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UTSA’s Spears developed a ‘fire in his gut’ after a scary elbow injury in high school

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Primo Spears. The UTSA men's basketball team beat Trinity 103-77 on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA senior guard Primo Spears likely will play his last home game for the Roadrunners Tuesday night against the 18th-ranked Memphis Tigers. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

I feel extremely fortunate to have seen senior guard Amir “Primo” Spears play basketball this season at UTSA.

As Roadrunners coach Austin Claunch says, Spears likely will be playing the game for “a long time” after he leaves the hills of oak and cedar, so to watch him closely at this stage of his development has been a real treat.

To have the opportunity to sit at courtside again Tuesday night when the Roadrunners are scheduled to host the 16th-ranked Memphis Tigers, in what likely will be Spears’ last home game at UTSA, well, that will be pretty cool, too.

Primo Spears at UTSA men's basketball senior day 2025.

Amir “Primo” Spears holds a framed memento of his No. 1 jersey during Sunday’s Senior Day celebration. His father, Amir “Big Primo” Spears, is third from the left. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Before the Tigers and the Roadrunners tip off, though, I wanted to share some insight into what makes Spears the athlete that we see today. The player who brings constant energy. The guy who has led the team in scoring, dazzling all year long with a variety of drives, spin moves and jumpers.

I mean, we’re talking about a kid who has played four seasons at four different schools – Duquesne, Georgetown, Florida State and now UTSA — and has scored 1,687 points.

Last fall, a few games into his first season with the Roadrunners, I had a chance to chat with him about a harrowing experience he had when he was a prep standout from Hartford, Conn., and how it shaped his career.

A harrowing experience

Here’s what happened: In the summer between his freshman and sophomore year of high school, Spears had already emerged as a highly-rated basketball prospect.

How good was he? His father, Amir “Big Primo” Spears, said St. John’s University offered his son a scholarship as an eighth-grader.

Given his burgeoning prowess on the court, “Little Primo” was in New York City in August of 2017 after his ninth-grade year, playing in an all-star game with some of the best ballers in the Northeast as his father watched from the grandstands.

During the game, late in the second half, a player on the opposing team drove down the left side of the lane to the basket. Spears leaped to defend the play and was undercut, causing him to fall.

Marcus Millender and Primo Spears celebrate after Millender made a shot to give UTSA a 79-75 lead with 44.5 seconds left. East Carolina beat UTSA 80-79 at the Convocation Center in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Marcus Millender (4) and Primo Spears (1) celebrate after Millender made a shot against East Carolina. Spears and Millender, a sophomore, have formed a high-scoring tandem in the UTSA backcourt. – File photo by Joe Alexander

To brace himself, he put his left hand down on the floor, and the impact sent a jolt through his arm that, ultimately, would threaten to alter the course of his career.

Spears didn’t know what had happened initially, but he knew it was bad when he looked at his elbow and saw bone protruding through the skin.

Immediately, “Big Primo” rushed out of the stands at the New York Gauchos’ facility to see what had happened. Shocked at the severity of the injury, father and son tried to sort out their next move.

They decided against seeking help at a hospital in New York and elected to drive home to Hartford, a trip that would take two hours.

“One of the worst days of my life,” “Big Primo” said in a telephone interview on Monday. Asked what he thought and felt immediately after he fell, “Little Primo” said his arm initially just felt numb.

“Somebody tried to help me up,” he recalled. “And when I looked down, that’s when I felt the pain and I (saw) the bone. The pain was just relentless.”

Spears said he didn’t want to seek treatment in New York because he knew he would be uncomfortable coming out of the emergency room, still so far away from home.

As he recalled, he said he instead took “six or seven Tylenol” for the drive back to Connecticut.

When doctors examined him in Hartford, it was determined that he had a “Terrible Triad Injury.” In other words, he dislocated his elbow, fractured the head and neck of his radial bone and ruptured an adjacent ligament.

A ‘devastating’ injury

Kevin Burton, an orthopedist in Hartford who repaired the elbow surgically, said in a video years later that “these are devastating injuries and often can be career ending.”

He said the initial procedure was critical to his patient’s recovery.

Primo Spears. UTSA men's basketball lost to Tulsa 82-77 in American Athletic Conference action on Monday, Jan. 7, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Guard Primo Spears drives the ball on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Jan. 7 at the Convocation Center. – File photo by Joe Alexander

“I was happy to get all the pieces back together,” Burton said in a video taped at the ceremony when Spears signed in 2021 with Duquesne. “That was my goal, and I didn’t have to replace the radial head, which was an achievement for the night.”

At that point, the doctor said, he knew there was a possibility that Spears could come back to play competitive sports again.

Spears said he remembers going through three procedures, or, operations.

The first came on the day of the mishap, to pop the elbow back into place. The second followed some five days later when more extensive repair was done, with the insertion of a plate and four rods.

A third followed a few months later when doctors took bone from his wrist and grafted it to the elbow.

“We had to do a bone graft to get the fracture to heal,” Burton said. “So, fortunately, a few months after that, he did go on to heal and complete the recovery process.”

Burton applauded Spears for doing the work.

