San Diego Toreros (2-0, 0-0 WCC)  • UC San Diego Tritons (1-0, 0-0 Big West)

Saturday, November 11, 2023  •  7:00 P.M. PST

LionTree Arena (4,000)  • La Jolla, California

Watch  •  ESPN+ | Live Stats • UCSDTritons.com

Social  •   Twitter.com/USDMBB  •  Instagram.com/USDMBB

SAN DIEGO — After opening up its 2023-2024 season with back-to-back comeback wins at the Jenny Craig Pavilion, San Diego men's basketball (2-0, 0-0 WCC) is set to play its first road game of the year on Saturday evening, making the quick trip to La Jolla for a crosstown clash with UC San Diego (1-0, 0-0 WCC) at LionTree Arena. Tipoff at UCSD is set for 7:00 p.m.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST UC SAN DIEGO
The Toreros are 20-1 against the Tritons all-time, with the two teams' most recent meeting coming last season on December 12, 2022, a dominant 84-58 USD win at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Deven Dahlke dropped eight points that evening, followed by Wayne McKinney III with six, and Deuce Turner with five.

LAST TIME OUT: TOREROS HEAT UP IN SECOND HALF FOR SECOND STRAIGHT WIN
• A career-high 20 points from freshman Dragos Lungu on Wednesday night headlined a well-rounded performance for San Diego, leading the Toreros past Jackson State by a 87-61 margin at the Jenny Craig Pavilion as they earned a second consecutive victory to begin the 2023-2024 season.

• USD trailed by four at the break but out-scored the Tigers 52-22 in the second half, holding JSU to just one three-pointer in the period after allowing six in the opening frame.
• Lungu was 6-for-9 from the field and made seven of his eight free throws. His big performance was complemented by junior Wayne McKinney III, who recorded 16 points of his own while dishing out a team-high five assists and grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds. Transfer PJ Hayes added 14 points and was 8-for-8 from the line.

• Freshman Joey Chammaa checked into the game late and put the finishing touches on the Toreros' Wednesday night victory by going a perfect 3-for-3 from the arc as he scored a remarkable nine points in just 2:29.

Notable:
• McKinney III's big night (16 points, 10 rebounds) marked the Toreros' first double-double of the season.

• Patton Jr. was one point shy of a double-double of his own, contributing nine points while grabbing 10 defensive rebounds.

• Freshman Keyon Kensie added eight points and made three of his four free throws.
San Diego out-rebounded Jackson State 48-35.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
• Six San Diego freshmen (Dragos Lungu, Kevin Patton Jr., Jimmy Oladokun Jr., Keyon Kensie, Santiago Trouet, and Joey Chammaa) made their college debut on Monday night, joined by transfer PJ Hayes, who appeared in his first game as a Torero after spending three seasons at Division II Black Hills State in South Dakota.

• Junior Wayne McKinney III leads the USD roster with 62 Division I appearances, followed by Deuce Turner with 43, Deven Dahlke with 34, Steven Jamerson II and Bendji Pierre with 15, Dominic Muncey with 14, and Neel Beniwal with 12.

• The remainder of the roster has yet to appear in a Division I game.

YEAR TWO OF THE LAVIN ERA
• 2023-2024 marks head coach Steve Lavin's second season at the helm in San Diego after being hired in April of 2022.

• In 12 full seasons as a head coach, Lavin has accumulated a record of 248-171 (.591) with 10 postseason appearances.

• Prior to arriving at USD, he guided UCLA and St. John's to eight NCAA Tournament appearances in 11 years.

• A staple in college basketball for over three decades, Lavin is the 14th head coach in program history and the Toreros' seventh head coach since USD moved to the NCAA Division I ranks in 1979-80.

• Most recently, Lavin served as a national college basketball broadcaster for Fox Sports and CBS Sports. He previously worked with ESPN, ABC, and the Pac-12 Network.

THEY'RE BACK
• Junior guard Wayne McKinney III headlines a group of eight returning Toreros from last year's squad.

That group includes:
- Sophomore guards Neel Beniwal and Emmanuel Callas

- Juniors Deuce Turner (guard), Bendji Pierre (forward), Steven Jamerson II (center), and Dominic Muncey (guard)

- Senior guard Deven Dahlke

• McKinney III, who attended nearby Coronado High School, played in 30 games for the Toreros last year and made 24 starts.

• He averaged 25.6 minutes and 7.4 points per game and ranked in USD's top five in multiple categories, including being:

- First in starts (24)
- First in steals (34)
- First in blocks (12)
- Fourth in assists (52)
- Fourth in offensive rebounds (20)

A NEW GENERATION OF TOREROS
Nine freshmen and one transfer have been added to the San Diego roster for the 2023-2024 season, representing four countries and two states.

