DEN

Miners => Den => Topic started by: Chanson on March 29, 2022, 09:25:58 AM

Title: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on March 29, 2022, 09:25:58 AM

I'm starting this thread to list the comings/goings of the 2022/2023 roster.
Going:
Hollins- only had 1yr of eligibility.
Jamal Bieniemy. He built some good things here & I'm proud of him. I hope he represents his school well. I have a feeling Kennedy will be looking for a bigger opportunity at a Cartel school. We shall see. Anyway, we are down a productive PG. I'm sure Golding has prepared & being aggressive to find his replacement.
Coming:
Evans- 4☆ 6'5" SG
Dos Angos- 2☆ 6'7" SF
Hamilton- 2☆ 6'10" C

From the way Golding is recruiting & the way he plays, he doesn't have much use for a true PF. He is depending on length & speed. I'm also guessing he'll make room for good players. Maring, White, Giffa, & a few others may need to give up those schollies.
Also, lots of talk about getting the Newton brother's back to El Paso on Kappy's show. I'm not sure if it's just a pipe dream, but if Golding can pull that off, I would have to say he is just as good at recruiting as Terry was & we already know he is a better coach.
Let's see what Golding has in store for us.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on March 30, 2022, 07:37:04 PM

Cam appeared to have the ability to bring the ball up without turning it over, which was an upgrade over Giffa.  But a serious downgrade from JB.  Gotta bring in an experienced PG from JC or transfer

Hope Evans can shoot lights out and can create.

Sure wish we could pick up something better than a 2 star big.  As much as I like Z and Sibley's upside, I feel like the paint is still weak for us.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on March 30, 2022, 11:17:17 PM

Agree. I also think Golding needs to let Onyema & Kalu loose on the floor. I think we will be OK with those 3. The most important is the PG position. No one on our team should Start that position. We need 2 PG JUCO's.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on March 31, 2022, 01:38:33 PM

I was looking at some of the kids Golding has made offers to. He is looking at quick, ball handling scorers.
Golding got in trouble with the last 2 losses. The only kid who stepped up to score was Boum. He had no one else in those moments. JB & Kennedy were MIA on offense in the last 5min of each game.
In other words, he places more value in protecting the perimeter than the paint. I think it's smart. Playing a superior interior team can be fouled. A team can't afford to have high fouks on shooters. He's playing the odds.
Me like-ee.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on March 31, 2022, 03:20:37 PM

"Btw, did anyone read Goldings comments after the second to last game played?  He was pissed at players on the team, using the word "entitled" and he was going to find players who wanted to play.

I remember wondering where players were.  I think he may have been doing an even better job of herding cats than we even thought. "-me

I have yet to find his comments, but Bieniemy didn't disappear for the last five minutes of the game.  He didn't play.  A few days later I find out he is going pro.  Agnew started and played 33 minutes in his absence.  He had maybe his best game;
                             

min    fg     3       ft     reb   tot   pf      asst  to    blk   stl       pts Agnew,Christian   *   33   5-8   1-3   2-2   1-3   4   3   2   0   0   0   13

JB didn't play against WI, either.  Agnew started and played 25 minutes.

The last game JB played in was the OT game against MTU.

I thought at the time that it was Golding giving Agnew a chance to show his wares for transfer portal reasons, maybe.  But, I now know that there was a reason JB didn't play, Golding complaining, Agnew playing, and JB turning pro. 

As for Agnew, I think I feel him.  He is ok, but he is now playing against better players.  The only way to make up for it is to play harder.  That is great and all, but it doesn't give you skills you don't have and it means that you play a little out of control.  Good players eat up players who they can get out of control.  Having said that, Agnew played well enough in those two last games that I don't think we will be just in bad shape with Agnew there, maybe with Goldings tutelage over the summer. 

JB is gone, Agnew replaced him the last two games.  Questions answered.  The question is will Boum return to become a UTEP Hall of Fame player with his name up there in the rafters, or will he take a leap.  Maybe the question is, does he have to.  Has he done enough to have the attention of those in the know at the right levels for him to finish a season at the very top of his conference and they know what they need to know.  They have seen what BW did when he "stepped up" at Tech.  He dominated.  They know what they need to know.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 01, 2022, 06:45:39 AM

Funny, if Golding is building a team around highly active "tweeners", that would actually be the model that worked for Floyd at New Orleans and Iowa State.

On JB -- BW used to take not only plays off, but entire games off.  I thought he played "entitled".  He would turn up the intensity for a game he cared about like Kansas or Arizona, or a rival, then go back to not really trying all that hard.  At Tech he has put in full effort night after night and it shows.

I don't know if JB quite as obviously takes plays or games off, but there are times when his D is atrocious and it costs us.  Agnew at least puts 110% on the court every moment.

After seeing KK get hurt in the S Utah game, SB gotta be asking himself if there's value in another college season.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 01, 2022, 09:37:54 AM

With Golding apparently staying, and Tim Hardaway getting into the HOF, if Hardaway is genuinely interested in eventually becoming our HC, he would be a great hire as an assistant so he can learn how it all works.  We already have Earl Boykins, I know.

But if Tim was an assistant here for a few years I would be oK with elevating him when Golding left.

BTW, where do y'all think JB fits into the ranks of PGs post-Hardaway?  Not better than Prince, Fili, or Stone I would say.  Maybe 4th after them unless I'm forgetting someone?

