For Immediate Release:
September 4, 2002
Contact: Dave Geringer, UTPA Director of Athletic Media Relations,
(956) 381-2240
THREE TOURNAMENTS HIGHLIGHT
SCHEDULE FOR BRONCS IN 2002-03
EDINBURG, TX–The opportunity to win three
challenging tournaments, host a tournament at South Padre Island and
play several teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season are
among the highlights of the 2002-2003 schedule for The University of
Texas-Pan American’s men’s basketball team.
Coming off their best season in 12 years after
posting a 20-10 record last season, the Broncs will play 11 regular
season home games in 12 dates (including one exhibition game), while
participating in three tournaments.
UTPA’s men will be one of four teams in the initial
South Padre Island Roundball Invitational Tournament. They will begin
their season as the host team at the tournament, scheduled for the South
Padre Island Convention Center, November 22nd and 23rd.
The field includes 2002 NCAA Tournament participant Tulsa of the Western
Athletic Conference, and New Mexico State of the Sun Belt, a 100-86
Texas-Pan American victim before a packed house at the UTPA Fieldhouse
last February 11th.
The other two tournaments on the Broncs’ schedule are at opposite ends
of the country. They will travel to Hofstra University on Long Island
for a tournament that includes Quinnipiac of the Northeast Conference
and Lehigh of the Patriot League in addition to the host Pride, members
of the Colonial League. They also head west to Hawaii for the Outrigger
Hotels Rainbow Classic, and the field includes the host Rainbow Warriors
of the WAC and Western Kentucky of the Sun Belt, both of which advanced
to the NCAA Tournament last season. Butler of the Horizon League,
Bradley of the Missouri Valley Conference and Tennessee Tech of the Ohio
Valley Conference will also participate.
Visitors making the trip to the UTPA Fieldhouse
include Rice of the WAC, Southwestern Athletic Conference opponents
Mississippi Valley State and Southern, fellow independents Texas
A&M-Corpus Christi, Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, Centenary and Savannah
State, in-state opponents Schreiner and Southwest Assemblies of God, as
well as Central Baptist of Conway, Arkansas and Concordia of Ann Arbor,
Michigan. The Broncs will host Monterrey Tech in an exhibition game
November 9th.
UTPA will face some formidable opponents on the road. They will visit
Air Force of the Mountain West Conference, Conference USA foe Saint
Louis, Kansas State of the Big 12 and Lamar of the Southland Conference
in addition to Southern in December. In January, the Broncs will visit
Baylor of the Big 12, Centenary, SWAC foe Texas Southern and New Mexico
State January 18th in the final game of a stretch that will
see them play 16 of their first 20 regular-season games away from their
home court.
The January 22nd game at home against
Southern marks the beginning of a stretch that will see Texas-Pan
American play seven of their final ten games at home. During that
stretch, they will visit Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Savannah State and
fellow independent Morris Brown. The final home game of the season
against Centenary, February 24th, will be Senior Night. The
Broncs’ graduating seniors will be honored.
“We have a good, comprehensive schedule with a lot
of variety,” said UTPA Head Coach Bob Hoffman. “We will play teams from
all over the country that play a lot of different styles of basketball,
and we’re going to be stretched in a lot of ways. The opportunity to
play in three tournaments really enhances our schedule. It gives us the
opportunity to win three tournaments, and any time you play the type of
teams we play on a neutral floor, there is the opportunity for an upset.
The field at South Padre is a good one. Tulsa played in the tournament
and did well last year, and we will find out very quickly where we stand
as a team and as a program. We’ll be going from coast to coast, and
we’ll also play the best of the independents, so we’ll see how we match
up against them. It’s a well-rounded schedule that gives us a lot of
variety.”
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