Six to join Lady Broncs next season

EDINBURG — University of Texas-Pan American women’s basketball coach Denny Downing was hired too late in the summer for any substantial recruiting, which may have hurt the Lady Broncs this season.

But he is determined to make up for it. This past week the Lady Broncs signed six new players for the 2010-11 team. All players are expected to contribute right away. Downing says UTPA can sometimes draw the players that want playing time early.

“Our staff did a tremendous job,” Downing said. “I was really pleased with how good of a job we did in getting the type of players we got.”

Two of the six are seniors in high school — Laquita Garner (Chicago) and Sydney Lewis (Tucson, Ariz.). Garner’s team, Whitney Young, won an Illinois state championship in 2008. Lewis’ team, Canyon Del Oro High School, was 26-1 in 2008-09.

The rest are junior college transfers.

>> Erin Lewis averaged 6.0 points and 4.0 assists last season for Collin Community College.

>> Donna Jackson was an all-conference player for Collin County last year.

>> Adanna Opara had a solid freshman campaign at San Jacinto College, averaging 13.0 points and 12.0 rebounds in 2008-09.

>> Ashley Watson is also from San Jacinto and led the team last year with 34 blocks.

Downing said the team still has two more scholarships to fill and is projecting to have next year’s team set by mid-January.

SIGNING DAY

UTPA baseball coach Manny Mantrana continues to build what he hopes will be a competitive team in the future.

Last week, the Broncs signed Michael Denis, Jonathan Delgado and Michael Zouzalik to join the team for the 2011 season. Zouzalik, a junior college transfer from Cisco Junior College in Abilene and Delgado, a transfer from Blinn College, are pitchers. Denis will arrive from Archbishop Carroll High School in Miami as a shortstop.

HONORABLE

UTPA volleyball setter Rita Gonzalez was named to the Great West Conference All-Newcomer team. She was one of seven selected by the conference’s coaches.

She led the Lady Broncs with 404 assists and was second on the team with 178 digs.

WRONG HISTORY

The UTPA’s men’s basketball team allowed 100 points Sunday for the first time since it lost 103-50 to Texas Tech in 2005. Missouri beat UTPA 100-44 on Sunday in Columbia, Mo.

Peter Rasmussen covers UTPA athletics for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4448 or via e-mail at prasmussen@themonitor.com.