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Minermojo on April 01, 2022, 12:01:29 PM

It would be a loooonnnngggg shot if Hardaway would want to come coach at UTEP. It's been obvious all these years that he doesn't hold any allegiance to his old alma mater...not even to coach especially as an assistant, because you know...egos.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 01, 2022, 01:07:48 PM

Rumor was he very much wanted the HC job when we offered it to Golding.  If he wants it bad enough, he can be assistant.  If he doesn't want to be assistant then we move on.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 02, 2022, 09:51:40 AM

He was an asst coach for the Detroit Pistons. I don't think he should take any HC position at any school until he learns how to recruit.
Anyway, it looks like TV & Maring are transfering. I thank them both for there time at UTEP. I like this move, because it allows Golding to fill the big man position in his image.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Minermojo on April 02, 2022, 12:06:34 PM

I agree Chans, those two were okay players but not the kind that builds championship teams. There will be two new scholarship openings.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 02, 2022, 12:44:23 PM

I felt like Hamilton at 6?10? was a clue two weeks ago. I figured TV and Maring would be gone. So, Hollins and TV are gone from the front line. Let?s take a look at on hand replacements. Onyema and Sibley step up. Offensively I think we end up ahead. Defensively I think maybe we lose a little but maybe not. TV and Hollins were at their best but youngins are getting better. Losing JB is like going back to a year before when he couldn?t find his shot. It means we are down a gun. Agnew will replace him. I think an off-season under Golding will help Agnew tremendously and help him play more controlled chaos than his crazy train wildness. So far, when you throw in a sharpshooter from sdsu maybe, things start looking just fine. I hope we can hold what we have and Golding can pull a diamond out of somewhere.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 02, 2022, 08:14:59 PM

God forbid Agnew is our PG.

Is Kennedy gone.  He could play PG

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 02, 2022, 09:41:00 PM

Agnew started and played 33 and 25 minutes in place of JB the final two games. He played probably the best I saw him play this season. He played a more controlled game and was much more in the normal flow of the game. Would I rather have seen JB playing? Yes. But Agnew actually looked fine in the two games. I was shocked!  I will admit it, but he looked like the player he had been before UTEP.

UTEP 80

##   Player   GS   MIN   FG   3PT   FT   ORB-DRB   REB   PF   A   TO   BLK   STL   PTS 03   Kennedy,Keonte   *   35   8-15   4-9   2-3   2-13   15   1   1   4   2   2   22 00   Boum,Souley   *   39   7-13   2-5   4-4   0-12   12   1   10   3   1   1   20 12   Sibley,Jamari   *   27   5-9   1-4   0-0   1-5   6   3   2   1   1   0   11 01   Verhoeven,Tydus*   24   4-7   0-0   2-4   0-1   1   2   0   0   1   0   10 02   Agnew,Christian   *   25   2-4   0-1   1-1   1-2   3   3   4   2   0   0   5 00   Boum,Souley   *   36   8-19   5-11   4-5   1-0   1   2   3   0   1   3   25 03   Kennedy,Keonte   *   35   6-19   1-7   2-2   4-4   8   0   2   1   0   1   15 02   Agnew,Christian   *   33   5-8   1-3   2-2   1-3   4   3   2   0   0   0   13 15   Hollins,Alfred   *   16   2-3   0-1   0-0   0-1   1   0   0   0   0   1   4 01   Verhoeven,Tydus*   26   0-4   0-0   2-2   1-4   5   0   2   3   1   2   2

I think Kennedy was so much better slashing and rebounding and allowing Agnew to calm the Hell down and facilitate.  I don't know.  Notice that Agnew was 7/12 from the field and 1/4 from 3 pt land in 58 minutes on the floor.  Who would have believed it?  And 7 rebounds and 18 points!  Six assists and 2 turn overs.

JB's lines for the last two games he played;
Bieniemy,Jamal   *   35   4-11   2-6   3-4   0-5   5   0   7   0   1   0   13
Bieniemy,Jamal   *   43   6-17   1-6   0-0   0-2   2   4   3   4   0   1   13

The last game was the OT game.  Compare Agnew's 58 minutes to JB's 78 minutes.  Agnew 7/12 and 10/28 for JB in fg's.  Agnew 1/4 and JB 3/12 from beyond the arc.  Agnew 7 rebounds and 18 pts, JB 7 rebounds 26 points.  Six assists and two to's to JB's 10 assists and 4 turn overs.  The more I look at it the better I feel about it, actually.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 03, 2022, 06:39:56 AM

not saying Agnew is bad when he's in control, but he's not a PG.

I'm concerned about Hamilton's ability to defend.  CJG has his bigs flare out really high on the ballhandler on picks and then they have to sprint back to cover their man on the roll.  This is the main thing Maring couldn't seem to figure out.  Hamilton does not appear to be more mobile than Maring.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 03, 2022, 08:45:27 AM

"Christian Agnew is a basketball player born on July 30, 1999 in Detroit (MI). His height is six foot two (1m87 / 6-2). He is a point guard who most recently played for UTEP Miners in NCAA."

"HIGH SCHOOL: He played point guard and shooting guard ..."

