By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The defending conference champion UTSA Roadrunners were happy Tuesday night with the turnout to their annual preseason potluck supper with fans and boosters. In Coach Karen Aston’s first year on campus, she said only about 10 people attended.

Leading into her fifth season, the event has grown, with dozens of people in the stands watching practice and later gathering at tables spread out over one of the side courts at the Convocation Center.

There, they shared laughs, pasta and other assorted home-made dishes.

Clouding an otherwise light mood, a ripple of concern centered on a growing number of injuries leading into Saturday’s home exhibition against Texas A&M-San Antonio, which will be followed by a regular-season opener on Nov. 6 in Lubbock against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

In an afternoon practice that lasted less than an hour, only eight of 15 players on the roster were active and going through drills on halfcourt offense.

Among those sitting out were young standouts Taylor Ross and Sema Udo, who were both wearing leg braces and walking with the aid of crutches. Another concern is forward Maya Linton, one of the best defensive players in the American.

Aston didn’t want to go into the specifics on the injury situation.

“We’ll make some announcements,” the coach said. “We’ve got some season-ending injuries. So we’ll make probably a collective announcement before our first regular-season game.

“We don’t want to do it right now. We don’t want to disclose the information before we go to Lubbock. But we will do it. We’re not going to try and keep anything from anybody because they’re season ending.”

Junior center Idara Udo was the only starter from last year’s 26-win team to participate in practice on Tuesday.

Others working out were returning players Mia Hammonds, Damara Allen and Emilia Dannebauer, plus transfers Ereauna Hardaway and Jayda Holiman and freshmen Adriana Robles and Sanaa Bean.

Among the other notables sitting out the practice was Cheyenne Rowe, who was wearing a walking boot. Both Rowe and Linton were major contributors on a team that forged a 17-1 record in conference last season.

Starters from last year who have moved on in their careers are Jordyn Jenkins, Nina De Leon Negron and Sidney Love. While both Jenkins and De Leon Negron are pursuing professional careers, Love is now playing for UTSA’s opening-day opponent — Texas Tech.

UTSA newcomer Ereauna Hardaway is a senior point guard from Jonesboro, Ark. She played three seasons at North Texas, averaging 10 points and 3.5 assists last year as a junior. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

With Jordyn Jenkins and Nina De Leon Negron pursuing professional basketball careers, and with Sidney Love now suiting up for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, the UTSA women are forging ahead without the leadership core that led the team to a school-record 26 wins and a regular-season conference championship last season.

Fifth-year UTSA coach Karen Aston signed a contract extension through 2030 after leading the Roadrunners to the American Conference regular-season title. – File photo by Joe Alexander

“We’ll be different,” fifth-year UTSA coach Karen Aston said Wednesday. “We have a different team.” But, that’s not to say the Roadrunners won’t be good again. Far from it.

Nine players return, mixing with six newcomers, on the 15-player roster. The Roadrunners will have some experience to lean on with four seniors, four juniors and four sophomores, including promising returning wing players Mia Hammonds and Damara Allen.

They’ll also have athleticism and length, with four players listed at either 6-foot-4 or 6-3.

Returning starters include center Idara Udo and forward Maya Linton. Forwards Cheyenne Rowe and Nyayongah Gony also figure to be in the rotation, though the multi-skilled, 6-4 Gony is working her way back from a knee injury that limited her to 12 games last season.

Newcomers to watch are senior transfer Ereauna Hardaway and freshman Adriana Robles, who split time at Wednesday’s workout running the team at point guard.

Freshman forward Sema Udo, Idara’s younger sister, is also an athlete that appears to have skills and athleticism to make an immediate contribution.

“I love all the newcomers,” Aston said. “But it is really a meshing process. It’s going to take some time.”

The Roadrunners will face a challenging early schedule. They’ll play four power conference programs, including Texas Tech, Houston, Auburn and Baylor. They’ll also play three teams — Grand Canyon, Baylor and Columbia — that reached the NCAA tournament last year.

UTSA finished 26-5 last season, including 17-1 in the American Conference. The Roadrunners registered a 13-0 record at home. Jenkins was the Player of the Year in the American, while De Leon Negron and Love supplied steady leadership as the starting backcourt.

Taking a 26-3 record into the postseason, the Roadrunners lost to Rice in the American tournament opener and then fell on the road at Gonzaga in the first round of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament.

UTSA’s Sema Udo, the younger sister of junior center Idara Udo, is a freshman forward from Plano East High School. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Aston has put her players through three extended practices as they ramp up preparations for the Nov. 6 opener at Texas Tech.

A few injuries and illnesses have held the Roadrunners back recently, the most notable being a lower left leg injury to promising sophomore forward Taylor Ross. Aston said Ross’ availability is expected to be clarified in a few weeks.

Guard Siena Guttadauro is new mother, having given birth to a son, Dante, on July 24. She played in just five games last season before learning that she was pregnant, according to a story by Sean Cartell on the UTSA athletics website.

Aston said it’s good to have the native Californian back on the team but cautioned that “it’ll be awhile” before she is ready to play.

UTSA roster

x-Sema Udo, 6-0 freshman forward
Siena Guttadauro, 5-6 redshirt junior guard
x-Ereauna Hardaway, 5-8 senior point guard
x-Saher Alizada, 5-10 junior point guard
Damara Allen, 5-10 sophomore guard
Mia Hammonds, 6-3 sophomore guard
Nyayongah Gony, 6-4 redshirt senior forward
x-Sanaa Bean, 6-3 freshman forward
x-Jayda Holiman, 5-6 junior point guard
Taylor Ross, 6-1 sophomore forward
x-Adriana Robles, 5-5 freshman point guard
Maya Linton, 5-11 senior guard
Cheyenne Rowe, 6-2 senior forward
Idara Udo, 6-1 junior forward
Emilia Dannebaurer, 6-4 sophomore forward/center

x-newcomers

Notable

The UTSA women will participate in Rowdy Jam on Oct. 16 at the Convocation Center. It’ll be the fans’ first opportunity to see the UTSA women and men on the court.

The event starts at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Cupid, the Linedance King is scheduled to perform.

On Oct. 25, the women will host Texas A&M-San Antonio in an exhibition, followed on the same day by the men against Incarnate Word. The women’s game is set for 1 p.m., followed by the men at 3:30.

The season opener for the women is set for Nov. 6 at Texas Tech. Love, a three-year UTSA starter, transferred to play for the Big 12 Red Raiders last summer.

UTSA had four guards transfer out of the program, including Love, Aysia Proctor (to North Texas), Alexis Parker (to Lamar) and Emma Lucio (Southeastern Louisiana).

Freshman Adriana Robles has played internationally for her native Puerto Rico and emerged as a standout at Fort Worth’s Fossil Ridge High School. – Photo by Joe Alexander