Author Archives: Jerry Briggs

Nostalgia flows freely as Keaton Wallace returns to UTSA

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Five years ago, a skinny, a left-handed shooting guard from the Dallas area arrived at UTSA without much fanfare, but with a will to win matched by only a few players in school history.

Along with his four-year teammate, Jhivvan Jackson, Wallace forged a career that ranks as one of the university’s greatest, up there with the likes of Derrick Gervin, Devin Brown, Devin Gibson and Jeromie Hill.

Jhivvan Jackson, Keaton Wallace. UTSA beat Southwestern Adventist from Keene, Texas, 123-43 in a non-conference game on Thursday, March 4, 2021, at the UTSA Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Teammates Jhivvan Jackson (left) and Keaton Wallace emerged as the top to scorers in UTSA school history. Jackson scored 2,551 and Wallace 2,080 in four years from 2017-18 to 2020-21. — File photo by Joe Alexander.

Given Wallace’s stature and his trademark humble, soft-spoken nature, his appearance at a UTSA practice on Tuesday afternoon seemed almost as cool as the breezes blowing through the oak and cedar.

Wallace entered the building just as Coach Steve Henson’s practice was getting underway. After speaking briefly with a reporter at courtside, he walked down and under the south end basket, circling toward the players’ side of the floor.

Once there, he found a ball, took a seat in a courtside chair and dribbled between his legs, all while taking in every nuance of the two-hour workout.

Afterward, Wallace met with the players, including two of his former teammates, seniors Jacob Germany and Erik Czumbel. He also met with Henson and other coaches who recruited him to campus out of Richardson High School.

Later, as he reminisced with a reporter, the nostalgia started to flow freely. First, the reporter told Wallace a story.

In 2017, UTSA had returned from a scrimmage at Sam Houston State, and coaches were buzzing about a freshman sharp-shooter. The buzz centered on Wallace, who had hit six three-pointers in Huntsville in his unofficial debut for the Roadrunners.

The performance was not a fluke.

Wallace went on to score 2,080 points. He also knocked down 715 field goals, including 346 threes. All three totals would rank second in school history to Jackson, his teammate and backcourt partner.

Known as the “UTSA Splash Brothers,” Jackson and Wallace led the Roadrunners to three winning records in four seasons.

Wallace, preparing to enter his second season in the NBA G League, came through San Antonio to spend some time before he returns to Southern California, where he will join the Clippers’ minor league camp in about a week.

“It’s really good to see everyone again,” Wallace said. “A lot of good memories here, a lot of good moments we had with the fans and the team and with the school. Just a lot of love.”

Most who remember the Jackson-Wallace era at UTSA will recall a home game against Old Dominion in which the Roadrunners erased a 17-point deficit in the final few minutes to win.

The building seemed to be shaking with noise after Wallace hit an off-balance three out of the corner during the rally.

“It was one of the greatest moments in the Convo,” he said. “We (were) down big in the second half, by 17, and we just found a way. We found a way to make it happen.”

UTSA coach Steve Henson said it was “terrific” to see Wallace again.

“It’s great to have him around,” the coach said. “He’s going to be around for several days this week. He was excited to be here. We were all excited to have him around.”

Henson said that the start of Wallace’s career came up after practice when players gathered at center court.

“We were just talking about him, what he was like as a senior in high school and what he weighed when he got here as a freshman in college — 161 pounds — and how he transitioned into his sophomore year,” Henson said.

From his first year to the next, Wallace put in the time and put on some pounds. As a result, his scoring averaged rocketed from 11.4 as a freshman all the way to 20.2 as a sophomore in 2018-19, the first of three straight years in which he was named to the all-Conference USA second team.

Wallace finished his four years averaging 16.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He played in 125 games.

“Keaton was guy who, right away when he got on campus, he did the things we’re talking to our guys about (now),” Henson said. “He took care of his body. Still does. Got his sleep. Ate right. Got his treatment. Put in tons and tons of hours shooting the basketball.

“He just had a mature approach to (taking care of) his body. Some guys get that. Some guys don’t.”

Though neither Jackson nor Wallace heard their names called in the 2021 NBA Draft, both are still playing professionally. After nearly a year rehabilitating a shoulder injury, Jackson spent a short time last summer in a Spanish pro league. He signed recently with a team in Belgium.

In 2021, Wallace played for the Memphis Grizzlies’ summer league team. Later, he was selected with the ninth pick in the second round of the G-League draft by the Wisconsin Herd. He was subsequently traded to the Ontario Clippers, where he finished the remainder of the G-League season.

