SAN ANTONIO – Monday night will be the full debut for UTSA men’s basketball first-year head coach Austin Claunch and his 2024-25 squad, which features 15 new members of the 16-player roster. The Roadrunners are opening up this season’s campaign on Monday, Nov. 4 with cross-town action against Trinity at 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
Ticket Information
The first regular season game, this non-conference contest will be included in all season ticket packages and fans can join the quickly growing number of season ticket holders or purchase single-game tickets through the links below:
2024-25 Season Tickets:
Direct Link: GoUTSA.com/mbbseasontix
Reserved (lower level): $165
General Admission (200 level): $115
Courtside Seating for Roadrunner Athletic Fund members: $550
**Fans can also purchase a combined men’s and women’s basketball season ticket for $210 by contacting the UTSA Ticket Office at 210-458-8872
2024-25 Single Game Tickets
Direct Link: am.ticketmaster.com/utxsanant/buy
Adults: $15
Juniors (ages 3-18): $13
Seniors (ages 65+): $13
Military (with ID): $13
Students: Free Admission with UTSA ID, download tickets at goUTSA.com/studentlogin.
Blue Out and Promotions
Monday’s game will be an official Blue Out and fans are encouraged wear blue to show out in UTSA’s primary color for the season opener. Students will have the opportunity to get a blue UTSA Basketball shirt, handed out by the marketing team to the first 150 students. The game will also feature plenty of on-court promotions with prize opportunities for students in attendance.
On the Air and on the Web
Monday’s season-opening matchup at the Convocation Center will air live on the radio with Andy Everett (play-by-play) and Tim Carter (analyst). The radio broadcast will appear on Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket and, as always, will feature a 30-minute pregame and 15-minute postgame show – available online at Ticket760.com or via the free iHeartRadio app. On Monday, Everett is returning for his 18th season as a UTSA basketball broadcast. Carter, a former UTSA head coach, heads into his eighth year on the air.
The game will also stream live on ESPN+ for subscribers. Karl Schoening (play-by-play), UTSA Hall-of-Famer Devin Brown (analyst) and Taylor Guajardo (reporter) will be on the broadcast call.
UTSA Athletics will also provide Live Stats from The Convo.
About the UTSA Roadrunners
It’s the 44th-season lid-lifter for a refitted UTSA program that not only features a completely new coaching staff under first-year coach Austin Claunch’s direction, but also brings a near-total roster change into Monday night. Joining sophomore guard Nazar Mahmoud is joined by Primo Spears (G), Jaquan Scott (F/C), Tai’Reon Joseph (G), Marcus Millender (PG), Raekwon Horton (F/G), Mo Njie (C), Paul Lewis (G), Damari Monsanto (G), LJ Brown (G), David Hermes (F/C), Jonnivius Smith (F/C), Baboucarr Njie (G/F), Jackson Fazande (F), Zach Gonsoulin (G) and Skylar Wicks (G/F).
The Roadrunners finished 11-21 last season, 5-13 in American Athletic Conference play and exited the AAC Championships in the first round.
After the announcement of his hiring on March 17, 2024, Claunch hit the ground running after wrapping up Alabama’s historic run to the 2024 Final Four as an assistant coach for the Crimson Tide. His past success at Nicholls State produced back-to-back Southland Conference Championships (2020-22), an SLC Coach of the Year honor (2021), a 2020 ESPN 40-under-40 recognition and 90 wins in five years leading the Colonels (2018-23).
The Roadrunners have taken in some closed-door scrimmages and logged a charity exhibition at USC on Oct. 15 in their lead-up to Monday’s opener.
This group of 15 newcomers collectively averaged 43.3 percent field goal shooting with individual averages of 7.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 1.4 apg in an average of only 20.4 minutes per game last season. This collective group combined for a grouped average of 85.6 points, 36.6 rebounds, 13.9 assists, 7.7 steals and 2.8 blocks per contest. The roster additions also made a cumulative 10.1 made three-pointers per game.
UTSA/Claunch in Season Openers
Since starting up in 1981-82 and entering the 44th year of Roadrunners basketball, UTSA has tallied a 26-17 (.605) record in regular season openers, going 34-9 (.791) in true home openers – including each of the last five seasons. As a head coach at Nicholls, Claunch’s teams were 3-2 in season openers and 4-1 in home openers.
About the Series
The Roadrunners and Tigers will meet on Monday for the fourth time in a regular-season contest, with the Roadrunners holding a 3-0 advantage and all series games played at the Convocation Center. The last regular game between these teams was Nov. 7, 2022, a 74-47 Roadrunners win. In last year’s 100-70 UTSA exhibition win over the Tigers, UTSA shot 51.1 percent and 43.5 percent from long range with 10 threes, while also scoring 42 points in the paint and outrebounding Trinity 60-34.
About the Trinity Tigers
Heading into the fifth season under Jimmy Smith (76-19, .800 at Trinity), who led Team USA to a 3x3 silver medal in Mongolia this September, Trinity has built an accomplished program in recent years. Coming from across town near Brackenridge Park and US-281, the NCAA DIII Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference squad will also open their season, but as an exhibition. The Tigers earned an at-large bid to the NCAA DIII Playoffs last season at the end of a 23-4 season, earning the regular-season SCAC Championship – adding SCAC Coach of the Year honors and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District Coach of the Year honors for Smith.
Last year’s incarnation at Trinity averaged 80.0 points and 40.3 rebounds, shooting 44.2 percent from the floor and 34.7 percent from three. A tough defensive team with a +12.8 scoring margin, Trinity ranked 11th nationally in steals average (10.3) and ninth in turnovers forced (18.2). On the Tigers’ 23-man roster, Trinity returns 10 players from a year ago, including 3-of-5 starters, including three of their top four scorers and also rebounders. Topping that list is local Veterans Memorial-grad sophomore guard/forward Christian Green, who was named D3hoops.com National and Regional Rookie of the Year and SCAC Freshman of the Year after averaging 16.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.6 apg and 1.7 spg. He’s flanked by senior guard Jacob Harvey (14.2 ppg, 2.0 apg) and sophomore guard Dean Balo (13.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.8 spg). In last year’s exhibition that saw a 30-point UTSA win, Green had 8 points/6 rebounds, Harvey had 10 points/1 rebound and Balo had 13 points/7 rebounds. Tanner Brown led Trinity with 15 points and graduated last year.
Up Next
The Roadrunners make it a two-game week at the Convocation Center, welcoming the North Dakota Fighting Hawks to San Antonio for a Saturday, Nov. 9, first-ever matchup at 6 p.m. The UTSA women’s basketball team will be the front end of a twinbill, tipping off against UT Rio Grande Valley at 2 p.m.
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