UTSA signs pair to National Letters of Intent on Thursday
SAN ANTONIO — UTSA head men’s basketball coach Steve Henson announced on Thursday that he has signed Deon Lyle (Hastings, Neb./Norton Community [Kan.] HS/Cloud County [Kan.] CC) and Keaton Wallace (Dallas, Texas/Richardson HS) to National Letters of Intent. The pair, along with fall signeesJhivvan Jackson (Bayamón, Puerto Rico/Euless [Texas] Trinity HS) and Adrian Rodriguez (Tulsa, Okla./Union HS), will join the Roadrunners for the 2017-18 season.
“We are extremely excited about this entire class,” Henson said. "These players fit the profile we’re after with our recruiting efforts. These are four high-character guys who are competitive, work hard and love to be in the gym. On top of that, they all come from winning programs.”
Lyle started all 31 games this past season for head coach Chad Eshbaugh at Cloud County Community College and averaged a team-high 15 points per contest in helping the T-Birds to a 20-11 record. The 6-5 guard shot 41.4 percent from the floor, 39.6 percent from behind the 3-point line and 79.2 percent at the free-throw line and also added 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per outing. In conference play, Lyle scored 16 points per game and upped his field-goal percentage to 42.2, including 40.8 from downtown. He made a school-record 103 3-pointers during the season on his way to earning first-team All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference and second-team National Junior College Athletic Association All-Region VI honors.
Lyle averaged 21.9 points, 8.8 boards, 2.7 assists and 2.5 steals per game as a senior at Norton Community High School on Norton, Kan. He was named first-team All-Mid-Continent League and honorable Kansas 3A All-State in 2014-15. Lyle spent the first two years of his prep career at Hastings (Neb.) High School.
“Deon brings elite shooting ability and great size on the perimeter,” Henson said. “He’s a dedicated player who loves working on his game, and he showed great improvement from his freshmen to his sophomore year. That’s also a testament to Coach Eshbaugh at Cloud County, who always has his players ready for the next level.”
Wallace averaged 22.2 points, 4.6 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game for head coach Justin Reese at Richardson High School in 2016-17. The 6-2 guard ranked fourth in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in points scored (667), ninth in 3-pointers (88) and 10th in 3-pointers per game (2.9). He was named District 9-6A Offensive Player of the Year and second-team all-region and helped the Eagles to a 28-7 record and the state playoffs.
As a junior Wallace led the Metroplex in 3-point shooting and averaged 14.9 points, five rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest while leading Richardson High to 19 wins and the state playoffs. He also played AAU ball with Nike D-1 Premier and is rated the No. 31 prep player in the state by TexasHoops.com.
“Keaton is a very talented guard with great ability,” Henson said. “He comes from a very strong and successful program coached by Justin Reese, and he has great work ethic and accountability that was instilled by his parents. Keaton will help us in moving toward a more up-tempo style of play, so we are extremely excited about welcoming him to our program.”
Henson inked a pair of players during November’s early signing period.
Jackson, a 6-foot guard, was a four-year member of the varsity squad at Trinity High School in Euless for head coach Mark Villines, where he has helped lead the Trojans to the state playoffs each season. A four-time all-district performer who scored more than 2,000 career points, he averaged 22.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.1 assistants per game in 2016-17. He poured in 52 points in a 92-91 overtime victory against No. 15-ranked Denton Guyer in the first round of the playoffs, and he also torched the Wildcats for 49 in a December matchup. Jackson also scored 36 in a double-overtime loss to Duncanville in the area round.
Jackson averaged 22.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.8 steals per game as a junior en route to District 7-6A Offensive Player of the Year and Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) 6A All-Region I honors. He was the District 7-6A MVP and a TABC 6A All-Region I pick as a sophomore following All-District 6-5A second-team honors as a freshman while playing alongside current Indiana Pacers star Myles Turner. A native of Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Jackson is a member of the U18 Puerto Rico National Team and he starred for RM5 Elite on the Nike Youth Basketball League circuit last summer.
Rodriguez, a 6-foot-7 forward, was an all-state performer as a senior for head coach Rudy Garcia at Union High School in Tulsa, Okla. He averaged 14.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 blocks per game and shot 64.4 percent from the floor and 74.8 percent at the free-throw line in 2016-17. A McDonald’s All-America nominee, he helped lead the Redskins to four straight area and regional titles and state tournament appearances each season, including the state title in 2014 and a run to the semifinals in 2017.
As a junior, Rodriguez averaged 12.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game to earn honorable mention all-state and all-metro honors from the Tulsa World. He helped the team to a 22-5 record and No. 5 ranking in the final state poll. Rodriguez led a short-handed Union team to a third-place finish at the Tournament of Champions by averaging 13 points and 11 rebounds in the event to garner a spot on the all-tournament team. Rodriguez also starred with the Oklahoma Run PWP team on the AAU circuit.
“Signing these four players will really help us move forward to being a more up-tempo team next season and beyond,” Henson said. “Combining this group with our first class from last year has us on the right track to building something very special here at UTSA.”
