Kristian Ferrell
The UC Riverside Highlanders men's basketball team represents the University of California, Riverside, in Riverside, California. The team currently competes in the Big West Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. In 2020, UC Riverside considered eliminating its entire athletics department due to financial strain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but ultimately decided against it in May 2021, preserving the men's basketball program. The Highlanders play their home games at the Student Recreation Center Arena and are currently coached by Gus Argenal, who was appointed in 2025.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the team | UC Riverside Highlanders men's basketball team |
| University represented | University of California, Riverside |
| Location | Riverside, California, United States |
| Conference | Big West Conference |
| Head coach | Gus Argenal |
| Home ground | Student Recreation Center Arena |
| Division | Division I |
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What You'll Learn
UCR's basketball team competes in Division I
The University of California, Riverside (UCR) is a public research university and one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The UCR varsity teams, also known as the Highlanders, compete in the Big West Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. The university's basketball team, therefore, competes in Division I.
UCR's sports scene is diverse, with every sport competing on the Division I level weekly, and students can attend games for free with a school ID. The basketball team plays its home games at the Student Recreation Center Arena. In 2020, the future of UCR's athletics department was uncertain due to financial strains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the university decided against eliminating athletics and continues to compete at the NCAA Division I level.
The men's basketball team has experienced recent success, including a historic 2024-25 season with its first-ever postseason appearance in the NCAA Division I era. The team earned a berth in the NIT, had two 20-plus win campaigns in three years, and achieved the second-best win-loss record in the Big West Conference over five years. The team is currently coached by Gus Argenal, who was appointed in 2025.
The UCR women's basketball team has also achieved success in Division I, winning back-to-back Big West championships in 2006 and 2007 and representing the conference in the Division I tournament in 2006, 2007, and 2010.
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The team is known as the Highlanders
The University of California, Riverside, commonly known as UCR or UC Riverside, is a public research university and one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The university's sports teams are called the Highlanders, inspired by the high altitude of the campus, which is located in the foothills of Box Springs Mountain.
The Highlanders compete in the Big West Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. The team's home games are played at the Student Recreation Center Arena. The Highlanders' greatest success came as a Division II program, making it to three Final Fours and the national title game in 1995.
In 2020, the future of the athletics program was uncertain due to financial strains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. There were proposals to eliminate Division I athletics, which would have impacted the basketball team. However, the university decided against this, preserving the men's basketball program. The Highlanders have since continued to compete at the NCAA Division I level.
The men's basketball team at UC Riverside has enjoyed recent success, experiencing its most successful five-year stretch in the program's Division I era. This included a historic 2024-25 season, with the program's first-ever postseason appearance in the NIT, two 20-plus win campaigns, and the second-best win-loss record in the Big West Conference over five years. The team is currently coached by Gus Argenal, who was appointed in 2025 after a successful stint at Cal State San Bernardino, where he led the team to back-to-back NCAA Division II Tournament appearances.
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They compete in the Big West Conference
The UC Riverside Highlanders men's basketball team represents the University of California, Riverside, in Riverside, California. The team competes in the Big West Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. The Highlanders play their home games at the Student Recreation Center Arena.
UCR's varsity teams compete in the Big West Conference, with other sports including men's and women's soccer, cross country, track and field, baseball, softball, tennis, golf, and women's volleyball. The university's sports teams are known as the Highlanders, a nickname inspired by the high altitude of the campus, which lies on the foothills of Box Springs Mountain.
The Highlanders' greatest success came as a Division II program, making it to three Final Fours and the national title game in 1995. In 2020, the future of the program was uncertain due to financial strains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, UC Riverside decided against eliminating athletics and continued competing at the NCAA Division I level, ensuring the survival of the men's basketball program.
The Highlanders have enjoyed recent success in Division I, including a historic 2024-25 season with their first-ever postseason appearance in the NIT, two 20-plus win campaigns in three years, and the second-best win-loss record in the Big West Conference over five years. The team is currently coached by Gus Argenal, one of the most accomplished rising coaches in men's college basketball, who took over the program in 2025.
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The team's future was in doubt in 2020
The UC Riverside Highlanders men's basketball team represents the University of California, Riverside in Riverside, California. The team competes in the Big West Conference and their head coach is Gus Argenal. The Highlanders play their home games at the Student Recreation Center Arena.
The team's future was placed in doubt in 2020 when UC Riverside's leadership considered cutting the entire athletics department due to financial strain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The university was facing a projected loss in state funds of $32 million, and the athletic department was already heavily subsidised, with more than 90% of its $23.2 million in annual revenue coming from student fees and institutional support.
The potential elimination of the athletics department sparked concern among students, coaches, and athletes. A social media campaign (#KeepUCRAthletics) garnered over 250,000 impressions, and a Change.org petition received more than 15,000 signatures. The athletic director, Tamica Smith-Jones, argued that eliminating sports would be detrimental to the university's reputation and its ability to attract students. She also emphasised that UC Riverside would become the only University of California school without sports if the proposal went through.
The men's basketball team, in particular, had been showing promising improvements in the lead-up to the 2020 disruptions. Under the leadership of David Patrick, the team achieved 17 victories in his second season, a Division I school record. The team also secured a pay-to-play postseason berth and excelled defensively, finishing eighth nationally in scoring defence. Mike Magpayo, the new head coach, faced the challenge of maintaining this momentum while navigating the uncertainties surrounding the program's future.
Fortunately, in May 2021, the university announced that they had decided against eliminating athletics and would continue competing at the NCAA Division I level in all sports, ensuring the survival of the men's basketball program.
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The team has a new head coach
The University of California, Riverside (UCR) is a public research university based in Riverside, California. The university's sports teams are known as the Highlanders and compete in the Big West Conference of the NCAA Division I.
The UCR Athletics program offers a wide range of sports opportunities for students, including basketball. The men's basketball team has a new head coach, Gus Argenal, who was appointed in 2025. Argenal is a rising star in men's college basketball and is taking over the team during its most successful five-year stretch in the program's Division I era. This includes a historic 2024-25 season, with the program's first-ever postseason appearance in the NIT, two 20-plus win campaigns in the past three years, and the second-best win-loss record in the Big West over the past five years.
Argenal has an impressive coaching background, including a successful stint at Cal State San Bernardino, where he led the team to back-to-back NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and a trip to the Final Four. He also served as head coach at NCAA Division II Cal State East Bay from 2013-2017 and was a standout player himself, holding the single-game record for assists at UC Davis.
Argenal's appointment comes after the university faced financial strain during the COVID-19 pandemic, which placed the future of the athletics program in doubt. However, the university decided against eliminating athletics and will continue competing at the NCAA Division I level. The new coach expressed his excitement and honor to join the UC Riverside community and his commitment to raising the bar for the Highlanders basketball team.
The UC Riverside Highlanders men's basketball team plays its home games at the Student Recreation Center Arena and has a passionate fanbase, as seen during the #KeepUCRAthletics social media campaign. With Argenal's leadership and the team's recent successes, the program looks forward to building on its momentum and achieving even greater accomplishments in the future.
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Frequently asked questions
The UCR basketball team plays in Division I.
The full name of the UCR basketball team is the UC Riverside Highlanders.
The UCR basketball team plays in the Big West Conference.
Gus Argenal is the head coach of the UC Riverside Highlanders.
The UC Riverside Highlanders play their home games at the Student Recreation Center Arena.
