Kicking off July and entering the heart of the offseason, UTSA men’s basketball head coach Austin Claunch announced Thursday that the Roadrunners have finalized their coaching staff for the coming 2025-26 season. The Roadrunners add UTSA alum David President as assistant coach, Quentin Thomas as assistant coach and director of operations and Jordan Brooks as an assistant coach. The trio joins assistant coaches Nick Bowman and Joey Brooks, who return from last year’s staff.

“We’re really excited and fortunate to welcome these outstanding coaches we’ve brought on board. They all bring different skills to the table that will help us continue to transform this program,” Claunch said. “In David President, you’ve got the pride, investment and engagement that come with being an alum who led an NCAA tournament team, on top of being a well-connected and highly successful high school coach who has won a lot of games and knows how to bring the best out of talented players. With Quentin Thomas, you’ve got a coach who uses his passion to develop young men and has played at the highest level himself, bringing the experience and mindset of winning a national championship. Finally, Jordan Brooks is one of the most well-respected young coaches and talent evaluators on the East Coast. He has competed against our teams and has earned my respect with how he contributes to winning wherever he’s been. These men will be difference-makers in the meeting room, in our culture and in player development.”

Former Roadrunners guard David President returns to San Antonio to serve his alma mater as an assistant coach after eight seasons as the head coach at Houston-area Shadow Creek High School, where he was the seven-time District 22-6A Coach of the Year and accumulated a 220-39 record and an 84.9 percent win rate while leading the Sharks. Under his leadership, SCHS was a seven-time district champion and three-time UIL 6A regional finalist. During his time in Pearland, he coached nine NCAA Division I players and 13 more who reached the collegiate ranks at the NCAA Division II, Division III or NAIA levels. Prior to SCHS, President coached two seasons at Belton High School, leading the program to its first playoff appearance in 20 years. In his first head coaching position, he also cut his teeth as an administrator as the athletic director and basketball head coach at Waelder High School, racking up a 54-11 record, two Coach of the Year titles, a pair of district crowns and appearances in the regional finals and semifinals across his two years leading the team and department.

“I’m incredibly honored and grateful to return to my alma mater to be a part of coach Claunch’s vision for the Roadrunners men’s basketball program,” President said. “This university shaped who I am, and it’s a dream come true to pour back into the program that gave me so much. I’m ready to help build something special with our student-athletes and represent the Roadrunner spirit with pride.”

While coaching at the high school level, he guided the development of several players who went on to NCAA Division I success, including Houston Chronicle All-Greater Houston Player of the Year Ramon Walker Jr. (who earned four conference championships and a National Championship Game appearance at Houston), two-time district MVP and Guy V. Lewis Award Finalist PJ Henry (who went on to three NCAA tournament appearances between Hartford and Texas Southern), Guy V. Lewis Finalist Cameron Amboree (Oral Roberts/Southern), two-time Guy V. Lewis Finalist and SCHS all-time leading scorer Michael Collins (Louisiana) and Guy V. Lewis Finalist Bryce Jackson (Houston).

Before starting his high school coaching career as a three-year assistant at Marble Falls High School, President got his start at the collegiate level with a two-year stint as assistant coach at Austin’s St. Edward’s University while shortly after concluding his playing career at UTSA. President helped the Hilltoppers to a two-year 40-18 record, 2008 Heartland Conference title and NCAA Division II Regional appearance with the most wins in school history – followed by a 2009 Heartland tournament runner-up finish.

President was a four-year starter playing for the Roadrunners from 2001-05, scoring 597 points with 359 rebounds, 339 assists and 155 steals in 109 career games. President led UTSA in assists and steals for three of his four seasons and had the 26th-most career rebounds. A two-year captain, President helped the Roadrunners to the 2003-04 Southland Conference regular season championship and UTSA’s subsequent NCAA Tournament appearance against Stanford.

Also joining the Roadrunners ahead of the 2025-26 season as assistant coach and director of basketball operations out of Northern California, Quentin Thomas played four seasons for Roy Williams at North Carolina from 2004-08, earned three Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) titles, was a captain on the Tar Heels’ 2008 Final Four team and was part of North Carolina’s 2005 NCAA National Championship. Thomas was in action during the second-most winning four-year stretch in UNC history with 123 victories across his four years at Chapel Hill, playing in 129 games for the Tar Heels.