In 31 regular season games, he averaged 18.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists. Though Wallace was recently waived out of the Los Angeles Clippers’ camp, it’s possible that he could be a candidate for a call-up on 10-day, NBA contract sometime this season.

“If I get a call up, I get a call up,” he said. “I don’t think about it too much. I just try to do my job every day, every game.”

Wallace has always dreamed of playing in the NBA.

He mentioned it a few times during his UTSA career. It’s now even possible that he and his younger brother, University of Kentucky freshman Cason Wallace, could both be playing at the highest level some day.

All the emotions notwithstanding, Keaton Wallace said he can’t afford to dwell on being one transaction away from the big time when he knows that every-day improvement in his game is so crucial.

“It’s just part of being a pro,” he said. “You just come in every day, trying to get better. You try to go and, you know, just do your job. That’s how I see it.”

UTSA’s Aston practicing patience during fall camp workouts

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Coach Karen Aston at UTSA women's basketball practice at the Convocation Center on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Karen Aston is monitoring the progress of her five talented freshmen 20 days out from a Nov. 7 season opener at Stephen F. Austin. – Photo by Joe Alexander

With five talented freshmen among eight newcomers on her team, UTSA women’s basketball coach Karen Aston has known for some time now that she would need to be patient during the fall preseason camp.

Aston is going through one of those stretches now. Exactly 20 days out from a Nov. 7 season opener at Stephen F. Austin, the coach is making the most of the time allotted to teach the game.

“We had a full scrimmage last week against the guys and there (were) some glaring weaknesses that we needed to address,” she said Tuesday morning. “I think the last couple of practices, we’ve done that.

“It’s like plugging holes,” Aston said. “You figure out something that you need to get better at, and you work on that, and then another (issue) comes up.

“We just have so many new faces, with so many freshmen, the information overload is upon them with the wear and tear of preseason practices. In 20 days, regardless of whether we’re ready or not, it’s like, we got to start playing.

“You got to go and start to get the feel of what this is going to be like. You can talk about it in practice, but, when they get in the games, it starts to resonate a little more.”

Guard Sidney Love from San Antonio-area Steele leads the UTSA freshmen. She is seeing the floor quite a bit during workouts and, with an advanced offensive game, looks to be bidding to start the opener.

Others are guards Madison Cockrell, Siena Guttadauro and Alexis Parker and forward Maya Linton.

A few days ago, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich talked about how he planned to throw some of his young players “into the frying pan” to see what they could do.

“That’s exactly what’s going to happen with us, with these freshmen,” Aston said. “Some are moving along a little quicker than others.

“Some are better in some areas. Some can shoot the ball really well but they don’t exactly know the pace or the physicality, so they’ll come around, each one of them probably on their own clock.”

Though Aston hasn’t named names exactly on her projected starting five, Love likely is in serious contention to start.

“I think she’s starting to figure some things out,” Aston said. “I thought she went through a pretty rough patch last week on probably just the load of practice, the pressure, all of that.”

Love has been better this week as two older, more experience players — Kyra White and Hailey Atwood — step up their repetitions in practice after sitting out team drills for much of camp in August and September.

As both work their way into shape, Love is responding.

“Having (junior transfer) Kyra White and Hailey back at practice has helped her tremendously,” Aston said. “It should help all the young ones, because (the freshmen) have been plugging along without any role models, so to say.

“I think having those two back has really helped (Love). It’s taken a little pressure off her shoulders.”

For much of the early fall workouts, Love handled most of the load at point guard.

White, a San Antonio-area Judson grad and a 5-9 junior transfer from Southern Cal, initiated the offense quite a bit at Tuesday’s workout. With White at the point, Aston had Love on the wing at a shooting guard.

“Moving her to the two and sometimes lightening that load, has been really good for her,” Aston said. “She seems to be having a better week this week because Kyra’s back.”

UTSA’s Medor bolsters his career through support from a big family

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

On the court, UTSA senior Japhet Medor likes to consider himself as a pass-first point guard, a distributor of the basketball. A team player. First and foremost, he wants to win and to see his teammates, his brothers, have fun.

1 Japhet Medor UTSA basketball at photo day on Sept. 22, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Japhet Medor is preparing to make his NCAA Division I debut with the UTSA Roadrunners. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Off the court, he’s a businessman, promoting his own clothing line, the “Top Floor Boyz.”

