Tag Archives: UTSA Roadrunners

Jhivvan Jackson scores 21, UTSA breaks into the win column

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UTSA's Jhivvan Jackson shoots around before the Roadrunners' game against Oklahoma on Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. The sophomore guard has not played yet this season while he rehabs from an injury he suffered last season. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Jhivvan Jackson shoots around before the Roadrunners’ game against Oklahoma on Nov. 12. – photo by Joe Alexander

Sophomore Jhivvan Jackson scored 21 points Wednesday as the UTSA Roadrunners won their first game of the season, downing Florida Gulf Coast, 76-65.

In a game for seventh place at the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Florida, Keaton Wallace produced 19 points for the Roadrunners, who improved to 1-5.

Christian Carlyle led the Eagles with 16 points as Florida Gulf Coast dropped to 2-5.

UTSA entered the tournament in Florida coming off losses to Division II St. Edward’s and to Division I powers Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Jackson, coming off knee surgery, did not play in any of the games as he completed his rehabilitation from ACL knee surgery.

Cleared to play before the road trip to Florida, he competed in all three games, with his playing time restricted to 15 minutes.

He scored 10 points in a 65-56 loss to UC Irvine and then had another 10 (on 2 of 11 shooting) in a 99-79 loss to South Dakota State.

Against Florida Gulf Coast, Jackson scored his season high on 7 of 15 shooting from the field and 5 of 10 from three-point range.

Wallace, also a sophomore, played well with 19 points, including four three-pointers.

Last year, Jackson and Wallace emerged as two of the keys in UTSA’s resurgence as a basketball program.

The Roadrunners produced a 20-15 record for their first 20-win season in seven years.

Notable

Florida Gulf Coast center Ricky Doyle played against his father’s alma mater. Doyle had 2 points, a rebound and an assist for the Eagles. His father is Rick Doyle, who was UTSA’s first great center. Doyle played for the Roadrunners from 1982-84. He teamed with Derrick Gervin to lead UTSA to its first 20-win season in 1983-84. Doyle was a fifth-round draft pick by the Detroit Pistons and went on to play professionally in France for 11 years. Ricky Doyle was born in Pau, France, in 1996. Rick was in the stands to watch the game, an FGCU spokesman said.

Quotable

“It was a good trip for us in terms of learning. (We played) three really good teams. Those three teams we played will all be the favorites in their conference. I told our guys just now I’m happy for them. We got the win. We’re making progress. I really liked the way they responded yesterday at halftime. You know, down, and came out and fought. Some good signs there.” — UTSA coach Steve Henson, on the team’s trip to Florida. (Interview on KTKR radio).

Daum, South Dakota State romp past UTSA, 99-79

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When forward Mike Daum wasn’t hitting shots from outside the three-point arc Tuesday morning, guard Skyler Flatten was getting open and firing from some other far-away location.

Daum and Flatten combined for 11 three-pointers and 69 points as the South Dakota State Jackrabbits rolled past UTSA, 99-79, at the Gulf Coast Showcase.

Daum, a 6-9 senior forward, finished with 41 points on 14 of 25 shooting. The NBA prospect hit 5 of 12 three-point baskets. Flatten added 28 points on 10 of 11 from the floor. He was 6 of 6 from three.

Bidding for their fourth-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament this season, the Jackrabbits (4-2) of the Summit League showed that they’re warming up to meet the challenge.

They built an eight-point lead at halftime and then continued to pull away from the Roadrunners (0-5), who will close out the tournament with a third game in three days Wednesday morning.

Guard Keaton Wallace led UTSA with 21 points. Nick Allen had 12 and Atem Bior 11. Jhivvan Jackson scored 10 in his second game back to the lineup after rehabilitation from a knee injury.

Notable

With his performance against UTSA, Daum became South Dakota State’s all-time leading scorer. He has scored 2,388 points to surpass Nate Wolters’ record of 2,363, set in four seasons through 2013. Daum has scored 156 points in six games for an average of 26 per game, which likely will boost him into the national top ten.

