ABOUT THE AZTECS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 6-1
Mountain West: 0-0
Home: 3-1
Away: 0-1
Neutral: 3-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W5
 

Never count out the underdog. See you this Friday! #GoTritons pic.twitter.com/rC7eDu9anD

— UC San Diego Tritons (@UCSDtritons) November 29, 2023

ABOUT THE TIGERS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 5-0 (entering Wednesday's game)
SCIAC: 0-0
Home: 4-0
Away: 1-0
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W5
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Tritons are back on the road Dec. 9 for a game at Pepperdine. Action gets underway at 6 p.m. in Malibu with a live broadcast on ESPN+ and live stats on UCSDTritons.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Junior Justin DeGraaf scored a career-high 11 points, but host Washington held a pulled away in the second half as the Huskies topped the Tritons, 83-56, Tuesday night in front of 5,726 at Alaska Airlines Arena.  
 
The setback was the third straight for the Tritons (4-3), who shot a season low 30%. Washington (4-2) out-rebounded the visitors, 54-34, and improved to 3-1 at home.
 
Bryce Pope led the Tritons with 15 points, and in the process, he passed UC San Diego associate head coach Clint Allard for 13th on the program's all-time scoring list. Playing for the first time this season, Emmanuel Tshimanga scored seven and grabbed a team-high ten rebounds off the bench.
           
LAST TIME VS. THE AZTECS (12/20/22)
UC San Diego battled San Diego State in a defensive struggle before falling to the Aztecs by a 62-46 score at Viejas Arena in front of a sellout crowd of 12,414. Bryce Pope scored a game-high 20 points for the Tritons, who conclude non-conference play with a 5-7 record. The Aztecs improved to 9-3 with the win in their final non-conference contest.
 
San Diego State's 62 points scored matched a season low by a UC San Diego Division I opponent and was just two points higher than the Aztecs' own season low of 60.
 
The Tritons outscored the home team, 30-27, in the second half.

LAST TIME VS. THE TIGERS (12/17/22)
UC San Diego drained a season-high 16 three-pointers and the Tritons rolled to a 91-55 victory over visiting Occidental at LionTree Arena. Bryce Pope scored a game-high 20 and Jake Kosakowski scored 18 and knocked down a season-high six from beyond the arc in the victory for the Tritons (5-6). Francis Nwaokorie scored 16 and grabbed nine rebounds for UC San Diego, which snapped a two-game slide.
 
STINGY ON D
The Tritons rank second in The Big West in field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to connect on 40.2% of shot attempts, including shooting just 27.7% from beyond the arc.
 
TAIT-JONES DELIVERS STRONG DEBUT
UC San Diego newcomer Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones was voted Big West Men's Basketball Player of the Week as announced by the conference office on Nov. 13. Playing his first two games as a Triton, the junior transfer finished one assist shy over a triple-double in UC San Diego's opener, then followed that up with a 21-point night in a win over USD.
 
Tait-Jones is the second UC San Diego men's basketball player to earn Big West Player of the Week honors in the program's brief Division I history. Toni Rocak was recognized twice in the 2021-22 season.
 
POPE NAMED UCU ATHLETE OF THE WEEK (NOV. 27)
Senior guard Bryce Pope averaged 20 points six rebounds, and two assists over two games played last weekend in Seattle. Pope shot 42% for the week (16-38), sinking four three-pointers. He scored 18 points on Friday against Idaho and followed that up with a 22-point effort Sunday at Seattle U. On Monday, Pope was named University Credit Union Athlete of the Week.
 
POPE SURPASSES 1,000
In UC San Diego's 99-91 win at then-first place UC Irvine (Feb. 23), Bryce Pope became the 14th Triton to score 1,000 career points. He picked up where he left off in this year's season opener, scoring 28 in a win over Denver (Nov. 6). Last season, Pope ranked second in The Big West in scoring with 18.4 points per game.
 
UC San Diego All-Time Scoring Leaders

Name	Years	Games Played	Points
Paul Trainer	1971-75	104	1,930
Matt Aune	1993-97	100	1,780
Mike Wall	1995-99	100	1,700
Greg Kaminsky	1983-87	104	1,588
Tim Rapp	1987-91	75	1,556
Adam Klie	2013-17	118	1,524
Christian Oshita	2016-20	100	1,505
Chris Hansen	2015-20	113	1,418
Rick Batt	1988-92	106	1,410
Jordan Lawley	2006-10	110	1,398
James McCann	2010-14	107	1,339
Drew Dyer	2012-16	108	1,333
Bryce Pope	2020-pr.	79	1,155
Clint Allard	2004-08	112	1,150

 
UC San Diego 30-Point Games, Division I

Name	Date	Opponent	Points	Game Score
Toni Rocak	Dec. 30, 2021	vs. UC Santa Barbara	34	W, 85-83 (OT)
Bryce Pope	Nov. 22, 2022	at George Washington	31	W, 75-70

 
OLEN SETS PROGRAM'S WINS RECORD
When UC San Diego won at Cal Poly (Jan. 19), the victory marked the 186th in the career of Triton head coach Eric Olen – making him the all-time wins leader in UC San Diego men's basketball history. Tom Marshall won 185 games as Triton head coach from 1983-1994 when UC San Diego competed in Division III.
 