But perhaps more to the point of his own identity, Medor is a family man. As the youngest of seven siblings, he expresses gratitude for the guidance of his parents and all of his real-life brothers and a sister, who always provided him with a safe haven.

“It was like, for me, being around them, they’ve been in the same situations I’ve been in,” said Medor, 23, from Wellington, Fla. “A lot of them played sports and a lot — well, all of them — own a business for themselves.

“So just being able to pick their brain and know what and what not to do, growing up, was good. It was good for me. When there’s a hurricane day, you get to have fun with your family (and) stay in.”

Medor has always looked up to hoops icons like Kobe Bryant, Russell Westbrook and Steph Curry.

But, his career as a ball player all started with his sister, Vanessa, and his brothers, including Chris, Evens, Greg, Fred and Dean, all of them supplying him with the steady encouragement that he needed.

“My older brother (Greg) was definitely my mentor. (He) trains me, coaches me,” Medor said. “He always helps me out. My other brothers, they always pick my game apart. Like, if I’m playing, they’ll tell me what I’m doing wrong. (They’ll say) what I’m not doing right.”

By all accounts, the UTSA newcomer is getting it right on a pretty consistent basis in his first year of NCAA Division I. Chris, Evens, Greg and the others in the Medor clan should really have few worries about the baby of the family.

In fact, Medor is pushing during fall camp practices to become the Roadrunners’ starting point guard when the season opens in a few weeks.

UTSA coach Steve Henson has been happy with his progress since the summer. On Thursday, during a fast-paced practice that included about an hour of five-on-five, the 6-foot playmaker stood out as perhaps the best player on the floor at the Convocation Center.

“Today, I thought Japhet just had a different explosiveness about him,” Henson said. “I thought he had an extra gear today.”

It’s been a long, long journey through the basketball landscape for Medor, who was one of the nation’s top scorers and assist men in junior college last year at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Fla.

All told, the 2018 graduate of Lake Worth High School spent one year in prep school and three in community colleges, toiling away to make a name for himself.

Now, with the season set to start Nov. 2 in an exhibition against Schreiner and then a Nov. 7 home opener against Trinity, Medor is on the verge of realizing his dream. He’ll be a Division I point guard. Is he feeling the adrenaline? You better believe it.

But in keeping with his personality, he steers the conversation away from his own feelings and talks instead about his teammates. About the team’s dreams.

“With the feeling we have (on) the team right now … the coaching staff and the players, it’s got us fueled up and excited for the season,” Medor said. “Just seeing what everyone is doing right now (in practice), it’s amazing what we can put together.”

Medor is expected to set the tempo for UTSA’s attack with his speed.

“He sees the game and feels it,” Roadrunners associate head coach Mike Peck said. “He really wants to try to set up his teammates (by) hitting the open guy. He sees things before they happen sometimes. He makes plays for other players. Puts shooters in position to … catch and shoot. Which is huge for us. He’s been great in that regard.

“We knew he was fast. But when you see it up close and in person when you’re on the floor with him, it’s at a different level.”

UTSA coaches have also talked during the fall about the maturity and leadership that transfer guards such as John Buggs III and Medor will bring to the program. Peck said Medor’s maturity likely stems from the player’s close-knit family, but also from traveling a hard road to Division I.

“He spent three years at the junior college level,” Peck said. “So, he’s seen some things and dealt with some things … He’s gone through the junior college route where they don’t get much. And you got to fight for everything.

“Coming here and having the resources, I think he has an appreciation for that, and that just adds to his maturity.”

UTSA assistant coach Scott Thompson made the initial contact with Medor last spring. Peck followed up with a visit and started to push to get him on the team as soon as possible. According to reports, he picked UTSA over Valparaiso, Stetson, Fordham and a few others.

Just as Medor made a careful decision on where to attend school this fall, he’s also wise to the world, Peck said.

“He’s definitely got that free-enterprise mindset,” the coach said. “He likes fashion and what’s trendy. He’s tuned into that, like a lot of kids. But even more so with him.”

Medor said he and a friend started the Top Floor Boyz business through a casual conversation a few years ago.

“Like, when we were around each other, we’d always say (it), Top Floor Boyz,” he said. “About 2018, we started an LLC for it, and we started pushing it. Wherever I go, I’ll wear Top Floor Boyz. I’ll push it. I’ll wear my own brand. Stuff like that.”

