Joseph Blair was named head coach of the RGV Vipers on Monday, returning to the organization that he led to a G League championship, and to a community he became highly popular in and a big part of.

The Vipers, the NBA G League Affiliate of the Houston Rockets, won their third of four championships under Blair during the 2018-19 season. He originally joined the Vipers in 2015 where he served as an assistant coach for three seasons before being promoted to head coach in 2018.

“I’m extremely excited to come back to the Valley and represent such a prestigious organization and community.” Blair said. “The time I spent in the Valley made a profound impression on my heart and my career.”

Blair replaces Kevin Burleson, who spent two seasons as the Vipers head coach and took them to the G League finals once. Burleson took an assistant coaching job with Bernie Bickerstaff and the Detroit Pistons in early July.

Blair is an intense and towering figure who has earned the respect of players, coaches, officials and other colleagues. Rarely a coach to scream at officials (though you may hear him muttering out a few Italian phrases that few people around him understand), Blair most recently served as an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards since 2021.

Blair stepped in as head coach of the Wizards on Jan. 17, 2022, in lieu of the absence of Wizards Head Coach Wes Unseld and led the Wizards to a 117-98 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. The victory was his first as an NBA head coach.

The “GQ of the G League,” Blair is also known for his high fashion, winning ways and stoic demeanor. Blair joined the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2020 as an assistant coach. Prior to that, he spent the 2019-20 season as an assistant coach for the 76ers. Now his goal is to bring a fifth ring back – one for the thumb, a saying made wildly popular by Pittsburgh Steelers’ “Mean” Joe Greene.

He spent two seasons (2013-15) as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, the University of Arizona.

In 2009 Blair finished his career as a player after having played in the Russian Basketball Super League with Spartak Saint Petersburg during the 2008-09 season. His career in Russia began with Spartak Primorje in 2007-08, with whom he led the league in rebounding.

For three years (2004-07) Blair played for the LBA Italian Professional Basketball team, Olimpia Milano. Before then, he played with the Turkish Basketball Super League and the Euroleague with Ülkerspor from 2002-04. During his tenure with the team, he was named the 2002-03 Euro League Regular Season MVP.

He made three appearances in the Italian LBA League All-Star game in 2006, 2005 and 2000.

In 2001-02 Blair returned to the Italian club Scavolini Pesaro after having spent the 1999-00 season with the team where he led the league in rebounds. In 2001-02 Blair was selected to the All-Euro League Second Team.

Blair returned to the Harlem Globetrotters in 2001 after having played with the team during the 1997-98 season. In 1998 he also spent time with Long Island Surf before making his return to Europe with Fila Biella.

Blair played four seasons of collegiate basketball with the Arizona Wildcats from 1992-1996. He was a member of Arizona’s two regular season Pac-10 championships in 1993 and 1994. Blair was also part of the squad that advanced to the 1994 NCAA Final Four.

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UTRGV head women’s basketball coach Lane Lord announced on Tuesday that Ronnie Cantu, a former basketball standout at Mission Veterans High School, has joined the program as a graduate student coach.

Cantu will be pursuing a Master of Communications while assisting the women’s basketball program. She’ll work with the guards and posts, shadow each coach to assist with breaking down film for scouting reports and fundamental drills, and help coordinate travel and other aspects of basketball operations. Cantu will help run practices and travel to road games with the team.

“We’re really excited to have Ronnie for many reasons. She’s from the Valley, played college basketball for four years, and to have her back here to help us get engaged in the community is great,” Lord said. “She’ll be with us for two years, which is a blessing. One of the most important things is she has a lot of knowledge with Synergy and a lot of our video-editing systems that she used in college, so now she’s on the other side of it breaking down film and she’ll gain a lot of knowledge working with our staff. We coaches have the greatest job in the world and to be able to pass that knowledge on to the young people is what we’re here for.”

Cantu comes to UTRGV after playing for the St. Edward’s Hilltoppers from 2020-24, where she earned her bachelor’s in kinesiology with an emphasis in physical therapy. The 5-4 guard played in 94 games making 31 starts and averaging 3.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game at St. Edward’s. She was a 74% shooter from the free-throw line and averaged 19.6 minutes per game for her career. Cantu earned the Topper True award while at St. Edward’s, which is given to one student-athlete each year who embodies what it means to be a Hilltopper.

