Kristian Ferrell
The UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros men's basketball team, or UTRGV Vaqueros, represents the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, Texas. The Vaqueros inherited the NCAA Division I status of the Texas–Pan American Broncs. The team has appeared in one College Basketball Invitational (CBI) and one CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). During their time as the Pan American Broncs, they appeared in the NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament, as well as the NAIA Men's Basketball Championships three times, winning the NAIA title once.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Team Name | UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros (UTRGV Vaqueros) |
| University | University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) |
| Location | Edinburg, Texas, United States |
| League | NCAA Division I |
| Conference | Southland Conference |
| Home Games Arena | UTRGV Fieldhouse |
| Head Coach | Travis Bush |
| Previous Head Coach | Lew Hill |
| All-time CBI Record | 0-1 |
| All-time CIT Record | 1-1 |
| Seasons with Winning Record | 1952, 1958, 1959, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2014-15 (as Broncs), 2015-16 |
| Seasons with Winning Conference Record | 1959, 2018-19 |
| Post-season Appearances | 2018 College Basketball Invitational, 2019 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, 2015 WBI (as Broncs) |
| Retired Jersey Numbers | 3 |
| NBA Draft Picks | 18 |
| NBA Players | 6 |
| NAIA Titles | 1 |
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What You'll Learn
The UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros men's basketball team
The Vaqueros are one of 45 Division I programs to have never appeared in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. However, they have had some notable successes in other tournaments. During their time as Pan American, they appeared in the NAIA Men's Basketball Championships three times, achieving a combined record of 10-2 and winning an NAIA title. They also appeared in one College Basketball Invitational (CBI) and one CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), with records of 0-1 and 1-1, respectively.
The Vaqueros have had several notable coaches throughout their history. In the 2016-17 season, Oklahoma assistant coach Lew Hill took over as head coach, leading the team to a 10-22 overall record. In the following season, the Vaqueros improved to 15-16, achieving their most wins since 2012-13. Unfortunately, Hill passed away in 2021 during his fifth season as coach, and Matt Figger was named the new head coach.
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The team's history
The UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros men's basketball team, or UTRGV Vaqueros, represents the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, Texas. The team's current identity was established after the University of Texas at Brownsville and the University of Texas–Pan American (UTPA) were merged in 2015. Before the merger, UTPA's teams were known as the "Broncs."
The Broncs first began play in 1952 under their then-current institutional identity of Pan American College, as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Sam Williams took over the program in 1958. During that season, he led them to a 12–11 record, the first season with a winning record since 1952. The next year, he led them to a 17–9 record and a 7–3 conference record, their first season with a winning conference record. Despite finishing with a 15–16 record, the Broncs made their first postseason appearance in 1961, playing in the NAIA District Playoffs.
In 1962, the Broncs finished with a 26–4 record and made their first NAIA Men's Basketball Tournament appearance after beating Texas State twice in a row. The following year, the Broncs won the 1963 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament, winning five games by an average margin of 20.4 points. Lucious Jackson was awarded the Chuck Taylor Most Valuable Player Award for his 93 rebounds in 5 games. The Broncs went on to have several more successful seasons, including a 28–6 record in 1964, the most victories the team ever had in a single season.
In 1987, in their last season as an Independent, the team finished 15–13 before joining the American South Conference for the 1987–88 season. The Broncs reached the championship game of the 1990 American South Conference men't basketball tournament but lost to New Orleans 48-44. This was the first and only tournament championship game appearance in program history.
In 2016, Oklahoma assistant coach Lew Hill was named the new UTRGV head coach. In his first season, the team finished 10–22 overall, with a 2–12 conference record. The Vaqueros improved in the 2017–18 season, going 15–16 overall and 6–8 in WAC play. They were invited to the 2018 College Basketball Invitational, their first postseason berth since 1980. In the 2018–19 season, the Vaqueros went 19–16 in the regular season and 9–7 in WAC play, achieving their first winning season and first winning conference record since 2007–08. They were invited to the 2019 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
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Their performance in tournaments and championships
The UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros men's basketball team, or UTRGV Vaqueros, represents the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, Texas, United States. The team has competed in the Southland Conference since the 2024-25 season, playing their home games at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
UTRGV Vaqueros is one of 45 Division I programs to have never appeared in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. However, they have had some notable performances in other tournaments and championships.
During their time as Pan American, they appeared in the NAIA Men's Basketball Championships three times, achieving a combined record of 10-2 and winning the NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament in 1963. This victory marked the first of two consecutive appearances in the NAIA National Tournament, with the team finishing the 1963-64 season with a record-breaking 28-6 record. Despite losing to Rockhurst in the NAIA National Championship that year, Lucious Jackson was awarded the Chuck Taylor Most Valuable Player Award for his outstanding performance, an honour he had also received the previous year.