“I’m grateful for this opportunity that God has given me and I’m excited for this next chapter in my life,” Thomas said. “I’m looking forward to building and connecting with the players and coaching staff throughout the season and helping add as much value as I can, both on and off the court.”

Thomas arrives in San Antonio fresh off serving as an assistant coach at College of Alameda for NBA Hall of Famer Gary Payton, helping the Cougars spark a dramatic nine-game improvement over the prior campaign. Thomas aided the development of Isaiah Hill, the Bay Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and an All-BVC first-teamer. Prior to Alameda, Thomas was a skill development coach at Oakland’s Bishop O’Dowd High School (2023-24) and an assistant coach at Silverado High School in Henderson, Nevada. In his prep role, Thomas worked with UC Davis’ Cyril Franklin and UC Merced leading scorer Cameron Brown. Developing players since the end of his playing days, Thomas founded String Along Basketball in 2010 to help Bay Area youth on and off the court and has continued as a skill development coach since then, also serving as a management youth mentor at Feets Basketball Academy since 2020.

The third and final addition to the 2025-26 Roadrunners staff is Jordan Brooks, coming to UTSA following a single season as an assistant coach at Morehead State in Kentucky, where he focused heavily on recruiting and community engagement, while being deeply involved in player development. Brooks joins the Roadrunners after recently attending the invitation-only 2025 Jay Bilas Coaches Leadership Program.

“I’m incredibly grateful and excited for the opportunity to join the UTSA men’s basketball program,” Brooks said. “I have tremendous respect for coach Claunch and his vision for building something special here. San Antonio is a city full of pride and energy, and I’m looking forward to bringing that same passion to our team every day. I’m committed to helping our student-athletes grow both on and off the court. I can’t wait to get to work.”

His work with the Eagles followed two seasons in Norfolk, Virginia at Old Dominion in the same role – earning the No. 5 spot on 247Sports’ 2024 National Recruiter of the Year rankings, helping ODU achieve its best record in four seasons and working closely with all-Sun Belt performer Chaunce Jenkins. ODU’s 2024 recruiting class ranked No. 24 nationally with the two highest-ranked players in the program’s history. Brooks was also the director of recruiting at Xavier (2021-22), helping the Musketeers to a 23-13 record and the 2022 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) Championship after reeling in the 15th-ranked national recruiting class and notching the program’s second-highest Big East ranking. While serving in Cincinnati, Brooks helped develop Colby Jones, who was drafted by the Sacramento Kings and is now with the Washington Wizards. He also previously served as recruiting coordinator at Southeastern Louisiana (2019-21), where he coached All-Southland Conference performers Gus Okafor and Keon Clergeot. While serving as recruiting coordinator/assistant coach at Howard (2017-19), Brooks recruited MEAC Rookie of the Year and later MEAC Player of the Year RJ Cole, who also went on to earn First Team All-Big East honors at UConn. His efforts with the Bison propelled him to a spot on the 2019 Under Armour NABC 30-Under-30 Coaches Team, helping guide Howard to a massive turnaround and the program’s first winning season in four years. He also helped the program receive its first postseason bid in more than 20 years, making the College Basketball Invitational (CBI).

Before Howard, Brooks coached and recruited at the 14U, 15U and 16U levels (2012-17), helping to develop several NCAA Division I student-athletes from top programs around Washington, D.C., including DC Assault, Team Takeover, Team Durant, and Team St8ment. In that five-year stretch, Brooks had the opportunity to work with several players who went on to excel at the highest levels of college basketball, including standouts such as Hunter Dickinson (Kansas), Armando Bacot (North Carolina), Casey Morsell (NC State), Jamir Young (Maryland), Jay Heath (Georgetown), Justin Moore (Villanova) and Mekhi Long (Old Dominion). Brooks played college basketball at Hampton (2007-11).

https://goutsa.com/news/2025/07/3/mbb2025-staffchanges

It is the ninth year for the swimming program at Oakwood and the Hawks have just completed a remarkable season. Highlights include increased participation for both boys and girls, school and league records and the first-ever CIF State qualification, with Lucas Tompkins competing for Oakwood in the CIF State Finals in the 100 breaststroke.