2016-17 UTSA Signees
Name Pos. Yr. Ht. Hometown/Previous School(s)
Jhivvan Jackson G Fr. 6-0 Bayamón, Puerto Rico/Euless [Texas] Trinity HS
Deon Lyle G Jr. 6-5 Hastings, Neb./Norton Community [Kan.] HS/Cloud County [Kan.] CC
Adrian Rodriguez F Fr. 6-7 Tulsa, Okla./Union HS
Keaton Wallace G Fr. 6-2 Dallas, Texas/Richardson HS
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SAN ANTONIO — UTSA head men’s basketball coach Steve Henson announced on Thursday that he has signed Deon Lyle (Hastings, Neb./Norton Community [Kan.] HS/Cloud County [Kan.] CC) and Keaton Wallace (Dallas, Texas/Richardson HS) to National Letters of Intent. The pair, along with fall signeesJhivvan Jackson (Bayamón, Puerto Rico/Euless [Texas] Trinity HS) and Adrian Rodriguez (Tulsa, Okla./Union HS), will join the Roadrunners for the 2017-18 season.
“We are extremely excited about this entire class,” Henson said. "These players fit the profile we’re after with our recruiting efforts. These are four high-character guys who are competitive, work hard and love to be in the gym. On top of that, they all come from winning programs.”
Lyle started all 31 games this past season for head coach Chad Eshbaugh at Cloud County Community College and averaged a team-high 15 points per contest in helping the T-Birds to a 20-11 record. The 6-5 guard shot 41.4 percent from the floor, 39.6 percent from behind the 3-point line and 79.2 percent at the free-throw line and also added 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per outing. In conference play, Lyle scored 16 points per game and upped his field-goal percentage to 42.2, including 40.8 from downtown. He made a school-record 103 3-pointers during the season on his way to earning first-team All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference and second-team National Junior College Athletic Association All-Region VI honors.
Lyle averaged 21.9 points, 8.8 boards, 2.7 assists and 2.5 steals per game as a senior at Norton Community High School on Norton, Kan. He was named first-team All-Mid-Continent League and honorable Kansas 3A All-State in 2014-15. Lyle spent the first two years of his prep career at Hastings (Neb.) High School.
“Deon brings elite shooting ability and great size on the perimeter,” Henson said. “He’s a dedicated player who loves working on his game, and he showed great improvement from his freshmen to his sophomore year. That’s also a testament to Coach Eshbaugh at Cloud County, who always has his players ready for the next level.”
Wallace averaged 22.2 points, 4.6 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game for head coach Justin Reese at Richardson High School in 2016-17. The 6-2 guard ranked fourth in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in points scored (667), ninth in 3-pointers (88) and 10th in 3-pointers per game (2.9). He was named District 9-6A Offensive Player of the Year and second-team all-region and helped the Eagles to a 28-7 record and the state playoffs.
As a junior Wallace led the Metroplex in 3-point shooting and averaged 14.9 points, five rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest while leading Richardson High to 19 wins and the state playoffs. He also played AAU ball with Nike D-1 Premier and is rated the No. 31 prep player in the state by TexasHoops.com.
“Keaton is a very talented guard with great ability,” Henson said. “He comes from a very strong and successful program coached by Justin Reese, and he has great work ethic and accountability that was instilled by his parents. Keaton will help us in moving toward a more up-tempo style of play, so we are extremely excited about welcoming him to our program.”
Henson inked a pair of players during November’s early signing period.
Jackson, a 6-foot guard, was a four-year member of the varsity squad at Trinity High School in Euless for head coach Mark Villines, where he has helped lead the Trojans to the state playoffs each season. A four-time all-district performer who scored more than 2,000 career points, he averaged 22.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.1 assistants per game in 2016-17. He poured in 52 points in a 92-91 overtime victory against No. 15-ranked Denton Guyer in the first round of the playoffs, and he also torched the Wildcats for 49 in a December matchup. Jackson also scored 36 in a double-overtime loss to Duncanville in the area round.
Jackson averaged 22.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.8 steals per game as a junior en route to District 7-6A Offensive Player of the Year and Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) 6A All-Region I honors. He was the District 7-6A MVP and a TABC 6A All-Region I pick as a sophomore following All-District 6-5A second-team honors as a freshman while playing alongside current Indiana Pacers star Myles Turner. A native of Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Jackson is a member of the U18 Puerto Rico National Team and he starred for RM5 Elite on the Nike Youth Basketball League circuit last summer.
Rodriguez, a 6-foot-7 forward, was an all-state performer as a senior for head coach Rudy Garcia at Union High School in Tulsa, Okla. He averaged 14.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 blocks per game and shot 64.4 percent from the floor and 74.8 percent at the free-throw line in 2016-17. A McDonald’s All-America nominee, he helped lead the Redskins to four straight area and regional titles and state tournament appearances each season, including the state title in 2014 and a run to the semifinals in 2017.
As a junior, Rodriguez averaged 12.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game to earn honorable mention all-state and all-metro honors from the Tulsa World. He helped the team to a 22-5 record and No. 5 ranking in the final state poll. Rodriguez led a short-handed Union team to a third-place finish at the Tournament of Champions by averaging 13 points and 11 rebounds in the event to garner a spot on the all-tournament team. Rodriguez also starred with the Oklahoma Run PWP team on the AAU circuit.
“Signing these four players will really help us move forward to being a more up-tempo team next season and beyond,” Henson said. “Combining this group with our first class from last year has us on the right track to building something very special here at UTSA.”
2016-17 UTSA Signees
Name Pos. Yr. Ht. Hometown/Previous School(s)
Jhivvan Jackson G Fr. 6-0 Bayamón, Puerto Rico/Euless [Texas] Trinity HS
Deon Lyle G Jr. 6-5 Hastings, Neb./Norton Community [Kan.] HS/Cloud County [Kan.] CC
Adrian Rodriguez F Fr. 6-7 Tulsa, Okla./Union HS
Keaton Wallace G Fr. 6-2 Dallas, Texas/Richardson HS
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