I don't know.  Obviously, he can play the position, but it is a matter of how well.   Don't get me wrong.  I cringed all season whenever he had the ball in his hands.  I am saying that in his last two games, against decent competition, his stats are as good or better than JB's.  In the last two games he was not the disaster I would have thought.  I figure Golding will fix him or find a replacement for him.  It may depend on who is just there to be had.  But after seeing Agnew play in a starting role the last two games I don't think it would be disastrous the way I would have based off of his off the bench play.

As for Hamilton, and how his big men are used.  I don't know how much of that was dictated by the players and how much was Golding's philosophy.  Was it Golding or TV that made TV play like a true gentleman instead of the force I expect from a post player. 

01   
Verhoeven, Tydus
31   28   781   25.2   85   167   .509   0   2   .000   34   50   .680   204   6.6   47   97   144   4.6   95   35   49   23   32

Offense
25 min a game averaging 6.6 pts/gm. 
Defense
4.6 rebounds/gm.  Two of our guards, Boum averaged 4.5 and KK 6.1, were as good or better.  A/TO ratio of 35/49 and 32 blocks. 

Sibley, Jamari
33   23   677   20.5   68   148   .459   16   46   .348   23   34   .676   175   5.3   31   100   131   4.0   55   25   28   11   34 

I think we saw what was dictated by the players he had available.  He was doing what he could with Terry's players.  Hamilton may be a tell.  Does Hamilton look like he is going to be sprinting out to guard three pointers, does he look like he is sprinting anywhere?  He seems like a paint beast to me.
It seems to me that we couldn't rebound and were constantly getting burned in the paint, especially because or defense was out running around instead of protecting against a damned layup.  Six 10 and 280 may just stop some of that shit. 
I think we are going to play a very different game next year.  Our inability to play with power in the paint cost us enormously by giving up free throw points and the disruption that fouls place on opponents.  Look at the points TV contributed at the free throw line.  Thirty four points in 31 games!  One point a game. 

I will bet $5 that Hamilton will nearly double the 6.6 pts/gm.  I believe he will average 10 pts/gm making layups and free throws.
WE averaged 69 points per game.  Boum, JB, and KK, combined averaged 50 pts a game.  TV, Saterfield, and Sibley combined averaged 17.  I expect to see that change.  I believe that Golding will look to move the game much more into the paint.  Just my opinion.  We'll see.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 03, 2022, 03:26:39 PM

You make a good point.  I think we all agree he's a pretty good coach, and yet I've been assuming that the D we saw last year was what he was after, when it could be that it was the D his guys could play.  A good coach adjusts his game to the players he has.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 03, 2022, 05:45:07 PM

So, we watched ACU beat UT and then we had a season to watch Golding coach Terry's team for the most part.  In a Covidy injury plagued year.  I decided I would try to learn more about a Golding team.  Not writing a book, but here is some stats from his season before UTEP at ACU:

gms  gmsstar min mpg fg fga       fg% 3     3atp  3%    ft     fta      %    pts   avg   ore   dre   reb  avg   pf        ass  to   stls  blks Mason, Coryon   G 35   32   938   26.8   133   301   .442   37   99   .374   121   147   .823   424   12.1   19   62   81   2.3   98   55   47   35   7     Simmons, Airion      F 34   34   711   20.9   150   311   .482   38   111   .342   67   107   .626   405   11.9   55   132   187   5.5   106   66   67   51   18     Morris, Mahki       G 36   36   892   24.8   130   296   .439   38   128   .297   92   108   .852   390   10.8   21   82   103   2.9   98   54   44   55   1     Steele, Cameron       F 36   19   806   22.4   125   256   .488   40   111   .360   41   55   .745   331   9.2   41   101   142   3.9   65   40   31   25   19     Cameron, Tobias      G 36   17   694   19.3   79   170   .465   19   62   .306   64   83   .771   241   6.7   49   81   130   3.6   82   63   45   30   4     Miller, Reggie        G 36   36   1044   29.0   73   194   .376   19   76   .250   59   87   .678   224   6.2   52   86   138   3.8   85   79   60   70   6

The two forwards were 6'5" and 6'8" but I think I see a more balanced offense.  Notice the rebounds.  Then look at the Miners rebounds and who lead the team-by far! 

One more thing.  I don't think TV really wanted to play in the paint.  He was a guy who loved basketball but unfortunately for him, he was being used as a wrestler instead of the dancer he wanted to be.  I think Golding tried to get him to play with force and set things up for him to, but TV would rather get an assist.  I don't think Hamilton will have that problem.  I think he is ok with being a bully, the wrestler, and has absolutely no desire whatsoever to be a dancer.  Again, I don't know shit from apple butter, and maybe I'm just hoping, but I also know that Dos Anjos was recruited and played for LMU and he is shown as a pf and I see power and blocks from him.  Right away to add support to what is right now, as I see it, a formidable front line coming together.  Onyema, Hamilton, Kalu, Dos Anjos, Sibley, and Saterfield starts looking like a sweet mix of arm breakers and strokers/buzzards.  Throw in a KK hybrid and we are looking strong so far.  Bring me Boum back for his Hall of Fame season and he could be the leader of a monster of a team to cement his legacy with.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 04, 2022, 06:58:24 AM

I think TV gave us everything he had.  He also seemed to be a genuinely decent guy.  Always smiling, always chatting friendly with teammates, refs, and opposing players.  Often offered a hand to opposing guys that were on the floor.  Not a legendary Miner, no great legacy, but solid and smart and I'm pleased he was one of us.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 04, 2022, 07:34:40 AM

Don.t get me wrong.  I agree that he gave it his best effort and he was good at what he was doing.  Put him next to Caracter and the two would have ruled the world.  I agree that he gave us great years and he is a fine Miner.  Remember that he was Terry's wingman for feeding Williams and he did that really well.  I would have loved to have him partnering with Hamilton or Onyema for that matter but it is water under the bridge.  I imagine what could have been with a developed Onyema with TV as his wingman.  I think TV would have been a pretty good imitation of Williams without Williams 3 pt threat. 