In that event in Clovis on May 16-17, Tompkins swam a 55.79 in the Friday prelims to qualify for the finals. On Saturday, he swam 56.17 to finish in 16th place among all swimmers in the state of California.

“The atmosphere at States was electric,” Tompkins said, “Behind the block was the loudest and most energized I’ve experienced and it was exciting to race at this really fast state meet, one of the fastest in the US. I was really happy with my swims at the meet and proud to represent Oakwood as our first CIF State swimming participant. 

“I hope to return next year and continue to move up and hope some Oakwood teammates will be there, too. Our Oakwood swim team and school were really supportive in cheering me on as well.”

There were many accomplishments and records by the 10-person Oakwood team this year. The squad included six boys and four girls. 

Tompkins, a junior, was joined by returnees in sophomores Porter Banks and Max Weltchek, along with three newcomers. The new swimmers were sophomores Davit Gasparyan and Victor Salankin, along with freshman Shayan Bahrainy. 

The girls crew featured newcomers Allison Li, Avi Martinez, Ria Deshpande and Sthanika Rahool, all four of whom are freshmen.

“Oakwood swimmers are students first and foremost and have maintained high academic standing in the classroom and great effort in the pool,” said Jaime Tompkins, co-coach with Van Weltchek. “(We) are proud of the swimmers’ accomplishments in the pool, in the classroom, and as just kind and awesome people. We’ve had a blast coaching this team and are excited for all to return next year.”

In the Pacific Coast Athletic League championships at Salinas on May 2, both boys and girls teams notched their highest placements ever. The meet was contested in two different ways, with both league races (PCAL) and division races (the three PCAL Divisions: Gabilan, Mission and Cypress).

The boys finished 14th out of all 20 PCAL teams, tallying 136 points. That mark placed them ahead of schools such as Pacific Grove, Monterey and Watsonville. In the PCAL Mission Division standings, Oakwood finished in fifth place.

The Oakwood girls finished 16th among all PCAL teams with 96 points. Their total slotted them ahead of big schools such as Watsonville and Hollister. In the PCAL Mission Division standings, Oakwood finished in fifth place.

Individual stars were Tompkins and Martinez. Tompkins was the fifth-highest scorer among all boys and Martinez was sixth-highest among all girls, along with being the highest scoring freshman girl.

Martinez shined in the 100 freestyle, with a division win in 58.23, and in the 100 backstroke, with a division win in 1:05.24. In the 100 freestyle, those swims were both a PCAL Mission Division record and an Oakwood school record.

“One of my favorite swimming accomplishments this year was the chance to swim at PCALs and earning a second place overall in the 100 backstroke and first in our division,” Martinez said. “Getting to compete with other fast swimmers really pushed me to do my best in the race and hopefully next year I can shoot for first place.”

In division results, Li finished seventh in the 100 backstroke in 1:29.71 and eighth in the 100 freestyle in 1:14.37. Deshpande came in eighth in the 100 backstroke in 1:32.73 and 10th in the 50 freestyle in 37.28. The four girls competed as a team in both the 200 medley relay and the 200 freestyle relay and finished second in both races.

“My favorite accomplishment was shaving over 20 seconds off my 100 freestyle time,” Li said. “But this year was also my first time doing relays which were a lot of fun and is now the event I look forward to.”

Tompkins also won two events. He captured the 100 breaststroke in 56.94 for both the PCAL title and the Division title. In the 200 IM, he finished second in the PCAL and first in the PCAL Mission Division with a time of 1:59.27. Each was both a PCAL record and a Division record.

“Our Oakwood team had 10 swimmers this season and we all supported each other and had our best season yet,” Tompkins said, “Our team did great at the PCALs champs meet with our best placing and most points scored yet which was nice, including a really close relay race where we ended up in second even though we are one of the smaller teams.”

In division finishes, Salankin took third in the 200 freestyle in 1:58.20 and fourth in the 100 butterfly in 1:05.41. Weltcheck got third in the 200 IM in 2:18.03 and fourth in the 100 backstroke in 1:04.79. Banks nabbed 10th place in the 50 freestyle in 26.73. Gasparyan, Bahrainy and Rahool also competed well. 

The boys’ quartet of Tompkins, Weltchek, Banks and Salankin placed second in the division in both the 200 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay. In both cases, they demolished the old school record.

