he averaged 2.1 points and 2.0 rebounds, while adding 39 assists in 12.9 minutes per game. A high-level passer and finisher around the rim, he has great patience and reads defenses extremely well. Before jumping into the SEC, Carralero Martin played in 78 games at Campbell, with combined averages of 7.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists. His final season with the Camels was ended early on an injury, after being the only 2021-22 Big South player to list among the conference’s top-10 in rebounding, assists, steals and blocks – registering averages of 9.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.2 spg and 0.9 bpg. His 2021-22 assist total of 114 paced the team, alongside 36 steals and 26 blocks. Before college, he posted 11.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in a year at Link Year Prep in Missouri, a top-10-ranked post-graduate program. He also played with Club Baloncesto Málaga juniors, advancing to the second team in 2016-17 and the senior team over the following two years.

Marcus Millender
A 5-foot-11, 180-pound true point guard with a five-tool skillset originally out of the Houston area, “Smurf” was rated the No. 32 Texas prospect by 247Sports and graded at 54th nationally among point guards coming out of high school.  Known as a hard-nosed defender and competitor, Millender spent his 2023-24 rookie season as a part of a high-scoring lineup at South Alabama, pacing the Jaguars in three-point percentage (43.8 percent) while also displaying his great feel for passing and getting teammates shots – recording the second-most freshman assists in school history on a team-leading 107 dimes. Making 32 appearances with 15 starts, Millender averaged 9.7 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.7 rebounds in 32 games with the Jaguars.  In his prep career at Clear Brook High School in southeast Houston, he was named First Team All-District 24-6A as a junior after putting up averages of 16.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists while leading CBHS to a 28-8 record and a District 24-6A Semifinal appearance in 2021-22. Millender wrapped his high school career with over 1,500 points.

Damari Monsanto
A high-output 6-foot-6, 225-pound scoring guard from Pembroke Pines, Fla., Monsanto comes to San Antonio as a three-star transfer (247Sports, Rivals) after playing 55 games for Wake Forest. Although his 2023-24 season was cut short after 11 games with averages of 5.1 ppg and 2.2 rpg, Monsanto had a breakout 2022-23 campaign for the Demon Deacons in which he was second on the team with a 13.3 ppg scoring rate on 42.5 percent shooting from the floor and a team-best 40.5 percent from the perimeter – along with 3.6 rpg. Shooting the third-best three-point rate in the league, Monsanto led the ACC with an average of 3.2 threes per game on a team-high 87 made threes – the sixth-highest total in Wake history. Getting hot against ACC competition via a 14.8 ppg conference average, Monsanto lit Notre Dame for 28 points with eight three-pointers and dropped 25 points against No. 10 Virginia Tech, highlighting 15 games in double-figures, six games of at least 20 points and totals of five or more made threes on six occasions. Before coming to Winston-Salem, Monsanto played one full season at East Tennessee State (ETSU), he was the 2020-21 SoCon Freshman of the Year and third-team All-Conference after starting 20-of-25 games with averages of 11.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in 27.4 minutes per game. One of the best freshmen in the nation, Monsanto was a finalist for the Kyle Macy Award, earned All-District honors and was named to the All-Freshman Second Team; both by Basketball Times. Playing his prep ball at Western High School in Davie, Fla., Monsanto earned First Team All-State 9A and was the South Florida Sun Sentinel Class 9A-7A Broward County Player of the Year after registering 28.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.9 assists per game and leading his squad to the state regional semifinal. Coming out of high school, Monsanto was rated a three-star prospect by Rivals, ESPN and 247Sports, ranked as the nation’s 56th-best shooting guard and the No. 17 player in Florida by ESPN.

Jaquan Scott
An elite rebounder in the post at 6-foot-8, 230 pounds, Scott is a Dallas Metroplex native who played the 2023-24 season at Mississippi State with limited time in 11 appearances for the Bulldogs. Before MSU, he was the No. 2 scorer as a sophomore for Salt Lake Community College in Taylorsville, Utah, helping the Bruins to a 64-7 record across his two seasons – including a 2021-22 NJCAA Runner-Up finish on a 35-2 record. Scott has great touch around the rim, stacked on the ability to create mismatches with perimeter shots. In his second year at SLCC, Scott averaged a double-double of 16.8 points and 10.0 rebounds, along with 1.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He shot 53 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from the perimeter and 79.5 percent at the foul line. Using his length and ability to make impact shots around the rim, Scott put up double-figures in 20-of-21 games, while also logging a double-double in 13 outings. As a freshman, he scored 8.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 0.9 spg. Scott played at TLAP Sports Academy (Tallahassee, Fla.) in 2020-21 after spending the previous two seasons at Universal Academy in Irving, Texas. Helped TLAP to the 2021 Post Grad National Championship on a 43-14 record. Scott also spent a year at Mansfield Timberview High School in Arlington, Texas. He was ranked a three-star prospect at Mansfield Timberview and was ranked as the No. 2 JUCO prospect and top JUCO power forward by 247Sports in the 2023 class.

