Brandon Chambers Has Already Won Over the Valley. Now Comes the Hard Part.

Brandon Chambers hasn’t coached a regular-season game at UTRGV yet.

But in some ways, he’s already winning.

Since arriving in Edinburg, Chambers has made a noticeable effort to connect with the Rio Grande Valley. He’s been visible, approachable and intentional about getting people excited for UTRGV men’s basketball.

And it’s working.

But winning people over and winning basketball games are two very different things.

UTRGV enters the 2026-27 season coming off back-to-back winning campaigns, including a program-record 14 Southland Conference victories last year.

The expectations should be high.

And from what we’ve seen so far, this new-look roster gives us plenty of reasons to be excited.

The Vaqueros look fast, athletic and determined.

The clips coming out of the program show a team that wants to push the pace, attack and compete. It’s the kind of basketball that could make UTRGV one of the more entertaining teams to watch in the Southland.

Of course, those are highlights. We still need to see how it translates against real competition.

Only Always Wright and Luis Ramirez return from last season, while newcomers Devon Pryor (Oregon), Jace Posey (TCU), T’Johnn Brown (McNeese) and B.B. Knight (Lamar) bring intriguing talent to the roster.

The biggest question isn’t whether this team has athleticism.

It’s how quickly Chambers can turn those individual pieces into a winning basketball team.

UTRGV opens November 2 against Texas A&M-Kingsville, with tougher tests against UNLV, Dayton and Arkansas ahead.

Diamond DITV Final Word

I have high expectations for Brandon Chambers.

He’s done an excellent job connecting with the Valley, generating excitement and making people feel invested in this program.

And based on what we’ve seen from the players, this team looks like it could be a lot of fun to watch.

But excitement alone isn’t enough.

UTRGV won 14 Southland games last season. Competing for a conference championship should be the expectation, not just the hope.

Chambers has already won over plenty of people without coaching a game.

Now comes the part that matters most.

Winning basketball games.