Medor is also expected to push the pace for the Roadrunners’ offense. Combined with Christian Tucker, the UTSA attack will have two problems for which opposing defenses will need to contend.

In Medor, the Roadrunners have a player who knew from an early age how he wanted to play the game. He was a teammate in high shool with Trent Frazier, a former star at the University of Illinois.

Watching Frazier helped Medor understand how much impact he could have on a game just by hitting the open man with a sweet pass.

“It’s an exciting feeling,”he said. “Just seeing your team happy and working with you. To get a stop on defense and go down to the other end … It just feels good with everyone playing together. You want everyone playing together and being happy together.”

Referees add spice to a UTSA fall camp basketball practice

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For the first time this fall, the UTSA Roadrunners took the court with referees blowing whistles on infractions against the rules.

The Roadrunners, led by senior guard Japhet Medor, seemed to adapt well during a spirited Thursday afternoon workout. Coach Steve Henson said he thought it was a positive experience.

“I thought we’d be fouling a lot more, because we’ve been very aggressive in practice,” Henson said. “I was glad to see they didn’t call a ton of hand-checks on us. They called a couple of moving screens, which was not surprising.

“There (were) a few fouls we need to clean up. But I think players knew we were going to have officials here toda, so they were a little excited. Felt more like a scrimmage day than a practice day.”

Henson said the team overall had good energy.

“I thought the ball really moved,” he said. “We made some good plays, some really good plays, for each other. Got some wide open looks. Three-point shooters knocked down shots today. That was really good to see.”

Noting that the Roadrunners “weren’t always the most athletic” team in Conference USA last year, the coach was pleasantly surprised at some of the aesthetics.

“We had two or three possessions where we had two or three guys above the rim, tapping,” he said. “(We had) some big-time offensive rebounda from different guys. I was pretty encouraged.”

The duel between speedy point guards was entertaining, with Medor and sophomore Christian Tucker taking turns either setting up teammates or making shots.

“We’re obviously talking a lot about Japhet,” Henson said. “We know (Erik) Czumbel can slide over there and help us, as well. But Christian’s had a good stretch of practices. He’s done a heck of a job.

“He did fine this summer, but I think he’s gotten a lot better the last two or three weeks. Now today, I though Japhet just had a different explosiveness about him, early on in practice. I thought he had an extra gear today.”

Medor, a 6-footer, alternately would use his speed either to burst into the paint or to jump a passing lane for a defelection. Tipping one errant pass, Medor took it three quarters of the length of the court, with Jacob Germany following along.

Germany ended up dunking it.

UTSA practice at a glance

Slicing and dicing

UTSA works toward season-opening games in November

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The UTSA men’s basketball team continued on Tuesday to ramp up preparation for the season, which starts in November.

After a day off on Wednesday, Coach Steve Henson’s Roadrunners will work out Thursday with referees for the first time this fall. They’ll practice again on Friday to get ready for a closed scrimmage set for Saturday in Belton against UT Arlington.

On Nov. 2, UTSA hosts an exhibition game against Schreiner College. The season opener is Nov. 7 at home against San Antonio-based Trinity University.

Last year, the Roadrunners struggled with a number of problems. Injuries. Covid-19. An academic casualty. Even team chemistry, to an extent.

On the floor, the inconsistency showed up in a few different areas. An inability to get multiple players involved in the offense. Poor shot selection and, ultimately, problems in producing enough points to win.

This fall, the team has been relatively healthy except for center Carlton Linguard Jr.’s knee issue. But newcomers John Buggs III (seen above) and Japhet Medor (below) have inspired optimism that the team could be on the verge of a bounce back season.

A ‘wonderful surprise:’ UTSA women listen to an NIL proposal

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A financial proposal under the new Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rule in college sports was presented Tuesday morning to members of the UTSA women’s basketball team.

Roadrunners coach Karen Aston said it’s the first deal of its kind for her team as a group.

Details weren’t immediately available, but it sounded as if it might involve an appearance or appearances. At the end of practice, Aston invited two men attending the workout to talk to her players at center court.

The two spelled out the terms to the players and invited them to participate. Afterward, some players were reading the paperwork on the court.

“That’s a huge deal for this program, to have somebody invest in our young women,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “No matter what the amount and what the transaction is, or whatever you want to call it, just to have people that really care about women’s basketball and athletics in this city is something that I think could catch fire.

“It takes somebody to step up to the plate and be generous … and we’ll go from there. Like I said, I hope it catches fire.”

