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Austin Claunch set to coach his first regular-season game for UTSA tonight

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Austin Claunch. The UTSA men's basketball team on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

First-year UTSA coach Austin Claunch spent last season working for the Final Four-bound Alabama Crimson Tide. Previously, he worked five seasons as head coach of the Nicholls State Colonels. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The introductory press conference is now old news. The first summer conditioning session has been completed. Preseason fall camp? It’s been relegated to the history books.

Austin Claunch will make his regular-season debut as coach of the UTSA Roadrunners tonight when they host the Division III Trinity University Tigers.

Tipoff is set for 7 o’clock at the Convocation Center for what will be the opener of the 44th season of men’s college basketball at UTSA.

“Seems like just yesterday I was here for the (first) press conference,” Claunch said in a Zoom call Monday morning. “It’s certainly flown by. Exciting time for our guys who have been battling and competing against each other for the last couple of months. It’s good it’s here. (Tipoff) can’t come fast enough.”

Claunch arrived on campus in April after helping the Alabama Crimson Tide reach last year’s NCAA Final Four. In a nearly complete roster overhaul, most of the players from last year’s team hit the transfer portal to play for other schools.

As one of the youngest coaches in the nation at age 34, Claunch didn’t flinch at the challenge. He responded by signing 12 transfers to scholarships over the summer. Most said the reason they picked UTSA was the coaching staff.

“He’s like one of those coaches I can relate to,” UTSA small forward Raekwon Horton said. “You go ride around (with him). Get a bite (to eat). Just chat. We’re always talking, inter-acting. (He’s) very cool.”

Observers have noted an amped-up competitive spirit among the coaches and players. One practice recently had players rolling on the floor battling for loose balls and knocking each other out of bounds while going for rebounds.

The Roadrunners’ plan calls for them to play a physical style defensively, with the idea that the stops will lead to a fast-paced offensive attack.

“Pace,” senior guard Primo Spears said. “That’s just what we’ve been preaching all summer and all offseason, just playing with pace. We’re definitely going to shoot a lot of threes. And we’re going to defend at a high level.

“Our offense is going to be there because of our defense and how we guard. If we can get stops and get out on transition, we’re going to be hard to deal with.”

Center Mo Njie also said he likes the idea that the Roadrunners will attack with players who have a variety of skills.

“We have a lot of versatility and depth on this team,” Njie said. “I think that’s a lot of strength that we have, you know, that we can go anywhere and play all 40 minutes with different guys, different lineups.
And, just, our ability to come out and compete every time. Like, that’s our competitive edge.”

The Roadrunners will need the depth to come through as they are scheduled to play tonight without high-flying guard Tai’Reon Joseph, a transfer from Southern University. Joseph is sitting out for an undetermined number of games for unspecified reasons, though coaches feel confident he will be available before conference play starts.

In addition, Njie, a 6-11 center, is regarded as questionable for the Trinity game with a groin injury. Guard Paul Lewis, who had been limited in practice recently with a sore foot, is expected to play.

Njie came out of a scrimmage in Houston against McNeese State hobbling. He hasn’t practiced much since. Claunch said he “looks much better” lately. “He did some non-contact stuff yesterday,” the coach said.

Claunch didn’t announce his starters for tonight, but he could go with 6-8 Jaquan Scott and 6-9 Jo Smith in the post, flanked by Damari Monsanto on the wing, with Spears and Marcus Millender at guard.

The reserves might include David Hermes in the post, with both Horton and Skylar Wicks, a transfer from Incarnate Word, on the wing. Horton, one of the team’s best athletes, is expected to play heavy minutes this season.

Coming up

North Dakota at UTSA men, 6 p.m.

Notable

For Trinity, the game is an exhibition and won’t count on the Tigers’ record. Trinity finished 23-4 last year and lost in the first round of the NCAC Division III playoffs. The San Antonio-based Tigers are led by fifth-year coach Jimmy Smith.

UTSA women’s basketball coach Karen Aston said sophomore guard Aysia Proctor “has taken a step away from the program. “She’s going to take care of some off-court challenges,” the coach said. “I do not have a timetable on her return to play.” Aston’s Roadrunners will open the season Thursday in College Station against the Texas A&M Aggies.

Roadrunners haven’t spent much time worrying about an AAC preseason slight

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners didn’t get much love from coaches in the American Athletic Conference during the league’s media days a few weeks ago. The coaches picked UTSA in a tie for 11th place in the 13-team AAC.

UTSA center Mo Njie says that players haven’t spent much time discussing it.

