ARLINGTON – Fort Worth native and former Arkansas guard Jordan Phillips has joined the UT Arlington's men's basketball team, helping bolster the already-stout 2019-20 Mavericks roster.
 
In accordance with NCAA transfer rules, Phillips will sit out the remainder of the 2018-19 season and the early portion of the 2019-20 campaign, but will be eligible to play as a redshirt freshman following the fall 2019 semester in mid-December.
 
The 6-7, 210-pound Phillips was ranked as the 11th-best prospect in Texas, the 37th-best shooting guard in the country and just outside the top-100 national rankings coming out of high school, according to Rivals.com.
 
"We're excited about Jordan's overall talent, size and versatility," said head coach Chris Ogden, who is in the running for Sun Belt Coach of the Year. "But more than that he just fits our program culture as a person and as a competitor."
 
Phillips spent his senior year at Grace Preparatory Academy in Arlington, being named an All-Star by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches for 6A, 5A Private Schools. He began his high school career at Cedar Hill and averaged 21 points and six rebounds per game as a junior, helping lead the Longhorns to a 29-5 record and 12th-place finish in the state.
 
This past spring and summer, Phillips played for Dallas Showtyme Elite – arguably the most successful independent AAU program in the nation – averaging 23 points, six rebounds, seven assists and three steals per contest.
 
At Arkansas, Phillips played in seven games before electing to transfer following the fall semester. In those seven contests, he totaled 10 points and was a perfect 4-4 from the free-throw line in limited minutes. He played against UTA in November, logging four minutes and scoring two points, going 2-2 from the free-throw line and grabbing a rebound.
 
Phillips improves an already-strong UTA roster in 2019-20 as the Mavs do not have a single senior on their current roster. Ogden has guided the club to a 1st-place position in the Sun Belt Conference – tied with Texas State – after being predicted to finish 2nd-to-last in the preseason poll (11th place).
 
Just over a month ago the Mavs were 4-11 overall and 0-2 in SBC play; now the team is 12-12 and 8-3, respectively. UTA looks to continue that hot play when the Mavericks head back on the road – a place they have won four of five SBC contests already this year – Thursday at Little Rock (6:30 p.m.) and Saturday at Arkansas State (4 p.m.).
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
In an effort to enhance public safety and the fan experience, for all UTA men's and women's home games this season the College Park Center will implement a clear-bag policy. All purses, containers, backpacks or anything larger than a small clutch bag are prohibited, and items must be placed in a clear tote bag not to exceed 12" x 6" x 12". For more information, fans are encouraged to visit UTAMavs.com/BasketballGameday.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
To secure tickets for upcoming games and find out about additional gameday procedures, log on to UTATickets.com. Additionally, for updates, behind-the-scenes photos, videos and more engaging and personal content, be sure to follow the men's basketball program on Twitter (@UTA_MBB) and Instagram (@UTA_Hoops).