“Those are tough injuries,” the doctor said. “Recovery is painful. It’s hard. It’s very hard. And he did the work. It takes a lot of grit and determination to get back from this injury, and defy all those odds, and that’s what he did.”

A proud father

“Big Primo” Spears sat and watched in the Convocation Center on Sunday night as his son hit six three point shots and scored 25 to help lead an 84-56 victory over the Rice Owls. He plans to stay in town to watch the Memphis game, as well.

In a telephone interview on Monday, “Big Primo” said his son’s experience with a major injury and extensive rehabilitation at such a young age, however traumatic, helped him develop “a fire in his gut” for competition.

He said his son suffered in the days after the injury with pain medications and their side effects, which led to stomach aches and a loss of appetite. As a result, his son lost weight.

After the bone graft surgery, the grind continued. He started working with physical therapists on conditioning.

“Through it all, I think it built a lot of character in him,” “Big Primo” said. “Ever since he was three years old, he’s played football and basketball all year long. I think it brought a lot of structure and a lot of character and work ethic.

“When that’s taken from you, you feel like your world’s coming to an end. So , it was tough not to play any sports that year. This happened after his freshman year. He already had his first offer from St. John’s, so it was tough.

“There were doctors who didn’t think they’d be able to put (his elbow) back together to where he’d be an elite athlete again. So, in our minds, he beat the odds. We feel like, in his journey, it built a lot of character and a lot of fire in his gut.”

“Big Primo” said he doesn’t think the injury has limited his son physically in any way.

“No, not at all,” he said. “That arm is about as strong as it’s ever been, thanks to some amazing doctors … from Hartford HealthCare, with Dr. Burton and Jeff Flaks, the CEO. I think he’s stronger than ever.”

Anyone watching Windsor High School athletics teams at that time of his return knew that “Little Primo” was on his way back.

After he was cleared, he played basketball as a junior in 2018-19 and averaged 25.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and two steals, leading the Warriors to a runner-up finish in the Division I state championship tournament.

By the next year, as a senior, he played both football and basketball. In football, he made all state, pulling double duty at both cornerback and wide receiver.

“Little Primo” said he really wanted to play football all four years in high school. When he brought up the idea of playing his junior year, immediately after his year-long rehabilitation, he said his parents were opposed to it.

Told what his son had said, “Big Primo” laughed. “Oh, my gosh,” he said. “He snuck on the football field (as a senior) and by the end of the year he was all state and had Power Five interest.”

“Little Primo” often calls “Big Primo” his best friend.

“He’s the one that put the ball in my hands,” he said.

Leaving a legacy

It’s safe to say that Austin Claunch, in his first year with the Roadrunners, is one coach who is happy that Primo Spears gave up running pass routes on a football field to devote his time to shooting jumpers in a basketball gym.

Even though the Roadrunners haven’t been as successful as the coach has wanted to this point, Claunch applauded the example set by Spears, Raekwon Horton and Damari Monsanto. UTSA saluted those three in “Senior Day” ceremonies before the Rice game.

“Senior Day is always a special moment,” Claunch said. “Especially in (this) being our first year here (as coaches). Those are three guys who could have gone to a lot of places. They took a leap of faith and came here to begin the process of building something.”

Claunch said he knew about Spears’ elbow injury from high school, but he said the two never discussed it at length. One thing he does know is that he will miss his leadership and the way he plays the game.

He’s averaging 20 points, which is a career best. He’s also averaged 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals.

Showing off his improved three-point shooting — 37 percent for the season — he hit six from beyond the arc against Rice, all of them in the second half, no less. The Owls would try to defend him with different looks, but it didn’t matter.

Sometimes they would switch and send one of their taller players out to meet him. Spears would merely take a step or two back and shoot another rainbow, higher and farther, with the same results.

“You guys see the end product,” Claunch said. “We see him in the gym three times a day. Some of those shots don’t look as open for some people (shooting them), but these are things he’s working on every single day, and I see him make ‘em at a consistent level.”

In the book on Primo Spears, Claunch joked that he’ll probably be mentioned on one “little” page. That may be the case, but, oh, what a story it’s been. I’m just happy to have chronicled some of it.

Records

Memphis 24-5, 14-2
UTSA 11-17, 5-11

Coming up

Memphis at UTSA, tonight, 6
UTSA at Charlotte, Sunday, 3 p.m.
(end of regular season)
UTSA at AAC tournament, March 12-16

Notable

A UTSA victory tonight would be the program’s first in 30 years over a Top 25 team. The last time a Roadrunners’ men’s basketball team defeated a ranked opponent, they beat the 13th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils 87-85 in overtime in the 1994-95 season, on Dec. 18, 1994, at Tempe, Ariz.

The 16th-ranked Memphis Tigers hold a one-game lead in the AAC standings with two to play and can clinch at least a tie for the title and the No. 1 seed in the tournament if they can beat the Roadrunners tonight.

It would be the first regular-season title at Memphis for seventh-year coach Penny Hardaway and the first for the Tigers men’s basketball overall since 2013. They close out their schedule on Friday at home against South Florida.

