The University of the Southwest Men's Basketball Team is set to kick off the 2021-2022 season on the road at Northern New Mexico College tonight at 7:00 PM MST. This season hopes to be a little different following a difficult 2021 Spring season that saw the Mustangs have to relocate to East Texas to play their season due to Covid restrictions in the state of New Mexico. Last season was a challenging one on and off the court and saw the Mustangs turn in an (0-14) overall record and (0-8) conference record. This season brings new hope however, there is a ton of new talent that has joined the program and is led by a new Head Coach in James Voight.
 
Coach Voight is optimistic as to what the new season will hold for the Mustangs saying in regards to his expectations "Our goal is to compete and win our side of the conference this season and make the RRAC Tournament for the possibility to earn a National Tournament berth."
 
The Mustangs don't return a lot from the team a year ago but some key returners are seniors Derrick Hall and Tae Brown. Hall comes off a year where he averaged 4.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.4 APG and is the leader on the court and shows off a high basketball IQ. Brown averaged 9.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2 APG, 1.1 SPG, and shot 49% from the field last year. He is an athletic wing that can rebound and defend.
 
The team has a host of newcomers that are expected to play a big role for the team. Jeremiah Toney is a senior transfer from NCAA Division II Henderson State where he averaged 9.4 PPG and 6.1 RPG last year. He is a very athletic forward and can play inside and out. Brandon Meadows is a senior transfer from NCAA Division II Eastern New Mexico where he averaged 6.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and shot 46% from three. He is a do it all type guard that should help in many facets. Alvin Thompson is another senior transfer from NCAA Division II Ft. Hays State where he averaged 9.1 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 1.7 APG last year. He is another versatile guard who can score at all 3 levels, plays on both sides of the ball, and is developing as a leader. Marvin Lowe is another senior transfer from NAIA Mid-America Christian University where he averaged 6 PPG and 3.4 RPG while shooting 57% from the field. He is a skilled forward that can play inside and stretch the floor, and also has a good handle. Ty Majlik-Autry is a junior transfer from NAIA William Penn University, who went 25-2 last year, where he averaged 3.8 PPG and 3.6 RPG last year. He is a versatile wing who can do a little bit of everything on the court, has a good basketball IQ, and can play multiple positions.
 
As far as overall thoughts heading into the season Coach Voight said "We feel like we have a very talented group this season. We have a long way to go and we feel we have a lot of room to grow. With the number of new transfers we have we know it's going to be a process and that we will look a lot different by conference time than we will at the start of the season. ​"
 
The Mustangs start the season with their first 13 contests on the road this year. They won't take the floor in Jack & Mabel Maddox Student Life Center until December 11^th. They hope to be hitting their stride by then and to bounce back from a tough season a year ago.