“People don’t really believe in us,” said Njie, a 6-foot-11 SMU transfer. “They don’t think we have the talent or the skill to come out and perform. But, I mean, I think that’s the beauty of it, honestly. Now we have the chance to come together and really show what UTSA basketball is all about.”

The Roadrunners will conduct an intra-squad scrimmage on Wednesday and then will make final preparations over the weekend in advance of the season opener against Trinity University on Monday, with game time set for 6:30 p.m. at the Convocation Center.

“It’s time to get out here and see where we are, see where we need to get better,” first-year coach Austin Claunch said . “I expect us to play well (in the opener), but I also don’t expect that to be the team you see in March, either.

“We’re going to have to make strides throughout the course of the year on both sides of the ball and really lean into know who we are and figure out our identity as we go. But, no, we’re excited to get out here and compete.”

Notable

Guard Tai’Reon Joseph’s playing status for the season opener remains in question because of a waiver request to the NCAA that remains unsettled. Joseph, a 20-point scorer at Southern University last season, is believed to be sidelined for the first seven games unless UTSA gets a reprieve.

“He’ll play at some point for UTSA,” Claunch said. “You’ll certainly see him in the AAC (games) and hopefully sooner than that.”

Joseph, one of the team’s most explosive offensive players, was held out of UTSA’s 21-point exhibition setback at Southern Cal because of the eligibility question. In a scrimmage against McNeese 10 days ago, he scored 11 points, knocking down a couple of three-pointers.

Center Jaquan Scott finds his rhythm with UTSA basketball

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Jaquan Scott. The UTSA men's basketball team on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Mississippi State transfer Jaquan Scott is expected to play center and power forward for the Roadrunners. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Center Jaquan Scott rebounded above the rim, defended and also made his fair share of shots from the field Thursday afternoon at UTSA.

Afterward, a visitor was waiting for Roadrunners coach Austin Claunch as he left his office, asking, “So Jaquan decided to take over practice today?”

Claunch didn’t disagree with the premise to an obviously leading question.

“He had a great day,” the coach replied, noting that a good week of work for Scott started last Saturday in Houston.

That was the day that UTSA played the McNeese State Cowboys, the defending champions in the Southland Conference.

The Cowboys, who won 30 games and made an NCAA tournament appearance last March, had to rally from a 12-point deficit in the second half to beat the Roadrunners by three. Claunch confirmed that Scott played well against McNeese.

“Scored and rebounded and guarded at a high level,” Claunch said. “He’s just really confident right now. He’s getting into a rhythm of how he’s going to be effective for us. I really like where he’s at. I think he’s just starting to scratch the surface.”

Scott, a 6-foot-8, 230-pound transfer from Mississippi State University, is expected to play both power forward and center as a senior this season for the Roadrunners.

He seemed to revel in extra work Thursday that came his way because of an injury that has sidelined center Mo Njie. Especially at the defensive end, Scott seemed to have a bounce in his step.

Springing for rebounds and guarding the paint, he made his presence known. For the Roadrunners, it’s a good time for the big man to emerge, with the season opener scheduled Nov. 4 at home against Trinity University.

Asked where Scott would play once the season starts, Claunch indicated that coaches will have options.

“To be honest, he was really good as a small-ball five (at center) against McNeese,” Claunch said. “But also, if we want to go bigger, we can play him at the four. We’re still trying to figure out our best lineups. But, certainly, we feel confident with him on the floor regardless.”

In closed scrimmages, fans aren’t allowed to watch and statistics aren’t posted, so it’s hard to assess the team’s play objectively.

But coaches seemed pleased with the way the Roadrunners battled from behind, trailing by double digits at the half and then surging into a double-digit lead down the stretch.

“I thought we played really well,” Claunch said. “Obviously that’s a good team over there. Well coached. They have tournament experience. They have a coach (Will Wade) who’s coached at a high level.

“They have really good players. They’re an older group that has NCAA tournament aspirations like us.

“I thought we played well. We were down a little bit. Then we went on a run. Got up a little and it was a dogfight. A close game at the end.”

Scott grew up in the DFW area and played at Mansfield Timberview for one season. He also played two seasons for Universal Academy in Irving and one season at the TLAP Academy in Tallahassee, Fla.

Out of prep school, he spent two years at Salt Lake Community College in Taylorsville, Utah, where he averaged 16.8 points and 10.0 rebounds as a sophomore.

At Mississippi State last season, he played sparingly, appearing in only 11 games, averaging 1.2 points and 1.5 rebounds.