Jonnivius Smith
A 6-foot-9, 200-pound hybrid forward originally from Selma, Ala., Smith is rated as a three-star transfer prospect by Rivals and 247Sports, coming to UTSA following two seasons at Buffalo. A forward with length and the ability to both score around the rim and step out to knock down threes, Smith played in 62 games with 36 starts for the Bulls, averaging 8.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 blocks per game in 2023-24. Reaching double-figures in 12 games last season, Smith snagged double-digit rebounds in 11 outings and logged double-doubles in eight games. A threat to change or block shots, he also takes charge on the offensive glass, collecting a MAC third-best 2.9 offensive boards per game last season. Smith was limited in appearances at Seton Hall in 2021-22, after starting his career at Chipola College in Florida. At Chipola, he played in 24 games with a key role in helping the Indians’ run to an NJCAA South Atlantic District Championship and an appearance in the NJCAA Final Four. Before junior college, he played at Crestwood Prep in North York, Ontario, where he helped lead the program to Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association and National Preparatory Association titles during the 2019 season.

Primo Spears
A truly naturally gifted scorer and playmaker as a 6-foot-3, 185-pound combo guard, Spears joins the Roadrunners with over 1,100 career DI points and more than 300 assists under his belt – displaying a proven ability to create for himself and others, while also scoring in bunches with ease. A four-star Rivals-rated transfer hailing from Hartford, Conn., Spears played the 2023-24 season at Florida State, where he averaged 10.6 points, 2.1 assists, 1.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 24 contests for the Seminoles. He notched double-figure scoring in 19 games, highlighted by a team-leading 17-point, 8-of-14 shooting performance against No. 4 North Carolina in the second round of the ACC Tournament. Spears registered 43 previous double-figure scoring outings while earning experience in the Big East (Georgetown, 2022-23) and the Atlantic 10 (Duquesne, 2021-22). Starting all 32 games and leading the Georgetown Hoyas in scoring (16.0 ppg) and assists (5.28 apg), he also averaged 3.0 rpg, 1.1 spg. He collected five or more assists in 19 games, including a pair at 11 apiece against DePaul and Xavier – logging the Big East Conference-leading mark while also putting away 37 points in a career night double-double against the XU Musketeers. In his rookie season with the Duquesne Dukes, he led the team in scoring (12.7 ppg) and assists (3.03 apg) and was second in steals (1.3 spg), scoring 30+ points in back-to-back games to close the season. Playing one season at Mt. Zion Prep in Maryland, Spears led the team to a 24-7 record against a national schedule, while averaging 21.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He was also a two-sport standout (basketball, football) at Windsor High School in Connecticut, where he was a two-time Connecticut Insider All-State selection and three-time All-Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) selection. In his two years at Windsor, Spears averaged 20.0 ppg, 10.0 apg and 4.0 spg after a 25.3 ppg, 9.5 apg, 2.0 spg junior campaign, leading his squad to the CCC Tournament Championship and a runner-up finish in the Division I State Championship Tournament. In football, he was an All-State Second-Team selection as a defensive back and earned a spot on the 2019 season’s 26-man Connecticut High School Coaches Association All-State Football Team.

Skylar Wicks
A 6-foot-6, 190-pound hybrid wing, big-time athlete and scorer above the rim, hailing from Jersey City, N.J., Wicks graduated high school in Clearwater, Fla., where he led Surge Christian Academy to a 20-11 record as a senior and averaged 15.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Proving difficult to shut down in transition as a strong finisher, Wicks most recently played across San Antonio at Incarnate Word (UIW) during the 2023-24 season, pacing the Cardinals with team highs of 13.7 ppg and 1.8 assists per outing. In UTSA’s meeting with UIW last November, Wicks manifested a double-double of 24 points and 11 rebounds, along with five assists and four steals. An active four-position defender and elite rebounder on both ends, he averaged 6.6 boards last season, along with a team-best 26 steals. After seeing limited rookie minutes at Missouri State, Wicks earned First Team All-Suncoast Conference honors leading State College of Florida with 16.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists, while shooting 39.7 percent from deep and knocking down 58 threes. He scored in double-figures 23 times that season, highlighted by a 43-point performance in the win over Gulf Coast State College. Before UIW, he was named a top-50 Junior College player by JUCOrecruiting.com in 2023.

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