Bobcats add five new signees to team roster
Texas State men’s basketball head coach Terrence Johnson announced the addition of five to the roster for the 2023-24 season.
Three of the newcomers are Division I transfers along with one junior college transfer who has multiple years of D1 experience.
Joining the Bobcats are Coleton Benson, Ryan Bolton, Chris Nix, Josh O’Garro and Christian Turner.
The new signees join Kaden Gumbs, Dontae Horne and Elijah Tate, who all signed back in November.
With the total 2023 signing class coming out to eight players, Johnson is thrilled in what is seemingly a new chapter in the basketball program.
“We’re excited about this new era of Bobcat Basketball,” Johnson said. “We have a number of new guys that bring a wealth of experience and a diversified skill set.”
Coleton Benson
Benson arrives in San Marcos after playing last season at Army West Point and will have three years of eligibility remaining.
The Austin native averaged 11.6 ppg on 43.6% shooting. He knocked down 71-of-194 (37.1%) three-pointers and was 74-of-91 (81.3%) at the free throw line as well.
He recorded 20 double- digit scoring games for the Black Knights and surpassed 20 points five times including a season- high 24 at Colgate in the Patriot League semifinals.
Along with his scoring prowess, Benson averaged 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while also being credited with 18 steals. Benson prepped at James Bowie High School where he was coached by former Bobcat head coach and player Celester Collier. As a senior, he put up 23.6 ppg as a senior and set the school’s all-time scoring record.
Ryan Bolton
Bolton is a true freshman out of Waller, Texas.
He graduated from Legacy School of Sport Sciences where he helped lead the team to a CIBA Tournament title.
The future Bobcats was also an All-CIBA Second Team selection this past season.
Chris Nix
Nix played the past two seasons at UT Martin where he played in 61 games and made 53 starts.
The big man averaged 6.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest in his time with the Skyhawks.
He made 54.0% of his shot attempts and totaled 54 blocks and 32 steals.
The Bellevue, Tennessee native played two seasons at Columbia State Community College in Columbia, Tennessee where he was a back-to-back all-conference selection.
His sophomore campaign saw him average team-highs of 11.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 61.7% from the field.
That came after putting up 8.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 2.1 bpg as a freshman.
Nix prepped at Hillwood High School, where he was named the District 12-AAA Player of the Year and All-Midstate Second Team in 2017-18.
During his senior season, he averaged 19 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three blocks per game.
Josh O’Garro
O’Garro is coming off a season in which he led Colby Community College in scoring at 20.1 ppg while shooting 48.5% (225-of-464) from the field.
He also made 72.9% of his free throw attempts and knocked down 29 three-pointers.
The soon to be Bobcat also averaged 6.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.9 steals per contest.
The 2021-22 season saw O’Garro play in 23 games off the bench at San Jose State.
He twice scored in double- figures with a season- high 11 points coming on a 4-for-7 night form the field while also grabbing four rebounds in 15 minutes at Texas.
He would also net 10 points in 10 minutes against Colorado State.
O’Garro began his collegiate career at Oklahoma in the 2020-21 campaign. He made two appearances with his collegiate debuting coming against Houston Christian.
Coming out of Santa Clarita Christian High School, O’Garro was a four-start prospect according to 247Sports.
The 2019-20 season saw him average 17.6 ppg 5.2 rpg, 3.4 apg and 2.4 spg. That season saw him be named to the California Division 2 All-State First Team and All-CIF Southern Section First Team.
As a sophomore, O’Garro scored 13.2 ppg to go along with 3.5 rpg and 1.6 spg on his way to being an All-CIF Section Second Team and All-Heritage League Second Team selection. Christian Turner Turner comes to San Marcos after playing the last three years at fellow Sun Belt Conference member Troy but has two years of eligibility remaining.
In his three years with the Trojans, he played in 92 games and made 25 starts while recording 3.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
This past season saw him contribute 5.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 1.1 apg while adding 31 steals and 11 blocks in as he played in all 33 games and made 25 starts.
He made 63-of-136 (46.3%) field goal attempts and knocked down 13 three-pointers.
A native of Grand Prairie, Texas, he graduated from South Grand Prairie High School where he played for head coach Brandon Bennett.
Turner was named the 2019 District 7-6A Defensive Player of the Year while averaging 14.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest.
He was named the District 7-6A Sophomore of the Year and was a TABC 6A All-Region Team selection.