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UTSA’s Claunch sees a ‘positive light’ in lessons learned at USC

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Austin Claunch. UTSA men's and women's basketball teams at Rowdy Jam at the Convocation Center on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Austin Claunch, encouraged by his team’s competitive spirit in a 21-point loss at USC on Tuesday night, nevertheless said he wants his team to learn from their mistakes. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Competing with a fiery purpose against a Power 4 team and playing their first exhibition game on the road, the UTSA Roadrunners finally started to unravel in the last 12 minutes Tuesday night.

They trailed by only three points at halftime and by four when floor leader Primo Spears popped in a 13-foot jumper with 12:13 remaining. From there, the USC Trojans kicked it into gear, obviously intent on winning big for first-year coach Eric Musselman on their home court at the Galen Center in Los Angeles.

The Trojans took advantage of a few poor possessions by the Roadrunners and ignited a 31-14 run to the end of the game, en route to an 84-63 victory.

On Wednesday night, first-year UTSA coach Austin Claunch sat in his office, trying to unpack all the emotions emanating from his debut game with the Roadrunners.

His team, playing without guard Tai’Reon Joseph, one of its top athletes, stayed within striking distance for almost three fourths of the game.

“Overall, I thought the experience was great,” Claunch said. “I thought there were more things to take away in a positive light than not.”

Before the team left the arena, the coach told his players a story. He told them how the Alabama Crimson Tide failed to win in the preseason last year.

“And we made the Final Four,” said Claunch, who worked as an assistant last year in Tuscaloosa. “So these games, win or lose, you got to learn to get better.”

More than anything, he stressed that if a team wants to be good in March, it needs to learn how to handle pressure situations.

“We got to learn to be tougher in those moments and not break down and not give them easy baskets,” he said. “They didn’t give us anything easy. Everything that we got in that game was earned. They made us work.

“And on the flip side, there were just moments where we didn’t make them work for baskets. At the highest level of basketball, you can’t do that.”

Claunch said he held Joseph out as UTSA awaits word from the NCAA on a waiver.

“There’s a waiver process that we’re waiting on,” the coach said. “I’m not going to dig into the details of it. A lot (happened) over the last couple of months, and we realized we needed to file this waiver for him. He’s going to get it, is what it looks like. He hasn’t gotten it yet. We were expecting to hear at the end of last week (and) we didn’t. We were hoping to hear Monday. By the time the game started (Tuesday), we didn’t.”

Joseph is a transfer from Southern University in Baton Rouge, La. A jet-quick, 6-foot-3 guard, he has played extremely well in preseason practices at UTSA. Last year, Joseph led the Southwestern Athletic Conference in scoring, averaging 20.5 points per game.

Claunch said he hopes to be able to play Joseph on Saturday in Houston against the Will Wade-coached McNeese State University Cowboys. The contest is a closed scrimmage, and no fans are allowed to watch. It is the final scrimmage of preseason for the Roadrunners, who open at home on Nov. 4 against Trinity University.

The coach said he planned to start Joseph against the Trojans in Los Angeles. “He’s been playing great in practice, obviously,” Claunch said. “You’ve seen it, and how he plays.”

Even without Joseph, the Roadrunners held their own for the first half, trailing only 35-32 at the intermission break. After reviewing the game tape twice, Claunch described the team’s defense on USC as “pretty elite” for the first 20 minutes of the game.

“To go into their place in the first half and to keep it close, we felt good,” Claunch said.

Offensively, it was another story. The Roadrunners misfired on eight of their first 11 shots from the field against the switching style of the Trojans defensively.

“We felt like the lid was going to come off that rim (for us) at some point,” the coach said. “But you know, they actually did a great job. They made it hard on us. They were switching one through five., which was tough, especially with their length and their athleticism.”

Spears, unofficially, was 0 for 6 from the field in the first half. Heating up after halftime, he finished 5 of 16 for 14 points. He also had two assists and two steals. Marcus “Smurf” Millender finished with 12 points and four assists. As a team, the Roadrunners shot 38 percent from the field and 24 percent from three (7 of 29).

On Monday, Spears was in the Dallas area speaking with reporters at an American Athletic Conference media event, so he didn’t get to practice the day before the game. The only chance he had to shoot in the arena was at shootaround on Tuesday morning, which could have affected his rhythm, Claunch said.

Near the end of the first half, when he was on the bench in foul trouble, coaches noticed that he seemed engaged and into the game.

“When I took him out, I told him, “We’ll see how the half goes’ ” Claunch said. ” ‘Maybe I’ll put you back in. Maybe I won’t.’ And he was great. I think he showed leadership over there on the bench, keeping guys positive. Good energy. That, to me, is good for just the long-term success for this program, with guys understanding that some moments are their (moments) and some are their teammates.

“I think Primo is doing a fantastic job at being a leader and a pillar of this program.”