Growing up a coach’s kid, Cantu calls herself a “gym rat” and grew up around the game of basketball. She played for her dad, Rafael, at Mission Veterans, where she racked up individual accolades as a four-year letterwinner. She was the district and RGV Basketball Coaches Association (RGVBCA) All-Valley Newcomer of the Year in 2017, the district co-MVP in 2019, and the district and RGVBCA MVP in 2020. She also earned The Monitor’s All-Area Co-Offensive Player of the Year, All-Region IV and Class 5A All-State honors from the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) as a senior.

“I’m truly happy to be back home, and what better way to make my homecoming than by contributing with the sport I’ve loved my entire life,” Cantu said. “I’m excited to work with Coach Lord and the rest of the coaching staff and the team, to learn about them and from them. I really want to take this coaching opportunity and see where I can run with it.”

Coming off her own four-year career, Cantu hopes to be a resource to help the Vaqueros adjust to the demands of being a collegiate student-athlete. She’ll lean on the experiences gained during her own playing career to preach the importance of the guard-post relationship and balancing academics with athletics.

“Being a student-athlete isn’t an easy task, so my goal is to be someone they can lean on and talk to and feel vulnerable with and give some basketball knowledge as well,” Cantu said. “My dad was my high school coach, so I was lucky to have an amazing human being guide me. The best thing about going into coaching now is I can use all of that love from my dad and my previous coaches and mentors and be that person for the next generation.”

Cantu is eager to soak up lessons from the Vaqueros coaching staff and share her love of the game. She said it’s special to be back home as she embarks on a new chapter in basketball and aims to be an asset to the program.

“I want to thank the Valley, the community, for all of their love and support and everything they’ve done as I continued my journey into college basketball and now back to the Valley,” Cantu said. “The beauty of this staff is that we’re all so different in a good way. We all bring something new and exciting to the table. I’m so excited to go on this journey with this team.”

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Longtime coach Erasmo “Mo” Molina, a prominent Rio Grande Valley and Texas high school boys basketball figure, died at 78-years-old, his family announced Monday.

Molina, who is a member of the RGV Sports Hall of Fame and Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA) Hall of Honor, had over 500 career wins during his time as a high school boys basketball head coach.

He coached at Rio Hondo, San Benito, PSJA High, McAllen Memorial and most recently Harlingen Marine Military Academy.

Molina is an Edinburg native and graduate of Edinburg High and Pan American. He also served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War era.

He served on the THSCA Board of Directors from 1993-96 and the THSCA Basketball Advisory Board, and was president of both the Rio Grande Valley Coaches Association and RGV Basketball Coaches Association.

He was also a Special Assistant Coach to the RGV Silverados, a CBA professional basketball team.

Both of Molina’s children, Brian and Lyrissa, are coaches in the RGV.

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EDINBURG — After a collegiate playing career at the University of Redlands, Kahil Fennell was ready to put basketball behind him.

Shortly after graduation he joined corporate America and spent time selling medical devices. The itch to compete came crawling back, however.

In 2014, Fennell began his journey as a basketball coach, starting off as a junior varsity coach at Alameda High School in California. In just a short 10-year span he’s climbed the ranks, going from a JV coach in California to an assistant coach at Brigham Young University the past two years.

Now he can officially add NCAA Division I head coach to his resumè, officially being introduced as the new head coach of UTRGV men’s basketball during a news conference Wednesday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg.

“Being a head coach anywhere would be a tremendous opportunity I’d be thankful for,” Fennell said. “To be a head coach and my first job being here and starting my career here at the head coaching level, it is hard to put into words.”

Fennell’s collegiate coach career has featured more than a handful of stops, first getting his foot into the college world in 2015 as an assistant coach at UT Permian Basin before being promoted to associate head coach in 2016.

A year later, he brought his talents to Portland State, serving as an assistant coach for the Vikings for one year. After a brief stint at Portland State, Fennell made the move to Louisville, where he spent the next four years on the Cardinals’ coaching staff.

