Texas Border Business
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Men’s Basketball Head Coach Matt Figger kicked off the spring signing period with the additions of 6-5 guard Sherman Brashear, a Western Kentucky transfer, 6-7 guard/forward C.J. Jackson, who previously played at UMass, and 6-10 forward Dima Zdor, a Grand Canyon transfer who also previously played at Weber State, for the 2022-23 season.
“I’m excited about adding three guys that have all played Division I basketball,” Figger said. “They know what it’s like and their experience will be invaluable for our team.”
Brashear comes to UTRGV with three seasons of eligibility remaining after averaging 3.7 points on 39.4% shooting and 1.5 rebounds in 23 games (three starts) while averaging 10.0 minutes per game. Brashear reached double-figures in scoring three times, including a career-high 20 points with six rebounds, two assists and one steals against Rhodes on Nov. 30. He followed that up by starting against Eastern Kentucky, scoring 13 points with seven rebounds and two steals. He also scored 18 points while draining a career-high four 3-pointers against Alabama A&M on Nov. 24.
Brashear started his collegiate career at Panola in 2020-21, averaging 11.0 points and 6.2 rebounds while shooting 36.4% from behind the arc. He scored a season-high 24 points against Lamar State College, making six 3-pointers. Brashear was named MVP of the JA48 junior college event in June 2021 after averaging 23 points per game and shooting 47.6% from long range.
Originally from Rockwall, Brashear earned 11-6A First Team All-District honors as a senior at Rockwall High School.
“Sherman is a fierce competitor and a very good perimeter shooter,” Figger said. “He’s a competitor who has significant experience in both Conference USA and junior college. We’re looking for him to improve our perimeter shooting and our toughness on the perimeter.”
Jackson comes to UTRGV from Georgia Highlands College with two seasons of eligibility remaining. This past season, Jackson averaged 13.6 points, 4.3 rebound and 1.3 steals while shooting 50% from the field and 33.6% from behind the arc in 32 games (nine starts).
Jackson played the 2020-21 season at Florida Southwestern Junior College, averaging 5.3 points and 1.9 while shooting 45.2% from the field in 22 games (three starts).
As a freshman in 2019-20, Jackson saw action in 15 games (one start) for UMass. His best game was against Maine on Dec. 20, when he scored a career-high 10 points with a career-high three steals in a career-high 24 minutes.
Jackson played a prep season at Athens Prep in 2018-19, scoring 23 points with eight rebounds against Saint Louis Christian to earn game MVP honors and dropping 24 points on Hamilton Heights.
Originally from Atlanta, Jackson averaged over 15 points and more than four rebounds per game as a senior at Greenforest High School in Decatur, Ga. in 2017-18. He recorded six 20-plus point games with four double-doubles that year.
“He’s kind of a utility player on the perimeter,” Figger said. “He’s a long, athletic guy who can play multiple positions. C.J. should help us with experience and perimeter depth and be able to guard multiple guys on the floor. Between him and Sherman, we’re adding a lot of length on the perimeter.”
Zdor comes to UTRGV for his final season after playing his last two seasons at Western Athletic Conference (WAC) opponent Grand Canyon and the previous two at Weber State.
This past season, Zdor averaged 2.4 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 55.6% from the floor in 28 games (two starts) and averaging 11.4 minutes per game. He scored a season-high 10 points against Chicago State in the WAC opener and grabbed 11 rebounds (10 offensive) in an early season game against Life Pacific.
Zdor saw action in 13 games in 2020-21, averaging 4.6 minutes per game. His best game came on Dec. 1 when he scored seven points with seven rebounds in 12 minutes against Mississippi Valley State.
As a sophomore at Weber State in 2019-20, Zdor finished sixth in the Big Sky Conference with 31 blocks. For the season, Zdor averaged 3.9 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 52.2% from the field in 28 games (seven starts). He recorded a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds in 18 minutes against Bethesda on Dec. 17 and grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds in 25 minutes against Portland State on Feb. 29. Zdor also posted four blocks twice.
As a freshman in 2018-19, Zdor averaged 2.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 5.6 minutes while blocking 11 shots in 28 games (two starts). He reached double-figures in scoring twice, including 12 points against Idaho at the end of the season.
Zdor was a three-star recruit out of Saint James School in Hagerstown, Maryland. As a senior in 2017-18, he averaged 14 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots per game to lead his team to a state title.
Originally from Yalta, which is part of Crimea, Ukraine, Zdor moved to Lithuania for basketball at age 13 before moving to the United States for high school basketball, attending schools in Virginia, Florida, and Maryland.
Zdor’s story as it relates to Ukraine was featured in theArizona Republic on Feb. 25 and on GCULopes.com on March 2.
“Dima has played in winning programs at Weber State and Grand Canyon. He and Sherman have both been a part of winning programs, so they understand what winning looks like,” Figger said. “Dima is an ultimate competitor. I recruited him to Austin Peay out of high school. With our style of play, he’ll be able to run the floor. He’s got a quick first step. He’ll be able to score baskets in transition and score on the perimeter.”
Brashear, Jackson and Zdor join 6-0 guard Adante Holiman and 6-7 forward Isaiah Barganier as part of the 2022-23 recruiting class.