The Tigers are 14-2, followed by North Texas Mean Green at 13-3. North Texas (22-3 on the season) plays at home Thursday night against the Charlotte 49ers and on the road Sunday against the Temple Owls.

Memphis has the head-to-head tiebreaker on North Texas. The Tigers won at home on Jan. 5, beating the Mean Green, 68-64. The Tigers, led by the backcourt of PJ Haggerty, Tyrese Hunter and Colby Rogers, have won three straight and 11 of their last 12.

Guard PJ Carter, who played last season at UTSA, comes off the bench for the Tigers.

UTSA’s Claunch reached out to console one of his star players after a heart-wrenching loss

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Primo Spears. UTSA men's basketball lost to Tulsa 82-77 in American Athletic Conference action on Monday, Jan. 7, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Guard Primo Spears and the UTSA Roadrunners will try to bounce back from two tough losses at home as they prepare to play road games this week at Wichita State and Tulsa. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Not too long after UTSA coach Austin Claunch left the Convocation Center Saturday night, he sent a text to Roadrunners point guard Primo Spears.

Knowing the inner fire that drives Spears as one of the most competitive players in the American Athletic Conference, the coach wanted to reach out to make sure he wasn’t taking the Roadrunners’ 80-79 loss to the East Carolina Pirates too hard.

Spears made two costly turnovers in the final 21 seconds that led to the Pirates erasing a 79-75 deficit and stealing away with a victory.

“You know, this is a guy who’s had an incredible year,” Claunch said Monday morning, “and he’s going to continue to have an incredible year. (But), you know, physical mistakes happen.

“I just texted him (immediately after the game) and told him I love him, and we’ll grow from this. And, he knows. He wants to win. That’s a guy who’s a competitor.”

Claunch’s words were not hyperbole. Spears has emerged after an offseason transfer from Florida State as the Roadrunners’ leading scorer at 20.2 points per game. He’s led the team in scoring in 13 of 23 games and in five of their 10 victories.

From my vantage point, Spears has made some of the most jaw-dropping, athletic shots that I can remember of anyone in a UTSA uniform since Jhivvan Jackson.

Spears is a little like Jackson in another way, as well. He will shrug off an injury and play at less than 100-percent of his usual explosive self.

Recently, he went down with a left foot injury at practice and continued to play through it for a few games. UTSA coaches finally sat him down last week. He sat for one game last Wednesday, when the Roadrunners played the Tulane Green Wave at home.

As Spears watched from the side in a walking boot, the Roadrunners played well and appeared to have the game won a few times down the stretch. Led by sophomore guard Marcus Millender, they were up 10 with three minutes left.

Later, they were still up nine with two minutes left. Eventually, however, the Green Wave outscored the Roadrunners 12-1 over the last 2:48, including the last 10 points of the game, to win 61-60 on two Rowan Brumbaugh free throws with 2.5 seconds remaining.

All of which compounded the misery they felt Saturday night after they lost to East Carolina.

“Quite frankly, it’s two that we felt like we gave away,” Claunch said. “(We have) a sizeable lead against Tulane with two minutes left and they make the plays and we don’t. Then the ECU game, we’ve got a two possession lead in the final seconds … ”

In analyzing basketball, I like to focus on things a team does to win rather than dwell on what someone else does to lose. In keeping with that, I will tell you that the Pirates won the game because they were the aggressors in the final minute, on both sides of the ball.

They trapped in the backcourt, attacking Spears as he tried to dribble out of trouble and get over the midcourt line. On the replay, it appeared that UTSA’s Raekwon Horton was open beyond midcourt, on the other side of the floor.

A pass from Spears to Horton right there might have saved the Roadrunners, who were up by four.

But Spears kept pounding the dribble, trying to get over midcourt. ECU’s Trevion LaBeaux had other ideas. He came up with a clean steal, leading to a drive to the bucket and a three-point play by Jordan Riley with 17.9 seconds left.

Leading by one at that juncture, UTSA came out of a timeout and called on Damari Monsanto to inbound.

The ball was tossed up the side, parallel to the ECU bench, and as Spears came over and reached out to grab it, the Pirates swarmed him in the corner and forced a held ball, which gave them possession.

Ultimately, they inbounded, and eventually tossed it to C.J. Walker. The ECU power forward made a sweet move, spun and knocked down a 14-foot jumper with four seconds left for a one-point lead. For the Roadrunners, they were left with one more desperation play, a 30-foot heave by Horton that missed.

Some in the Convocation Center might have been down on Mr. Spears after the shocking turn of events. But as for me, I just can’t be too critical of a kid who plays as hard as he does all the time. I’ve seen him do too many good things to help the team.

A reminder:

* Spears exploded for 15 of his 29 points in the last three minutes on Nov. 27 as the Roadrunners rallied from a late 14-point deficit to beat the Merrimack College Warriors, 76-74, in a neutral site game at Troy, Ala.

* On Dec. 3, at Moraga, Calif., he scored eight points in the last five and a half minutes of regulation and five in overtime in an 82-74 loss to the Saint Mary’s Gaels.

* And on Dec. 13, he poured in 10 of his 28 points in the final two minutes as the Roadrunners held off the North Dakota Fighting Hawks, 80-76, at the Convo.