UTSA set to play USC in men’s basketball exhibition

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners are set to open the Austin Claunch era tonight in Los Angeles in an exhibition against the University of Southern California Trojans. Game time from the Galen Center is at 9 p.m.

The first game with the 34-year-old Claunch on the sidelines for the Roadrunners’ men’s basketball team will be aired on the Big Ten Network’s streaming platform, known as BIG+.

Southern Cal is also raising the curtain on a new start. It’s the first game at USC for coach Eric Musselman, who most recently worked the past five seasons at the University of Arkansas. Musselman has led teams to six NCAA tournaments in his career, three at Nevada and three at Arkansas.

He led the Razorbacks into the NCAA’s Elite Eight in 2021 and 2022 and to the Sweet 16 in 2023.

Claunch, who was hired by UTSA in March, finished out his job as an assistant at the University of Alabama through early April. The Crimson Tide, under head coach Nate Oats, made it all the way through the NCAA tournament to the Final Four during that time.

At that point, Claunch reported to San Antonio and started to rebuild a Roadrunners program that has suffered through three straight seasons of more than 20 losses. Over the next month or so he hired a staff and then signed 12 players from the transfer portal.

“Obviously we’re fired up,” the coach said Monday from the American Athletic Conference media day. “We really like this group. It’s a really competitive group. They’ve been working their butts off.

“Excited even for these exhibitions and scrimmages that we have coming up, just to see somebody else and see where we’re at and where we need to get better.

“It’s not even right around the corner. It’s here. Three weeks out from our first regular-season tipoff. So, we’re excited. We got a lot of work to do. But we like where we’re at.”

In recent weeks, the Roadrunners have brandished a physical style and a fast pace during practices at home in the Convocation Center.

Team leaders Primo Spears and Raekwon Horton traveled to the AAC media day and introduced themselves as first-year Roadrunners.

“We’ve been competing against one another for four months,” said Spears, a Florida State transfer, “so it’s going to be great to compete against somebody else, just to see what lineups fit and really, just assessing what we have…Finally get to play with some fans in the arena.”

Horton came to UTSA from James Madison. His hometown is in Santee, S.C. The 6-foot-6 wing played in NCAA tournaments each of the past two seasons, at the College of Charleston in 2023 and for a 32-win James Madison team last year.

“We’re going to play fast (and) get up and down,” Horton said. “But what I like most about our team is that we’re real tough, very competitive and won’t back down.”

Coming up

Tonight: Men’s basketball exhibition, UTSA at Southern Cal, 9 p.m.
Wednesday: Rowdy Jam, UTSA men’s and women’s basketball teams introduced to the fans, at the Convocation Center, 7 p.m.

Spears, Horton uphold the ‘standards’ for UTSA’s revamped basketball program

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Guard Primo Spears has played at Duquesne, Georgetown and Florida State in his NCAA Division I basketball journey. The 6-3 guard will suit up for the UTSA Roadrunners this season.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Florida State transfer Primo Spears was one of the first players to commit to the UTSA Roadrunners last spring. He was one of the first to arrive on campus earlier this summer. In the four or five practices I’ve seen since September, Spears has clearly emerged as one of the team leaders.

Raekwon Horton. The UTSA men's basketball team on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

James Madison transfer Raekwon Horton brings high-level experience after playing in the NCAA tournament the past two seasons.. – File photo by Joe Alexander

First-year Austin Claunch has said it time and again. Spears, a 6-3 guard, is expected to lead UTSA defensively and, really, in much of everything it does this season. That’s why a question posed to Claunch on ESPN+ at the American Athletic Conference media day Monday was significant as I sat here in my living room, trying to sort things out a little more than two weeks shy of opening night.

The question: “Coach, when you went out recruiting (Primo Spears), why did he have to be on this year’s team?”

The answer: “I think, obviously, you watch film and his talent jumps off the page. But what’s been really encouraging for me is just his leadership and the way he carries himself every single day. He wants more accountability. Really, both these guys.”

Attending the event in Irving, for UTSA, were Spears and James Madison transfer Raekwon Horton.

“For us, for a first-year head coach, you certainly want an expectation,” Claunch continued. “(You want) your standard (to be) … to win every game. You want to win the championship every year. But it’s really important that we get a certain kind of person in (our) locker room … (Primo) holds himself to the highest standard, and Rae is the same way.

“That’s why I’m really encouraged by this year and what we’re going to do.”

The Roadrunners enter the 2024-25 season with their own fans likely viewing every positive media report with a grain of salt.