During his tenure at Louisville, the Cardinals posted a 70-47 record, including a 24-7 mark in 2020 en route to a second-place finish in the ACC.

His final stop before landing the head coaching job at UTRGV came at BYU, spending the past two years with the Cougars. During his time at BYU, the Cougars amassed 42 wins, including a 23-win season and NCAA tournament appearance this year.

“It’s been an unbelievable journey and an unbelievable ride,” Fennell said. “I’ve told Chasse (Conque) several times that I wouldn’t change it for anything. That linear route that I’ve talked about with other coaches in the industry, I think you can miss a trip. I think it can get a little more stale or a little old for you. You can get a little more frustrated, and the season can feel a little longer if you’ve been doing it for 30 years straight. For me it is still new. It is still something I’m excited for every day. … Every aspect of being a coach is new for me. It is exciting for me and it’s something I’m passionate about. This journey has been a trip so far.”

Fennell takes over a UTRGV team that struggled a season ago. The Vaqueros finished the 2024 campaign with a 6-25 overall record, including a 2-18 Western Athletic Conference record and a 14-game losing streak to close out the year.

He’ll be tasked with guiding the Vaqueros into the Southland Conference as they prepare to make the move to the conference in the summer.

Fennell is ready to take the challenge head on, already gearing up for the upcoming season.

“I’d like to get to building my staff,” Fennell said. “I’d like to have a roster. We need to have 13 scholarship guys. We need our walk-ons to be a part of this. We need our support staff, from student mangers to directors of operations. I’d like to have that true team put in place so we can attack this thing collectively. I think a number of heads is better than one. I think we can come up with different ideas and different areas of approach to be ready to be able to attack things from a holistic level and be pulling in the same direction.”

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UTRGV STAFF REPORT

EDINBURG – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque announced on Friday the hiring of Kahil Fennell, who spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at BYU, as the new men’s basketball coach.

Fennell will be formally introduced to the public and the media at a press conference on Wednesday, April 10 at 3 p.m. at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.

Fennell helped lead BYU to 23 wins this past season, their first in the Big 12, including four wins over ranked teams. BYU made the NCAA Tournament this season after being ranked in 14 of 15 AP polls, which is the most for the Cougars since 2010-11, and the program ranked No. 16 in the KenPom rankings with the No. 9 ranked offense.

In his first season with BYU, Fennell helped lead the program to 19 wins and a spot in the West Coast Conference Tournament Championship Game. Throughout his tenure, Fennell was the player development and defensive coordinators while working with the wing position group.

“I am honored to be the next head coach of the UTRGV men’s basketball program,” Fennell said. “I’d like to thank President Bailey, Chasse Conque, and [Deputy Director of Athletics] Molly Castner for their collective faith in me and our shared vision for the future of Vaqueros basketball. I am thrilled to be joining a university and athletic department the caliber of UTRGV’s and I am grateful for the opportunity. Further, my family and I feel extremely fortunate to become part of the Rio Grande Valley community. It’s a region that reflects our family’s values and we’re excited to represent our neighbors there. This is a basketball program that is capable of great things with a desire to excel at the highest level. My staff and I will work tirelessly to make this community and university proud as we strive toward bringing a championship to the Valley. V’s Up!”

Prior to his tenure at BYU, Fennell spent four seasons at Louisville (2018-22), where he started as the Cardinals’ Director of Basketball Operations before being promoted to assistant coach in 2021-22.

“Kahil is one of the most innovative and creative coaches I have ever interviewed, and I believe his unique approach will lead to tremendous success for our basketball program,” UTRGV President Guy Bailey said. “Additionally, Kahil possesses an exceptional ability to communicate, a skill crucial not only for his coaching duties but also in engaging with our community and rallying the Valley behind our athletics program. With Kahil’s leadership, I have no doubt that we will see success both on and off the basketball court.”

Fennell was part of a staff that went 70-47, including a 24-7 record to finish second in the ACC in 2019-20, and a 20-14 season that was capped by an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2018-19.

