ARLINGTON, Texas – UT Arlington men's basketball opened practice on Monday at the College Park Center marking the official start of college basketball's new year.
 
The Mavs are coming off a season that saw UTA win 20 games for the first time since 2017-18. Though just two players return from that team, head coach KT Turner and his staff were hard at work to bring in 13 talented newcomers who are poised for big things in 2024-25.
 
Senior guard Brandyn Talbot and sophomore guard Kade Douglas are back in the fold and both are set to build off of their 2023-24 campaigns that saw them average 5.7 and 5.5 points per game, respectively.
 
Several new faces are in the fold, including big man Lance Ware, who joins UTA following stops at Villanova and Kentucky, Illinois State transfer Darius Burford (12.8 ppg last year), Maryland Eastern Shore transfer Troy Hupstead (MEAC Defensive Player of the Year last season), guard Jaden Wells (Division II All-American at Central Oklahoma), guard Brody Robinson (20.4 ppg last year at Garden City CC), forward Raysean Seamster (17.6 ppg at Eastern Arizona last season) and forward Diante Smith (16.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg and 3.0 apg last year), who spent last season at Nicholls.

"It feels great [to get practice officially underway]," Seamster said following Monday's session. "The coaches came in with high energy, so we knew exactly what type of practice it was going to be, especially with it being our first. We've been here all summer, but this one being the official start, so we had to come out ready to go and set the tone for the season how practice is going to go every day."
 
Monday's work at the CPC was a high-energy affair, as the Mavericks routinely showcased the grit and work-ethic Turner and his staff are looking for. On several occasions Mavs dove on the floor for loose balls during some half-court 5-on-5.
 
"The first few practices I feel we're focusing on our identity as far as who we are on the defensive end and just being the hardest team playing at all times," Smith said. "We're focused on always competing and having a high intensity at practice or in the games. The energy level today was very good, very high intensity, and everybody was getting after it. On the defensive end, people were banging and hitting each other, which is going to help us in the long run and get everybody better." 

— UT Arlington Men's Basketball (@UTAMavsMBB) September 23, 2024

Some key moments from Monday included:

• Seamster driving and drawing multiple defenders before a deft drop off to Ware in the paint for an uncontested dunk
• Off a corner three, freshman Cameron Jackson worked hard on the offensive glass for a put-back through contact.
• Following a steal on one end after some aggressive on-ball defense, Wells soared in for an offensive rebound after a deep three-point attempt and scored on a put-back
• Seamster came up with a steal and tough bucket in transition over a defender
• Ware backed down his defender and fed Seamster in the far corner for a three-pointer plus the foul
• Smith forced a steal and pushed the tempo, finding Seamster for the transition bucket and the harm, converting a three-point play
• During a transition drill, Talbot drilled back-to-back three-pointers
• In that same drill, Burford knocked down a contested three-pointer to beat the shot clock
• In a drill simulating the final four minutes of the game Seamster converted a difficult finish in traffic in transition that also drew a foul for a successful three-point play
• Douglas knocked down a deep three-pointer to put his team up one in the final seconds

The Mavericks return to the court on Tuesday as preparations for the upcoming season continue in full.
 

Gallery: (9-23-2024) UTA MBB - First Practice - 092324

Season ticket deposits for the 2024-25 UT Arlington basketball season remain open as the Mavs continue preparation for the coming season. With a one-time deposit of only $50/seat, fans can lock in their season ticket(s) at the state-of-the-art College Park Center.
 
To make a payment over the phone or in person, please contact the UTA Box Office during normal business hours at 817-272-9595 or boxoffice@uta.edu.