RIO GRANDE VALLEY – Fans of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) men’s basketball team will see some familiar faces as the Vaqueros return seven student-athletes from last year’s roster. Three of the returners started at least 20 games in 2022-23.
Senior forward Daylen Williams, the 2022-23 UTRGV Male Newcomer of the Year, returns for his second season with the Vaqueros after averaging 6.3 points, a team-high 6.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. Williams started 22 games and played in every game.
Similar to Williams, senior forward Ahren Freeman returns for his second season with the Vaqueros after starting 21 games in 2022-23. Freeman was the third-highest scorer on last year’s squad, averaging 8.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
Junior Sherman Brashear brings valuable experience as one of only two returners at the guard position after starting 20 games and averaging 6.3 points per game. The Vaqueros also return senior guard C.J. Jackson, junior forward John Shanu II, and sophomore forwards Isaiah Barganier and Alex Horiuk.
When asked what attribute helps his returners become better leaders, head coach Matt Figger said “it’s maturity. Some of our second-year guys are also seniors. When you become a senior, you look through the lens a little different. When you are a senior, you want to make the NCAA tournament. They want a chance to be a part of history.”
The Vaqueros add lots of experience and talent to the guard position this season with the signings of graduate student DeAnthony Tipler Jr., junior Elijah Elliott, junior Roy Jones III, junior Howie Fleming Jr., junior Hasan Abdul-Hakim, sophomore Fadi Mougharbel, freshman C.J. Booker, and freshman J.J. Howard.
Tipler brings three years of Division I experience as he spent the past two seasons at East Tennessee State and one season at Coastal Carolina. Tipler is averaging 11.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 steals for his Division I career.
Elliott comes from Blinn College where he earned NJCAA Division I Third Team All-American honors as a two-way star averaging 16.7 points, 3.6 assists, and 2.2 steals per game in 30 games last year.
Sophomore Saliou Seye and freshman David Oyona Ibandzo round out this year’s recruiting class by adding much needed size to the frontcourt. The Vaqueros now have four players who are 6-10 or taller for the first time in program history, with 6-10 Oyona, 6-11 Shanu, and 7-0 Horiuk and Seye.
We’re bigger, longer, more athletic, and I think we’re more competitive,” Figger said. “We can have more competitive practices and that’s how you start building a culture.”
With this combination of experience, athleticism, talent, and size, UTRGV fans can expect the Vaqueros to play with a fast pace and a new, aggressive defense that embodies the personality of their head coach.
“Defensively, we will look a little like the old 1990s Kentucky basketball,” Figger said. “We are going to play aggressive and go take it. This team is going to resemble my personality.”
The Vaqueros will open the season on Monday at 6:30 p.m. against Southwestern Adventist at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
The Vaqueros open Western Athletic Conference (WAC) play at home on Nov. 29 when they face reigning WAC Tournament Champion and preseason favorite Grand Canyon at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
“The first key to winning is you have to win your home games,” Figger said. “You only get so many opportunities to win at home. I tell our guys all the time, ‘for every home loss, you have to make it up with two road wins.’”
The Vaqueros look to build upon a 2022-23 season that saw them nearly double their win total by notching 15 victories.
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