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EDINBURG, Texas – The University of Texas-Pan American Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Wednesday that nine former Broncs basketball players are headlining the team of UTPA All-Stars facing off against the Texas Legends Cowboys Stars to raise money for the UTPA Athletics scholarship fund on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at the UTPA Fieldhouse.
 
Tickets, which are still available, start at $10 and can be purchased now online by clicking here or by calling the UTPA athletics office at (956) 665-2221.
 
The former Broncs taking part include five current local high schools coaches.
 




Name                         Years at UTPA      Since Graduating
Gabe Valdez             1987-91                  Weslaco High School head coach
Jesse Contreras       1989-90                  449^th District Court Judge
Romeo de la Garza  1991-93                 Mission Veterans Memorial High School head coach
Brian Molina              1995-97                 Harlingen South High School head coach
Lalo Rios                   1995-99                  Edinburg Economedes High School head coach
Matt Palmquist          1996-00                 Weslaco High School teacher
John Braxton             1998-01                 Doctor of Physical Therapy
Kevin Mitchell            2001-03                 Played professionally in South Korea, Italy and Mexico
Eric Montalvo            2001-05                 Juarez-Lincoln High School head coach
 
Valdez is the Broncs' all-time leader in free throw shooting percentage. He also earned All-American South Conference Third Team honors as a senior. For his career, Valdez averaged 9.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steals in 103 games while shooting .476 from the field, .468 from behind the arc and .852 from the foul line. He averaged a career-high 16.2 points and 3.0 rebounds as a senior. As a junior, he averaged a career-high 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals to go with a .567 shooting percentage, including .500 from behind the arc.
 
During his lone season with the Broncs, Judge Contreras played in 15 games, hitting 7-of-21 shots and 12-of-22 from the foul line to score 26 points. He also had 27 rebounds, six assists and two blocks.
 
De la Garza was part of the inaugural Academic All-Sun Belt Conference team during the 1991-92 season. On the court, de la Garza averaged 2.6 points and 1.7 assists while shooting .388 from the field, .387 from behind the arc and .759 from the foul line in 39 games.
 
In two seasons with the Broncs, Molina played in 39 games, scoring 35 points on 9-of-35 shooting, all of which came from behind the arc, with 14 rebounds, five assists and four steals.
 
Nobody in program history has played more minutes than Rios, who ranks first all-time in steals, second in three-pointers made and fifth in assists. For his career, Rios averaged 8.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.1 steals while shooting .341 from the field. Off the court, Rios was a member of the 1997-98 Academic All-Sun Belt Conference team.
 
Palmquist ranks third in UTPA history in career blocked shots. During his four-year career, Palmquist averaged 6.0 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting .546 from the field and racking up 73 assists, 70 blocks and 70 steals in 108 games. He averaged a career-high 8.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game as a junior.
 
Dr. Braxton ranks sixth all-time in program history in three-pointers made, fifth in three-pointers attempted and seventh in minutes played. During his three-year career, Braxton averaged 10.1 points per game, including a career-high 10.5 as a senior. He also averaged 4.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting .385 from the field, .344 from behind the arc and .723 from the foul line.

Mitchell was one of the best three-point shooters in Broncs history and ranks fifth all-time in three-point shooting percentage and sixth in three-pointers made. As a senior, he earned All-Independent First Team, NCAA Division I I-AAA Athletic Director's Association Scholar and Verizon Academic All-District VI honors. Mitchell also earned the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar award. That season, he averaged a career-high 14.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. As a junior, Mitchell was part of the All-Independent Second Team and the San Juan Shootout All-Tournament Team. He was also honored as the UTPA Co-Male Newcomer of the Year after averaging 8.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. For his career, Mitchell averaged 11.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.7 steals while shooting .391 from the field, .382 from behind the arc and .756 from the foul line. Mitchell went on to play professionally for Anyang KGC (South Korea), Naples (Italy), Bravos (Mexico) and Anyang KT&G Kites (South Korea).
 
Montalvo was the UTPA Co-Male Student-Athlete of the Year for 2004-05, while also earning All-Independent Honorable Mention and making the Academic All-Independent Team. He averaged 8.1 points to go with a career-high 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists that season. The previous year, Montalvo won the Citizenship Through Sports Alliance Sportsmanship Award. He averaged a career-high 9.1 points per game a sophomore. For his career, Montalvo averaged 6.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting .368 from the field.
 
Joining them on the roster are:
UTPA
President Dr. Robert Nelsen
Director of Athletics Chris King
Men's basketball assistant coach Tim Anderson
Women's basketball assistant coach Latoya Howell
 
Community Leaders
Gilbert Enriquez, UTPA alum, Executive Vice President of Enriquez Enterprises, Former Edinburg School Board Trustee
Gus Garcia, Edinburg City Council
Elias Longoria, Edinburg City Council
Homer Jasso, Edinburg City Council
John Ingram, Commissioner (District 5), McAllen City Commission
Shu Muthyala, former professional basketball player in India, Executive Vice President of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers
 
Edinburg Police Department
K-9 Officer Hector Beltran
Officer Juan Villarreal
Office Jaime Urias
Officer Noe Ponce
 
Edinburg Fire Department
Ruben Lopez
Rogelio Cazares
Edgar Rios
Roland Mendoza
 
The head coach of the UTPA All-Stars is UTPA women's basketball head coach Denny Downing.
 
The UTPA All-Stars will be facing a team that is scheduled to include seven current members of the Texas Legends Cowboys Stars, including running back Demarco Murray, who led the team in rushes (164), rushing yards (897), average rushing yards (5.5 per carry) and rushing touchdowns (2).
 
Murray is scheduled to be joined by quarterback Stephen McGee, who played all but one series in Week 16, completing 24-of-38 passes for 182 yards and one touchdown.
 
Others scheduled to participate include running back Phillip Tanner, who rushed for 76 yards and one touchdown, tight end John Phillips, who caught 15 passes for 101 yards and one touchdown, offensive tackle Tyron Smith, who recorded two tackles and Jesse Holley, who caught seven passes for 169 yards as a wide receiver, and had one punt return and seven tackles as well. Teddy Williams, who has not seen any action during the regular season but has been on either the active roster or the practice squad at various times since 2010 and was an All-American in track at UTSA, rounds out the roster.
 
The game will consist of four quarters of eight minutes each. Doors open at 12:30 p.m.
 
Tony Hill will serve as the in-arena announcer. A three-time Pro Bowler, Hill ranks second in team history with 7,988 receiving yards during a career that lasted from 1977 through 1986 while playing under Mission-native and hall of fame head coach Tom Landry.
 
Fans will have the opportunity to win autographed memorabilia, including footballs, helmets and t-shirts, which will be raffled off throughout the game.
 
The University of Texas-Pan American Department of Intercollegiate Athletics competes at the NCAA Division I classification. UTPA, formerly known as Pan American College and Pan American University, is a part of the University of Texas System of Schools. The Broncs compete in 14 varsity sports; men's and women's basketball, golf, tennis, track and field, and cross country, along with women's volleyball and men's baseball. In 1963, then known as Pan American College, the Broncs men's basketball program won the NAIA National Championship with a 73-62 victory over Western Carolina. In 2008, UTPA joined the new all-sports division of the Great West Conference.