Seven new Anteaters will take the court for UC Irvine men's basketball in the 2019-20 season. Get to know each new face before UCI tips off Friday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. against UC San Diego. 
 

	#2 Justin Hohn Fr. Guard 6-1 Sioux Falls, SD
Why did you choose UC Irvine? I chose UCI because it's a great school with a championship basketball program, along with the fact the beach is a five minute drive away.
What can fans expect to see from you this season? Fans can expect to see me excited and energetic on and off the court this season, doing all I can to help the team.
How would your teammates describe you? My teammates would most likely describe me as a funny and high energy guy. I'm a people person so it's like second nature.
What are some goals you have for yourself and the team this season?  The main goal I have for us as a team is to win the conference and make March Madness again
What is your favorite thing to do outside of basketball? Hangout with friends and go to the beach

 

	#5 Isaiah Lee Fr. Guard 6-2 Sydney, Australia
Why did you choose UC Irvine? I chose UCI because I thought it was the best fit for me and the coaching staff were really excited to get me to sign here and I already had a connection with the school as my dad played basketball here 30 or so years ago!
What can fans expect to see from you this season? The fans can expect and an up tempo PG who likes to get out in the open court and to create plays and opportunities for my teammates
How would your teammates describe you? My teammates would describe me as the Aussie kid from down under who likes to joke around a bit and is hardworking
What are some goals you have for yourself and the team this season? My goals for this season is to for fill my role on the team best I can. And for our team to win the Big West Tournament and go as far as we can in the NCAA Tournament
What is your favorite thing to do outside of basketball? Favorite thing to do outside basketball is to hang out with friends and to chill

 

	#10 Ofure Ujadughele Fr. Guard 6-3 Long Beach, Calif.
Why did you choose UC Irvine? I chose UCI because of the way I felt at home when I met all the guys. Also I knew the coaching staff had my best interest and wanted me to succeed on and off the court
What can fans expect to see from you this season? Fans can expect defense and a lot of energy from me when I am on the court.
How would your teammates describe you? My teammates would describe me as someone who is goofy and brings great vibes on and off the court
What are some goals you have for yourself and the team this season? My goal for this year is to contribute as much as I can for us to win. My goal for this team is to win the Big West Tournament and go back to the NCAA Tournament.
What is your favorite thing to do outside of basketball? My favorite thing to do outside of basketball is to hang with my friends and relax.

 

	#13 Austin Johnson Fr. Foward 6-9 Marietta, Georgia
Why did you choose UC Irvine? I chose this school because of the coaching staff and their dedication they showed in recruiting me. I had not heard much about UC Irvine's rigorous academic program being that in from Atlanta, Georgia.
What can fans expect to see from you this season? They can expect to see a high flyer who plays above the rim on defense and offense.
How would your teammates describe you? They would describe me as hardworking, funny, very southern, bouncy, great energy.
What are some goals you have for yourself and the team this season? The goal I have for myself is to help my team to the best of my abilities to get back to the March Madness tournament to make an even deeper run past the second round.
What is your favorite thing to do outside of basketball? Hang out with my teammates playing Call of Duty or NBA 2k.

 

	#15 Jeron Artest Fr. Guard 6-3 Scottsdale, Ariz.
Why did you choose UC Irvine? I chose UCI because it was one of the best fits overall for me. We have an amazing coaching staff, great team culture, and it's also everything I was looking for in a school academically. I wanted to study computer science and am highly interested in game development and UCI has a major for exactly that in computer game science
What can fans expect to see from you this season? Fans can expect to see me make huge stops and hit critical shots. Expect to see lots of intensity. Exciting defensive plays on the ball leading to fast break offense.
How would your teammates describe you? My teammates would describe me as a jack of all trades. I am very versatile and do so many different things on and off the court.
What are some goals you have for yourself and the team this season? Some of my goals include winning the Big West Championship and helping our team continue to the NCAA Tournament again. I have the chance to win some defensive and conference awards as well. If I could do that, that just helps our team even more.
What is your favorite thing to do outside of basketball? Outside of basketball I like to express my creative side. Since I do so much technical stuff involved in stem, I like to outlet my creativity by making and listening to music, dancing, and thinking about how I would go about making games or apps. Trying to be involved in some clubs around campus helps with this a lot.

 

	#25 Emmanuel Tshimanga Fr. Center 7-0 Montreal, Canada
Why did you choose UC Irvine? I chose Irvine because I knew I would be surrounded by great people that care about my well being. I've also really missed the California weather.
What can fans expect to see from you this season? They can expect whatever they want. I love to surprise people!
How would your teammates describe you? I think they would describe me as a pretty funny guy that always walks around speaking French on Facetime
What are some goals you have for yourself and the team this season? I'm a winner coming from a championship high school program so I want to win all the championships there are to win this year.
What is your favorite thing to do outside of basketball? I love to relax so I mostly just stay home and play video games or watch Netflix/Hulu. You might catch me taking a walk or two around campus sometimes though.

 

	#31Dean Keeler Fr. Forward 6-9 Westminster, Calif.
Why did you choose UC Irvine? I chose UCI for both the athletics and academics. The program is a winning program and there is a big emphasis on moving the ball to all players on the court. Everyone on the team and the coaches, including the trainers and weights staff, are 100% bought into the program. Everyone on the team has a role and makes an impact on the game. Academically, the team is very focused on school from tutors and study session to the people around the team checking in to see if we are doing well on and off the court.
What can fans expect to see from you this season? I believe fans can expect some improvement from me throughout the season with both my skills and my overall strength
How would your teammates describe you? Hardworking
What are some goals you have for yourself and the team this season? My personal goal for this season is to slowly show my impact for the team and create more minutes for myself. A goal that I believe the team can reach is winning the Big West Tournament.
What is your favorite thing to do outside of basketball? Outside of basketball and training I like to watch TV. I watch anything from animated shows to the NBA.