SAN MARCOS, Texas - Head Coach Terrence Johnson announced several additions and staff changes, welcoming Vince Walden as Assistant Coach and former Bobcat great and all-time leading scorer Nijal Pearson as Coordinator for Player Personnel and Strategy. Gedi Juozapaitis joins as Director of Video and Analytics.

Coach Walden joins the Bobcats with over 20 years of experience in college basketball in player development and recruiting.

Most recently, Walden spent the 2025-26 season at LSU as an assistant coach after spending a six-year stint at Texas A&M as an assistant coach and director of operations. Walden was instrumental in helping Texas A&M advance to the championship game of the 2022 NIT and three straight NCAA Tournament berths in 2023-2025. The Aggies advanced to the round of 32 in 2024 and 2025.

He joined the Aggies after two seasons as assistant coach with the Red Wolves of Arkansas State. Prior to his time in Jonesboro, Walden served as head coach of the national team at IMG Academy twice, first from 2006-12, and again from 2015-17, where he compiled an all-time record of 201-68 with the Ascenders. Walden was a 2017 Naismith Trophy High School Boys Coach of the Year Finalist, leading IMG Academy to a 26-2 record in 2016-17 and secured the national No. 1 ranking in the Max Preps poll that same season.

After his first stint at IMG Academy in 2006-12, Walden spent three seasons at Liberty University and was a pivotal part of Liberty's 2013 Big South Tournament Championship run and NCAA Tournament appearance.

"I'm incredibly thankful to Coach Johnson for the opportunity to join his staff. Throughout this process, what stood out to me was his vision, his commitment to his players and the culture he has established at Texas State. I believe coaching is about much more than basketball. This game is about relationships, development and preparing young men for life. These tenants precede winning. I'm excited to pour into our players, add value to Coach Johnson and our staff, and help position Texas State to compete for championships as we begin this new chapter in the Pac-12."

The Suffolk, Virginia native attended Longwood University and graduated with a degree in social work, where he was also a four-year letterman in basketball (1994-98) and three-year team captain.

Nijal Pearson joins the staff after six seasons oversees playing professional basketball, competing in France, Finland, Germany, Romania, Poland, and Israel for six different teams from 2020-2026. Pearson was longest tenured for the Rostock Seawolves (Germany) for three seasons (2021-23, 2024-25).

Prior to his professional career, Pearson holds the throne as the all-time leading scorer in Texas State men's basketball history when he competed from 2016-2020, playing three complete seasons before his senior season ended prematurely due to COVID-19. The 2019-2020 Lou Henson All-American and 2020 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year recipient marks his name in the top-10 of the program's history in five categories: 2,122 career points (No. 1), 16.0 points per game (No. 9), 739 career rebounds (No. 9), 292 career assists (No. 6), and 177 career steals (No. 3).

The Beaumont, Texas native will join the staff of head coach Terrence Johnson, who served as an assistant coach throughout Pearson's Bobcat career and played a key role in his development.

"I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity to come back home to Texas State. This university helped mold me into the man I am today, and I've always taken great pride in representing Texas State as an alumnus. I look forward to passing down the knowledge and experiences I've gained throughout my collegiate and professional career to our student-athletes and helping move this program forward."

Pearson graduated from Texas State in 2020 with a degree in business management.

Gedi Juozapaitis joins the staff as Director of Video and Analytics following a two-year graduate assistant stint with the LSU Tigers. Born in Lithuania and raised in London, England, Gedi brings a diverse background of collegiate, professional and international basketball experience to the program.

As a player, Gedi led the country in three-pointers made during his sophomore season at Flagler College before making Division I stops at Georgia Southern and the University of Maine. He went on to play professionally for Yambol in Bulgaria's top division and the Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League, where he won a national championship.

"I'm extremely grateful and excited to join Texas State this season in the beautiful San Marcos. I want to thank Coach TJ and the staff for the opportunity to be a part of this program as we head into the new conference looking to achieve big things."

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