“(My favorite memory) was beating the four free relay record with Porter, Victor and Lucas,” Weltchek said.

Tompkins competed in the 200 medley and 100 breaststroke events at the CCS Finals Meet at Independence High in San Jose. He raced in both in the prelims on May 8 and moved on to the finals in his best event, the 100 breaststroke, where he clocked 56.61. In that event in the May 10 finals, he swam 56.47, sixth best in CCS.

“For CCS I was qualified in two events: the 200 yard Individual Medley and the 100 breaststroke,” Tompkins said. “In prelims I had a new personal best time and qualified for the ‘A’ final as the sixth seed overall. In finals I maintained that position and went a new personal best time. 

“Being in the ‘A’ final was quite an experience with the announcers announcing each finalist individually behind the blocks and racing some really fast swimmers.”

That result and time qualified Tompkins for the CIF State meet, where he accomplished a historical first for Oakwood.
“The entire Oakwood swim team has been fantastic ambassadors for the sport of swimming while having a historic year and having a blast doing it,” co-coach Jaime Tompkins said. “The team gelled and supported each other all season long and they are excited to see what the future holds for these swimming Hawks.”

From 1975: The Spokesman-Review published a special section celebrating Spokane’s selection as an “All-America City.”

Columnist Dorothy Powers noted that this was just one of many “firsts” for Spokane:

• First of its size to stage a world’s fair.
• First in the nation to mount an international event in the Bicentennial Era.
• First American city to host a world’s fair since the U.S. joined the Bureau of International Expositions.

And now, “nationwide recognition with 1974-75 All-America City Award from the National Municipal League.”

Powers added that “Spokane’s civic momentum refuses to quit, now.”

From 1925: Thousands of holiday-goers engaged in an “early morning invasion” of Spokane businesses as they stocked up for an especially big celebration of the Fourth of July holiday.

The Fourth came on a Saturday, which meant that it would be a “double-holiday” celebration lasting through Sunday.

“Reports from the neighboring lake resorts tell of capacity reservations which will be taken up tonight, as the highways leading from Spokane to the various resorts become filled with hundreds of automobiles,” the Spokane Daily Chronicle wrote.

Huge fireworks displays were planned at Spokane’s Natatorium Park, Lake Coeur d’Alene and in many of the surrounding towns. Crowds were expected to jam the Northern Idaho Stampede Rodeo just across the Idaho-Washington state line at Alan.

Kentucky is adamant about understanding the assignment, the door open for the Wildcats to hang banner No. 9 exactly 30 years after Mark Pope won a championship as a player in 1996. To get there, the program is bringing it back to the 90s with camcorder footage from practice at the Joe Craft Center.

Denim walls and new signage honoring the past, why not stick with the trend?

The new practice highlights show off dunks from Malachi Moreno, Mo Dioubate, Braydon Hawthorne, Brandon Garrison and Denzel Aberdeen, along with threes from Kam Williams and Otega Oweh, plus good nostalgic vibes with music resembling old high school mixtapes.

It’s only 46 seconds, but there is plenty to work with — especially considering it’s July 2 and we’re grateful for any and all summer basketball content we can get.

Any irrational takes we can pull from that? Moreno had the most to show off in those clips while Aberdeen had some real bounce and creativity in transition. How about that sweet stroke from Williams? Expect to see a whole lot more of that. Don’t forget about that lob from Dioubate — pretty incredible for a do-it-all gadget forward. I wish we had hours of camcorder footage to work with, but we’ll take it.

It adds to the 45 seconds we got early Wednesday morning with the video team sharing some clips from the team’s satellite camp in Northern Kentucky last weekend. There, the Cats signed autographs and interacted with young campers, blocking some shots and showing off their dunking skills to create memories that last a lifetime.

That was the team’s third satellite camp following previous stops in Laurel and Russell Counties.

Take a look:

October can’t come fast enough — just three months away from Big Blue Madness, followed by the start of regular season action in November.

Nine months until No. 9 in April, for those keeping track at home.

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Sachse rising junior Abigail Leonard sprints to the finish line at the area 9-6A/10-6A meet at Wylie ISD Stadium. Photo by Tina Lopez / C&S Media

By David Wolman

[email protected]

Another year has come and gone for student-athletes at Sachse High School.