Fennell spent also one season (2017-18) as an assistant coach at Portland State, where he helped the Vikings to a 20-14 record, their most in 10 years and third most in 22 years in the Big Sky Conference. Fennell helped guide the Vikings to a program record 10 road wins en route to a CollegeInsider.com postseason tournament berth.

“Today is a great day for UTRGV Athletics and we are thrilled to welcome Coach Fennell as the next next leader of our men’s basketball program,” Conque said. “Coach Fennell quickly emerged as someone who has an unmatched passion for the game, young people, and community. In a landscape that is ever changing, Coach Fennell has demonstrated his ability to attract top talent and effectively teach while being a part of successful programs at multiple levels. His story is unique, but one that demonstrates his love for student-athletes and the passion he has to make an impact on their lives on and off the court. Coach Fennell and I share a vision for our program and we understand the importance of building a basketball program that will excite our region, compete for Southland Conference championships, and continue to help UTRGV #RallyTheValley. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Kahil, Sarah, Ezra, and Koa to the Vaqueros Family!”

Fennell started his collegiate coaching career at UT Permian Basin (UTPB) serving as an assistant coach in 2015-16 before being promoted to associate head coach in 2016-17.

Fennell helped guide the Falcons to conference regular season and tournament championships in 2016-17, setting a program record with 26 wins. Fennell also helped UTPB lead the nation in rebounding while ranking 12th in scoring.

Fennell started his coaching career as a junior varsity coach and an assistant varsity coach at Alameda (Ca.) High School in 2014-15.

Fennell’s playing career started at Thousand Oaks (Ca.) High School, where he earned all-league honors and served as team captain. Fennell played one season at Penn State New Kensington, where he earned Academic All-State honors. He then transferred to the University of the Redlands for his final three seasons, serving as team captain as a senior.

Fennell earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Redlands in 2004.

Fennell and his wife, Sarah, who played basketball at Dayton, have two sons, Ezra (10) and Koa (9).

 

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AUSTIN — The University Interscholastic League (UIL) issued penalties to former McAllen Rowe boys basketball head coach Jose Luis Yebra and McAllen Rowe’s athletic department during a UIL State Executive Committee meeting Thursday.

An internal investigation during the basketball season revealed the Rowe boys basketball team used an ineligible player and was forced to forfeit all games in which the player participated. Yebra was relieved of his head coaching duties Feb. 14.

On Thursday, the UIL issued Yebra a three-year suspension from all UIL activities, two years of probation after reinstatement, and a public reprimand for school violations involving recruiting, a news release from the UIL stated. The McAllen Rowe athletic department also was issued two years probation, additional training and a public reprimand.

“Regarding the UIL’s decision today, it is important to note that no Rowe High student-athlete or athletic program will be impacted. All teams and individuals will continue to compete for individual and team honors, to participate in the post-season and to win championships at all levels,” said a statement from McAllen ISD following the UIL’s ruling. “McAllen ISD has gone above and beyond the UIL requirements. Coaches at all three comprehensive high schools in the district have been receiving refresher trainings on the policies and procedures for the state and the district.”

Yebra served as the boys basketball head coach at McAllen Rowe since 1999 and is one of the Valley’s winningest coaches with more than 600 career victories.

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UTRGV vice president and director of athletics Chasse Conque announced Tuesday that UTRGV athletics and men’s basketball head coach Matt Figger mutually agreed to part ways.

Figger compiled an overall record of 29-65 over three years.

“We thank Coach Figger for his efforts and his contributions to our program over the last three years,” Conque said. “There is no doubt that his team made an impact on our efforts to #RallyTheValley, as the men’s basketball program led all NCAA Division I men’s teams in community service last year. We wish him well personally and professionally moving forward.”

In addition to strong community service, the men’s basketball team excelled academically, with five student-athletes earning athletic director’s honor roll recognition this past fall for achieving a grade point average of at least 3.25. During Figger’s tenure, his student-athletes earned 19 AD honor roll recognitions.

Figger joined UTRGV after the death of former head coach Lew Hill during the 2020-2021 season.