JOEY CHAMMAA
Height: 6-0
Position: Guard
Hometown/High School: Los Angeles, CA / Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences

• Averaged 22.6 points per game as a senior and won Team MVP honors

• Named First Team All-Conference on two occasions

• Won the Jordan classic three-point contest and set his school's record in made three-pointers in a game (nine)

• Led his team in both scoring and steals

• Was an honor roll student

PJ HAYES IV
Height: 6-6
Position: Guard
Hometown/High School/Previous School: Waconia, MN / Waconia HS / Black Hills State

COLLEGE NOTES:
• Averaged 8.0 points per game, 3.3 rebounds per game and has shot nearly 43 percent from three-point range

• Helped Black Hills State reach the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament for back-to-back seasons

• Named a 2023 All-RMAC Honorable Mention honoree and was selected to the South Central RegionAll-Tournament Team

• For half of the season, led the nation in three-point percentage and finished in the top-15 at 45 percent

• Set the second-highest mark in school history for three pointers in game, with seven as part of a 26-point performance

• Held a 3.78 GPA and was on the Dean's List every semester and has been named to the RMAC All-Academic First Team (2023), CSC Academic All-District (2023) and RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll (2022)

OTHER NOTES:
• Averaged 17.8 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game, 2.6 assists per game and 1.4 steals per game in his high school career

• Was a two-time Wright County Conference Player of the Year and three-time unanimous first team All-Conference at Waconia, while also being named to the Class AAA First Team All-State twice, being named the Section 6 Player of the Year and a three-time All-Area First Team selection

• Graduated cum laude from high school and in the National Honor Society

•His father, Pat, played basketball at Winona State, where he is in the program's top five in total games played

JOSH HECHT
Height: 6-1
Position: Guard
Hometown/High School: Santa Monica, CA / Santa Monica HS

• Averaged 15.7 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game, 3.6 assists per game and 1.5 steals per game at Santa Monica

• Two-time All-Bay League honoree and was also selected to the All-CIF First Team this season

• Helped Santa Monica win a Bay League championship as a junior

• Father, James, played basketball at CSUN

KEYON KENSIE JR.
Height: 6-8
Position: Guard
Hometown/High School: Los Angeles, CA / Taft HS

• Was named the City Section and West League Most Valuable Player during his senior campaign

• Two-time first team All-Conference the last two seasons

• Averaged 25 points per game, eight rebounds per game and four assists per game as a high school senior

• Helped lead Taft to a City Section Open Division title this year

DRAGOS LUNGU
Height: 6-6
Position: Guard
Hometown/High School: Cluj-Napoca, Romania / NBA Global Academy

• Played in the Australian NBL1 for BA CoE, averaging 10 points per game, six assists per game and five rebounds per game

• In his native Romania, played for his local team, U-BT Cluj-Napoca

• Has represented Romania on the FIBA stage, competing in the 2021 FIBA U18 European Challengers

• Brother, Tudor, played basketball at the College of Wooster

KOLLEN MURPHY
Height: 6-3
Position: Guard
Hometown/High School: Pomona, CA / Rancho Christian HS

• Named First Team All-League and Second Team All-CIF

• Helped his team win the 2022 CIF Southern Section championship

• Won a junior NBA global championship when he was 14 in Orlando, Fla

• Played his club basketball for the Compton Magic

• Set to become a dual sport athlete at USD and will also compete in football as a wide receiver

JIMMY OLADOKUN
Height: 6-9
Position: Forward
Hometown/High School: Rancho Cucamonga, CA / Sierra Canyon HS

• Two-time First Team All-Baseline League as a sophomore and junior, before moving to Sierra Canyon as a senior

• Took home a state championship on the Division I level as a junior

• Played his club basketball with the Oakland Soldiers

• Highly accomplished student in high school, earning spots on the headmaster's list and dean's list, as well as being a member of the National Honor Society

KEVIN PATTON JR.
Height: 6-8
Position: Guard
Hometown/High School: Murrieta, CA / Rancho Christian HS

• 2023 CIF SS Division 2A & SS Ivy League Player of the Year

• 2022 AIA Regional Player of the Year and 2021 CAA Open Division State Championship
MVP

• 2023 CIF All-State, 2022 AIA First Team All-State and 2021 CAA Open Division First Team All-State

• Won several championships in his career, including the 2023 CIF SS Division 2A title and the 2021 CAA Open Division State title

• Scored over 1,700 points in his high school career

• Graduated with honors (4.2 GPA) and was both a three-time Excellence Award winner and National Society of High School Scholars member

DAVID SIMON
Height: 6-11
Position: Forward
Hometown/High School: Windsor, Ontario, Canada / Royal Crown Academy

• Named the 2023 Canadian National Player of the Year award winner

• Tabbed to the Provincial First Team and won an OSBA championship

• Averaged 18.7 points per game, 12.7 rebounds per game and 3.8 blocks per game as a
senior

• Played his club basketball for Northern Kings under head coach Vidal Messiah

SANTIAGO TROUET
Height: 6-10
Position: Forward
Hometown/High School: Cordoba, Argentina / American HS (FL)

• Competed extensively for his home country of Argentina, most recently with the senior national team in Spain this year

• Also competed for the U18 and U19 national teams, helping Argentina finish second at the U18 FIBA South American Championship in Venezuela, fourth at the U18 FIBA Americas Championship in Mexico and fifth at the U19 FIBA World Championship in Hungary

• Played his club basketball in Madrid, Spain for Movistar Estudiantes

• Prior to his time in Spain, he played for Benfica in Lisbon, Portugal