New UTSA men's basketball coach Austin Claunch was at the Roadrunners softball game on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at Roadrunner Field to throw out the first pitch. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA men’s basketball coach won 90 games and two regular-season championships at Nicholls State University. – File photo by Joe Alexander

The fans, after all, have witnessed three straight discouraging losing seasons under the previous coaching staff. Three straight seasons with more than 20 losses. Following the past two seasons, UTSA fans have watched an exodus of most of the scholarship players leaving the program for better on-the-court situations as well as better NIL financial arrangements.

With Claunch coming in to replace Steve Henson as coach, the Roadrunners last spring had 12 scholarship players take their chances elsewhere. Guard Naz Mahmoud was the only player from the previous regime to return. Claunch, hired in March, wasn’t able to devote his time fully to the new job until he finished his old job.

As an assistant coach at Alabama, he rode the wave, all the way to the NCAA Final Four.

“Coach (Nate Oats) was super excited for me,” Claunch said. “I told (UTSA) it was really important for me to finish what we were doing at Alabama. You know, I owe coach so much for the opportunity, and it meant a lot. You know, it was my first time in the NCAA tournament. I wanted to finish it the right way.

“Of course, (we had) an incredible run for a couple of weeks. To finish it at the Final Four was certainly special. I want to be able to replicate that experience with these guys. The NCAA tournament is a special thing. I want our guys to ultimately experience that same thing.”

Claunch, 34, who grew up in Houston, finally arrived in San Antonio in April. All of a sudden, he was hit with a wave of tasks. Doing an introductory news conference. Hiring a coach staff. Getting on the phone and then talking athletes into visiting the campus.

“Yeah, we were certainly drinking out of the fire hose for a little bit,” he said of his first few weeks on the job. “But, I was really lucky. I brought in some guys who had worked for me at Nicholls (State). Whether it’s a (coaching) staff or a team, you want to surround yourself with guys you trust and people that value the things you value. And I felt we did that. Our staff did an incredible job.

Added Claunch: “I’m excited about where we are and the people we have in our locker room.”

Spears, who grew up in Connecticut, said it was important for him to find the right fit after he entered the transfer portal.

“(Coach Claunch) is one of the youngest coaches in the country,” he said. “He’s hungry. He’s gritty.” Added Horton, a 6-foot-6 wing player and a South Carolina native: “For me it was coach, and the community, as well.”

Horton has played in the NCAA tournament in each of the past two seasons, in 2022-23 with the College of Charleston and last season with James Madison.

“Me and my teammates, we talk about March Madness,” he said. “I told ’em, like, what it felt like. How special it could be. I told ’em the work it would take to get there. So we’re just locked in and focused on that.”

Realistically, it’s the longest of long shots that Horton will hit the jackpot and play in an NCAA tournament for the third year in a row with a third different team.

At the same time, the UTSA players didn’t like the idea that the AAC coaches picked them to finish tied for 11th in a 13-team conference.

Horton isn’t making any bold proclamations, saying only that he expects a “gritty” effort from the Roadrunners.

“We’re looking to change how it was from last year,” he said.

Claunch said the Roadrunners will be “process-oriented” in his first season at the helm.

“It’s not just about, do we win or lose the game,” he said. “We’re trying to build something special. Something that’s bigger than any of us. More important than the result, every single day, is who we are and the program we’re building.”

Notable

UTSA will play an exhibition game against Southern Cal on Tuesday night in Los Angeles. Upcoming, the Roadrunners are expected to take on the McNeese State Cowboys in a closed scrimmage.

They’ll open the regular season with two home games, with the opener set for Nov. 4 against Division III Trinity University of San Antonio, followed by a Nov. 9 meeting against North Dakota. UTSA will play on the road at Bradley University on Nov. 12, then will return home to face Little Rock (Ark.) on Nov. 16.

Two of UTSA’s better non-conference games will be at Saint Mary’s, Calif., on Dec. 3, followed by a game at Arkansas on Dec. 7. Saint Mary’s is one of the favorites in the West Coast Conference. Arkansas is expected to contend under first-year coach John Calipari, who has led UMass, Memphis and Kentucky to the Final Four.

The Roadrunners open conference play on Jan. 4 at Tulane. UTSA’s first conference home game is set for Jan. 7 against Tulsa. Last year, the Roadrunners finished 11-21 overall and 5-13 in the AAC. Henson was fired following a first-round AAC tournament loss to Temple.

