San Diego Toreros (0-0, 0-0 WCC) • Rider Broncs (0-1, 0-0 MAAC)
Wednesday, November 6, 2024 • 8:02 p.m. PST
Jenny Craig Pavillion (5,100) • San Diego, California
Live Streaming • ESPN+ • Live Stats • USDToreros.com
Social • X.com/USDMBB • Instagram.com/USDMBB
SAN DIEGO — San Diego Men's Basketball will kick off the 2024-25 campaign and third season in the Steve Lavin era with a home matchup against the Rider Broncos at 8 p.m. Wednesday in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
After a 73-61 win over Sonoma State in an exhibition on Friday, Nov. 1, the Torero faithful will get their first full look at Lavin's reloaded roster of 21 players, 14 of which are underclassmen. The Toreros hope to have their second straight winning season in what will be the second straight year with the youngest roster in program history, and extend the postseason beyond the WCC Tournament for the first time with Lavin in charge.
Tip-off Wednesday evening is set for 8:02 p.m., and the action will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Jack Cronin (PxP) and Braden Suprenant (analyst) calling the action.
FIRST GAME, FIRST EVER MEETING
• Rider will be the 190th recorded opponent to line up against the Toreros in USD Men's Basketball history
• The Broncs hail from Lawrence Township, N.J. and play out of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
• Led by 13th-year head coach Kevin Baggett, Rider is currently 0-1, having lost 50-85 at UCLA Monday
HEAD COACHES AS TORERO ASSISTANTS
• Also re-bolstered within the program for the 2024-25 season is the coaching staff; joining Lavin and his 14 years of DI head coaching experience on the bench is three other former head coaches
• The first key addition is former NBA veteran & head coach, Earl Watson, as an assistant
- Head Coach of Phoenix Suns, 2016-17, previously with the Raptors as an assistant from 2021-23
- Watson played under Lavin for four seasons at UCLA, ranking top-5 in several all-time stats
• Also new to the USD sideline in 2024-25 is volunteer Justin Hutson, previously the Fresno State head coach from 2018-24 and 10-year assistant at four different DI programs
• John Moore, the all-time winningest head coach at NAIA Westmont College is geared up for his third season alongside Lavin as a USD assistant
BUILDING ON LAST SEASON'S SUCCESSES
• With year-to-year growth evident within the program, the Toreros will look to continue to build on top of their successes in the 2023-24 season and return to prominent heights ... 2023-24's USD highlights included:
- The program's most wins (18) since 2018-19
- The program's first winning record since 2018-19
- The program's best regular-season WCC finish since 2014-15 (fifth)
- The program's first win over a Power-5 opponent since 2018 (Dec. 9, 2023, over Arizona State)
- Eight double-digit comeback wins, which led the nation
KEY RETURNERS
• Senior center Steven Jamerson II is the top returner for San Diego, averaging 8.3 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per game with 6 double-doubles in 2023-24
• Sophomore guard Dragos Lungu is coming off a stellar summer as he was 2024 FIBA U20 EuroBasket MVP and champion with Romania during the offseason, averaging 16.3 points per game, 7.9 rebounds per game and 18.4 EFF in the tournament
• Experienced guards, graduate guard Deven Dahlke and senior Dominic Muncey, also both return ready to make an impact in the USD lineup
KEY ADDITIONS
• The Toreros add nine newcomers to the roster: six freshmen and three transfers
• Graduate guard Kody Clouet returns to his native San Diego County and highlights the incoming class, set to be a focal point in the San Diego offense
- Averaged 17.6 PPG, shooting 50.3% FG / 43% 3PT / 81% FT at SE Oklahoma State last season
• Redshirt senior Colby Brooks shifts WCC sides from Gonzaga in 2024-25
•Forwards Kean Webb and Gavin Ripp highlight the freshman class coming to San Diego
THE SCHEDULE
• The Toreros kick off the regular season with seven November home games before their first road affair, at Arizona State on Dec. 3
- The Toreros' marquee win last season was the 89-84 triumph over ASU on Dec. 9 in San Diego
• San Diego's MTE is in the home confines of the JCP against Southern Utah (11/22) and Idaho (11/24)
• USD will play at San Diego State on Dec. 7, the first matchup with the cross-town rival since 2019 and first in the Viejas Arena since the win over the Aztecs in 2018
• Toreros will wrap up the non-conference slate facing Grand Canyon in the Intuit Dome (Inglewood, Calif.) on Dec. 28 as a part of the West Coast Hoops Showdown, the first college basketball games ever in the newly constructed Intuit Dome, home of the LA Clippers
• USD plays each league opponent twice, except for preseason league favorites Gonzaga and Saint Mary's
• San Diego plays new WCC opponents Oregon State and Washington State in home-and-homes
