Tag Archives: Primo Spears

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.”

Austin Claunch’s lesson for the day: ‘Separate yourself with effort’

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

One play during a halfcourt defensive drill Friday afternoon pretty much underscored the Austin Claunch way of playing basketball.

Guard Tai’Reon Joseph came out to contest the dribble on the wing. Forward David Hermes also switched out to stop the ball, forcing a pass to the top of the key. A driver put his head down and tried to maneuver into the lane, only to run into heavy traffic.

Bodies collided. Guard Marcus Millender, who cut off the driver, tumbled to the court. Falling on top of another body, he somehow managed to find the ball on the floor, and Millender gained possession. Overseeing the action, Claunch obviously liked what he saw.

“Separate yourself with effort,” the coach said to the group.

And so it went on Day 2 of UTSA’s official fall camp practices under Claunch, a first-year head coach.

“I’m pleased,’ the coach said. “I love how hard we practice. That’s obviously going to be a staple of what we want to be and the identity that we want to play with. We’re really deep. Everybody. I think the level of competition is great the way we’re pushing each other.

“To me it’s not pushing guys down. It’s raising everybody up. That’s an exciting thing for a coach. Two days in, I’m really excited. We got a lot of work to do like everybody, but I like where we are so far.”

Only a week ago, Claunch told The JB Replay that the team had made good progress and that it actually was — in some ways —
close to being ready to play a game.

“We’re in decent shape,” he said Friday afternoon. “I think we’re still getting to where we need to be. I think we’re in good shape. Now there’s just some things we need to tidy up on both sides of the ball.”

A couple of scrimmages against Division I competition loom in coming weeks, so the coach will know more as he sees how players respond to outside forces.

“That’ll be a good bench mark for us,” he said. “I think we’re building a good foundation for what we want this program to be, and I’m really excited for these guys.”

UTSA’s season opener is Nov. 4 at home against Trinity University.

One thing is clear after my first view of the team in a full practice. The backcourt will be a strong suit. Joseph, Millender and Primo Spears all have potential to match up with most of the guards in the American Athletic Conference.

Joseph, shown in the video above setting up a corner three with a look-away pass, seemed to have an excellent practice on Friday.

Not only did he guard the ball well, he showed creativity in distributing, along with a lightning stop-and-start move that allowed him to get past defenders.

“He’s as fast a player as I’ve ever coached,” Claunch said. “End to end, it’s impressive to see. I tell you what, he has grown so much over these last few months. Physically tough. Mentally tough.”

Claunch encourages Joseph to take the catch-and-shoot three pointer, but his move to the basket seems major league, at least from first glance.

“You start to see some of that downhill thrust that he has attacking the rim,” the coach said. “And defensively, he’s just a menace, man. He can really disrupt flow. Gets his hands on a ton of balls. Deflections, things like that. Excited for him. He’s really just scratching the surface. He doesn’t really know how good he can be.

“We’ve had him for three months. I’m excited to see where he’ll be in another three months.”

Joseph, from Baton Rouge, La., has played in NCAA Division I at Austin Peay, Radford and Southern University. Last season at Southern, a Baton Rouge-based team in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, he led the league in scoring. Joseph averaged 20.5 points on 43.8 percent shooting.

Sparking the defense

Primo Spears, a Florida State transfer, continued to showcase a two-way game. Speedy on the dribble. Dangerous with an array of pull-up jumpers and floaters. But just as important to UTSA coaches, tenacious on the defensive end.

“Some guys have natural ability,” Claunch said. “But on top of that, they have a mentality that they’re going to get stops. For our point guard to pick up and take that upon himself … And you know, Smurf (Millender) is that same way … all of them, really (including Tai’Reon) Joseph, Raekwon Horton and Jaquan (Scott), along with Jonnivius Smith and Mo (Njie), being rim protectors, we can be a really good defensive team.

“Sky (Wicks) is athletic. Naz (Mahmoud) has good hands. We’ve got good personnel to be a good defensive team. But certainly I think it starts with Primo on the ball.”

Following a UTSA legend

UTSA has recently added three walk-ons, bringing the roster total to 16.

The three include guards LJ Brown and Baboucarr Njie and forward Jackson Fazenda. Baboucarr Njie is the younger brother of UTSA center Mo Njie. Brown is the son of former Spurs guard Devin Brown, who also happens to be the Roadrunners’ No. 3 all-time leading scorer.

Claunch said it takes some courage for LJ Brown to play for the same program that his father helped lead to the 1999 NCAA tournament.

“He’s about everything that we’re about as a program,” the coach said. “Toughness. Hard work. Fight … Obviously he’s got the pedigree, right? LJ is competing. He’s competing for minutes just like everybody else. Doesn’t matter if you’re a walk-on or not.

“He’s got to continue to handle (the ball) and make better decisions offensively. But he is about everything that we’re about, and I value that. Taking care of the ball. Being a good teammate. Rebounding and being tough. He’ll have a chance to play.”