Quotable

“The way they use him, the way they get him in different spots, it wasn’t like he was going to the same spot (on the floor). We couldn’t really double him. We tried some different people on him but … every second or third trip down the floor he was scoring again. He’s a terrific player.” — UTSA coach Steve Henson on trying to defend Mike Daum, South Dakota State’s all-time scoring leader. (Interview on KTKR radio).

Jackson scores 10 points in return, but UTSA falls to UC Irvine

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UTSA's Jhivvan Jackson shoots around before the Roadrunners' game against Oklahoma on Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. The sophomore guard has not played yet this season while he rehabs from an injury he suffered last season. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Jhivvan Jackson shoots around before the Roadrunners’ game against Oklahoma on Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. – photo by Joe Alexander

Sophomore guard Jhivvan Jackson scored 10 points in 15 minutes Monday afternoon in his return to basketball for the UTSA Roadrunners.

A good sign, indeed, for UTSA.

But with Jackson’s playing time limited, the UC Irvine Anteaters held off the Roadrunners 65-56 at the Gulf Coast Showcase.

Jackson led the Roadrunners in scoring last year with 18.4 points per game before he went down in late February with an injury to his left knee.

The injury knocked him out of tournament play, and it also kept him out of the first three games this season.

But after UTSA’s 82-60 loss at Oklahoma State last Wednesday and before the team left for Florida over the weekend, Jackson was cleared to play.

“It wasn’t a surprise that he’d be able to come in there and give us a boost,” UTSA coach Steve Henson told the UTSA radio broadcast. “He had been practicing at a high level. We’re excited to have him out there.”

Jackson entered the game mid-way through the first half and, in a couple of three-minute stretches, he missed a couple of shots.

In the second half, the former standout for Euless Trinity High School and the Puerto Rico junior national team scored on a breakaway layup and a three-pointer to get the cold-shooting Roadrunners moving.

Trailing by 25 at one point, UTSA put together a 16-2 run fueled by Jackson and Keaton Wallace to cut the lead to 11.

The free-flowing scoring spree was a welcome sight for Henson, whose team had been struggling in losses to St. Edward’s, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State with Jackson watching from the bench.

“Scoring (those) points in 15 minutes is great,” Henson said. “But it (also) makes other guys more comfortable. It opens up things for other people. It allows us to play a little faster. It has more effect (on the team) than just him scoring.”

Wallace scored a season-high 23 points, which was likely not a coincidence.

With Jackson running the floor and the defense spread, Wallace found his shooting stroke in the second half.

“We’ve got spacing when we’ve got those two guys out there together,” Henson said on KTKR radio. “When one of those guys is not on the floor, people are (playing) them pretty tight …

“When they’re in there together, the floor spacing is better and it helps Keaton.”

Coming up

UTSA (0-4) plays South Dakota State (3-2) on Tuesday and an opponent to be determined on Wednesday, before returning home.

Notes

UC Irvine (5-0) is picked to win the Big West Conference. The Anteaters have registered wins early against Texas A&M annd Santa Clara.

Jackson initially was credited with 13 points. But the final boxscore indicated he scored 10 points on 3 of 7 shooting from the field.

He also hit 2 of 3 from three-point territory. Playing with energy, Jackson had three rebounds, one assist and a steal.

Coming into the game, Wallace had made only 14 of 47 from the floor. He was 8 of 16 against Irvine.

UTSA’s other four starters continued to struggle. Byron Frohnen, Atem Bior, Nick Allen and Giovanni De Nicolao were a combined 4 for 28 afield.

Jhivvan Jackson cleared to play for UTSA basketball

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UTSA guard Jhivvan Jackson has been cleared to play and is expected to play limited minutes today in Florida against UC Irvine, a UTSA assistant coach said on the team’s radio broadcast.

Jackson led the Roadrunners in scoring last year with 18.4 points per game.

The former Puerto Rico junior national team standout is coming off a knee injury that knocked him out of tournament play last spring and kept him out of the first three games this season.