In addition, I’ll offer some pure speculation. If the Roadrunners are faced with the same adversity again this week, with road games at Wichita State on Wednesday and Tulsa on Saturday, I’m certain Coach Claunch will be calling on Spears to make some plays.

Claunch, I suspect, will remain steadfast in Spears’ corner.

“It’s easy for me to play Monday morning quarterback right now and pause the film and say, hey, you’ve got to do this, that and the third,” the first-year UTSA coach said. “It’s a lot harder when you’re out there and you’re moving at a high pace.

“These guys want to win and … (they) got to continue to trust and believe in each other in these situations and (try to) find a way to get it done.”

Tulane men rally in the second half to beat UTSA, 61-60

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Marcus Millender. UTSA lost to Tulane 61-60 on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, at the Convocation Center in American Athletic Conference men's basketball. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA guard Marcus Millender scored a career-high 28 points against Tulane, knocking down five 3-pointers along the way. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Fans in the UTSA Convocation Center fell silent on Wednesday night when guard Rowan Brumbaugh hit two free throws with 2.5 seconds remaining, lifting the Tulane Green Wave to a stunning 61-60 comeback victory over the Roadrunners.

The Green Wave trailed the home team by 15 points late in the first half, by 12 early in the second, by 10 with three minutes to play and by one when they inbounded the ball 94 feet away with 11.1 seconds left.

Brumbaugh brought it up and attacked to the right side, drawing a shooting foul from UTSA’s Marcus Millender. The Tulane guard stepped to the line and made both free throws, effectively capping a 12-1 run in the final three minutes of the game.

Primo Spears. UTSA lost to Tulane 61-60 on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, at the Convocation Center in American Athletic Conference men's basketball. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA scoring leader Primo Spears sat out his first game of the season with a foot injury, but he is expected to play Saturday at home against East Carolina. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Down by the eventual final score, UTSA inbounded to Damari Monsanto, whose 75-foot heave was off the mark to end the game.

UTSA played without injured guard Primo Spears, the team’s leading scorer, who was sidelined with a walking boot on his left foot.

In his absence, the Roadrunners came painfully close to winning twice in a span of five days against a top-tier foe in the American Athletic Conference.

UTSA won Saturday on the road in Denton, shocking the North Texas Mean Green, 54-50. Against Tulane, the Roadrunners had the Green Wave on their heels and led for most of the game.

In the end, they couldn’t hold on.

Nevertheless, Millender left a lasting impression on the Green Wave, scoring a career-high 28 points in 40 minutes. Forward Raekwon Horton also played 40 minutes and added 11 points. Monsanto scored nine. Freshman walk-on Baboucarr Njie finished with seven points and three rebounds off the bench.

UTSA coach Austin Claunch praised his team’s defensive effort against one of the better offenses in the American.

Also, he said the team fared well in compensating for the loss of Spears, who averages 20.5 points per game, and others who have been out with injuries and other issues. UTSA had eight scholarship players available for Tulane.

“Yeah, listen, we got a tough team,” Claunch said. “Tonight certainly is a bummer. We had great preparation. We had a lot of respect for Tulane. They’re a really good team. To give that lead up at the end when they played so well, is too bad.

Baboucarr Njie. UTSA lost to Tulane 61-60 on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, at the Convocation Center in American Athletic Conference men's basketball. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Freshman guard Baboucarr Njie, a walk-on, played 30 minutes against Tulane. He had seven points, three rebounds and two steals. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“They were right there to win the game. You got to give Tulane a lot of credit (for winning, but) certainly, we’re moving in the right direction.”

For Tulane, guard Asher Woods led the way with 18 points on six of eight shooting from the field. Brumbaugh had 13 points, four rebounds and four assists.

Forward Kaleb Banks, Tulane’s leading scorer, was held to six. But it was Banks who hit one of the biggest shots of the night — a three with 41.1 seconds remaining, bringing the Green Wave to within one at 60-59.

On UTSA’s next possession, Tulane made an emphatic defensive stop. Working the ball from the perimeter into the paint, the Roadrunners got it to Njie, whose hook shot was blocked out of bounds with 14 seconds remaining. Only three seconds remained on the shot clock.

Inbounding the ball from the end line near the UTSA bench, Monsanto tossed it high to Millender, who caught it and fired a 3-point shot that missed everything. Officially, it was a shot clock violation, with the ruling that it was released after the clock expired.

Tulane then called time with 11.1 seconds left and set up the final play.

All in all, UTSA played much better against Tulane than it did in New Orleans on Jan. 4. In the earlier game, the Green Wave won easily, 92-63.

In the first game, Tulane shot 63.5 percent from the field, including 72.7 percent in the second half, and scored 46 points in the paint against UTSA. In the rematch, the Green Wave shot 43.2 percent against the Roadrunners’ switching defensive scheme. They scored only 26 paint points.

Raekwon Horton. UTSA lost to Tulane 61-60 on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, at the Convocation Center in American Athletic Conference men's basketball. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Forward Raekwon Horton had 11 points and three rebounds for the Roadrunners. .- Photo by Joe Alexander

For the most part, Millender was the show. Nicknamed “Smurf,” the 5-foot-11 sophomore hit nine of 19 from the field and five of nine from three. He also knocked down five of six at the line. Was he on the boards? He was, snaring five rebounds.

