CEDAR CITY, UTAH – The 2024-25 Men's Basketball team is prepared to make its presence known in the Western Athletic Conference. 

The team features 11 new faces and 21 players in total. 

New Faces:
Xavier Sykes
Tavi Jackson
Lorenzo Abellar
Javion Langston
Josh Jackman
Jeffrey (JT) Langston Jr
Shawn Mitchell
Langston Binns
Hercy Miller
Kai Burdick
Malik Lamin

Get To Know The Team

"We've got a lot of quality pieces, and when we figure out how to make them all fit correctly, we can be a good team." Said Head Coach Rob Jeter. 

Tavi Jackson, a 6'2 junior guard who transferred from Colorado State, will make an immediate impact in the WAC. Jackson played in the 23-24 NCAA Tournament and, during his freshman year, averaged 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals in just 20 minutes per game average. 

In high school, he averaged 26 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and four steals per game. After his senior year, he was a McDonald's All-American nominee. 

"Tavi joined us from a well-respected Mountain West Conference and was a prolific scorer in high school. He is a physical, two-way point guard," said Jeter.

Jamir Simpson will be another major impact player for the Thunderbirds. He joined SUU a season ago from Wisconsin Parkside, but he decided to redshirt last year and will certainly be a force in the Western Athletic Conference. 

"Jamir is a guy that can score at all three levels for us. He uses his size really well and will be able to take advantage of a lot of matchups for us," quoted Jeter.

Duncan Reid will be a crucial scorer off the bench for SUU. He is an intelligent player who consistently makes the correct play and shoots the ball well. Look for the redshirt freshman from Highland, Utah, to make a splash in the league this season. 

Jamari Sibley is another key returner who played substantial minutes for the Thunderbirds last season. He scored his season-high of 21 points at Tarleton State and has proven he is an impact player in the league.

Hercy Miller, a 6'2 junior guard from Los Angeles, California, played for the University of Louisville for the last two seasons and was a three-star ESPN recruit out of high school. Miller is a tenacious, athletic guard who excels at doing the small things and always goes 100%. 

A familiar face will be Dominique Ford. Now a senior, he is a proven scorer in the Western Athletic Conference. He joined the Thunderbirds from Idaho a season ago and started all 31 games for SUU. He led the team in scoring at just under 16 points per game and also won a WAC Player of the Week award after scoring 23 points in back-to-back contests.

"Dom is a high-level scorer and can shoot the basketball very well. He has a full year of our offense under his belt, and we will look to lean on him to have another impactful year with us," said Jeter.

As a freshman, Brock Felder grabbed everyone's attention a season ago with his ferocious dunks and high-flying blocks. Coach Rob Jeter wants to see his teams play offensively from the inside out, so look for Felder to be a crucial part of that process. 

Coach Jeter went into depth about some of the keys to a successful season.

"The thing about motivation is that it will only take you so far. You won't prove anybody wrong if you don't build on the motivation with toughness and discipline." Said Jeter. 

The key to this season will be to avoid a hole. Getting off to a strong start will be important in setting the tone for the year, and with their first four games being at home, it will be even more crucial. 

The Thunderbirds will open their season at home against Westminster University on October 28 at 6:30 p.m. in an exhibition game. They will then officially start their season against Western New Mexico on November 4 at 6:30 p.m. in the America First Event Center. 

Tickets

Season and single-game tickets are on sale right now! Head to tbirdtickets.com to find out more.

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Stay up to date during the 2024-25 Southern Utah Men's Basketball season by following @SUUBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Basketball page on Facebook.

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