UTSA will take an 0-3 record into the Gulf Coast Showcase, which is being played in Estero, Florida. Undefefated UC Irvine has won at Texas A&M and is 4-0.

The Roadrunners lost twice last week to Big 12 opponents. They dropped an 87-67 decision at home to Oklahoma and then played Oklahoma State at Stillwater, where they fell, 82-60.

UTSA signs two to national letters of intent

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UTSA on Wednesday announced the signing of Le’Jon Doss and Jacob Germany.

The Roadrunners released the news on the first day of the NCAA Division I fall signing period.

Doss is a 6-foot-5 forward from Fort Worth Nolan Catholic High School. Germany is a 6-11 center from Kingston High School in Kingston, Oklahoma.

The pair will join the team for the 2019-20 season.

Looking for their first victory of the season, the Roadrunners (0-2) will play on the road against the Oklahoma State Cowboys (0-1).

Oklahoma rallies in the second half to beat UTSA, 87-67

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UTSA sophomore guard Keaton Wallace. Oklahoma beat UTSA 87-67 on Monday, Nov. 12, 2018, at the UTSA Convocation Center.

UTSA sophomore Keaton Wallace pulls up for a shot Monday night with OU forward Brady Manek defending. Wallace scored a team-high 16 points. — Photo by Joe Alexander

For UTSA basketball fans stressing out over an 0-2 start, there’s really no reason to panic.

Roadrunners coach Steve Henson will find a way — that is, if you believe Oklahoma Sooners coach Lon Kruger.

Trailing by four points six minutes into the second half Monday night, Kruger’s Sooners powered past the Roadrunners, 87-67.

A crowd of 2,494 at he Convocation Center watched as OU manufactured a 39-15 run in the last 14 minutes to turn back a UTSA upset bid.

Combined with a 77-76 loss last week to Division II St. Edward’s, the Roadrunners remain winless leading into a Wednesday night road test at Oklahoma State.

Kruger suggested afterward that Henson, his longtime former assistant, will figure it out.

Remember, Henson is the guy who arrived at UTSA in 2016 to take over a team with five victories the previous season.

UTSA won 14 games in the coach’s first year, followed by 20 last year.

It’s an achievement that has surprised even Kruger, Henson’s coaching mentor since the late 1980s.

“No one is going to work harder at it than Steve and do it with more integrity than Steve,” Kruger said. “That they did it so quickly (in turning around the program) may be a little bit of a surprise.

“No, he’s got all the qualities to be an outstanding coach. He’s been one for two years, and I expect that to continue.

“I like his ball club this year a lot,” said Kruger, whose Sooners improved to 2-0. “You get (Jhivvan) Jackson back healthy and a couple others playing well, I like his team a whole lot.”

Jackson, UTSA’s leading scorer, is due back in December following knee surgery last spring.

Without him, the Roadrunners lack a go-to man when they need a bucket.

As a result, UTSA shot 44 percent against St. Edward’s and followed with 35.6 percent against Oklahoma.

The Roadrunners have also been turnover prone.

They had 19 in the opener and 14 against the Sooners, including several down the stretch.

Henson characterized the team’s mood after the loss as disappointed, “as it should be.”

“Disappointed that we didn’t play the way we needed to,” Henson said. “We fought, competed. Our effort was good. Our focus was good. Preparation was good, and they’re a good team.

“The main topic was turnovers. Some forced. Some unforced. They trapped us a little bit, which is something I thought our team would thrive off of … But (we) didn’t handle that very well.”

Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger. Oklahoma beat UTSA 87-67 on Monday, Nov. 12, 2018, at the UTSA Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger watched as his team overcame a four-point, second-half deficit to beat UTSA by 20. — Photo by Joe Alexander

Individuals

Oklahoma — Shooting guard Christian James scored a game-high 24 points on 8 of 10 shooting. Point guard Aaron Calixte had 18 points and four assists. Forward Brady Manek contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds.