As the clock wound down in the second half, the Green Wave smothered Millender just about every time he touched the ball, holding him without a field goal in the last nine minutes. In the last three minutes, he got to the free-throw line on two possessions, hitting three of four at the stripe.

“Down the stretch we didn’t get the stops,” Millender said. “We slowed down the offense a little bit (and) couldn’t score in the last three minutes, or something like that … They were just more aggressive and they hit some threes at the end of the game.”

First half

Millender started fast for the UTSA Roadrunners, hitting four of his first five shots from the field.

Even though he cooled off a bit at the end of the half, he had a team-high 16 points as the Roadrunners went into the dressing room at intermission with a 33-25 lead.

Tai'Reon Joseph. UTSA lost to Tulane 61-60 on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, at the Convocation Center in American Athletic Conference men's basketball. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Guard Tai’Reon Joseph returned to action after not playing the last four games. He couldn’t find a rhythm in 12 minutes, scoring two points on one of six shooting. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Millender finished the opening period hitting six of nine from the field and four of four from the 3-point arc.

While the Green Wave struggled initially against the Roadrunners’ switching defensive scheme, guard Asher Woods kept them afloat, scoring eight points. He was three of five from the field.

UTSA shuffled its starting lineup, starting Tai’Reon Joseph in place of Primo Spears, the team’s leading scorer.

Spears, who has been slowed by an injury the past few games, was on the bench in a walking boot on his left ankle/foot. It’s the first time this season that Spears has sat out after starting the first 21 games.

Joseph, meanwhile, hasn’t played since Jan. 18 in a home game against North Texas. He sat out the the last four.

UTSA was already short-handed, playing without scholarship players Paul Lewis, Mo Njie, Jaquan Scott and Skylar Wicks.

Records

Tulane 13-10, 7-3
UTSA 10-12, 4-6

Coming up

East Carolina at UTSA, Saturday, 7:08 p.m.

Notable

UTSA coach Austin Claunch said he expects Primo Spears to be available to play on Saturday against East Carolina. Taking Spears’ spot in the starting lineup was Tai’Reon Joseph, who has not played since Jan. 18.

Joseph, who has a season high of 28 points, had missed four straight games before suiting up against Tulane. He played 12 minutes and couldn’t find a rhythm, scoring two points on one of six shooting.

The coach said forward Jaquan Scott and guard-forward Sky Wicks will not be back with the team this season. He said both center Mo Njie and Paul Lewis are “banged up and done for the year.” The coach said both were ill and didn’t attend the game.

Short-handed UTSA men are showing spark leading into a road test at FAU

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Marcus Millender. UTSA beat Temple 88-79 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Sophomore guard Marcus Millender is averaging 12.3 points, 3.3 assists and 1.6 steals for the UTSA Roadrunners, who will play at Florida Atlantic on Wednesday after winning three of their last five in the American Athletic Conference. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA men’s basketball team isn’t blessed with a vast reservoir of talent. But the talented players they do have are capable of tapping into deep reserves of fortitude, which allows them to rebound from tough situations and compete at surprisingly high levels.

It’s a trait I noticed early in the season during the Roadrunners’ 1-3 start. During that stretch I remember asking guard Primo Spears about his level of optimism for the team in the wake of lopsided losses to Bradley and Little Rock.

Spears said he wasn’t worried because, as he said, his teammates’ talents would come to light soon enough.

Sure enough, the Roadrunners rebounded from their early struggles and started playing better, nearly knocking off the Saint Mary’s Gaels on the road in Moraga, Calif. They continued with two wins against North Dakota, a bizarre home-and-away played over a course of three days.

UTSA’s uptick in good fortune, as it turned out, seemed to stall out a bit as players returned from the Christmas break. In the Roadrunners’ last non-conference game, they stumbled. With a chance for a road victory and a four-game winning streak, they lost to the Army Black Knights, 77-74.

Then they were routed in the American Athletic Conference opener, losing 92-63 to the Tulane Green Wave. Another loss followed when they returned home. Seemingly on their way to a victory over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, their defense faltered late, and they lost 82-77.

For the most part, the Roadrunners have played well since then. Waging the good fight with a couple of their big men unavailable and now with guard Tai’Reon Joseph also sitting out, UTSA has won three of its last five in AAC play.

They capped the five-game stretch with a quality win at home Saturday, defeating the Temple Owls, 88-79. With the win, they again displayed promising stretches of disruptive defense and explosive offense, improving to 9-10 overall and to 3-4 in the American.

On the eve of road games this week against FAU and North Texas, I talked to Coach Austin Claunch this morning, telling him about my previous conversation with Spears and then asking him to help explain the source of his team’s resilience.

“I think we have an older team. We have a mature team,” Claunch said. “Obviously Primo is a guy who’s played a lot of college basketball and has been a part of a lot of our wins. You know, it’s a long season. You’re going to have ups and downs. You’re probably not going to go undefeated.

