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UC San Diego

MBB 2024-25 Team Photo
Zachary Barron/UC San Diego

Men's Basketball

2024-25 Season Tips Wednesday at San Diego State

LA JOLLA, Calif. – With the NCAA-mandated four-year reclassification complete, UC San Diego begins its 2024-25 season, fully Big West and NCAA-championship eligible, on Wednesday night when the Tritons travel south to meet crosstown foe San Diego State.
 
Last season, the Tritons finished second in The Big West, posting a 21-11 regular season record (15-5 in conference play), culminating with their first Division I postseason berth – the No. 2 seed in the Ro College Basketball Invitational. UC San Diego dominated in Big West postseason awards, with five Tritons recognized.

The Aztecs appeared in the NCAA Sweet 16 last season, one year after reaching the national championship game. When these two teams met last season in LionTree Arena, SDSU needed a tip-in at the buzzer to eke out a one-point win.
 
Wednesday's lid-lifter tips at 7 p.m. from Viejas Arena in San Diego. There is no telecast, but KSDT – UC San Diego's student radio station – will have a live broadcast.
 
DETAILS
Game 1
UC San Diego (0-0) at San Diego State (0-0)
Wednesday, Nov. 6 | 7 p.m.
Viejas Arena (12,414) | San Diego
TV: [none]
Radio: KSDT
Listen | Live Stats
Series Record: San Diego State leads, 13-0 (SDSU 3-0 in Division I)
Last Meeting: SDSU 63 at UCSD 62 (Dec. 1, 2023)
 
ABOUT THE TRITONS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 0-0
Big West: 0-0
Home: 0-0
Away: 0-0
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: --

TRITONS, STATISTICALLY SPEAKING (2023-24)
Stat UCSD Opp.
Points 76.7 69.2
Field Goal Pct. .456 .437
3-Point FG Pct. .354 .333
Free Throw Pct. .759 .712
Rebounds 34.8 34.3
Assists 13.0 12.5
Turnovers 9.7 11.7
Steals 6.3 4.5
Blocks 2.8 3.6

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


 
WHAT'S NEXT
UC San Diego's home opener is Saturday night when the Tritons host Pepperdine on Homecoming weekend at LionTree Arena. The first 3,000 fans in the building will receive a free whiteout t-shirt.
 
LAST TIME VS. THE AZTECS (Dec. 1, 2023) | Box Score
UC San Diego led for almost the entire game, but San Diego State's Jaedon LeDee grabbed an offensive rebound and converted a layup as time expired to propel the Aztecs to a 63-62 comeback victory over the host Tritons in front of a sellout crowd of 4,000 inside LionTree Arena.  
 
San Diego natives Bryce Pope and Hayden Gray – along with Francis Nwaokorie – all finished with 15 points to lead UC San Diego (4-4). As a team, the Tritons committed a season-low four turnovers. San Diego State (7-1) won its sixth consecutive contest.
 
OLEN IS BIG WEST COACH OF THE YEAR
After leading the Tritons to a second place finish in The Big West and more than doubling the team's win total from the prior season, Eric Olen captured Big West Coach of the Year honors and was named a finalist for the Hugh Durham Award. Now in his 12th season as head coach, Olen has transformed the program. He is the program's all-time leader in victories.

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 210-114 (.648).
 
NIWA'S NOT A NEWCOMER ANYMORE!
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones was named to the Big West Preseason Coaches' Team. Last year, captured Big West Newcomer of the Year honors – the first Triton to win this award. In his first year at UC San Diego, Tait-Jones was tenth in the conference in scoring at 15.2 points per game against Big West foes. The New Zealand native was remarkably efficient, connecting on 59% of his shot attempts over 20 Big West games. Tait-Jones was also named Honorable Mention All-Big West.
 
TY'S THE GUY
Tyler McGhie was named the conference's Best Sixth Player last year – the first UC San Diego scholar-athlete to win this Big West award. After making his season debut on Dec. 18, McGhie averaged 13.8 points per game in 28 minutes off the bench, tying for the top spot in the conference at three 3-pointers per game. The sharpshooter was second in The Big West in three-point field goal percentage at 40.7%. McGhie was also named Honorable Mention All-Big West.
 
BIG WEST POSTSEASON
The Tritons concluded the 2023-24 season with a 15-5 mark in conference play. Despite finishing second in The Big West standings last year, conference regulations prevented the Tritons from taking part in the eight-team Big West Championship. That won't be the case this year with UC San Diego fully eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play.
 
