Capping off its season with a crushing first-round exit to Temple in the American Athletic Conference tournament, UTSA’s men’s basketball season has officially come to an end. Though their record certainly does not show it, the team managed to hit incredible highs throughout the year, captivating fans night in and night out. Whether it was with record-setting nights or electric offensive showcases, the 2023-24 UTSA basketball season was one for fans to remember.
Despite an abysmal 11-20 record, the Roadrunners still managed to achieve incredible individual accolades throughout the season. Junior guard Jordan Ivy-Curry found himself posting a breakout year while scoring new career highs in points. Coming off the bench, Ivy-Curry led UTSA in scoring with 17 points per game and five rebounds. His scoring continued to shine throughout the year as the guard reached 1,000 career points and scored a career-high 38 against FAU on Jan. 21 in a tough home loss.
Serving as his backcourt mate, fellow junior guard Christian Tucker also had a breakout year and averaged career-highs in points, rebounds and assists. The guard posted three double-double performances, including an impressive 12-point, 14-assist night in a win against Tulsa on Feb. 28. The 14 assists tied an AAC single-game assist record, propelling UTSA’s guard to new offensive heights. Starting for nearly the entire season, Tucker averaged 12 points, three rebounds and five assists per game.
The ‘Runners continued to showcase their offensive talent during the season, shooting 40% from the field as a team and 34% from three. With their ability to get extremely hot at any time, UTSA continuously took ranked teams down to the wire. Though the Roadrunners eventually came up short of the victory, they still managed to take nationally ranked teams such as FAU and Memphis into intense overtime thrillers. UTSA continued to keep games against high-end teams close, though they could never pull off an incredible upset.
Suffering a tough seven-game losing streak midway through conference play, UTSA was never able to finish above last place in the conference. Though a late-season three-game win streak seemed to give life to the flailing team, it was cut short by a buzzer-beater loss to Temple on senior night.
Headed into the AAC tournament, the team once again faced Temple in a first-round tournament rematch. With Ivy-Curry unable to play due to an injury to his hand, the Roadrunners were powerless to overcome the offensive firepower of the Owls.
Once again finishing with a record below .500, head coach Steve Henson was let go a day after the brutal tournament loss. Announcing their hiring decision a day after Henson’s departure, the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics named Alabama assistant Austin Claunch as the new men’s basketball coach on Sunday.
Though the outcome of the year was disappointing, to say the least, the Roadrunners still managed to excite fans through their individual play and streaky shooting performances. While the season was a definite improvement over the year prior, UTSA basketball still has a lot of work to do in improving the program and building a new culture.