“There’s going to be moments of adversity that you have to overcome,” the coach continued. “I thought early in the year, (with a) brand new team, we were still working through some rotations and things we wanted to do schematically.”

Now, their offense looks good on most nights, with crisp ball movement and unselfish play. But at the same time, their defense is vulnerable with opponents shooting 46 percent from the field and 35 percent from three.

Also, broader questions loom. Such as, how long can they continue to win when they’re missing five scholarship players, with three of the absences left largely unexplained and two out with injuries?

“This is the time of year that everyone is banged up a little bit,” Claunch said. “You have bruises here and there. You know, Primo was actually questionable for the Temple game. He got banged up in practice the day before and gutted it out.”

Injured Roadrunners include center Mo Njie and reserve guard Paul Lewis, both with foot ailments. Lewis has been ruled out for the season, and Njie’s return is uncertain. Players whose status can only be described as not available at the moment are Tai’Reon Joseph, Jaquan Scott and Skylar Wicks.

Joseph was on the bench for the Temple game, though he wasn’t dressed out to play, as he missed his second straight game after a 19-point outburst against North Texas. Claunch said he hopes to know more in coming days on Joseph’s status. For the time being, the coach said he is questionable for FAU.

I have no updated information on Scott, a Mississippi State transfer, or Wicks, who came over from Incarnate Word. Scott, who had 14 rebounds at Saint Mary’s, has played in only six games. He hasn’t played in 10 of the last 11. Wicks has played in only 10 games and hasn’t seen action since Dec. 29 at Army.

In the meantime, UTSA will soldier forward in conference play, led by a smallish lineup comprised of Spears, Marcus Millender, Damari Monsanto, Raekwon Horton and Jo Smith.

David Hermes has been starting at center, with Smith coming in off the bench. Six-foot-five freshman Baboucarr Njie, Mo’s younger brother, also has been playing off the bench. Naz Mahmoud is getting spot duty, too, as the eighth man.

Not a great team, at the moment, but certainly a fun team worth watching.

Records

UTSA 9-10, 3-4
FAU 10-10, 3-4

Coming up

UTSA at FAU, Wednesday, 6 p.m.
UTSA at North Texas, Saturday, 5 p.m.
Tulane at UTSA, Feb. 5, 7 p.m.
East Carolina at UTSA, Feb. 8, 7 p.m.

Stung in New Orleans, Claunch’s Roadrunners return home to face the Tulsa Golden Hurricane

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Routed by 29 points a few days ago in New Orleans, Austin Claunch’s UTSA Roadrunners return home looking for redemption as they prepare to take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane Tuesday night at the Convocation Center.

Tipoff is at 7 p.m.

Raekwon Horton. The UTSA men's basketball team beat Houston Christian 78-71 on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA forward Raekwon Horton is averaging 10.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.1 steals this season. He had 15 points and nine rebounds at Tulane last weekend. – File photo by Joe Alexander

The Roadrunners have won four out of five at home this season, including three in a row, but UTSA’s first-year coach is still haunted by a 92-63 loss at Tulane in their American Athletic Conference opener.

In that game, they gave up 63 percent shooting from the field and 46 points in the paint. But with Tulsa, a ball club that is also struggling, the Roadrunners will play the first of two home games this week and three of the next four overall.

It’s a chance to turn the page on the team’s most lopsided loss of the season.

“Yeah, I’m excited, our first conference game at home,” Claunch told reporters Monday on a zoom call. “But we got to come out and play better. We got to play better than we did the other night in New Orleans, or, it doesn’t matter if we’re playing here, on the road, outside, (on a) different planet. We got to prepare today to step out and beat a good Tulsa team.”

Tulsa basketball has a proud tradition with a list of distinguished coaches having elevated the program over the years. Nolan Richardson in the 1980s, followed by J.D. Barnett, Tubby Smith, Steve Robinson and Bill Self, all made regular appearances in the NCAA tournament through the turn of the century.

It’s been awhile since the Golden Hurricane have made those kind of headlines, however, with the program’s last NCAA trip coming in 2016. Third-year coach Eric Konkol, who had a long and successful run at Louisiana Tech, is in his third season at Tulsa with mixed results.

Last year, the Golden Hurricane started to make progress with freshman guard PJ Haggerty leading them to a 16-15 record. But Haggerty is now at Memphis and is one of the top players for the highest-rated team in the AAC. Meanwhile, Tulsa is 6-9, having lost its first two in AAC play — by six at home to the Rice Owls and by 32 on the road to UAB on Saturday.

“They’ll be ready to go when they come in here on Tuesday,” Claunch said. “They really guard. They really compete defensively. They’re not quite as big as some of the teams in our league, sort of like us. But they really fly around and compete.”

Tulsa mens basketball coach Eric Konkol. UTSA beat Tulsa in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Third-year Tulsa coach Eric Konkol leads his team into the Convocation Center tonight. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Both UTSA and Tulsa feature strong guard play, with the Roadrunners relying on Primo Spears, Marcus Millender and Tai’Reon Joseph and the Golden Hurricane countering with Keaston Willis, Dwon Odom and Tyshawn Archie.