Aston declined to disclose the details, saying she wanted to go through the “proper channels” before she makes any statements in that regard.

“I knew they were coming to practice but I didn’t know they were presenting that,” she said. “That was a wonderful surprise for our coaching staff and our players. I’m happy for ’em. Again, every little bit matters.”

Aston said her team has individuals with “small building blocks of NIL,” but as for the whole entire team, “that was unexpected.”

“It was very generous,” she said.

In basketball-related developments, senior Hailey Atwood and junior transfer Kyra White have stepped up their level of activity in practices. Both took part in team drills.

Since the fall semester started, players have attended workouts and have worked out mostly on their own. Tuesday, both were involved in team sets on a limited basis.

“They’ve been in some halfcourt stuff,” Aston said. “They’re limited right now to half court. Kyra is a little bit ahead of Hailey. As far as being able to go a certain amount of minutes. But it’s definitely progress.”

Aston said she’s encouraged because both are experienced players. White played 77 games the past three seasons at Southern Cal. Atwood played 27 games and started 12 for the Roadrunners last season.

As a team, the coach said she likes the way the group is progressing defensively.

“I feel like any time you work on skills and actions in the summer and fall your defense is typically a little bit behind, and it is,” Aston said. “But we’ve concentrated (on it) the last couple of days, so I think we’ve made a little progress.”

The Roadrunners open their season on Nov. 7 against Stephen F. Austin.

With Coleman and Jenkins, UTSA frontcourt shows promise

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Elyssa Coleman at UTSA women's basketball practice at the Convocation Center on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022. - photo by Joe Alexander

Sophomore center Elyssa Coleman averaged 7.9 points and 4.9 rebounds last season. Coleman produced 21 points and 11 rebounds in a C-USA tournament victory over UTEP. – Photo by Joe Alexander

When the UTSA women’s basketball team first stepped on the floor to work out together this summer, the potential for a dynamic frontcourt presence showed up almost immediately.

Elyssa Coleman, a 6-foot-3 center, moved well in the low post and exhibited the ability to overpower opponents with her back to the basket. Newcomer Jordyn Jenkins, a 6-foot forward, came at the defense from all directions.

Kyra White and Jordyn Jenkins

Kyra White (left) and Jordyn Jenkins transferred from Southern Cal to UTSA in the offseason. White played in high school locally at Judson. Jenkins, from Kent, Wash., received all-Pac 12 honors last season. — Photo by Joe Alexander

She was a shooter. She was a driver, and she could grab an offensive rebound and stick it back with good touch. Remarkably, two players with so much potential, playing for the UTSA Roadrunners?

In a way, it was sort of hard to believe.

The Roadrunners hadn’t had a winning record in women’s basketball in seven years, and yet here they were, practicing in a frontcourt tandem that looked as if it could hang with the best in Conference USA and perhaps against many teams in the nation.

For background, both players started their college careers at high major programs, Coleman at Texas and Jenkins at Southern Cal. Both came to UTSA to play for head coach Karen Aston. Coleman is in her second season with the Roadrunners, while Jenkins is in her first, after joining the team a few months ago.

How good will they be? How will their talents mesh? The answers may be a key to the success of the team this year. Coleman said at a UTSA media session earlier this week that she’s “super excited” about the prospect of playing with Jenkins, an all-Pac 12 talent.

“I think we’re getting there,” Coleman said. “Jordyn plays really, really fast paced, which is what I’m used to. We kind of had to slow it down last year because our team wasn’t there yet. But coach Karen teaches the same fast-paced ball, so I think it’s meshing pretty well.”

In Aston’s offense, Coleman is expected to play at the center position and Jenkins mostly at power forward.

“I think it’s going to be good,” Jenkins said. “She works hard and she’s strong and she’s a dog (as a fierce competitor). I think it’ll be good once we develop some more chemistry and get our passes going. I think we both catch and throw each other good passes. So, once we get our flow going, we should be good.”

Coleman offered a more colorful description about the twosome’s potential.

“That’s a scary, scary sight,” Coleman said. “That’s what I’m going to say. That’s a very scary sight with both of us down low. Not just us, but everybody coming off the bench. But for us, as a duo, that’s very scary. I’m really excited to see what we can do.”

Jenkins averaged 14.8 points and 6.7 rebounds last year at Southern Cal before she entered the transfer portal in the spring.

“I just wanted something better for myself,” she said. “I just felt like coming here was going to make me better physically and mentally. There’s a lot of support here and a lot of people care about you. (They) constantly give you high fives, keep you up.