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 04, 2022, 11:33:00 AM

So, I'm not an Agnew fan. I love his energy & D, but he is too careless. That's why he didn't see much time on the floor. Golding even said that Saucy gives him headaches. His bricks, turn overs, & quick fouls need to be addressed. Thise are horrible traits to take into the 1 position. At his age, I think he may have already hit his ceiling.
If we don't get a good PG replacement, Golding will probably teach the kids to get the ball to the half court & then set up the offense. Boum & KK could do that job (if they stay).

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 04, 2022, 12:22:59 PM

Of current players, the only one I really trust to bring the ball up in critical situations is KK.  Boum has loose handles.  Agnew has no handles. 
KK our best defender -- rarely gets blown by.  Agnew 2nd best -- sometimes loses his man but somehow gets back and disrupts.  Boum a distant 3rd.
None of them reliable 3pt shooters -- Boum and KK very very streaky, Agnew, like the rest of his game, all over the place.

I actually really like Agnew.  He gives 110% and wears his heart on his sleeve, and gives you heartburn.  He reminds me a lot of Johnny Melvin.  But I guess we'll see what the offseason does.  IF he can somehow reign himself in he could be a valuable player.  Kyy is correct that in the last few games he was an important piece. 

Maybe, just maybe, he was trying too hard because he believed that was how to get more play.  By dialing it back a notch and playing within himself he was better.  Or maybe it's just because he was playing against lower level competition

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 04, 2022, 02:09:39 PM

"Maybe, just maybe, he was trying too hard because he believed that was how to get more play.  By dialing it back a notch and playing within himself he was better.  Or maybe it's just because he was playing against lower level competition"

I think this is a hit to the nail.  Right on the head.  Like you say, he plays with his heart on his sleeve at 110% and you can see it when he has to sit.  It kills him.

Key point.  We saw Agnew inserted because JB and Golding came to that conclusion.  We don't know how that went down, but I figure it was unexpected.  So Agnew came in and played like a very normal player.  The competition was good enough to have been in a tournament.  I know.  It wasn't the very top of the lists of great teams.  But what if Agnew and Golding had time to actually plan to maximize Agnew instead of using him to fill a sudden loss.  I don't want to make too much, as players substitute all the time, but Agnew was never in the position to maximize his presence. 

Again though, the difference between being the starting guard and the utility bench player can't be measured.  Ownership, pride, respect, honor, discipline, are all just the beginning of the ways it changes things.  I know, sometimes you pass someone the torch and they drop it, but sometimes you hand them the torch and they rspond with the race of the life.  Ask yourself which one you think Agnew is.  I know he has been a star in the past, so I don't think the pressure is going to cause him to crumble.  My money says he rises to the challenge.  I have seen his heart.  I don't question it.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 04, 2022, 02:39:42 PM

It's interesting.  Every player that got PT was a much better player at the end of the season than the beginning.  I know being on the court helps, but that didn't help Terry any.

At the beginning of the season I thought Hollins was a waste of a schollie.  Kennedy was a mess and Boum could only jack up 3s.  TV couldn't make a layup.  Z looked like a wild, uncoordinated colt.  Agnew was a mess.

I'm excited about the future.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 04, 2022, 11:25:06 PM

Then we agree to disagree. I agree with all the plus side stuff y'all said about Agnew. However, I think his negatives outweigh it. He should not be starting IMO. I want my Miners back with quality guards.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 05, 2022, 05:18:31 AM

https://krod.com/transfer-portal-buzz-latest-utep-activity-what-we-know-so-far/ (https://krod.com/transfer-portal-buzz-latest-utep-activity-what-we-know-so-far/)

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 05, 2022, 08:42:42 AM

Players come and go.  Nowadays, colleges are bus stops for players moving up and down.  Every player is a free agent looking for a good move up or a good move down to give them a better chance to play.  You have to know where your bus stop in the overall landscape.  Our best players will have a chance to move up or down but right now there isn't much below us.  I point this out because it is the range we are in and we have to recognize that every year is a rebuilding year, now.  Our best players are likely to leave, as almost every team is a move up.  I hate saying that, but we are in a conference that almost doesn't exist.  I mean we don't even know who is in it.  I say this because it is part of the way we have to get better. The further up the chain we move the less teams there are to feed off of us and for our players to move up to.  So, C-USA strength going forward will be critical.  We have to prove that C-USA is better than somebody.  Right now, our target would be to establish that the conference is better than the Sun Belt.  Our teams are leaving for it instead of us pulling teams from them as we used to. 