Predicted order of finish in the AAC men’s basketball race, according to the coaches’ poll, with first-place votes in parentheses and total points:

1 UAB (9) 141
2 Memphis (4) 136
3 South Florida 108
4 Wichita State 102
5 Florida Atlantic 97
6 Temple 86
7 North Texas 83
8 Charlotte 65
9 East Carolina 63
10 Tulsa 44
11 UTSA 35
Tulane 35
13 Rice 18

AAC preseason honors:

Player of the Year
Yaxel Lendeborg, Sr., F, UAB

Freshman of the Year
Jared Harris, G, Memphis

All conference first team
Yaxel Lendeborg, Sr., F, UAB*
RJ Felton, Sr., G, East Carolina
PJ Haggerty, R-So., G, Memphis
Tyrese Hunter, Sr., G, Memphis
Jamal Mashburn Jr., Gr., G, Temple

All conference second team
Efrem ‘Butta’ Johnson, Jr., G, UAB
Alejandro Vasquez, Sr., G, UAB
KyKy Tandy, Gr., G, Florida Atlantic
Colby Rogers, R-Sr., G, Memphis
Jayden Reid, So., G, South Florida
* denotes unanimous selection

AAC head coaches

Years at their respective schools
Starting first year: Austin Claunch, UTSA; Rob Lanier, Rice; John Jakus, Florida Atlantic.
Second year: Amir Abdur-Rahim, South Florida; Ross Hodge, North Texas; Aaron Fearne, Charlotte; Adam Fisher, Temple; Paul Mills, Wichita State.
Third year: Eric Konkol, Tulsa; Michael Schwartz, East Carolina.
Fifth year: Andy Kennedy, UAB.
Sixth year: Ron Hunter, Tulane.
Seventh year: Penny Hardaway, Memphis.

AAC in the 2024 NCAA men’s tournament
Recap
UAB Blazers — No. 12 seed UAB, an automatic qualifier as the AAC tournament champion, lost to the No. 5 San Diego State Aztecs 69-65 in the Round of 64.
Florida Atlantic Owls — No. 8 seed FAU, an at-large selection, lost to the No. 9 University of Northwestern Wildcats 77-65 in overtime in the Round of 64.

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Re-arranging the furniture: UTSA men’s hoops practice gets rowdy

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Tai'Reon. The UTSA men's basketball team on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - File photo by Joe Alexander

Guard Tai’Reon Joseph and the UTSA Roadrunners will get tested in an exhibition game Tuesday in Los Angeles against the Southern California Trojans. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Coach Austin Claunch has conducted some rigorous, bump-and-grind type of practices in his first preseason camp with the UTSA Roadrunners.

But from the four or five workouts that I’ve seen since the start of the fall semester, Friday’s may have been the most physical yet.

Damari Monsanto. The UTSA men's basketball team on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Wake Forest transfer Damari Monsanto heated up and hit four long-range shots — three from 3-point territory — toward the end of practice. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The get-after-it tone may have been set in the opening minutes as a few of the coaches took the challenge and ran wind sprints with the players. Even the 34-year-old Claunch put his head down and churned out a couple.

Hey, nobody wants to get beat by the old coach, right?

As the basketball phase of the workout commenced, I noticed the noise level in the Convocation Center. It was loud and getting louder. I swear, by the time they started the four-on-four, followed by five-on-five, the players’ voices — the barking of encouragement to one another — echoed into the rafters.

When the halfcourt scrimmaging started, bodies started flying. Once or twice, they tumbled into chairs on the side. One was flattened, others knocked askew. On one play, a loose ball resulted in players diving on the floor, out of bounds, behind the baseline.

On another, two players — Raekwon Horton and Jonnivius Smith — chased down a long rebound and seemed to careen off one another, off the end of the court and nearly out into the north concourse.

Defense definitely was the order of the day, but moments of offensive artistry also emerged. Tai’Reon Joseph, with a quick first step, slashed for layups. Primo Spears darted into the paint and popped some mid-range jumpers. Naz Mahmoud and Damari Monsanto rained threes.

For Mahmoud, it was one of the better workouts I’ve seen from him in a little more than a year. Not only did the sophomore from Leander consistently make triples out of the corner, he also scored off the bounce a few times, taking it all the way to the rim in traffic on one move.

The 6-foot-6 Monsanto was as good as I’ve seen him since I started attending drills early last month. Getting more and more fit as the fall practices have progressed, the Wake Forest transfer had a big day, raining in four straight jumpers at one point. Three were from beyond the three-point arc. Another came from about 17 feet out of the corner.

“Today, we really needed to get after it,” Claunch said. “Just be physical. Guard each other. Put these guys in some adversity, and I thought they responded.”

AAC media days

The Roadrunners’ men’s and women’s basketball teams will attend media days in the Dallas area this weekend. Representing the men will be Claunch, Primo Spears and Raekwon Horton. For the women, Coach Karen Aston will be joined by Jordyn Jenkins and Sidney Love.