“You know, it’s a tough lifestyle to be a student-athlete and wake up at 6 every day. You’re not going to be up for it every day. Just to have people care about you and ask how you’re doing. That’s really what you need.”

Jenkins’ has known Aston for years.

As a former head coach at Texas, Aston recruited Jenkins out of Kentridge High School in Kent, Wash. But when Jenkins entered the portal last spring, UTSA was just one of the schools in pursuit of her talents.

“I knew I needed to go somewhere, where it wasn’t just about me as a basketball player, that it wasn’t just about my talent,” Jenkins said. “I think in talking to coach Karen when I was in the portal, she was worried about who I was and how I was doing as a person. Because we know the stats. The stats don’t lie. They’re on paper. They’re online.

“But you get a coach that goes all out for you, you know?”

With that, Jenkins did not finish the thought, but her meaning was clear. After making the move, she’s comfortable with her surroundings. At USC, she gained valuable experience, playing in 41 games with 35 starts over two seasons.

Last season, she led the Trojans in both scoring and rebounding. She also hit 51.7 percent from the field — one of the best accuracy marks in the nation — and 82.1 percent from the free-throw line. Coleman, by contrast, had more modest success in her first season on the court in NCAA Division I.

The former standout at Atascocita High School in the Houston area averaged 7.9 points and 4.9 rebounds. Coming off a year in which she sat out rehabilitating a knee injury, she started slowly and then picked up the pace last February and March.

In a C-USA tournament game against UTEP, Coleman showed out with 21 points and 11 rebounds. As a result, the Roadrunners upset the Miners 58-57 in overtime and reached the quarterfinals, where they fell to the third-seeded Old Dominion Monarchs, 65-45.

Coleman said she feels good physically right now, ready to go.

“Honestly, I feel like I’m in a good state physically,” she said. “I felt like I was in a good state last year, but it was mostly like a mental thing. I feel like I’m in a good space all the way around right now.”

Coleman committed to the Texas program during Aston’s last season in Austin. For the former prep star, the transition from high school to college was a whirlwind. After signing with the Longhorns, UT elected not to renew Aston’s contract in April 2020. Her new coach, Vic Schaeffer, came on board but she never really got to show the new staff what she could do.

She blew out her knee in a practice that summer, a month into the team’s workouts, all of which led to surgery in August 2020.

“That was Covid time,” she said. “Just got out of the pandemic. Just got into college. It was really scary for me. My support system wasn’t the best there. I grinded, for myself. Then once I got here and I had the people around me — it really does take a village — and I was fine.”

Coleman was traveling with the Longhorns in the 2021 NCAA tournament when something caught her attention. She saw online that Aston had been hired at UTSA.

“Once I was in the transfer portal, it was a no brainer,” she said, noting that she passed on offers from Wake Forest and Arizona State, among others. Last year was a struggle for the Roadrunners. Nobody was happy with a 7-23 record, but Coleman is optimistic about the team’s chances going into her second season.

Coleman said the chemistry is good right now considering eight new players on the roster. “Chemistry?” she asked. “Honestly? With the same timeline as last year, we’re way ahead, chemistry wise. I feel like everybody likes each other. It’s just going to be a matter of playing with each other.

“I feel like everybody is in a good spot with each other. We’re pretty close.”

A healthy Aleu Aleu is bringing energy to UTSA preseason camp

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The last half hour of a two-and-a half-hour practice Thursday afternoon belonged, in many ways, to UTSA senior forward Aleu Aleu.

Plagued with injuries and assorted adversity in his first year with the Roadrunners last season, Aleu showed off his increased stamina in the eighth workout of the preseason. He did it with an assortment of plays during a five-on-five, full-court segment.

First, the spotted up in the corner and knocked down a three.

Next, Aleu muscled for position, grabbed an offensive rebound and scooped a shot off the glass and into the net. Finally, he salvaged the beginnings of a broken play by taking a pass on the move, criss-crossing the lane and then double-clutching for another bucket.

“He might have gotten fouled on that one, too,” UTSA coach Steve Henson said after reviewing the video replay.

Henson acknowledged that Aleu, a 6-foot-8 Kenya native who moved to the United States 10 years ago, has strung together some solid workouts a little more than a quarter way through the team’s fall camp.

It’s a good sign for Aleu, who is coming off a knee injury suffered in January, didn’t practice with contact this summer and only started to return to form when in the team gathered in August for the fall semester.

