SMU Basketball honoring four seniors Thursday against Memphis
DALLAS (SMU) – Thursday is Senior Day for SMU Men’s Basketball, and the program will honor its senior class before its final regular-season home game, against the visiting Memphis Tigers. The Mustang seniors are Zach Nutall, Guard, from Bryan, Texas, Darius McBride, Guard, from Cedar Park, Texas, Efe Odigie, Forward, from Houston, Texas, and Franklin Agunanne, Forward from Abuja, Nigeria.
The seniors will be honored with a special pre-game ceremony, about 20 minutes before the 8 p.m. tip in Moody Coliseum. The pre-game ceremony will include a jersey presentation to each of the four seniors, who will be accompanied onto the floor by friends and family, as SMU celebrates each individual’s achievements during his career on the Hilltop. The first 150 SMU students in attendance will receive a replica SMU Men’s Basketball jersey.
In preparation for Senior Day, we spoke to each of the future graduates about their memories of being a Mustang, what the University and basketball program mean to them, and their emotions heading into the last home game.
Franklin Agunnane is the lone international member of this senior class, hailing from Abuja, Nigeria. Agunnane has played in nearly 100 collegiate games in his career on the Hilltop and at Loyola-Chicago. The 2022 American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team honoree is completing his master’s in business administration with a finance manager minor.
Agunnane said that SMU has felt like a home for him, and spoke about his pride at being able to call himself a Mustang: “Honestly, it means a lot to me. Coming here has been nothing but positive vibes, and I appreciate the people around (me), especially the SMU community. Coming down to SMU, I’ve felt more at home, especially with me being an international student. This area was one of the first places I stayed at (after coming to America), and I grew up (here), and then going to college out of state, and then coming back here, it’s something I was thinking like ‘I wish I had done that the first time.’ But, life happens, and I appreciate every moment.”
Darius McBride, is in his fourth season at SMU, and is a three-time American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team honoree. McBride is completing his degree in finance with a minor in sociology.
McBride praised both the athletic and academic excellence that is on offer at SMU: “Being a part of the basketball team and the business school has given me the opportunity to be a part of two incredible communities at SMU. The business school has taught me invaluable skills that I can use beyond my basketball career, and being a part of the basketball team has given me experiences that will stay with me for a lifetime. As I prepare to graduate, I’m proud to have been a part of this incredible institution and grateful for the relationships, support and guidance I’ve received along the way.”
Zach Nutall came to SMU following 3 successful seasons at Sam Houston State. Nutall is among the NCAA active career leaders with more than 150 games played, 1800 points, 600 rebounds, 140 steals and 270 assists. In just two seasons, Zach has moved among the SMU career leaders in three-point field goals. He is a two-time all-conference honoree and was the 2021 Southland Conference Player of the Year. Nutall is completing a degree in sociology.
“It means a lot. To get the education opportunities that I have, the opportunity to play in a great conference full of basketball, and great names, and great people, and also be around beautiful people on campus: Coaches, teachers, professors, academic advisors, athletic staff, the athletic office, just the whole university, my peers… I really just embrace the journey, the opportunity of being here, and making connections and bonds for the rest of my life, and in this next step, of leaving SMU, I look forward to just growing in them, and also in my future.”
Efe Odigie arrived on the Hilltop for his graduate season after three seasons at UTEP and one at Troy. Efe ranks among the NCAA active career leaders with more than 1,200 points and 800 rebounds in 126 collegiate games. He is also in the top 10 of the American Athletic Conference in rebounds and double-doubles. The 2022 all-conference honoree is working toward a master’s degree in liberal studies.
Odigie spoke of his determination and persistence “Having that perseverance to wake up every day and keep going… I feel like that’s what a Mustang is! That’s what it is to me.”
Senior Day promises to be an emotionally-charged night for all involved, though not everyone is fully prepared for it. Odigie said he really wasn’t sure what his feelings would be running out onto the court, but he’d be ready to compete come game time: “Man… I don’t know. I haven’t processed it yet. It’ll be nice – I’m going to love it! I’ve never had a Senior Night… I’m not really emotional, not really going to shed a tear. I’m going to be ready to play, I know that.”
