With KT Turner Entering Second year at the Helm, UTA Looks to Make Name for Itself in the WAC
KT Turner ushered in a new culture for the Mavericks after years of coaching changes and uncertainty. Now, he looks to build on a successful rookie season with new recruits and momentum in the WAC.
The 2023-2024 campaign ushered in a new era for the UT-Arlington men’s basketball program, welcoming in KT Turner as its 10th head coach in program history to lead a team six years removed from its last postseason appearance.
Turner, hired in March 2023, stood on the stage at College Park Center and promised to bring a new environment to the university. With Athletics director Jon Fagg and university President Jennifer Cowley by his side, Turner laid out his priorities and goals for his team.
“Our identity is going to be playing hard,” Turner said. “We’re gonna play hard, we’re gonna compete. We’re gonna play with toughness. When people see UTA next on their schedule, they’re gonna get nervous.”
In Year 1 of the Turner era, he and his team proved that narrative correct. The Mavericks went 20-14, the most wins in a season for the team since the 2017-2018 campaign. After an up-and-down 5-6 non-conference schedule, the Mavericks went 13-7 in Western Athletic Conference play to finish 3rd. In the tournament, their success continued with a record-breaking quarterfinal win over No. 6 Stephen F Austin and a thrilling, last-second victory in the conference semifinals over No. 2 Tarleton.
These victories led UTA to its first conference championship game appearance since the 2018-2019 campaign and although the Mavericks fell to No. 1 Grand Canyon University, the team showed it would be a threat for years to come. UTA held double digit leads over GCU in both its regular season matchups and kept the championship game close for most of the contest before the Lopes pulled away late.
DaJuan Gordon praised the team and his coach in the final press conference of the season, saying Turner helped “develop me as a man.” Turner’s culture helped bring athletic and personal development to every person on the team.
The loss ended the Mavericks’ March run and, with no postseason appearance, it was the last chance for UTA fans to see players like Phillip Russell and Makaih Williams, the talented backcourt duo that buoyed the Mavericks offense all season.
Both Russell and Williams transferred to other programs with Williams transferring to GCU. That promises an intriguing pair of games between the Lopes and Mavericks this season.
In the age of the transfer portal, teams like UTA struggle to find year-over-year players and the Mavericks are no exception. Just two players, Brandyn Talbot and Kade Douglas, return from last year’s team. Talbot was the hero in the team’s aforementioned semifinal victory over Tarleton while Douglas showed glimpses of being a sharpshooter in his limited playing time as a rookie.
With almost an entire roster to rebuild, Turner brought in a rotation of impressive recruits to help lead the Mavericks to more success in the 2024-2025 campaign.
Troy Hupstead, reigning MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, will make an immediate impact on defense while adding a scorer to Turner’s rotation. Hupstead averaged over 13 points a game last season for the University of Maryland East Shore Hawks and led the conference with over eight rebounds a game.
Nicholls State transfer Diante Smith will help with the offensive production, adding his 16 points a game from a season ago, and a few noteworthy NCJAA transfers promise to make this season an exciting one in Arlington.
Turner and his staff are ready to show the world last season was no fluke and they look to contend for that top seed for the conference tournament in Las Vegas next March.
#BuckEm