NEW-LOOK TRITONS
Seven newcomers have joined the Tritons' roster for the 2024-25 season: five transfers and two first-year scholar-athletes. Chris Howell (Saint Mary's), Nordin Kapic (Lynn), Maximo Milovich (Biola), Justin Rochelin (Oregon State) and Milos Vicentic (McKendree) transferred to UC San Diego. First-year Tritons include Christopher Cox (Salt Lake City) and Ryder Elisaldez (Las Vegas).
 
A FINE CONNECTION
Three Tritons hail from San Diego: point guards Hayden Gray (Santa Fe Christian) and Camden McCormick (Francis W. Parker) along with guard Chris Howell (Torrey Pines) are all from America's Finest City.
 
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
UC San Diego thrived at LionTree Arena last year, boasting a 14-2 home record in La Jolla. The two setbacks were by a combined eight points.
 
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
This year's Tritons squad boasts four scholar-athletes from foreign countries:
 
Nordin Kapic, Vienna, Austria
Maximo Milovich, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, New Zealand
Milos Vicentic, Belgrade, Serbia
 
NO SURPRISES: STARTING OFF STRONG
UC San Diego used the same starting lineup in each of its 33 games last year. The Tritons were the only Division I team to use the same starting five every time out. Two of last year's starters return: Hayden Gray and Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones.
 
21 IN 24
Last season, UC San Diego won 21 games for the first time at the Division I level. The Tritons had five consecutive seasons of 20+ victories under head coach Eric Olen in Division II from 2015-16 through 2019-20.
 
1,000-POINT SCORERS
Here are the program's top all-time scorers, including games played at other institutions:
 
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
Bryce Pope 2020-24 105 1,627
Greg Kaminsky 1983-87 104 1,588
Tim Rapp 1987-91 75 1,556
Adam Klie 2013-17 118 1,524
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones 2020-pr. 95 1,517
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
Tyler McGhie 2020-pr. 93 1,241
Milos Vicentic 2024-pr. 73 1,226
Clint Allard 2004-08 112 1,150
Francis Nwaokorie 2021-24 91 1,088
Nordin Kapic 2024-pr. 52 1,003
 
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 Feb. 24, 2024 vs. UC Irvine 32 W, 92-88 (OT)
Bryce Pope Nov. 22, 2022 at George Washington 31 W, 75-70
 
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
 
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+.

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, men's and women's water polo games, 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
84 8/30/23 J'Raan Brooks, Tritons in Italy Listen
88 11/01/23 Head Coach Eric Olen, season preview Listen
89 1/24/24 Bryce Pope, team's leading scorer Listen
108 10/30/24 Head Coach Eric Olen, season preview Listen
 
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.
 
 
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Players Mentioned

J

#33 J'Raan Brooks

F
6' 9"
Redshirt Senior
Francis Nwaokorie

#35 Francis Nwaokorie

F
6' 7"
Junior
Bryce Pope

#4 Bryce Pope

G
6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
Emmanuel Tshimanga

#25 Emmanuel Tshimanga

C
7' 0"
Redshirt Senior
Hayden Gray

#10 Hayden Gray

G
6' 4"
Junior
Tyler  McGhie

#13 Tyler McGhie

G/F
6' 5"
Junior
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones

#12 Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones

G/F
6' 6"
Junior
Hayden Gray

#3 Hayden Gray

G
6' 4"
Senior
Camden McCormick

#0 Camden McCormick

G
6' 3"
Junior
Tyler  McGhie

#13 Tyler McGhie

G/F
6' 5"
Senior

Players Mentioned

J

#33 J'Raan Brooks

6' 9"
Redshirt Senior
F
Francis Nwaokorie

#35 Francis Nwaokorie

6' 7"
Junior
F
Bryce Pope

#4 Bryce Pope

6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
G
Emmanuel Tshimanga

#25 Emmanuel Tshimanga

7' 0"
Redshirt Senior
C
Hayden Gray

#10 Hayden Gray

6' 4"
Junior
G
Tyler  McGhie

#13 Tyler McGhie

6' 5"
Junior
G/F
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones

#12 Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones

6' 6"
Junior
G/F
Hayden Gray

#3 Hayden Gray

6' 4"
Senior
G
Camden McCormick

#0 Camden McCormick

6' 3"
Junior
G
Tyler  McGhie

#13 Tyler McGhie

6' 5"
Senior
G/F

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