UVU men’s basketball honors president’s husband, caps first perfect home season in D1 school history
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- UVU head coach Todd Phillips and his staff watch the action during the WAC game against Southern Utah at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, March 1, 2025. They wore special “JST” shirts to honor Jeffrey Tolk, husband to UVU president Astrid Tuminez and a supporter of Wolverine athletics, who recently died.
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- UVU graduate Cory Wells goes up for a dunk during the WAC game against Southern Utah at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, March 1, 2025.
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- UVU fans watch the action during the WAC game against Southern Utah at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, March 1, 2025.
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- UVU freshman Jackson Holcombe goes up for a dunk during the WAC game against Southern Utah at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, March 1, 2025.
Success and sadness. Celebration and tribute.
The UVU men’s basketball team sent two powerful messages during Saturday’s WAC home finale against Southern Utah at the UCCU Center in Orem.
The first was about honoring the legacy of Jeffrey Tolk, the husband of UVU president Astrid Tuminez and a long-time supporter of Wolverine athletics, who died in February.
“We went to a funeral yesterday for our president’s husband who died,” UVU head coach Todd Phillips said. “These are his initials. We talked about it as a staff and as a team about the gratefulness we have for the loved ones we have in our lives who are alive. I think that was really big for us.”
The UVU players and coaches as well as many of the fans in attendance wore special T-shirts with the initials “JST” on a picture of a climber overlooking mountains.
“They came to almost every one — if not every one — of our games,” UVU junior Dominick Nelson said. “It was important to us, and that (wearing the shirts to honor Tolk and Tuminez) was just something we just had to do. We’re grateful for them.”
Phillips explained that while what is going on in basketball is certainly a big focus, recognizing Tolk and Tuminez for all they’ve done was even more important.
“You want it to have meaning, which it does for our guys, but you don’t want it to be that somber,” Phillips said. “I thought our guys represented for President (Tuminez) really well. Jeffrey was at every game and really supported us. He was a great supporter of mine throughout my career here. Getting to wear these shirts and to represent was really special for all of us.”
The second message was sent on the basketball court as the Wolverines dismantled a tired, banged-up Thunderbird team and rolled to the 100-59 win, securing a perfect 12-0 season at home for the first time as a Division I program.
“I was really happy how we came out to start the game,” Phillips said. “I think that mindset was big. As a coach, you’re trying to figure out what strings to pull. For me, we’re playing tournament basketball right now. Every game counts for us to try to win the league.
“I challenged the guys today to come out with great energy. You think that’s easy at home sometimes, but sometimes you get comfortable a little bit. I was really proud of how hard they came out and played.”
Nelson said that protecting “The Den” (as the UCCU Center is called) was something that was highlighted from before the season started.
“Coach Phillips, even before the season even started, he was saying that we don’t lose at home,” Nelson said. “That’s been a big thing for him the whole season. Being able to do that at the highest level, not losing any games, was very important.
“We knew we could be able to get this win. We’ve been playing as a team, playing good all season, so it just felt good, especially to win how we won today. It was a good feeling.”
Phillips said that seeing the Wolverines — many of whom were newcomers to Orem this year — go out and play so well at home was a rewarding experience.
“That’s culture,” Phillips said “That makes us feel like, as coaches, we’re doing something right to build that culture, especially when you bring a bunch of new guys in to help them understand what it’s about.”
He talked about how UVU has athletes from all over the country (Nelson is from Miami, Florida) who had to buy in to making Orem a tough place to play.
“This is one of those simple goals,” Phillips said. “Let’s be the best we can be at home. We have an advantage playing at altitude when teams come here to play, but I’m really proud how they’ve come together all year.”
A crowd of nearly 3,500 showed up to support the Wolverines in their final home game of the year, which both Nelson and Phillips said was a big deal.
“We had a great crowd,” Phillips said. “It might have been the biggest one of the year, which is hard sometimes late in the year. We were just excited for that.”
UVU put on a show for the crowd with a number of monster dunks, including a huge throwdown by graduate Cory Wells.
“That was nasty,” Nelson said with a grin. “That’s a SportsCenter highlight right there.”
The Wolverines seized control early and just kept pulling away, leading by 30 points or more for much of the game.
UVU was led by 17 points apiece from Nelson and sophomore Tanner Toolson, while the Wolverine bench tallied nearly half of the team’s total points (49).
SUU was led by 11 points from forward Brock Felder, while former Skyridge star Duncan Reid played 12 minutes for the Thunderbirds but didn’t score.
It was the final home game of the year for UVU but the team didn’t have any players honored, since all of the athletes have eligibility remaining and thus could return for 2025-26.
The Wolverines (21-7, 13-1) now head on the road to close out the year, starting with a trip to Abilene Christian on March 6 before taking on Tarleton State on March 8.
