Season one for the new-looked Southern Utah University men’s basketball didn’t go the way everyone hoped it would. Southern Utah finished 10-21 on the year and 5-15 in the Western Athletic Conference, missing out on the WAC Tournament.
Head Coach Rob Jeter and the Thunderbirds will look to change the tide and get back on track in year two with a few familiar faces, but also some changes.
Key departures
After a rather disappointing season a year ago, Southern Utah saw many key starters from last year’s team depart through the transfer portal and other opportunities.
— Redshirt junior Parsa Fallah transferred to Oregon State University.
— Starting point guard Braden Housley transferred to Utah State University.
— Zion Young signed with BC Rashi Tbilisi, a professional team overseas.
— Point guard Prophet Johnson transferred to Fairfield University.
With these losses, the Thunderbirds lose three of their four top scorers from last season as well as their team leaders in assists and rebounds. Jeter and the rest of the coaching staff will be turning to a lot of the new transfers to make an immediate impact.
New arrivals
With a flurry of key players leaving in the offseason, Jeter looked towards the transfer portal to bring in new players.
The most notable transfer is guard Hercy Miller. The senior from Los Angeles, California spent his last two seasons at the University of Louisville. In the 2022-23 season, Miller played in 27 games but only appeared in 10 games in the 2023-24 season due to an injury. Miller will be a key player to watch if he is healthy to start the season.
SUU added junior center Kai Burdick from Mira Costa Junior College in Carlsbad, California and senior center Malik Lamin from Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana. Burdick standing at 7’0’’ and Lamin at 6’11’’ will look to add size and depth to the Southern Utah frontcourt, a position that lacked just that a year ago.
Tavi Jackson, a transfer from Colorado State University will also look to help out in the backcourt. The junior from Las Vegas, Nevada appeared in 28 games for CSU, scoring a career high 16 points and five steals against Mississippi Valley State University.
Familiar faces
The biggest returning player for Southern Utah will be Dominique Ford. The senior shooting guard started all 31 games for SUU and led the team in scoring, averaging 15.9 points per game. Ford also was second on the team in assists with 65.
Senior small forward Jamari Sibley is also returning. The senior from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, appeared in 19 games for the T-Birds and had a season-high 21 points on 8/12 shooting against Tarleton State University.
Notable games
— Southern Utah has their last exhibition game against Westminster University on Monday, Oct. 28.
— The Thunderbirds season opener is on Nov. 4 against Western New Mexico University in Cedar City, Utah.
— SUU travels to take on the University of California Los Angeles on Nov. 26.
— Southern Utah kicks off their conference play against Grand Canyon University on Jan. 5.
Southern Utah was picked to finish last in the conference in the WAC men’s basketball preseason polls.
Author: Jack Paul
Photographer: Gannon Lovisa
Editor: SUU News Copy Editor