In his 11th season as head coach, Eric Olen has transformed the program. In the team's second Division I season, the Tritons strung together 13 victories, including a season-opening win at Cal – UC San Diego's first triumph over a Pac-12 opponent.

In Division II, Olen led the Tritons to three California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular season titles, four consecutive CCAA tournament crowns over seven seasons. In Division II, he posted a .740 winning percentage, and he was named NABC West Region Coach of the Year for the first time in 2019-20 after leading the Tritons to a 30-1 record and the top seed in the NCAA West Region.
 
Olen's career coaching record stands at 193-105 (.648).
 
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Returners
J'Raan Brooks, Sr., F
Justin DeGraaf, Jr., F
Camden McCormick, So., G
Francis Nwaokorie, Jr., F
Quin Patterson, So., G/F
Michael Pearson Jr., R-So., G
Cade Pendleton, R-Fr., F
Bryce Pope, Sr., G
Emmanuel Tshimanga, Sr., C
 
Newcomers
Jasen Brooks, Fr., G
Aidan Burke, Fr., G
Hayden Gray, Jr., G (Azusa Pacific)
Billy Haggerty, Fr., F
Tyler McGhie, Jr., G/F (Southern Nazarene)
Yaqub Mir, Fr., G
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Jr., G/F (Hawai'i-Hilo)
 
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
This year's Tritons squad boasts a pair of scholar-athletes from foreign countries:
 
Emmanuel Tshimanga, Canada
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, New Zealand
 
TRITONS TOUR ITALY
In August, the UC San Diego men's and women's basketball teams had a chance to take part in a 10-day foreign tour of Italy.
 
"It's been really fascinating driving across half the country and seeing things that we'd learned about that were built thousands of years ago," men's basketball senior J'Raan Brooks said on the Tritoncast podcast.
 
"It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience, from seeing all of the attractions to playing my first collegiate game," first-year women's basketball scholar-athlete Sumayah Sugapong told Tritoncast. "Ten days in Italy was a great bonding moment for us and will translate onto the court in terms of team chemistry."
 
The funding for this once-in-a-lifetime experience came solely through external sources and not University operations budget or student fees.
 
TRITONS IN ITALY BY THE NUMBERS
13,403 flight miles
1,303 kilometers in bus travel
8 Italian cities visited
4 hotels for each team
3 basketball games for each team
1 bicycle tour of Bologna
1 gondola ride in Venice
 
DENVER CONNECTION
The reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets were back on the UC San Diego campus for the third year in a row to kick off the team's training camp for the upcoming 2023-24 NBA season. The Nuggets spent a week at LionTree Arena preparing for the upcoming season in a tradition that began ahead of the 2021-22 season.

"Well it worked well last year," Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said. "We're hoping the air, water, beach whatever it may be continues to be a real positive for our group." 

"For me you just have to look around this gym and you have five full courts," Malone explained. "Just to come out here and have all the space with 21 players in camp, and it doesn't hurt that we're staying at a beautiful hotel in a beautiful area of the country."
 
10 EARN SPOT ON BIG WEST ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL
Ten Tritons earned spots on the Big West Academic Honor Roll following last season. Five captured Highest Honors (grade point average of 3.51-4.00): J'Raan Brooks, Justin DeGraaf, Jake Kosakowski, Quin Patterson, and Jace Roquemore. Two more were recognized With Honors (3.21-3.50 GPA): Michael Pearson Jr. and Emmanuel Tshimanga, and three Tritons garnered Honor Roll (3.00-3.20 GPA) recognition: Francis Nwaokorie, Bryce Pope, and Vuk Vulikic.
 
FOUR NAMED TO NABC HONORS COURT FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Four UC San Diego men's basketball scholar-athletes were named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court for excelling in the classroom. J'Raan Brooks, Jake Kosakowski, Jace Roquemore and Emmanuel Tshimanga represent the Tritons on this year's Honors Court. UC San Diego is also a recipient of the 2022-23 NABC Team Academic Excellence Award.
 
The NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards recognize men's basketball programs that completed the 2022-23 academic year with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher. The NABC Honors Court, meanwhile, includes junior, senior and graduate student men's basketball players who finished the 2022-23 year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.
 
DIVISION I FIRSTS

First Season	2020-21
First Game	Dec. 22, 2020 vs. Saint Katherine
First Win over Division I Opponent	Jan. 22, 2021 vs. UC Davis
First Basket vs. D1 Opponent	Jace Roquemore (1/8/21) vs. UC Irvine
First Division I Road Win	Nov. 9, 2021 at Cal
First Big West Road Win	Feb. 3, 2022 at CSUN

 
HADLEY INKS DEAL WITH BRISBANE BULLETS OF AUSTRALIA'S NBL
Former Triton Gabe Hadley signed to play for the Brisbane Bullets of Australia's National Basketball League (NBL). First tipping off in 1979, the NBL is the highest level of pro ball in Australasia, with nine teams in Australia and one in New Zealand. Hadley, 25, averaged 24.7 points per game playing for Geelong United of the NBL1 this season.

As a Triton, Hadley averaged more than 12 points, three rebounds and two assists per game as a senior, starting every contest during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. The All-Triton Scholar-Athlete Team selection may be best remembered for hitting a fadeaway three-pointer with seconds remaining to send a game against UC Riverside to overtime. Then, in the extra session, he drained the game-winning three-pointer in the final moments.

Hadley has played professionally in his native Australia since graduating from UC San Diego in 2021.
 
WHY THE TRITONS
The Triton is described as the offspring of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a demigod of the sea with a lower part of the body like that of a fish. It is known as a mighty and fierce sea warrior. Given UC San Diego's close proximity to the Pacific Ocean and its connections with the world-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Triton became our mascot in 1964.
 
Single game tickets to UC San Diego basketball home games are now on-sale. For more information or to purchase, click here. Currently enrolled UC San Diego students are provided free admission by showing a valid campus ID at the arena entrance.

GAME DAY GOES DIGITAL
Triton fans can access game day information from their smart phones by visiting UCSDTritons.com/MBBgameday or scanning the QR code at the entrance to LionTree Arena for everything they need to know about each home game, including updated rosters, schedules, and stats for each team, as well as links to watch on ESPN+.

COVERING THE TRITONS
Media members wishing to cover a UC San Diego game in-person at LionTree Arena must notify a member of the Athletics Communications staff no later than 24 hours prior to the game.

Following the conclusion of each home game, a video highlight melt and video postgame interviews will be made available for media members to download.
 
ON THE MOVE
After 20 seasons playing as an NCAA Division II team, the entire athletics program is in its final year of a four-year transition to NCAA Division I, culminating in full DI status as a member of The Big West for the 2024-25 academic year. At that time, all sports will be eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play.
 
UC SAN DIEGO ON THE WORLDWIDE LEADER
Most UC San Diego home men's and women's basketball games, men's and women's soccer matches, men's and women's volleyball matches, baseball and softball games are broadcast live on ESPN+. For more information on where to watch UC San Diego basketball, visit UCSDTritons.com/live.
 
HOOPS TALK ON UC SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS' PODCAST
As part of UC San Diego's transition to Division I, the Athletics Department launched a weekly podcast, Tritoncast. Produced by UC San Diego Athletics Communications, Tritoncast features in-depth interviews with UC San Diego personalities including scholar-athletes, alums, coaches, and administrators. Triton fans will get an inside look at the UC San Diego Athletics Department as the program transitions to NCAA Division I and The Big West. New episodes of Tritoncast are available each week on the most popular podcasting apps. In addition, each episode can be heard and downloaded on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on X @Tritoncast.
 
MEN'S BASKETBALL ON TRITONCAST

Episode	Published	Guest(s)	Listen Link
08	8/19/20	Adam Klie '17, program's D2 leading scorer	Listen
13	9/23/20	John Saintignon, impact of John Wooden	Listen
23	12/02/20	Jordan Lawley '10, NBA training center	Listen
30	1/20/21	Gabe Hadley '21, pro in Australia	Listen
67	11/02/22	Head Coach Eric Olen, season preview	Listen
74	2/22/23	Emmanuel Tshimanga, Canada hoops	Listen
88	11/01/23	Head Coach Eric Olen, season preview	Listen

 
GET SOCIAL WITH UC SAN DIEGO HOOPS
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through X, Facebook, and Instagram. The team's handle is @ucsdmbb.
 
FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UC San Diego home athletic events, and much more!

GEAR
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories, click here.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.