UTSA — Guard Keaton Wallace had 16 points, four assists, two blocks and a steal. Forward Nick Allen scored 15. Point guard Giovanni De Nicolao had 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven turnovers.

First half

With the offense struggling, the Roadrunners went scoreless for the first eight minutes and fell behind, 7-0. But after trailing by 12, they rallied with a 23-11 run to tie the game. Keaton Wallace hit consecutive threes in the streak, including one from long distance (see video below). OU retaliated with an 11-1 run to the buzzer, lifting OU into a 39-29 lead at the break.

Second half

The Roadrunners enjoyed the best six-minute stretch of the season at the outset, roaring from behind with a 23-9 run to take a 52-48 lead. Nick Allen keyed the streak with three baskets, including a driving layup, a three-pointer and a layup. De Nicolao and Wallace also added threes during the streak. Undaunted, the Sooners countered with solid bench play from Miles Reynolds and Jamal Bienemy. A Bienemy steal and layup, a jumper and another layup put OU up by five. The Sooners would not look back.

Nick Allen. Oklahoma beat UTSA 87-67 on Monday, Nov. 12, 2018, at the UTSA Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Nick Allen drives to the hoop against Oklahoma’s Christian James. Allen finished with 15 points.

Nick Allen predicts ‘electric’ atmosphere for OU-UTSA

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Nick Allen. St. Edward's beat UTSA 77-76 in men's basketball on Wednesday night, Nov. 8, 2018, at the UTSA Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Nick Allen

Attendance at UTSA men’s basketball is notoriously modest.

Last year, the Roadrunners won 20 games for the first time in seven years, and the biggest crowd of the season was 2,210 for UTEP.

Historically, it’s a considered a good night when 1,200 or 1,300 fans turn out. Last year, the average was 1,146.

Crowd watchers will be on alert tonight when the Oklahoma Sooners tip off against the Roadrunners at 7 p.m.

Likely, Oklahoma is the most high profile program that UTSA has ever hosted at the Convocation Center, considering that OU plays in one of the major conferences and only three years ago was playing in the Final Four.

“It’s awesome,” UTSA forward Nick Allen said. “It’s a great opportunity for us to show that we can play at that level. There’s not really that much separation between these levels of schools.

“I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Allen can’t wait to see what the atmosphere will be like.

“It’s going to be electric,” he predicted. “It’s going to be big time. It’ll be a lot of fun. People are going to be really into it. We’re really, really into it.

“We’re super-duper excited. I can’t wait.”

Asked what it would be like to play in front of a full house of people every night, Allen’s eyes lit up.

“That would be amazing, he said. “I think that is such an advantage when it comes to any sport. You come into someone else’s home and you feel the energy.

“You feel … not only do you play against five peoople, but I can feel a whole arena of people that do not like me and do not want me to win.”

UTSA played well against OU last year in Norman, trailing by single digits until the last few minutes. The Sooners eventually pulled out a 97-85 victory.

“It was different,” Allen said. “They had Trae Young on the floor, so they played a very different style of basketball. They played very open. The court was very, very spread.

“I think this year, it’s going to be a little bit different because they’re not going to have that. I think they’re going to play with more strength than speed and open-ness.”

OU opened its season with a 91-76 road victory at UT Pan American, while UTSA surprisingly lost at home to a Division II opponent, falling 77-76 to St. Edward’s.

Allen said UTSA has been “locked in, really focused” in practices since the opener.

“We’re not exactly OK with what happened … it put a little taste in our mouth, and we came to work, so, practices have been really good,” he said.

UTSA didn’t shoot the ball very well and, at other times, suffered from too many possessions in which they didn’t get a shot because of turnovers.

“There was some youthfulness to it, definitely,”‘ Allen said. “It’s the first game of the season, so there’s always that …. It was just little things. Like, little wrinkles. Just, attention to detail.”

UTSA braces for a visit from the Oklahoma Sooners

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UTSA coach Steve Henson starts practice Sunday afternoon in preparation for a much-anticipated home game Monday night against the Oklahoma Sooners.