It was a successful year in so many ways.

Here are the highlights from an incredible spring season for Sachse.

Three-peat for Mustang baseball team:

It was a battle until the end in District 9-6A with the top four teams being separated by just two games. 

Ultimately, Sachse, which went 14-2 in district play and 23-7-1 overall, prevailed. The Mustangs outlasted 13-3 Wylie, 13-3 Rowlett and 12-4 Wylie East to win their third consecutive district title.

An experienced team that returned 10 players with previous varsity experience, Sachse outscored its district opponents 114-17 and posted eight shutouts. 

Sachse was led by the play of District 9-6A MVP Zach Evans. The Ranger College signee hit .412 in 9-6A play with 16 RBIs and scored nine runs. On the mound, he didn’t allow a run in four appearances during district play and struck out 24.

The Mustangs weren’t able to translate that to postseason success. They lost a pair of one-run games to Rockwall in bi-district, falling by scores of 4-3 and 1-0.

Softball team extends playoff streak:

Two things have become synonymous with Sachse softball – winning and personal milestones for head coach Pete Vamvakas.

Vamvakas earned his 150^th career coaching win on March 11, when Sachse defeated North Garland 15-0.

One month later, he guided the Lady Mustangs to another playoff berth, but it didn’t come easy. They didn’t clinch their spot in the playoffs until the final week of the season. Sachse officially got in after Wylie East defeated Garland 1-0 on April 15. 

A big reason why Sachse made the playoffs was the right arm of alumna pitcher Logan Schultz. Named the 9-6A pitcher of the year, she went 10-1 against district opponents while striking out 75 and only gave up 23 earned runs in 14 appearances.

Sachse struggled against Rockwall rising senior pitcher McKinley Mann in bi-district. Mann recorded 22 strikeouts over the two games. Although rising junior Maya McClarity hit a three-run home run in Game 1, Sachse lost both games, losing the opener 10-4 and Game 2 by a 12-0 final.

The Lady Mustangs finished the season with an 18-12 overall record. 

Male golfers win District 9-6A Tournament:

Sachse’s boys’ golf team rose to the occasion, shooting scores of 296 and 298, for a 584 total, to win the district tournament, held March 24-25 at Firewheel Golf Park Bridges Course.

Dylan Wisener won the individual title after he carded a 36-hole score of 141. 

Sachse’s depth was a big reason why the Mustangs won the team title as all five golfers shot 90 or below on both days.

Landon Hilario turned in the second-best finish for Sachse, shooting a 145 with rounds of 71 and 74. Andrew Scott carded a 149 with rounds of 77 and 72, respectively. Riley Tobin finished with a final score of 159, shooting 80 on Day 1 and 79 on Day 2. Colton Henderson rode a strong first day 78 to finish the tournament with a 164. 

The Lady Mustangs also punched their ticket for regionals, placing second with a 725.

Sachse was paced by Taylor Kim’s 171. Annsley Creel finished with a 179. Valerie Dunaway had a strong day-two performance, shooting an 88 on the final 18 holes after a 96 on Day 1 for a 184 total. Hunter Cheek shot 193. Natalie Cheek finished with a 203. 

No one from Sachse qualified for the state tournament.

Distance runners set tone for Sachse track and field team:

Sachse had quite the spring season in track and field.

The Mustangs put together a solid showing to begin the postseason. They won six titles at the District 9-6A meet, held in chilly weather conditions at Garland ISD’s Williams Stadium.

Sachse posted a sweep of the 1-mile and 2-mile runs. Abigail Leonard won the girls’ 3,200-meter run in a time of 11:39.74 and the 1,600 with a 5:41.05. Samuel Ledbetter won the boys’ 3,200 with a time of 9:54 and the 1,600 in 4:38.78. 

Kamryn Harry captured the 9-6A title in the 100-meter dash (10.59) and 400-meter run (49.07), while Cameryn Fair was crowned district champion in the 200 (24.9).

At the area 9-6A/10-6A meet in Wylie, the Mustangs qualified for regionals in 11 events and won two titles. Harry won first place in the 100 dash (10.52). Leonard earned first place in the 3,200 (11:23.74).

No one from Sachse qualified for the state meet.