LUKAS BLANKENSTEIN / CONTRIBUTOR

Basketball season is just around the corner and the Toreros are ready to attack. The new  roster  of   players  are looking  to  put    themselves  on the map  in the   college  basketball world, according to USD senior and center Steven Jamerson II. 

“Our goal is to build on our improved record from last year,” Jamerson II said.  “We hope to develop  as  a  program  and  reach greater heights of achievements this season. Our ultimate goal is to put USD on the map.”

The roster was shaken up this season with a significant loss of starting players. Some returning players include Jamerson II, USD sophomore guard Dragos Lungu and USD senior guard Dominic Muncey. In addition, the team’s top four scorers last season also all left this season, graduating or transferring to different locations. Among the returners, Jamerson II is set to have a big season. Out of the whole team, Jamerson II finished fifth in scoring with an average of 8.3 points per game and first in rebounds, averaging 8.1 rebounds per game. The team is said to be a very young group, with 14 of the 21 players on the roster being underclassmen, nine of whom are first-years. According to USD sophomore forward David Simon, improvement from returning players will be key to success this year.

“There are several players who will make an impact this year, but the main message is that   returning   players  will  step into  bigger  roles, while the new transfers and recruits will fill  the  important  roles left behind  by those who  transferred out last year,” Simon said.

Another important aspect with  a  young  team  is  leadership. The current   captains  of the team are  Muncey,  Jamerson II, graduate  student and  guard Deven Dahlke as well as graduate student  and  guard  Kody  Clouet, who transferred this year from Division 2 Southeastern Oklahoma State. Clouet has already impressed many members of the team, including fellow captain Jamerson II.

USD men’s basketball at media day. Photo courtesy of @usdmbb/Instagram

“If we’re talking about someone that emerged, the most likely answer would be Kody Clouet,” Jamerson II claimed. “He’s a  transfer and is a phenomenal  shooter. He’s  been doing his part to help lead the  team  from day one, bringing a voice to practice every day.”

The players are not the only thing that’s changed, as coach Steve Lavin brought in a new assistant coach, Earl Watson, to help guide the team. Watson played for 13 seasons in the NBA and spent seven seasons as a coach in the NBA, most notably being the coach of the Phoenix Suns for parts of three seasons from 2016-2017. He was most recently an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors from 2021-2023. Watson’s relationship with Lavin goes back to Watson’s college days, where he played for Lavin at UCLA from 1997-2001. Lavin had high praise for his new assistant coaching hire.

“He is a natural leader and exceptional teacher,” Lavin stated. “His wealth of experience as a player and coach at the highest levels make him an ideal fit to work with the young people in our program who aspire to develop all aspects of their game.”

Expectations from the media are low for the Toreros. According to the West Coast Conference’s preseason rankings, USD  was voted as tied for  eighth  out   of 11  teams in the  conference. This is a step down from last season when Toreros finished  fifth  out of nine teams. The conference moved from nine teams to 11 after adding Washington State and Oregon  State  from the dissolved PAC-12 conference. However,  captain    Dahlke claims  they are  being underrated by the conference’s voters. 

“We were picked eighth in the conference this year, but I think that we will make some noise and shock a lot of people,” Dahlke  claimed. “We have a lot of new pieces that will  contribute some big minutes and big plays  throughout the season, so I’m very excited for people to see that. We’re the underdogs   yet   again,  but  I  think we’re used to it at this point.”

The Torero’s started off their season successfully with a 73-61 win over Sonoma State at home on Friday, Nov. 1. The night saw Cloudet and USD sophomore  guard Keyon Kensie Jr. both finish with 17 points to lead the team in scoring, while USD sophomore forward Santiago Trouet was instrumental with 10 rebounds to lead the  team. They will hope to carry this momentum into their first regular season game on Wednesday, Nov. 6 against Rider University at the JCP.

USD men’s basketball team after a 73-61 win against Sonoma State. Photo courtesy of @usdmbb/Instagram