On a rainy Sunday afternoon at UTSA, assistant basketball coach Mike Peck stopped outside the locker room, opening his eyes wide when asked about the challenge of playing a home game against the Oklahoma Sooners.

“I thought about staying in church til game time, just praying,” Peck said. “Steve said, ‘No.’ ”

Peck’s boss, UTSA head coach Steve Henson, smiled at his assistant’s comment.

Henson acknowledged the challenge at hand in facing the Sooners, for whom he worked as an assistant before taking the job at UTSA in 2016.

But he also said it’s not necessarily in his team’s best interest to slow it down.

Oklahoma (1-0) and UTSA (0-1) will tip off on Monday at 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center.

“They’re an imposing looking crew,” Henson said. “They are. They’ve done a great job. A couple of those skinny guys came in there, and Bryce Daub on the (OU) strength and conditioning staff has done a great job, bulking them up.

“We’re not going to out-muscle ’em. We’re not going to overpower ’em. But, we’re going to try to spread ’em out, move ’em, attack ’em.

“A lot of times, when you’re playing an elite program like that, you’re worried about trying to slow things down, thinking fewer possessions is better, that fewer possessions is going to increase your chances for winning.

“We’re not going to look at it that way. I don’t know that that’s to our advantage. I think more possessions is better than fewer possessions.”

UTSA vs. St. Edward’s photo gallery

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St. Edward's beat UTSA 77-76 in men's basketball on Wednesday night, Nov. 8, 2018, at the UTSA Convocation Center. Keaton Wallace had 15 points for the Roadrunners. - photo by Joe AlexanderSt. Edward’s beat UTSA 77-76 in men’s basketball on Wednesday night, Nov. 8, 2018, at the UTSA Convocation Center.

UTSA hopes to contend for a conference championship

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UTSA forward Nick Allen rises up to hit a corner three-pointer in practice. The Roadrunners open the season Nov. 7 at home against St. Edward’s.

Eight days before showtime, third-year UTSA basketball coach Steve Henson stopped to talk to reporters after practice Tuesday afternoon and said he wants his team to compete for a championship.

Since UTSA has been picked to finish fifth in the C-USA poll, reporters asked Henson if the goals are loftier than that, given all the talent returning from a 20-win team.

“We’re not talking about a number of wins or any of that,” Henson said. “But we’re moving in the right direction. We’re stronger than we were. We’re deep. We got some pretty good maturity, some good leadership. We’re trying to position ourselves to make a run at a league title.”

The Roadrunners kick off the season at home against St. Edward’s, an NCAA Division II team from the Heartland Conference, on Nov. 7. On Nov. 12, UTSA will welcome coach Lon Kruger and the high-powered Oklahoma Sooners.

A starting lineup could consist of Nick Allen and promising newcomer Atem Bior in the post positions, with Byron Frohnen at wing and Keaton Wallace and Giovanni De Nicolao at the guard spots.

UTSA is expected to have one of the better backcourts in the conference, especially when sophomore Jhivvan Jackson is cleared to play.

Jackson, UTSA’s leading scorer last year, is recovering well from a knee injury and is tentatively set to play in early December, Henson said.

A promising newcomer

Henson said he has been particularly pleased with the play of Bior, a 6-foot-7, 235-pound power forward from Brisbane, Australia, who will bring a physical style under the glass.

“He’s a strong guy,” Henson said. “He’s extremely quick, rebounds the ball above the rim. You know, we got a bunch of guys that box out and chase after rebounds, but you notice him getting rebounds up higher than the other guys.”

Bior, who played last year at New Mexico Military Institute, averaged 13.1 points and 8.7 rebounds in leading the Broncos to an 18-12 record.

He started 29 of 30 games, shooting 48 percent from the field and 76 percent at the free-throw line. Bior is classified as a junior.

UTSA power forward Atem Bior hails from Brisbane, Australia.