RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Saturday that freshman men's basketball forward Jamal Gaines is the 2020 recipient of the Sam Williams Endowed Scholarship, which is given to a current member of the men's basketball team based on academic, athletic and civic merit. 
 
Gaines has previously been recognized academically as part of the 2019 Fall Athletic Director's Honor Roll.
 
"Jamal epitomizes what we talk about when we describe a Vaqueros basketball player," UTRGV head coach Lew Hill said. "He's selfless. He does a good job in the class room. He comes out and works hard every day. He's somebody that does everything. He's active in the community and I think he's probably the most popular player on campus. He's a beautiful young man who's continuously getting better on and off the court."
 
The Sam Williams Endowed Scholarship was established in 2005. The income generated annually from the endowment is used to fund the scholarship. 
 
"All the ball players decided to do something for Coach Williams because of the respect we had for him," 2007 Hall of Famer and 2011 Hall of Honor recipient Jim Board said. "He always treated us as equals. We felt as a team that we needed to do something for him. We are very proud to have established an endowed scholarship in his name forever and he was as well."

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