UTSA coach Austin Claunch picked up his 100th career victory Saturday night in Denton against North Texas. – File photo by Joe Alexander
By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay
For first-year UTSA men’s basketball coach Austin Claunch, the bus trip home from Denton after Saturday night’s upset victory over the North Texas Mean Green turned into a special occasion.
And not just because it gave him a chance to savor a package of jerky that he bought at Buc-ee’s. First of all, the ride down Interstate 35 gave everyone a chance to celebrate a team achievement.
After losing by 20 on the road at Florida Atlantic earlier in the week, the Roadrunners rebounded to play their best game of the season, grinding out a 54-50 decision over a team that was tied for first in the American Athletic Conference.
Secondly, for Claunch, it gave him an opportunity to thank his coaching staff for helping him reach a milestone achievement — his 100th victory in NCAA Division I.
“You know, it’s funny,” Claunch said on his Monday morning zoom call with the media. “I sort of forgot. I knew I was getting close and then it took me a couple minutes until after the game, and somebody said something to me. You know, I love coaching, (and the milestone) is truly a program and family deal.
“As I told my staff, it’s not my 100th win. It’s our 100th win.”
One of his assistants, Nick Bowman, has been with him for all 100, including all 90 in five seasons at Nicholls State from 2018-19 through 2022-23. Trevor DeLoach and Joey Brooks also worked for three seasons with him at Nicholls, as well.
His other UTSA assistants include Joseph Jones and Robby Benavides.
“I’ve had a lot of great players and a lot of great support around me,” said Claunch, who turned 35 in November. “It was a lot of fun and it certainly felt good to get it against a really, really good team.”
Turning the corner to the second half of the AAC schedule, Claunch’s Roadrunners (10-11, 4-5) will host the Tulane Green Wave (12-10, 6-3) on Wednesday night and the East Carolina Pirates on Saturday night.
“Feels great to be home, but it’s not going to feel great if we don’t play great,” he said. “We’ve got to really lock in this week and understand what it’s going to take to win these games, and if we do, we’re going to put ourselves into a good position.”
Records
Tulane 12-10, 6-3
UTSA 10-11, 4-5
Coming up
Tulane at UTSA, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
East Carolina at UTSA, Saturday, 7:08 p.m.
Notable
While it’s UTSA’s first meeting of the season against East Carolina, the Tulane game represents a chance for redemption after the Green Wave destroyed the Roadrunners 92-63 on Jan. 4 in both teams’ AAC opener.
Tulane, playing at home, shot 63.5 percent from the field, including 72.7 percent in the second half, and scored 46 points in the paint against the visitors from San Antonio.
The Green Wave will come into San Antonio tied for fourth place. Memphis (8-1) leads the race, followed by North Texas and UAB (both 7-2) and then Temple and Tulane (both 6-3). The middle of the pack consists of FAU (5-4), followed by East Carolina, South Florida, UTSA (all 4-5).