MBB: Southern Utah Thunderbirds 2024-25 Team Preview
Rob Jeter is in his second year as head coach, and the T-Birds hope for better results in 2024-25
Southern Utah head coach Rob Jeter was unsure he wanted to take the job in Cedar City.
That is, until he stepped off the plane and saw the beautiful mountains surrounding the Southern Utah community.
Year one wasn’t great. There is no denying that. Jeter got hired late, didn’t have a chance to fully recruit, used some of the Todd Simon leftovers mixed in with some of his guys, and the T-Birds eventually ended up missing the 2024 WAC Tournament.
But, with a full offseason, some new additions, and finally get what Jeter refers to as ‘Dawgs’, the T-Birds could take a huge step up in year two under Jeter and his staff.
Let’s take a look at the 2024-25 Southern Utah men’s basketball team.
Head Coach:
Rob Jeter, 2nd season (10-21 overall, 5-15 WAC)
Overall Record: 234-236
2023-24:
10-21 overall, 5-15 WAC
Missed 2024 WAC Tournament
Key Losses:
Braden Housley - Utah State
Prophet Johnson - Fairfield
Parsa Fallah - Oregon State
Zion Young - Lamar State College Port Arthur
Key Returners:
Jamari Sibley
Dominique Ford
Brock Felder
Jamir Simpson
Robert Jeter
Newcomers:
Xavier Sykes - JUCO
Tavi Jackson - Colorado State
Lorenzo Abellar - JUCO
Javion Langston - JUCO
JT Langston Jr - Rider
Malik Langdon - Grambling State
Kai Burdick - JUCO
Hercy Miller - Louisville
Recruiting to Cedar City is a bit challenging. The location isn’t near a big city. And recruits have to fly in via Las Vegas then drive around two hours just to get to campus.
But, Rob Jeter said it is about established relationships, and then getting them to campus so they can see how beautiful Cedar City really is.
Jeter and his staff have a nice mix of athleticism and size. Keep an eye on Jamir Simpson who redshirted last year. Simpson might be the most talented player on the roster. Tavi Jackson brings over Mountain West Conference experience, and both Malik Langdon and Kai Burdick offer SUU something it didn’t have last season…SIZE.
Projected Starting Lineup
G - Tavi Jackson
G - Dominique Ford
G - Jamir Simpson
F - Jamari Sibley
F - Brock Felder
The guard line is set in the starting lineup. The bigs will be determined by reps in practice. At the four, it will be either Jamari Sibley or JT Langston.
We go with Sibley here because he has been in the program for a year. It is the same with the five.
Brock Felder gets the nod here because he was in the program last year. But, Malik Lamin could work his way into or even start the season for the T-Birds.
Scheduling News:
Getting home games is difficult. Especially for mid-majors. And even more so when the location is challenging to get to.
However, the T-Birds begin 2024-25 with four straight home games. Two of which are against non-Division I opponents. But, the T-Birds also host FIU and Omaha on Nov. 9 and Nov. 16.
The road trip begins with an MTE at in Southern California against San Diego and Loyola Chicago. The T-Birds will also face UCLA at Pauley Pavilion before returning home for a pair of games against CSU Bakersfield and another non-Division I opponent.
SUU goes to Arizona following the two-game homestand, and then returns to assistant coach Tennessee Owens’ Alma Mater to face New Mexico State on Dec. 16.
SUU plays its final road non-conference game on Dec. 18 at former WAC foe UTRGV before finishing up non-conference play with a home game against former Big Sky rival Northern Arizona. Fans will remember that the Lumberjacks beat the T-Birds in Flagstaff last year on a last second bucket.
Outlook:
Does Rob Jeter have the ‘dawgs’ that are needed to find success in the WAC?
Perhaps.
The T-Birds have size, quick guards, and plenty of athleticism on the 2024-25 squad.
With a full offseason, Jeter and his staff have been hard at work establishing the chemistry that could make Southern Utah take a significant leap in the wild, wild WAC.
Keep an eye on Jamir Simpson. Reports are that he has run circles around his teammates in practice. Simpson redshirted in 2023-24 to prepare for a run with the T-Birds in 2024-25.
Keep this in mind. Rob Jeter improved his win total at Western Illinois every single year.
After a 10-win season, don’t be shocked when the T-Birds win 15-20 games. Not making a trip down I-15 to Orleans Arena left a sour taste in the mouths of the T-Birds.
Surely they won’t let that happen again.