“I mentioned his name the other day,” Henson said. “When he came back (to full speed) he was locked in defensively. You could tell he was focusing in on his effort. He’s a guy that’s got a really good feel for the game.

“He could be a good player without being an incredible physical player. But it looks to me like there’s a conscious effort to give great ball pressure, and to attack the rim … ”

This time last year, he wasn’t on the court with the team, suffering from an issue with his quad. Once the season started, Aleu was behind in his conditioning. He experienced a Covid setback. Then, a knee injury after the first of the year that knocked him out for the season.

He played only 10 of 32 games. Now, he is finally in good enough physical shape that his natural talent is starting to blossom.

“I mentioned that a week ago,” Henson said. “I thought he was starting to string together some good days. Commented about a week ago that he’s starting to feel normal again. I’ve liked his approach. If everybody walked in with the approach he’s had lately, we’d be feeling pretty good. He’s battling. He’s fighting.”

Camp notebook

Injured and rehabilitating 7-foot center Carlton Linguard, Jr. has started to get involved more and more with team drills but has yet to participate in full-speed contact. Linguard is coming back slowly from a left knee injury. Once he’s healthy and ready to practice full speed, he’ll need NCAA clearance on an acadmics matter to be eligible to play.

Camp report: UTSA coach Steve Henson tinkers with a small lineup

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As UTSA coach Steve Henson continues to tinker with different player combinations during preseason camp, he went with a small lineup more than a few times on Monday afternoon.

Jacob Germany played center. Isaiah Addo-Ankrah was the power forward. Erik Czumbel played the wing/small forward. The shooting guard, meanwhile, was John Buggs III. Initiating the offense at point guard was Japhet Medor.

Henson acknowledged that he has run with that lineup “quite a bit” through six practices of the team’s 30-practice preseason allotment.

In assessing the five-man combination, Henson said he likes having a guy like Addo-Ankrah to knock down threes, some of them from deep, which stretches the opposition’s defense and potentially could make an opponent’s big man come out from under the bucket.

With Czumbel and Buggs in the game at the same time, it gives the coach aggression and physicality on the perimeter.

Other positives? In Medor, the Roadrunners have a point guard who is emerging as a solid distributor.

The best shooters from distance in that group would be Addo-Ankrah and Buggs.

Granted, it is not the Roadrunners’ lineup with the tallest, longest-armed defenders, but the coach likes the way Czumbel and Buggs are playing defense with a physical style, fighting through screens and such.

“We’ve been messing around with that lineup quite a bit,” the coach said.

The drawback to that type of unit might be its size. Medor and Buggs, two standout newcomers, are 5-foot-11 and 6-2, respectively. Czumbel, who finished last season with a half-dozen solid performances on both ends of the court down the stretch, is 6-3. Then there is Addo-Ankrah at 6-6. Germany stands at 6-11.

Czumbel’s competitive fire apparently will give him a shot to start as a senior in spite of a spotty start to last year when he couldn’t hit shots.

“He’s doing kind of like he always does,” Henson said. “He (competes) like crazy. He took a knee in the thigh the other day and I thought he’d be out for a week. Shoot, practice started today and I forgot all about it. He’s relentless defensively. His teammates respect him. He just handles his business.

“We saw late in the season last year he started getting a little bit more aggressive (on offense). He’s continued to be that way offensively (in camp).”

At Monday’s workout, Czumbel’s outside shot looked good. Even the ones that didn’t fall. He seemed to be shooting with more confidence than early last season, when he struggled mightily.

“We need that (shot to go down),” Henson said. “We need him to get back the way he was his first two years. He was on a pretty good trajectory as a freshman and sophomore, and then, our shooting woes got contagious last year.

“He hasn’t been shooting it well up to this point but he had a good day today. Driving it. Driving it and kicking it.”

Czumbel’s calling card this year will be his defense.

“He just sticks his nose in there. He can blow up a dribble-handoff. He can help and switch onto bigger guys. He’s physical. He’s just relentless on that end.”

White feels ‘blessed’ to play in front of family and friends again

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When the UTSA women’s basketball team tips it off Monday in the first official practice session of the preseason, guard Kyra White will not be at full strength physically.

But, mentally? White will be as focused as anyone, trying to make the best of a fresh start in her career.

The former all-state player at Judson transferred from Southern Cal to UTSA in the offseason to continue her college studies, to play for coach Karen Aston and to play again in the San Antonio area.

