Conference USA Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2020-2021 season
By Sean Cole
9. Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners
You have an experienced team with four starters back and two of the best players in the league, which in most cases would have your team in the conversation for a conference contender and maybe more. This was not the case for the 2029 UTSA men’s basketball program (13-19 overall, 7-11 in conference).
It takes scoring to win games, but you have to have some defense to match the scoring. Head Coach Steve Henson in the 2020 – 2021 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook was quoted as saying “Offensively, we were ok. We just never established that defensive identity we needed”.
Statistically, the Road Runners were night and day, in terms of offensive and defensive categories. One telling stat is that UTSA was first in the CUSA in scoring offense at 76.9 ppg, but their scoring defense was last in the CUSA at 77.0 ppg. That is not a good recipe for success.
The 2020 team looks to change that recipe, but it all starts with their two superstars in seniors Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace. Jackson and Wallace for the third consecutive season were both named to the preseason CUSA all-conference team, as voted on by the media and league head coaches. As juniors, Jackson and Wallace formed the third-highest scoring duo in college basketball with a combined 45.6 ppg.
The 6-1 senior Jackson, is a two-time first-team All-CUSA team player last year averaged 28.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.4 spg, .354% 3 point shooting, and shot .852% from the free throw line. He was the second-leading scorer in the Country behind Markus Howard of Marquette. His 2,053 career points make him the active Division 1 scoring leader.
A two-time All-CUSA player, Wallace a 6-3 senior last year averaged 18.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3. 0 apg, 1.3 apg, .351% 3 point shooting, and shot .806% from the free throw line. Also as a sophomore Wallace played the scoring guard position, but switched to the point guard position last year, as he scored 20 points or more in 14 games and is the sixth-leading scorer in UTSA history.
The supporting cast includes returning players 6-5 senior Knox Hellums (5.0 ppg and 2.1rpg), 6-3 sophomore Erik Czumbel (4.2 ppg and 1.8 rpg), 6-10 senior Luka Barisic (6.6 ppg and 3.0 rpg), 6-11 sophomore Jacob Germany 5.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg), 6-7 junior Adrian Rodriguez (1.7 ppg and 3.3 rpg), 6-8 junior Phoenix Ford (1.3 ppg and 1.2 rpg).
The Roadrunners also added several transfers and a solid freshman class. The two transfers are 6-6 junior Erik Parrish (18.4 ppg and 7.8 rpg, is a transfer from Louisiana’s Bossier Parish Community College), 6-6 junior Cedric Alley, Jr (1.3 ppg and 1.1 rpg, a transfer from Houston).
The freshmen class are 6-2 freshmen Jordan Ivy-Curry average 31.5 points per game at La Marque High School in Houston, 6-4 freshmen Jaja Sanni from Clear Lake High School also in Houston, and 6-6 freshmen Lachlan Bofinger from Montverde Academy in Florida.
The word of the day for Coach Henson, his coaching staff, and players is “DEFENSE”. The numbers tell the story. This from the 2020 – 2021 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, where according to KenPom.com, UTSA went from 163rd to 293rd in defensive efficiency and went from 75th to 254th in defending the 3 pointer.
The solution is easier said than done, but the difference between a great 2020 USTA team that contends for a conference title and a team that is in the bottom half of the CUSA is defense. I think Wallace and Jackson, will answer the call in their last season in San Antonio.