The former Austin Peay head coach went 8-23 during his first season with the Vaqueros, following it up with a 15-17 campaign last year, including a 12-6 mark at home.

This year the Figger-led Vaqueros struggled to find consistency, going 6-25 overall and 2-18 during conference play. UTRGV went winless during the final two months of the regular season, ending the year on a 14-game losing streak.

“I wish to thank Athletics Director Conque, President Bailey, my staff and campus colleagues, and especially my players for the privilege to be the UTRGV head men’s basketball coach,” Figger said. “At this time, I have decided to pursue other professional opportunities. My family and I will always cherish our time in Edinburg, and we wish the entire UTRGV community the very best.”

A national search to fill the position will begin immediately, UTRGV athletics announced. It also state it will have no further comment until the next coach is hired.

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The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) announced UTRGV women’s basketball freshman guard Jayda Holiman has been named to the WAC All-Freshman Team on Monday, as voted on by the conference coaches.

“Jayda missed the first semester of the season but had a huge impact on our team this season,” UTRGV head coach Lane Lord said. “Jayda provided us with tons of energy and was dangerous from 3-point range. We are proud of all her hard work this season and we can’t wait to see what the future has in store for her here at UTRGV.”

Holiman played in 19 games while making nine starts this season after missing the first 10 games of the season due to injury. Holiman ranked third on the team in scoring with 9.1 points per game while making 33 3-pointers on the season. Holiman ranks 11th in the WAC with 1.74 3-pointers made per game while shooting .351 percent from 3-point range.

Holiman scored in double-figures eight times while leading the team in scoring four different times.

Holiman scored a career-high 17 points on two different occasions dropping 17 against California Baptist on a career-high seven made field goals. Holiman then scored 17 points against Seattle U after making a career-high five 3-pointers in a career-high 40 minutes played.

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The UTRGV women’s basketball team fell 65-52 to the Southern Utah Thunderbirds on Saturday in a Western Athletic Conference (WAC) game at the America First Event Center in Cedar City, Utah.

Sophomore Charlotte O’Keefe and junior Kade Hackerott led UTRGV (6-23, 5-15 WAC) with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Hackerott tabbed nine rebounds while O’Keefe added six. Junior Tierra Trotter scored 10 points and had two steals.  

Southern Utah (8-21, 6-15 WAC) had four in double-digit scoring, led by Ava Uhrich’s 20 points. Daylani Ballena and Samantha Johnston both had 14, and Shiho Isono scored 11. Uhrich led the team with nine rebounds.  

Defense was the story of the first half as both teams caused some turnovers and kept the opposing offense at bay. UTRGV took an early 10-5 lead after Hackerott and Trotter banged home three-pointers. But Southern Utah’s defense kept the Vaqueros off the board for the final half of the opening quarter and held a 15-10 lead at the quarter break.

O’Keefe sparked the Vaqueros offensively in the second quarter, knocking down a pair of three-pointers to tie the game at 18-18. Trotter and Hackerott continued to play tough as UTRGV outscored the Thunderbirds 10-6 through the first five minutes of the frame. Hackerott brought down a good defensive rebound and hit a floater on the other end to give the lead back to UTRGV, 22-21. Defenses controlled the closing minutes of the half and after a late three-pointer from freshman Jayda Holiman, Southern Utah took a 28-27 lead into the locker room.

Southern Utah opened the second half on a 6-0 run and started slowing down the pace of the game to eat clock. Hackerott’s aggressive play sent her to the charity stripe twice to chip away at the lead, but the Thunderbirds started making shots at a high efficiency to open up a 39-30 advantage. O’Keefe and Hackerott kept the Vaqueros pushing, and they got a pair of late threes from Faith Phillips and Holiman. O’Keefe blocked a shot that led to a fastbreak layup for graduate student Ashton McCorry to give UTRGV some late momentum, but the Thunderbirds led 51-44 heading to the fourth.

The Thunderbirds controlled the pace and time of possession in the fourth to take a lead as large as 13. The Vaqueros kept fighting hard, with McCorry hitting a jumper and Trotter adding a late three to get within seven, but Southern Utah was able to put the game away.

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