LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego men's basketball head coach
Eric Olen has announced the addition of six more newcomers who will join the Tritons' roster for the 2024-25 season: five transfers and one first-year scholar-athlete.
Chris Howell (Saint Mary's),
Nordin Kapic (Lynn),
Maximo Milovich (Biola),
Justin Rochelin (Oregon State), and
Milos Vicentic (McKendree) will transfer to UC San Diego.
Christopher Cox (Salt Lake City, Utah) will join the roster as a freshman.
"We are thrilled about the new additions to our roster and believe they will be an excellent complement to our returning players," Olen said. "This group will not only be a lot of fun for Triton fans to watch on the court but also be terrific representatives of our program off the floor. Our staff did a great job in the recruiting process in identifying unselfish and hard-working individuals who fit our style of play, as well as sharing a strong commitment to winning."
In their final year of an NCAA-mandated four-year reclassification to Division I, UC San Diego posted 20 wins in 2023-24, finishing second in The Big West and earning the second seed in the Ro College Basketball Invitational. Beginning this year, the Tritons are eligible to compete in both The Big West championship and the NCAA tournament.
Season tickets are available online by
clicking here, by calling (858) 534-1430, or by visiting the Triton Box Office, now located in the Price Center on the UC San Diego campus, between 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, e-mail the box office at
triton-tix@ucsd.edu.
CHRISTOPHER COX
6-8 Wing, Fr.
Salt Lake City, Utah
Cottonwood HS
Two-time Region 7 MVP ... Prep Hoops Utah Player of the Year, Class of 2024 ... 5a First Team All-State and 4a First Team All-State ... McDonald's All-American nominee ... Posted a 3.8 grade point average, earning Honor Roll achievement every semester.
CHRIS HOWELL
6-6 Guard, R-Jr.
San Diego, Calif.
Torrey Pines HS
Saint Mary's College
At Saint Mary's: Appeared in 58 games ... Pulled down a career-best five rebounds in the season opener against Stanislaus State (Nov. 6) ... Set a career-high with eight points against Santa Clara (Jan. 31), then surpassed it with nine points at Pepperdine (Feb. 29) ... Named First Team WCC All-Academic.
High School: During his senior season, helped the Falcons go 30-1, win the CIF San Diego Open Division Championship, and finish runner-up in the CIF Southern California Open Division ... Named 2021 CIF San Diego Section Player of the Year and All-Coastal League Player of the Year ... Listed as a four-star recruit by Verbal Commits, 16th best recruit in California by ESPN, and 54th best point guard recruit in the nation by 247sports.com ... Averaged 13.1 points, 5.3 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 steals, and 1.2 blocks as a senior ... As a junior, Howell averaged 10.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists and was named the San Diego County Defensive Player of the Year.
NORDIN KAPIC
6-8 Forward, Jr.
Vienna, Austria
Lynn University
At Lynn: Selected to D2CCA All-South Region Second Team ... First Team All-Sunshine State Conference honoree ... Appeared in 52 gamed (51 starts) … Second in the Sunshine State Conference in scoring (19.3) and fourth in points (520) … Fifth in the league in rebounding (9.2) as a sophomore … Eighth in the SSC with 85 offensive rebounds … Eighth in the league in FG% (50.1) and FGs (172) … Finished 138-of-182 (75.8%) at the FT line … Added 38 three-pointers, 57 assists, 29 steals and 26 blocks … Posted nine double-doubles … Scored 10 or more points in 24 games and 20 or more points in 14 games … Scored 42 points against Tampa on 12/30/23, the second highest single-game total in Lynn University program history ... Named Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year and selected to All-Newcomer Team ... Paced the SSC in rebounding (10.4) as a freshman.
Prior to Lynn: Played for the U20 Austrian National Team … Two-time Austrian Championship winner … Five-time Regional and six-time Vienniesse Championship winner … Three-time MVP.
MAXIMO MILOVICH
6-8 Forward, Gr.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Biola University
At Biola: Two-time All-PacWest Third Team selection ... Scored a season-high 24 points in a win over Hawai'i-Hilo in the PacWest tournament junior year ... Posted a double-double in his second career start with 15 points and 11 rebounds sophomore year ... Reached double figures in rebounds for three-straight games, while logging at least eight rebounds in 13 games in his second season ... Academic All-PacWest.
High School: Graduated with honors from Colegio Carmen Arriola de Marín in 2020 ... Part of a championship team at the U15 FIBA South American Cup in 2016 ... Led Argentina in rebounds during two games at the 2018 FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup and averaged 6.7 points, 5.9 boards and 1.3 assists during the tournament ... A regular contributor to the Argentinian U16 and U18 National Team ... Also played soccer.
JUSTIN ROCHELIN
6-5, Guard, R-Jr.
Encino, Calif.
Heritage Christian School
Oregon State University
At Oregon State: Played in 37 games ... Made his first career start at Colorado (1/20) ... Scored a career-high nine points in a win over Green Bay.
High School: Attended Heritage Christian School in Northridge, Calif. ... Was a consensus three-star prospect ... 247Sports.com ranked him the 51st best small forward in the country and the 29th best player at that position in California.
MILOS VICENTIC
6-7 Forward, Gr.
Belgrade, Serbia
OKK Belgrade
McKendree University
At McKendree: Four-time Academic All-Great Lakes Valley Conference honoree ... Scored 41 points in a triple overtime win over Illinois-Springfield (Feb. 10) ... Scored 1,226 career points at McKendree ... Second Team All-GLVC as a junior ... Selected to the Division II Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team in 2023 ... GLVC Tournament MVP junior year.
These six newcomers will join guard
Ryder Elisaldez, who committed during the early signing period in the fall, to comprise a strong group of new Tritons.
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 Conference 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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