Now, let's talk Miners bball.  More specifically Golding recruiting.  I read that Maring was his first recruit, and he was a miss.  I admit that I don't know who else he brought in, and it was late in the game.  So, I will concentrate on Dos Anjos, Hamilton, and Evans.  I am wondering about Evans and if he was eligible in Jan or what.  So, I don't know what to think about him.  Let's just say he is a go for the upcoming season.  TV, and JB were starters and I have to ask if Hamilton is a trade up or down for the loss of TV.   He hasn't played a minute so I admit that I am just guessing but I think we may have gotten better, especially offensively.  But more than that, I think he will provide a more balanced attack.  Now, JB for Evans.  This one is tougher.  JB had fallen from the OU and Big12 and we knew why.  This year he found his shot and it was what was missing before.  Evans has talent but has been a "problem" maybe.  I don't know.  But if he is as good as we think he could be, it seems that we have at least a draw and maybe a step up.  Hollins for Dos Anjos?  The Sessions kid I think is a long shot.  We'll see.  So, Golding can coach.  He makes players better, and he makes a team a better team.  We will have to see if he can land players but, players see that he makes players and teams better, so that is a definite draw for them. 

I will say it today.  I think we will play for the C-USA championship and win, that's right, win the regular season championship.  And I don't even know if we will have Boum-or Kennedy!  But if we do have those two, we will be better than we were this year.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 05, 2022, 09:39:51 AM

Honestly, we're not going to prove anything about CSA.  We just need to focus on us.  My model for hoops is Gonzaga, and for football is Boise.

Both were essentially no-names that built up and became powers.  Each one in absolute middle of nowhere podunk places that no one would really want to go.

So what did they have?  A dedication to winning, and a plan to implement it.  Both found the coaching staffs they wanted and paid what it took.  They built programs.  In the process, they both took an attitude that they would play anyone anywhere and make them regret it.  This attracted better players than they would have otherwise gotten.

If you're a 3-4 star player you know there's a chance you won't get to be the star at a power school.  But what if there was a slightly lower tier school where you would be the star, the team would get to the post season most years, and you'd get to play all those power schools on TV?

In football we need to book two power schools every year.  One of them needs to be beatable.  In basketball, 5-6 power schools if we can schedule them.  Got to get those quality wins.  Even if we expect to get the auto-bid in our own tourney, we need to get better seeds.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 05, 2022, 10:21:50 AM

I disagree.  We aren't Boise or Gonzaga, never will be, and the powers that be have no intention of making us either Boise or Gonzaga.  Wilson and UTEP aren't going to pay 3 million bucks a year for a basketball coach.  We are not all of a sudden become the rebel outlier.  We need a conference,  We need the affiliation.  NMSU is begging to get into C-USA.  They didn't magically turn into Boise by getting ass kickings for a paycheck.  We can debate it all day long but we aren't going to be Boise State or Gonzaga. 

So, our future is tied to our conference's future as it has been for the past 60 years.  We have been on a steady decline ever since in conferences.  There was a time when the WAC was a potential multi bid conference.  C-USA was strong enough to be cut in two when we were first there.  I could go on, but our conference strength, our conference has a direct impact on our team, and our team can have a direct impact on a not even entirely newly formed conference.  If this conference doesn't survive we might get your wish and be NMSU's ass kicking travel buddy in search of that Boise magic with wounded players who were willing to sign up for the weekly whippings, convinced by a coach that they could be a part of the new Boise out here in El Paso.

Nope.  I believe we had better hope that C-USA can restart and somehow emerge better than the teams that left.  That means survival.  Then maybe we can start proving as a conference that we can play two cartel teams each and win our share as a conference. 

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 05, 2022, 10:26:55 AM

well, you're right, but I refuse to admit it, so that makes it real right?  I read that logic in the news all the time.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 05, 2022, 11:14:57 AM

Each of us creates the reality that suits us, when we can.  It is when it runs into someone else's reality that can screw everything up!  Damn it!  I blame it on the French, as they are often to blame and when they aren't it serves them right for when they are.

I really do believe that we, UTEP, may have a chance for a bit of a rebirth.  C-USA is such an unknown at this time.  It is a shell of what it was.  Or is it?  The teams that remain are not the dregs of the conference.  Western Kentucky had come to consider the eastern division of C-USA to be theirs instead of Marshall's and were showing it wasn't just talk.  The bad team of the west was us, and we went to a bowl game and look to be getting better.  We have some new teams that are some of the very best teams in the country who are supposed to be perhaps challenged by the step up.  That's a laugh.  The teams that are jumping up are used to being at the very top.  Expectations are already set in stone over years of meeting and achieving the highest of them.

If and when we get actual schedules, we may know more.  But you are absolutely right, too.  Our future lies with our teams and not the conference.  We need to control what we have control of and win.  Just win, baby!  Winning solves everything.  It is the one thing we do have some control over.  We have OU, UNM, and Boise.  OU is OU.  Even with the renewed hope and confidence last season brought, a solid showing would be acceptable of course.  UNM is supposedly a half level higher than us in conference levels.  This is a game that we can win and should win if we have the belief that we should be playing tough schedules.  Boise State is known to be head and shoulders above us.  Perhaps even capable of being a cartel school.  The Sun Bowl will be packed.  We are easily encouraged and get wound up tighter than a $2 Timex!  Boise won't be shocked or scared by it, but our players, our team will be pumped up so high it might be a damned dog fight that we take!  And by out dog fighting them!  Then we get a bunch of revenge games against traitorous bastards.  The year, no matter how it turns out will be huge for us.  It looks good, too.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 05, 2022, 02:10:45 PM

Damn French!  You're right!  It's always them!

