Room for improvement

By Nathaniel Mata | SPORTS EDITOR

Eight. That’s the total number of wins UTRGV Men’s Basketball was able to accumulate last season, in 30 games. It’s also the number of games they’ve won in conference over the last two seasons, in 28 tries.
Eight is the taste that Lew Hill’s team wants to get out of their mouths quickly as he steps up to the plate in hopes of turning the program around.

That digit is going to need to increase in a big way in order for the Vaqueros to strike fear in any WAC opponent. Last season’s offense was anemic compared not only to opposition, but also within D1 standings. UTRGV’s 66.4 points per game were second to last in the conference and 305th out of 346 schools in Division 1.

So what happens to a bad offense when four of the top six scorers are not returning? UTRGV will be able to answer that by the end of the season, because that’s the situation it’s in this year. Not too much stayed the same after Hill replaced Head Coach Dan Hipsher.

One thing for certain is that the door is open for players to step into crucial roles for Hill. The wide-open competition for starting spots and major minutes is something he loves to see.

“That’s what I told the guys when I came here, ‘Everybody’s even.’ You got some returners who didn’t play that much last year,” Hill said as he prepares his team for November. “You got returners that played a lot of minutes and new guys that didn’t play at all. They make me play them. Everybody’s new to me, even the returning guys, so the whole situation is new. I’m molding 17 guys; I have 17 players.”

Of the 17-man roster, six players return with UTRGV experience under their belt from a season ago, five of them in extended roles, since Nick Dixon left the team after two games and is now rejoining the program.

One of the key players from a season ago, and a rare bright spot through a tough year, was then freshman Antonio Green.

Green was named the WAC Freshman of the Year for his efforts last season. The Tupelo, Miss., native scored 11.6 points per game and started in 23 of his 25 appearances in his collegiate rookie year. As freshman of the year, he led the team in three-pointers, and was second in points per game. During conference play, he led the entire WAC with 35.17 minutes per game.

He will be counted on in a major way, according to Hill. This year, he won’t come as a surprise to the opposition because of the accolades he earned a season ago. The 6-foot-2-inch guard was part of the transitioning phase and said it’s easy when a change is for the betterment of the group.

“It was an easy change because it was a change for the better. I felt like everything we changed, so far, has been better for the team,” Green said. “I just feel like the coaching staff knows what they’re doing. They’re good leaders for us to follow, so I felt like it was a pretty easy exchange.”

The exchange took place in the spring when Hill was announced as UTRGV’s head coach. He had just finished a season with Oklahoma as an assistant under former UT Pan American Head Coach Lon Kruger.

Green said that run gives him a lot of credibility as an accomplished coach.

“Initially, we knew that he was at Oklahoma and just came off the Final Four, so we knew he knew what it takes,” he said. “It was just a process of getting to know him and getting to know his philosophies.”

Green, who will be called on to be a team leader, said the expectations are pretty simple: Perform better than a year ago and become a factor in the conference. It’s difficult to get much worse than last year, but how much of an improvement is the big question mark in year one under Hill.

“We all, for sure, want to do better than last year; we only won eight games. I think we all believe we can be in the top half of teams in the conference this year,” the sophomore said. “But I think everybody just wants to make an improvement from last year. Eventually, the WAC championship will be a goal, but I think we just want to be a better team and win more games.”

One of the players who will see action for the first time with UTRGV is redshirt-sophomore Lew Stallworth. He had to sit last season after transferring from UT El Paso. The point guard, who has been a vocal presence even during his year off, will finally be able to show his abilities.

“I haven’t played in about going on two years now, so to finally be on the court is something really gratifying, to see all the hard work that’s been put into it,” Stallworth said.

The Southern California native, who was on hand for the end of Hipsher’s time, said the most evident areas of improvement are in attitude and intensity.

“It’s definitely more aggressive. There’s a lot more attacking as far as defensively. We got a lot of different traps, a lot of different presses,” Stallworth said. “I would say there’s just more positivity within the program. Coaches are really interested and invested in getting people better. So on our off days, we come in and watch film or we get extra shots up. They really love the game of basketball, so it’s really gratifying to see a coaching staff that wants to see their players get better.”

Stallworth, like many others, are vying for playing time. The starting line-up is written in pencil, rather than pen, and it’s hard work that helps earn those spots.

“Coach Hill does a great job of making sure the people that play the hardest, the smartest and the best are always on the court and always on the green squad [during intrasquad],” Stallworth said. “So, as a point guard, my duty is to bring it every day, both offensively and defensively.”

It will take real games and improvement on the scoreboard and schedule that will convince people outside the team that things have changed for the better with men’s basketball.

The first opportunity to see new-look men’s basketball team is at 7 p.m. Friday as it hosts UT Tyler in an exhibition