Preseason polls

With the Roadrunners women picked to finish fifth in the AAC regular season, Jenkins was honored as a preseason all-conference first team selection. The UTSA men have been picked to finish tied for 11th out of 13.

California dreaming

Next up for the UTSA men is an exhibition game set for Tuesday night at Southern California, a power conference opponent previously from the Pac-12, now in the Big Ten. The game will be aired on Big Ten Network and streamed via B1G+. Tipoff at the Galen Center is at 9 p.m. central.

“It’s going to be awesome,” Claunch said. “We have a group that wants those matchups and those expectations, to go in and win those games. Obviously we’re a long way away from where we need to be. But, at the end of the day, we want to play the best in the country, and, like you say, USC has a great brand.”

The Trojans are coached by Eric Musselman, in his first year with the program after spending the past five seasons with the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Though the game is an exhibition and won’t count on either team’s record, it’s a fact that UTSA hasn’t had much success against power conference programs. The Roadrunners haven’t won a game against a team from one of the major revenue-producing conferences since they beat the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2009.

Coming together

Despite the results of the AAC polls, UTSA guard Marcus Millender expressed optimism that the Roadrunners could have a “breakout” season.

“I feel like this team is one of a kind,” Millender said. “I feel like this is going to be one of them breakout years, and everybody after this year is going to remember UTSA. We’re going to put UTSA on the map this year. From Day 1, I just feel like all the guys have bought in.

“Getting everyone together, trying to get everyone on the right page, I just feel like this is going to be one of those years, for sure.”

Millender said he didn’t think his teammates paid much attention to the AAC poll.

“That’s the good thing about our group of guys,” he said. “I mean, me personally, I’ve been an underdog my whole life. I’m just going to put my head down and keep working. I’m pretty sure all the other guys will, too.”

Jordyn Jenkins named first-team all conference in AAC preseason honors

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Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA beat Northern Colorado 80-62 in the first round of the WNIT on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jordyn Jenkins averaged 17.1 points on 47.9 percent shooting in 12 games last season. She sat out most of the season while recovering from knee surgery. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA forward Jordyn Jenkins has been named as a first-team all conference selection in the American Athletic Conference’s preseason honors for women’s basketball announced Friday.

Jenkins and the Roadrunners are pegged for a fifth-place finish out of 13 teams in the AAC championship race.

On the men’s side, UTSA has been picked to finish tied for 11th out of 13 leading into Austin Claunch’s first season as head coach.

Jenkins, from Kent, Wash., arrived at UTSA in the summer of 2022 after being selected first-team all conference in the Pac 12 at Southern California.

She immediately made an impact for the Roadrunners, averaging 20.6 points in the 2022-23 season and claiming Conference USA Player of the Year honors.

UTSA men to play an exhibition at Southern Cal on Oct. 15

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Coach Austin Claunch and the UTSA Roadrunners will play an exhibition game at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles on Oct. 15, the schools announced Sunday.

For both Claunch and USC’s Eric Musselman, the exhibition will mark a new beginning in their coaching careers, as they will represent their respective schools in front of fans for the first time. The game will be streamed live via the Big Ten Network on B1G+.

Tipoff at the Galen Center is scheduled for 9 p.m. central time.

Austin Claunch. The UTSA men's basketball team on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Austin Claunch will lead his team into Los Angeles on Oct. 15 for an exhibition against the University of Southern California Trojans. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Claunch is in his first season at UTSA after spending a year as an assistant at the University of Alabama and, previously, for five seasons as head coach at Nicholls State. Musselman has worked as a head coach at the highest level of college basketball for nine years, including four at Nevada and the last five at Arkansas.

Musselman’s teams made three NCAA tournaments at Nevada and three more Arkansas. Coaching at Arkansas in the Southeastern Conference, his Razorbacks reached the NCAA round of eight in both 2021 and 2022 and the round of 16 in 2023.

After years in the Pac 12 conference, Southern Cal is entering its first season of basketball in the Big Ten. As such, the game will be streamed live via the Big Ten Network.

For Roadrunners’ fans hoping to attend the game in Los Angeles, ticketing information will be posted on the UTSA men’s basketball schedule page as it becomes available.

UTSA last played at USC in December of 1983. In the Roadrunners’ third year of basketball, they lost 84-68 in what has been their one and only meeting with the Trojans.

‘Smurf’ stands tall in early UTSA fall camp basketball practices

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Marcus Millender. The UTSA men's basketball team on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Marcus ‘Smurf’ Millender played 32 games and averaged 9.7 points as a freshman last year at South Alabama. He also shot 42.3 percent from the three-point arc for the Jaguars of the Sun Belt Conference. – Photo by Joe Alexander


By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

What UTSA point guard Marcus Millender may lack in size, he seems to more than make up for it with a variety of enticing skills.