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 05, 2022, 02:57:12 PM

From Verbal Commits:

    4/5/2022 - 2018 SG Christian Agnew (6-2, 182, 2★) will be transferring.
    4/5/2022 - JUCO SG Emmanuel White (6-5, 178, 2★) will be transferring.
    4/2/2022 - 2017 PF Tydus Verhoeven (6-9, 225, 2.5★) will be transferring.
    4/1/2022 - JUCO C Bonke Maring (6-10, 240, 2★) will be transferring.
    3/31/2022 - 2022 SG Jacob Wilson (6-5, 200, 2★) has received an offer from UTEP.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 05, 2022, 04:04:57 PM

Add Saterfield

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 05, 2022, 05:49:16 PM

So, JB, Saterfield, TV, Agnew, Maring, & White are gone. In my eyes, the big loss is JB. Boum, KK, & Sibley only starters still here. SO FAR.
You were talking about Golding recruits & it looked incomplete.
Saterfield 2☆ JUCO Transfer
Giffa 2☆ out of France
Dos Anjos 2☆ JUCO Transfer
Maring 2☆ JUCO Transfer
Hamilton 2☆ JUCO Transfer
Evans 4☆ SD St Transfer
Sibley 4☆ Georgetown Transfer
Kalu 2☆ Highschool in Maryland
Hollins 3.7☆ Grad Transfer

The way I see it, we have three 4☆ kids still on the team with Evans SG, KK SG, & Sibley SF/PF. Kalu, Onyema, & Hamilton at the 5. Boum SG, & Dos Anjos PF. We are missing a couple of PG's & possibly 1 more big. JB leaving is the only 1 hurting us. Everyone else leaving has a good replacement.
Dos Anjos for Hollins
Evans for Saterfield
Hamilton for TV
Kalu for Maring

I have no doubt Golding will pick up good PGs as he did at ACU.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 05, 2022, 06:20:22 PM

So far, I think these players, except TV are looking for playing time, and that means a step down.  I could be wrong, of course.  I don't think Saterfield, Agnew, White, or Maring a thinking some higher level team is going to jump at the chance to land them. We know what we have lost, but they all open up a scholarship for Golding to give.  TV is holding out hope that a cartel team will pick him up.  They might, too.  One more thing.  TV said he came back this year to give UTEP a good year.  He did, too.  He got his degree.  You know he had a scholarship here if he wanted it.  I don't think he wanted another season like he just had.  I don't think he felt fulfilled.

I think the players that are staying are the story.  At this point, I think it may give us an idea of where Golding wants to go.  Saterfield was his second recruit-after Maring.  Saterfield has done just fine and I think he may be fishing.  I'm not sure he played well enough to moveup, and I think he was in line to get plenty of pt here.  Kalu is a Golding recruit and I think he has an enormous upside.  Onyema and Hamilton, along with Kalu just for starters seems pretty good maybe. 

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: ATL-Miner on April 05, 2022, 07:14:33 PM

Was sorry to see Agnew in the portal today. I still think he had some upside, his N Alabama stats were certainly better than when he was here but I liked his hussle and felt like he had some upside potential. Maring was a big disappointment to me. He's got a good shot, moves well, but just seemed to lack the fire to be a Div 1 big. Saterfield; don't think I was as high on him as others. He shoots a knuckleball if you watch his shot closely...very weird rotation on the ball when he shoots....runs hot or cold, no in between and can't drive. He shot lights out at near 50% early on but disappeared in conference play. White, can't blame the guy for moving on but would've liked him staying. He wasn't going to play much though.

I'm hoping Boum and Kennedy are playing the long game and waiting to see who Golding brings in before they make a decision.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 05, 2022, 08:00:49 PM

I am speculating, and maybe lying to myself, that Kennedy and Boum indicated plans to stay which along with those being pursued indicated to the other guards that it was time to move on.  I imagine Golding is a straight shooter and told them they would not be getting PT.

I can't imagine that any incoming recruit would make Kennedy or Boum think they had to go elsewhere.

lot of the 2 star guys leaving, and gives me hope that coach has better talent lined up.  Definitely need a PG now.  Will be interesting to see.  Ballhandlers are a dime a dozen.  PG's that can handle the ball, distribute, score, and -- key Golding skillset -- play defense?  That's harder to find.

For the bigs, a bunch of high energy 6-6 to 6-9 guys that are quick and mobile combined with one or two goons in the paint?  That's a pretty solid plan.  Z and Hamilton can put you on your butt if you come in their house.  And stuff you through the hoop if you try to foul them when they get it.