“It feels amazing,” she said Thursday. “I’m truly blessed that coach Karen gave me the opportunity to come home and play in front of family and friends and, honestly, people who have seen me grow up and cheered for me, who always wished for my success.

“I’m honestly just ready to play with my team and get this thing started.”

White, nursing a quad strain, might not be able to go full speed right away. She’s working her way back slowly.

“I’m getting there,” she said. “I’m really ready. I believe I’ll be able to do a few things here and there. In no time, I’ll be out there on the court with my team, ready to play 100 percent.”

That should be good news for fans of the Roadrunners, who may remember her individual and team success at Judson.

With the Rockets, she played on teams that reached the state tournament in Class 6A three years in a row. In 2019, her senior year, Judson won state, claiming the crown with a three-point victory over DeSoto at the Alamodome.

White was one of the best players in the city. She was a three-time all-state, first-team honoree. She produced 1,600 points, 580 rebounds and 300 assists in her career.

A memorable moment came a little more than three years ago when the Rockets claimed the gold medal in the Class 6A state tournament.

“I had just turned 18 that year,” she said. “I’d gone to the state tournament the previous two years. So, in my senior year, we were like, all right, we got to do this. No ifs, ands or buts on our last time. So we just made it happen.”

UTSA women’s basketball has been down for several years, but it’s a trend that looks like it’s about to change.

The Roadrunners have eight new players on the roster, including White and all-Pac 12 forward Jordyn Jenkins, who both came from USC.

With both in the transfer portal last spring, UTSA coaches reached out to them. Both were aware of the possibility that they could continue as teammates. But, initially, White didn’t think it would happen.

“Jordy is a phenomenal player,” White said. “She’s one of the top three players I’ve ever played with. So when the conversation came about, I was a bit surprised.

“I didn’t really believe she wanted to come down here and make a difference with me, but all in all, we did plan this decision to come home, to play together and get some wins under our belt, and just put on for the city of San Antonio.”

White said she doesn’t know who talked to Aston first.

“There were never conversations from coach Karen, like, ‘Hey, you two come together,’ ” White said. “She was treating us both as individuals and just trying to win us both over, to play for her, not just as a package deal.”

When decisions were made, UTSA made announcements on the two separately, one day apart last April. White said she felt a surge of emotion when she found out that Jenkins would join her in playing for the Roadrunners.

“A lot of emotions ran through my body,” she said. “We had our journey out in California together, and just to be able to come down here, and put something else together and start a new chapter of our life together, it felt really good. We’re just ready to do it.”

For White, she said she did “a lot of self reflecting” in entering the portal. She figured that since she had earned a degree in psychology, she was ready to seek out new horizons.

“Sometimes you feel (it) when it’s your time to maybe just move on,” she said. “Ultimately, I went to USC, did what I needed to do and I just decided it was my time to get a different opportunity, be in a different environment and play for a different coach.”

Acknowledging that she had some other opportunities to play in the state of Texas, she picked UTSA.

“In talking to my family and doing some self-reflecting, I kind of knew I wanted to move closer to home,” she said. “I didn’t know if it was just in the direction of home or literally back home as I am now. But, just having those tough conversations and speaking it over with coach Karen, the rest of the staff and meeting the team, you kind of just feel where you’re supposed to be.

“When I came on my visit, I just knew I belonged.”

White’s role with the Roadrunners is expected to be multi-faceted. She played 77 games and started 22 at USC, so her experience will be invaluable.

Coaches with the Trojans didn’t ask White to shoot the ball or score. She averaged only 1.3 points. But coaches with the Roadrunners are hoping they can untap some of her offensive potential from the guard and small forward positions.

“We’re trying to get her to get confidence in her shot, really be confident shooting the basketball and attacking the rim,” Aston said. “She’s just got so much IQ and feel for the game. The key for her is getting in a good mental space so she can score the ball. You can post her up. You can do a lot of things with her … ”

When White confirmed that she has two years of eligibility remaining with the Roadrunners, a smile creased her face.

“Yes sir,” she said. “Two years. It’s great. We’re trying to start something this last year in Conference USA. We’re trying to leave the best impression we can. I believe we have the right tools and the right girls who are willing to be coachable and taught and ready to lean on each other when things get tough.

“We just want to win.”

Kyra White at UTSA women's basketball practice at the Convocation Center on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA guard Kyra White led the Judson Rockets to three straight state tournaments and the 2019 Class 6A title – Photo by Joe Alexander