He runs the offense well when called on to do so. He shoots it with confidence from the perimeter, sometimes well beyond the three-point arc, and he just brings a consistent effort to practice each and every time the Roadrunners hit the floor at the Convocation Center.

At least, that’s been my observation in three or four practices that I’ve seen in fall camp workouts.

“He’s had consistent practices because he’s a consistent worker,” first-year UTSA coach Austin Claunch said after Friday’s session at the Convocation Center. “There he is. He’s shooting right now after practice. He’s somebody that really fits our style of play. Then on top of that, he’s a relentless worker.”

On a day that happened to be exactly one month before the team opens the season on Nov. 4 against Trinity, Millender dug into his bag of tricks.

Austin Claunch. The UTSA men's basketball team on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Austin Claunch says the Roadrunners have made good progress in the past week despite minor injuries to two of their best athletes. – photo by Joe Alexander

First, he drove into the paint, drew a defender, and then wrapped a pass around him to a teammate for a layup. Millender also knocked down three-balls in shooting drills and added one long one during half-court, five-on-five.

Never mind that his nickname is “Smurf.” Defenders seem to have a hard time stopping him because of his versatility.

Last season, the 5-foot-11 Millender averaged 9.7 points, 3.3 assists and 2.9 rebounds in 32 games for the South Alabama Jaguars. He knocked down 32 of 73 shots from the arc for 42.3 percent.

On April 26, Millender entered the NCAA transfer portal. The former standout at Houston Legacy High School wanted a new start under Claunch, who at the time had just arrived on the UTSA campus.

“He shows up every single day with the right mentality,” the coach said. “Great attitude. Obviously, he’s playing at a really high level right now.”

Working around injuries

A few injuries have cropped up in the past week. Point guard Primo Spears and guard-forward Sky Wicks were in walking boots and didn’t practice Friday.

Still, Claunch said he’s pleased after a little more than a week of the official fall camp. “It was a good week,” Claunch said. “On the offensive side of the ball, (we’re) just doing simple things better. Valuing the ball. Not turning it over. Passing and catching better. Creating better shots against different types of ball-screen coverages. You know, we’re banged up a little bit. Nothing major. It’s kinda that time of year.”

Claunch decided to hit the pause button on holding any scrimmages until Spears and Wicks, both expected to be key players for the Roadrunners, can return to form. “We wanted to get everybody 100 percent before we headed into some important scrimmages over the next few weeks,” he said.

Stepping up intensity

Small forward Damari Monsanto and point guard Paul Lewis were much more involved in Friday’s practice than they were this time a week ago.

Damari Monsanto. The UTSA men's basketball team on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Wake Forest transfer Damari Monsanto was one of the top three-point shooters in the ACC two years ago. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“Damari’s really starting to get himself back into shape,” Claunch said. “He’s not where he needs to be, but he’s miles ahead of where he was when he got here. And because of that, he’s playing better.”

In three previous seasons at Wake Forest, Monsanto has suffered two serious injuries, including a torn Achilles and a knee injury. Two years ago, after returning from the Achilles problem, he broke out as one of the top long-distance shooters in the Atlantic Coast Conference. But after going down with the knee problem, he sat out for a year before returning to play in a limited role at the end of last season.

“He’s obviously an elite shooter,” Claunch said. “He’s a really underrated passer. Got an incredible basketball IQ and just knows how to play.”

Paul Lewis. The UTSA men's basketball team on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Virginia native Paul Lewis played 31 games last season at Vanderbilt in the Southeastern Conference. Photo by Joe Alexander

Lewis, a transfer from Vanderbilt, has been slowed at UTSA with a foot injury.

“He looks great,” Claunch said. “He’s had two really, really good days. This is a long season, and it’s really good to have another ball handler. It was good to have him back out here. Got to keep him healthy.”

Notable

The NCAA announced on Wednesday that San Antonio will be the site for two major Division I events — the 2026 Women’s Volleyball Championship and a 2027 NCAA Basketball Regional. San Antonio has previously hosted two NCAA Volleyball Championships (in 2005 and 2011) and 11 men’s basketball regionals. The volleyball championship will be held in the Alamodome and the regional will be held in the Frost Bank Center.

The announcement comes as the San Antonio Local Organizing Committee (SALOC) prepares to host the 2025 Men’s Basketball Final Four in the Alamodome April 5 and 7. SALOC, which is a partnership between UTSA, the City of San Antonio, Visit San Antonio and San Antonio Sports, has hosted events that have generated hundreds of millions of dollars for the local economy.