But the real ticket to winning anymore?  3 point shooting.  No one is always consistent so you have to have a team full of guys that can shoot it and ride whoever's got the hot hand that day.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 05, 2022, 10:34:04 PM

And defend the 3 as well.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 06, 2022, 01:39:46 PM

I saw that Butch Pierre decided to take the Asst job at Witchita St. He is our best recruiter, but that doesn't mean Golding can't be successful without him. This was Butch's 1st year with Golding & Joe was very successful  before. I wish Butch luck where he goes & it will be unfortunate that Butch won't be able to coach against his son who is a bball asst at Liberty.
As always, we move on.
I'm hoping Boykins is able to pick up some quality PG's.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 06, 2022, 04:19:56 PM

Boum and Clardy are in the portal.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FPsHGMLVIAEuXq7?format=jpg&name=900x900)

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 06, 2022, 04:35:00 PM

Losing Boum & JB hurts. Losing 3 starters is tough. Let's see what transpires.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: zyxwvutsru on April 06, 2022, 05:21:26 PM

Well, there is now room for the brothers

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 06, 2022, 05:34:42 PM

In the past, this would be catastrophic. Nowadays it?s how teams are assembled, or should I say reassembled each year. Many of the top teams were total rebuilds, including Baylor and Tech. Dad has cleaned out the toy box, and yes, we no longer have some of our favorites but we haven?t opened our Christmas presents yet. Interesting for sure. 

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 06, 2022, 06:34:32 PM

I think the Newton Brothers is a pipe dream. The good thing about going Pro is you can come from any school. JB & Boum did it. Golding can use that as a tool to bring in talent. I really think we can get good talent to come here like other good mid-majors like Houston, Zags, Butler, Villanova, etc. We just need to find a way to keep good coaches. Getting good players is a band-aid. Keeping good coaches is a cure.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 06, 2022, 07:25:31 PM

Best of luck to SB.  I really don't think he shoots a high enough percent for the NBA, but I don't blame him for going pro wherever he lands.

To be honest, I think the Terry years of having a designated "The MAN" was not healthy.  Everyone deferred to BW and then to SB and when they weren't on we just gave up.  I'd much rather have a team with 8 guys that score 8-12 and could go off for 20 on a given night.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 06, 2022, 07:44:15 PM

Bryson Williams was Terry?s meal ticket. He used for as long as he could. Not complaining but you bet it made us a feed BW team. I think Golding intended to lake TV the go to guy but couldn?t get TV going that way. Luckily we had seriously dangerous three point shooters.
I looked and Few makes 2.1/. Golding is 700k I think. I would think he earned that. He proved he can coach at this level. I would give a raise to a million. I would tell him it goes to 1.5 if he is regular season champions and tournament champion.   I would hope to convince him to do it here and we could pay for if he could.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 06, 2022, 09:33:36 PM

and  Kezza Giffa in the portal.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 06, 2022, 10:55:55 PM

If Kennedy goes, I would consider it a complete gutting.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 07, 2022, 08:26:09 AM

Nine players in the transfer portal plus Hollins completed his eligibility.  Ten of fifteen.  Kennedy, Kalu, Onyema, Sibley, and Dekoninck.  Sibley was doing what TV was doing stat wise.  He was already playing solid basketball.  Kennedy was set to take the reins from JB as the team leader.  Onyema was starting to come into his own.  Kalu was also starting to find his way and his upside potential is huge.  Gutting is what this kind of thing used to be.  In today's environment is a retooling.  Retooling around a core.  That core is pretty solid. 

In the old days, like five years ago, having two thirds of the team leave would indicate a revolt.  Today, it is a sure sign of a team that as a mid-major we are sending people up the chain and sending those not cutting it down the chain.  That means we are alive and in the game.  Had we lost the upwardly mobile but not have sent the deadwood along that would be bad.  But right now, players are making adjustments according to what is best for them based on what they know. 

As I understand it, the players can submit their names to the transfer portal and they are just seeing if there is any interest.  If not, they can, if the school wants to let them come back.  So, theoretically some players could return if they didn't receive the reception they had hoped for.  And Golding can tell them welcome back or sorry we filled your scholarship.  I have not seen any team jump on any of our players like ducks on a June bug.  But by the same token, I haven't seen anything about us jumping on an available player from the portal so some of this may just take a few days to play out.  The next few days are going to be interesting in seeing who Golding lands or is left picking through depending on how well he does.  The first season was an introduction, an appetizer.  This year will be the main course.  We don't know what is on the menu but we know that Golding can cook.  Are we going to get steak and potatoes or something a little different?  Right now we have enough to make a meal.  Not a 5 star resturant meal, but we have enough that we wouldn't go hungry.  I just can't wait to see what Golding brings home from the market.

Btw, looking at the transfer portal,  I realized That we need players immediately eligible and that narrows the field a bunch.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 07, 2022, 11:39:38 AM

sounds about right.  Obviously Dekonick is practice squad.  Kennedy was often our leading rebounder.  Watching some tourney games it looks like bigs blocking out while guards/ SF sneak in for the rebounds is kind of a thing now.  It works.

i was looking on verbal commits for who's leaving.  I take it the portal is available to the public and shows eligibility?  I looked for it once but couldn't find.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 07, 2022, 01:19:05 PM

This is the link to where I am getting what seems to be timely and accurate information.

https://www.verbalcommits.com/transfers/2022 (https://www.verbalcommits.com/transfers/2022)

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 07, 2022, 01:33:40 PM

Thanks.  So you have to click on a guy to figure out if he's eligible?  And that would be based on whether he's transferred once already?  This might be dumb questions, but I'm still really confused about the eligibility thing

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 07, 2022, 01:45:04 PM

The top part is recent players to have entered.  It like an update.  Below it is an alphabetized list of the players and it has them shown and their eligibility as Yes or left blank.

ie;
   

Christian Agnew JR   6-2 182   Yes      UTEP        Souley Boum RS JR   6-3 160   Yes      UTEP

I haven't thought this through but I might think that if you find a player who was a juco and moved up but is now in the transfer portal he must have really proved himself or he has more likely found out about the Peter Principle.  For instance, Maring is in the portal, and after coming up from a juco he is looking for playing time I figure and if he couldn't get it here he probably isn't moving up.  Vice versa,  I would think we would look for a JB type, a cartel player who found he wasn't getting the pt he needed.  I think the coaches has an enormous influence in these decisions.  Trusted coaches guide the players in the right direction.  But the players make decisions they think best for them.