McBride stated that Senior Day will be a night of mixed emotions, but also pride and gratitude for the experiences he’s had at SMU: “Running out onto Moody for potentially the last time will undoubtedly be an emotional moment for me. I’ve spent countless hours practicing and playing on this court, and it’s been the site of many incredible memories throughout my college career. While it’s bittersweet to think about potentially playing my last game here, I also feel grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of the SMU basketball program. I’ll cherish every moment of this game and try to stay focused on the present while also reflecting on the past. Regardless of the outcome, I know I’ll feel a sense of pride and gratitude for all that I’ve experienced being a part of the program.”
Agunanne opened up about his journey as an international student, and highlighted the mixture of emotions he is juggling as Senior Day approaches: “It hasn’t hit me yet. I stayed up a while last night, I was thinking about it… It just feels like yesterday I came to America. I wanted to play basketball, I wanted to go to college, get a degree, and now I’m thinking about it… and It’s really over! You know, it’s a bittersweet feeling. I’m excited because I get to move on to the next stage of my life, but at the same time it’s like playing ball in a college setting, getting to meet my teammates, my professors, people you have as helping hands… The moment it hits me (the emotions of leaving SMU Basketball), I know I’m going to take it to heart. As of now there’s like so many emotions running through my veins that I cannot comprehend exactly what is happening.”
Nutall spoke of his emotions about accomplishing his dream of playing Division I basketball, whilst also achieving things never seen before in his family: “I’ll have my Mom and Dad on my side. We started this journey (together), you know, them nurturing me, building a foundation for me my whole life. This was a dream that we started as an infant, and I’ve gotten here at the age of 23. So when I have the opportunity to walk out here (Moody Coliseum) with the jersey, and (I’m) finishing a phase and a chapter of my life in this gym, that’s what I look back on – the foundation, and where it started, and how I can just enhance it as I get older and older. A couple months after that I’ll be crossing the stage. So, I’m just trying to break generational curses and do things my family has prayed for me to do.”
Speaking of the senior class on the SMU Coaches Show this past Monday, Head Coach Rob Lanier stated he was thankful for the leadership this group had shown in a transitional year for the Mustangs: “Those guys are invested (in the program) – and I wish I had more time with them, because you see the growth… – but anytime guys are invested and, particularly so, when you’re in your first year, and you’re trying to lay the foundation for a program, and you have guys who really pour into it, there’s a level of gratitude that you feel for that. So there’s a connection that I will have with those young men, from this point forward.”
One thing that all four seniors mentioned in our discussions was a desire to not make the night just a celebration of their careers, but hopefully a celebration of a big American Athletic Conference win. McBride stated: “Overall, a win over Memphis on Senior Night would be a memorable and meaningful moment for us. Not only would it be a fitting way to celebrate the seniors and honor their contributions to the team and the program, but it would also be a testament to the hard work and resilience we’ve displayed all season. A win would go a long way, giving us a boost of confidence as we head on the road for our last conference game and into the conference tournament.”
Nutall noted that the AAC is an extremely competitive conference, but that there is a deep belief in the Mustang locker room that they can still create great success this season: “We’re just trying to stay consistent. It’s near the end, but the journey is not yet finished, and we can still write our own destiny. So the game against Memphis is going to be a big game, in this conference, everybody has beaten somebody, and we believe in ourselves to go out and beat anybody.”
Odigie hopes to leave the Mustang fans happy following the last home game of 2023, and build positive momentum for the AAC Tournament: “I would be extremely happy to go out on a good note, leave the fans with a good taste in their mouth, and build momentum going into the Conference Tournament. That would be a good moment for me. We’re optimistic; we’re not feeling sorry for ourselves. We’re feeling like we can go in and bring some noise and win some games. Although it’s four (games) in four days, we feel like we’re built for it.”
The SMU Men’s Basketball team will close the regular season slate with a trip to Cincinnati, Sunday after Senior Day, before returning to Dallas to prepare for the AAC Championship at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth March 9-12.
Editor’s Note: This is an SMU press release.