In more recent years, the Vaqueros have experienced mixed results. In the 2017-18 season, they achieved their highest win total since 2012-13, with 15 wins, and secured an invitation to the 2018 College Basketball Invitational. Unfortunately, they lost in the first round to New Orleans. The following season, the Vaqueros improved further, achieving a winning season for the first time since 2007-08 and a winning conference record for the first time since 1994-95. This success led to an invitation to the 2019 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
The UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros women's basketball team has also had its share of accomplishments. They have made four postseason appearances, including three Women's Basketball Invitationals and one Women's National Invitation Tournament. In the 2015-16 season, they reached the championship of the WAC women's basketball tournament but were defeated by New Mexico State. The following year, they advanced to the postseason once again, beating Stephen F. Austin for their first-ever postseason victory.
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Coaching staff
The UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros men's basketball team, or UTRGV Vaqueros, represents the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, Texas. The team's current identity was established after the University of Texas at Brownsville merged with the University of Texas–Pan American (UTPA) in 2015. The UTRGV Vaqueros are one of 45 Division I programs to have never appeared in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
The UTRGV Vaqueros basketball team has had several notable coaches throughout its history. Here is an overview of some of the coaching staff:
Sam Williams
Sam Williams took over the UTPA program in 1958. During his first season, he led the team to a winning record of 12-11, which was a significant improvement for the program. In the following year, Williams guided the team to a 17-9 record and a 7-3 conference record, their first-ever winning conference record. Despite a 15-16 record in the 1960-61 season, Williams led the team to their first-ever postseason appearance in the NAIA District Playoffs. The Broncs, as they were known then, made back-to-back appearances in the NAIA National Tournament in 1962 and 1963, winning the NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament championship in 1963.
Lew Hill
Lew Hill was named the head coach of UTRGV in 2016. In his inaugural season, the team finished with an overall record of 10-22 and a conference record of 2-12. Hill steadily improved the team's performance. In the 2017-18 season, the Vaqueros achieved a 15-16 record and advanced to the Quarterfinals of the WAC tournament. The following season, the team had a breakthrough, finishing with a 19-16 regular-season record and a winning conference record of 9-7. This led to their first winning season since 2007-08 and a berth in the 2019 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. Unfortunately, Hill passed away on February 7, 2021, during the 2020-21 season.
Matt Figger
Matt Figger served as the head coach of the UTRGV men's basketball team before a mutual decision to part ways. During Figger's tenure, the team struggled in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), which contributed to the decision. The Vaqueros' move to the Southland Conference ahead of the 2024-25 season has made the head coaching position more attractive to potential candidates.
Potential Candidates
Several coaches have been mentioned as potential candidates for the UTRGV men's basketball head coaching position. These include Luke Adams from Tarleton, Brian Burg from Ole Miss, Clif Carroll from UMHB, Josh Newman at Pacific, and Vinay Patel from Angelo State. Carroll, in particular, has had a successful career, including leading UMHB to consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament. Newman is also an under-the-radar candidate, having been recently promoted to associate head coach at Pacific and then named interim head coach for the 2024 West Coast Conference tournament.
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The women's basketball team
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) women's basketball team, also known as the Vaqueros, has been competing in the Southland Conference (SLC) since the 2024-25 season. The team represents the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, Texas, and plays home games at the UTRGV Fieldhouse on the university campus.
The Vaqueros women's basketball team was established in 2015 after the University of Texas at Brownsville and the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) merged. The UTPA athletic program, nicknamed the "Broncs", transitioned to become the UTRGV athletic program, inheriting UTPA's WAC membership and athletic history.
In the 2013-14 season, under the leadership of coach Larry Tidwell, the team finished with a 14-16 record and an 8-8 conference record. The following year, in their final season as the Broncs, they finished with a winning season.
The Vaqueros continued to improve, and in the 2016 WAC women's basketball tournament, they beat Chicago State and Cal State Bakersfield to advance to the championship. Despite losing to New Mexico State in the final, the team qualified for the 2016 Women's National Invitation Tournament.
The UTRGV women's basketball team has faced some challenges, including the loss of a radio contract for broadcasting games and changes to scholarship benefits for incoming players. Despite these obstacles, the team has persevered and continues to represent UTRGV in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
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Frequently asked questions
The UTRGV men's basketball team has had some notable successes, including winning the 1963 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament and achieving a winning season in 2017-18 for the first time since 2012-13. The team has also appeared in postseason tournaments, such as the 2018 College Basketball Invitational and the 2019 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. However, they are one of 45 Division I programs to have never appeared in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
The UTRGV Vaqueros represent the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and are members of the Southland Conference. They previously competed in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) but moved to the Southland Conference beginning in the 2024-25 academic year.
Travis Bush was hired as the head coach of UTRGV's football program in December 2022. For the men's basketball team, Oklahoma assistant coach Lew Hill was named head coach in 2016 but unfortunately passed away in February 2021.
Yes, 6 players from UTRGV have played in the NBA, with a total of 18 players selected in the NBA draft.