Speaking on the UTSA basketball radio show Monday night, Spears described the Hurricane as “a great team” that relies on strong guard play. “So we just have to be the better three backcourt guys, to be able to take over the game and lead our team to victory,” he said.

Both teams are also limited at the moment with injury concerns. For Tulsa, forward Isaiah Barnes has been out with a fractured hand since Dec. 7. UTSA center Mo Njie has sat out the last two games with a foot injury. His return timeline is uncertain as Claunch describes it as “a couple of weeks” to a month.

Records

Tulsa 6-9, 0-2
UTSA 6-7, 0-1

Coming up

Tulsa at UTSA, today, 7 p.m.
Wichita State at UTSA, Saturday, 3 p.m.

UTSA’s Claunch: ‘I can’t remember being part of a comeback like that’

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Primo Spears, Jonnivius Smith and the UTSA Roadrunners created a little momentum for themselves with a split of two games on a trip earlier this week in Troy, Ala.

After losing 86-72 on Monday to the Troy Trojans, the Roadrunners buckled down and claimed an improbable 76-74 victory Wednesday against the Merrimack College Warriors.

Against Merrimack, the Roadrunners were looking at the prospect of returning to San Antonio on a four-game losing streak when they fell behind by 14 points with 3:31 remaining.

They responded with a Spears-fueled 20-4 run in the last three minutes to win.

With a home game looming Saturday against Houston Christian, first-year UTSA coach Austin Claunch took questions on a zoom call Friday to discuss his feelings about the state of the team.

“It was good to get two games back to back where we have 80 minutes that we can really watch and dissect and figure out where we’re making mistakes,” he said. “We got to play a lot better.”

Before the remarkable win Wednesday, the Roadrunners had lost by double digits in three straight, a skid that started at Bradley and continued with a home loss to Little Rock.

After another lackluster showing against Troy on Monday, the comeback against the Warriors was just what they needed.

Smith set it up with his work on the boards and then Spears completed the deal, scoring 15 points in the final 2:51 of the game.

“Obviously it’s great to learn and teach after a win,” Claunch said. “I think part of a growing program is learning how to win when you don’t play your best basketball.”

The circumstances were dire in the second half when the Warriors, playing a zone defense, kept making stops and started building their lead into double digits.

“In the second half, they threw a punch and it sort of looked like, ‘Hey, we’re on the ropes here,’ ” Claunch said.

Spears, a Florida State transfer, came off the ropes swinging, in a manner of speaking. Starting at 2:51 on the clock, he scored 12 points in a minute and a half and then added three more in the final 30 seconds.

“I was really proud of the resiliency and just (the) commitment to playing the next play … and so to finish that game the way we did, I can’t remember a time that I’ve been a part of a comeback like that,” Claunch said. “So, certainly to be sitting here now, coming off a win, coming back to the Convo, we’re excited about tomorrow.”

Records

Houston Christian 2-5
UTSA 2-3

Coming up

Houston Christian at UTSA, Saturday, 3 p.m.

Notable

Claunch said guard Paul Lewis is definitely out for the Houston Christian game. Lewis has missed the last three with a foot injury.

As for forward Jaquan Scott, Claunch said his starter on the front line is more day to day after sitting out the last two. Claunch indicated that guard Tai’Reon Joseph, who is ineligible and hasn’t played yet, is expected to make his UTSA debut soon, possibly by the end of next week.

UTSA could certainly use Joseph’s firepower in upcoming road tests at Saint Mary’s, Calif., on Tuesday or at the University of Arkansas on Saturday, Dec. 7. “Maybe it’s Arkansas, but it’s soon, it’s very soon,” Claunch said.

Against Merrimack, Primo Spears and Jonnivius Smith broke out with their best games as Roadrunners. Spears scored a season-high 29 points and Smith pulled down 20 rebounds, becoming the third player in school history to get that many boards in a single outing.

“I thought Jo’s energy … he was relentless,” Claunch said. “Going after the ball offensively and defensively after the shot was taken, and then to step up and make some big buckets down low. He played through some physicality. It was happy for him to be back in his home state, with some family there, and play the way he did … really happy for Jo. We need him to keep playing that way.”

As for Spears, Claunch said it showed leadership and poise to do what he did late in the game, knocking down three 3-point baskets and converting two more three-point plays in the final 2:51. “We got a ways to go, but it’s wins like those and plays like those that can give your team the confidence to start turning the corner,” the coach said.

Claunch wins in UTSA debut, 103-77, as his Roadrunners roll past Trinity in second half

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Guard Primo Spears hit four straight shots, including three jumpers in a row, as UTSA pulled away down the stretch to register a 26-point victory over Trinity. Spears finished with a team-high 27 points. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The first regular-season game in Austin Claunch’s career as UTSA’s men’s basketball coach was definitely not an easy victory over a cupcake, as the final score might suggest.

For one thing, the Trinity Tigers weren’t a cupcake at all. They played a sweet offensive style that kept them in the contest well into the second half.

For another, it took all of the Roadrunners’ will and resilience to claim a 103-77 victory on Monday night at the Convocation Center.

