UTRGV Basketball teams to compete at SPI in December
The UTRGV Men’s Basketball Team will host the second annual South Padre Island Battle on the Beach and the UTRGV Women’s Basketball Team will host the third annual UTRGV South Padre Island Classic Dec. 18 through 20 at the South Padre Island Convention Centre.
The men’s team will face off against Houston Baptist University on Dec. 18. The women’s team will compete against Boise State University at 6 p.m. Dec. 19, Bowling Green State University at 6 p.m. Dec. 20.
Texas A&M University-Commerce will face Bowling Green at 3 p.m. Dec. 19 and Boise State at 3 p.m. Dec. 20.
“One of our big commitments and, really, our mantra, is to ‘Rally the Valley,’ and, so, part of that is taking our show on the road and making sure that we’re bringing our programs and our student athletes into the communities that support us and help us ‘Rally the Valley,’” Chasse Conque, vice president and director of Athletics, said in a phone interview Aug. 5. “Playing in Cameron County is big for us. … It gives us a great venue, it’s a neat place. … It’s a great thing for us. It’s a great experience for our student athletes, gives our students in Cameron County an opportunity to jump over to the Island and watch good basketball.”
Asked for his thoughts about the game against Houston Baptist University, Conque replied, “It’ll be a great Division 1 game. Houston Baptist [University] is continuing to build their program. We’re actually going to play them twice this year. We’ll play them once in Houston and once here in the [Rio Grande] Valley. It’ll be a good game.”
Men’s basketball coach Matt Figger said it is a good opportunity for the teams to represent the Valley on South Padre Island.
Figger believes having an enthusiastic crowd of UTRGV fans at the game can help motivate the players.
“Well, you always like to be optimistic,” he said. “We had a really exciting game there last year. It went down to final possession. … If you have a building full of UTRGV fans, that’d better our chances. I’ll put it that way. … I can never emphasize how important it is to have a good crowd be your sixth man.”
In order to prepare for the event, Figger believes the team should build chemistry.
“We’ve got a lot of new players, so they’ve got to get accustomed to me and our style of play,” he said. “Hopefully, by that time, we will have a true identity of who we are. … I’ll have a better gauge of that the closer we get to Dec. 18.”
Senior guard and forward Justin Johnson, who played at the event last year, said he is excited for this year’s Battle on the Beach.
“Last time we played at SPI, there was good energy there,” Johnson said. “It was a nice event. That was the first year and I’m excited for it again, letting the guys see it and just to play on the beach is a nice outing.”
The senior guard said he feels like more of a leader since he has played the South Padre Island Battle on the Beach before.
“I had a big impact on the team, but I wasn’t always talking,” Johnson said. “This year, I’ll be making sure to talk to the guys, teaching them things I already know, being a senior.”
He hopes to make an impact at the Battle on the Beach this year.
“Coming into it last year, I didn’t know how big it was going to be,” Johnson said. “It was a really nice event. Everyone came out and tailgated. … I’m really excited and ready to put on a show for the fans.”
Tickets can be purchased online at UTRGVTickets.com or by contacting the UTRGV Athletics Ticket Office Team at 222-2935 or 329-0884, or by emailing tickets@utrgv.edu. Classic-specific packages will go on sale closer to the event should inventory be available.