Austin Claunch. The UTSA men's basketball team beat Trinity 103-77 on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Austin Claunch coached his first game at UTSA and got the win but said later that his team has plenty of things to correct. -Photo by Joe Alexander


Guard Primo Spears and small forward Raekwon Horton ignited a late 17-2 run by UTSA to salt the game away.

“Anytime you win, it’s good,” Claunch said. “I tell these guys all the time, I want to win every game, (by) one point, 10, whatever it is. You got to find a way to win. Give Trinity a lot of credit. They do a hell of a job. Jimmy (Smith) is an excellent coach.

“There’s a reason they’re top ten in the country (in D-III). They got a real chance to compete for a championship.”

In the first half, Trinity sophomore Christian Green and junior Ty Williams started off as hot shooters, pacing the Tigers to an early five-point lead. After a turnover, Williams drove for a layup and a 12-7 advantage five minutes into the half.

A little more than 10 minutes in, Green popped a 10-footer off the side, and Carter Ruck followed with a three to make it 25-23 in favor of the visiting Tigers, a non-scholarship program located off Hildebrand Ave. and IH 37 in central San Antonio.

In the second half, playing against the city’s major Division I program on the northwest side, the Tigers kept hanging around. With 14:42 remaining, Jacob Harvey hit a long three from the top of the circle. The shot put Trinity up by one point, and Harvey celebrated the moment by pausing to make a face at some of the UTSA fans.

A few minutes later, Trinity was still in the game. Will Brunson hit a step-back jumper, pulling the Tigers to within one with 12:14 left.

Around that time, Spears took charge. He sliced his way through the Trinity zone to find open spaces and scored eight points over the next few minutes, allowing UTSA to expand its lead to 81-65 with 6:16 left. Trinity never got closer than 14 the rest of the way.

Trinity's Christian Green. The UTSA men's basketball team beat Trinity 103-77 on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Trinity’s Christian Green is a sophomore from Veterans Memorial High School. He finished with 15 points. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“Just attacking,” said Spears, a 6-foot-3 transfer from Florida State in his first game at UTSA. “You know, I try to get to the paint as much as I can. Not only for myself, but for others. I thought we shot the ball well at the end of the game. I opened up the floor and got to the paint and, you know, got to my spots.”

Horton helped ignite the rally, as well with a couple of steals that led to baskets. On one play, the 6-6 James Madison transfer stole an inbounds pass and hit a layup to help break the Tigers’ spirit.

“I was in his ear every huddle, every media (timeout), just saying, it starts with him,” Spears said. “He had a tough night in the paint but that’s not like him. I just wanted to emphasize that he’s a big part of this team, and he showed it. He got four or five steals in the second half, and I’m proud of him.”

Before the game started, there was a tension in the UTSA camp. Claunch went out for a two-mile afternoon run to clear his head. The players, all except Naz Mahmoud playing for the first time at home for the Roadrunners, might have been a little tight.

“Probably nerves but good nerves,” Horton said. “Everybody was excited to play. Amped up. I think it was just nerves at the beginning of the game. Like I said, we had to just settle in.”

Records

UTSA 1-0
Trinity 0-0
The game counted as an exhibition for Trinity

Individuals

Trinity – Jacob Harvey, scored 17 points and hit five of nine from three. Christian Green, had 15 points and five rebounds. He knocked down six of 10 from the field.

UTSA – Primo Spears scored 27 points, including 19 in the second half. Marcus “Smurf’ Millender had 19 points and seven assists. The two starting guards combined on 15 of 27 shooting from the field. Center Jaquan Scott produced 16 points and six rebounds. Damari Monsanto, 12 points on four of 10 shooting from three. Jonnivius Smith came off the bench for nine points, 10 rebounds and four steals.

Notable

UTSA shot 52.4 percent from the field in the second half. For the game, the Roadrunners shot 47.4 percent, had 21 steals and forced the Tigers into 28 turnovers. UTSA outrebounded Trinity 37-35 but dominated on the offensive glass with 17 boards.

The Roadrunners played without two key players, guard Tai’Reon Joseph and 6-foot-11 center Mo Njie. Joseph is ineligible over what is believed to be academic issues. It’s uncertain how many games he will need to sit out. Njie, with a groin injury, did not suit up. Guard Paul Lewis missed some practice last week but rallied to play 12 minutes.

Coming up

North Dakota at UTSA, Saturday, 6 p.m.

Halftime

The UTSA Roadrunners arrived at the Convocation Center ready to run for first-year Coach Austin Claunch. Surprisingly, the Tigers were more than up to the task. Trinity held its own for the first 20 minutes of the game before the Roadrunners forged a 43-41 lead at intermission.

Scott, Spears and Millender carried the load offensively for the Roadrunners. Scott, a 6-8 forward, made five of six from the field and scored 12 points. Spears had nine points and Millender eight. Millender passed for five assists and Spears three.

Green led the Tigers with 10 points. He hit four of eight from the field for the Tigers, who shot 48 percent from the field and 60 percent from three. In three-point shooting, Trinity was more effective and more efficient, hitting six of 10 to UTSA’s six of 19.

UTSA center Jaquan Scott works inside for a basket late in the first half. Scott led the Roadrunners with 12 points at intermission. – Video by The JB Replay

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.”

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.”