So, what does that mean for us.  Lower stars moving up to us or supposed to have been stars moving down because they weren't shining?  When you look at the portal, remember that we need some eligible now guys.

One more thing.  I seems maybe that a cartel player coming down is maybe a better bet than a lower player moving up.  But even as I type it I am not sure.  Talent, coaching, at the right time and the right place is the combination but there are so many variables. 

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 07, 2022, 03:05:29 PM

oh. haha, I didn't scroll all the way down.  I just saw the top list.

JB, Sibley and Kennedy moved down.   Satterfield and Agnew moved up.

SB and BW were essentially lateral moves.

Sample size too small to know if that means anything or just happenstance

Just thinking out loud, but it seems like the risk / reward favors a guy moving down  -- more likely that he'll find the level of competition easy than a guy moving up.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 07, 2022, 03:16:21 PM

That's what I was thinking, but then I thought of the Texas Tech and Baylor teams and they were all kids moving up, I think.  Not sure.

btw, I just realized that some of our players are and some aren't immediately eligible.

Agnew  Yes
Boum  Yes
Clardy
Giffa
Maring
Saterfield
TV    Yes
White

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 07, 2022, 10:19:44 PM

Looks like we picked up a 6'3" PG in 2☆ Jamal Sumlin out of a Highschool in Cleveland OH. Lid looks pretty good. Top 30 player in OH. Kid also is a very good football player. I saw some video of the kid & he has ball skills. His handles footwork, & strength are really good. Kid is tough as nails. He had a few games where he just went on scoring sprees. He's seems to be more of a driver/distributer than settling for top of the key shots. I don't know about his shooting or rebounding, but I like the kid a lot. With this Highschool commitment, it seems he was on Goldings radar for a while. Im guessing we'll see him on verbal commits tomorrow.
So far we have 1 JR in Kennedy. Everyone else is a Soph or a Freshy.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 08, 2022, 07:17:32 AM

Verbal commits shows we have offered Sumlin but not that he's accepted?

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 08, 2022, 08:42:09 AM

I believe  the players are saying they are open to offers but can decide they didn't get the offers they were hoping for they are necessarily gone.  My question is will Golding let any return once they said they weren't committed to staying.  And if so, whom?  Like Verhoeven did last year.   Like how many decided they would try the water and how many were told to find a new home.  I guess what I am getting at is that I don't know that when the dust settles who we will have and who will be gone.  The fact that nobody jumped on Boum or Verhoeven the minute they listed may be important.  JB, TV and Boum say pro or transfer.  I think all three of them would love to pull a Bryson and get a year at a cartel to sell themselves.  But, I wonder about the pro part if they don't get called up. 

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 08, 2022, 08:49:43 AM

Quote from: SisyphusMiner on April 08, 2022, 07:17:32 AM

Verbal commits shows we have offered Sumlin but not that he's accepted?

Off of his Twitter account.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 10, 2022, 09:31:58 AM

Lofton transferring out of La Tech.  Obviously not to us, but helps clear the path to CUSA championship for us

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 10, 2022, 10:03:56 AM

I don't want easier paths.  I actually want harder paths and teams good enough to win even though the path is harder.  It appears that for the time being, the conference will remain intact for next year, although, I believe the Sun Bolt teams will be playing Sun Bolt football.  C-USA is struggling to maintain its very existence.  All of the conferences that we have been left in were left because of the lack of respect of bottom teams and not because of the quality of the top teams.  It will happen again and for once in my lifetime I want UTEP to be in the top half and also to be good not just the tallest guy at the little people's convention.  The respect for the teams about to join and the ones remaining after the upcoming year is and will be critical.  We need so very badly to be able to claim some respect before the breakup and to lead the charge after the reformation.  Easy paths will only reinforce the perception of weakness.  We already need to be looking for the building a reputation of hard paths. 

Sorry.  It is Sunday morning in the Dead Period.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 10, 2022, 12:13:42 PM

Well said, KY. The weaker the conference, the weaker the results at the big dance conference.
I do disagree with the "Dead Period" as we know it. No I'm not referring to a bad menstrual cycle, but college sports after the NCAA Tournament. The new portal rules has killed the dead period & has brought an unexpected interest to recruiting. I don't really agree with the craziness that it comes with, but coaches are now scrambling for player losses, coaching losses, & thier replacements. Recruiting was stressful in itself, but it just doubled.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 10, 2022, 03:32:18 PM

Started to get bored & read some Digs. Yikes. Big mistake.
Woe is me attitudes & Trolls litering the board. Everyone there still live in the 90s & can't keep up with change. The solution is not to complain, but stay ahead of the rules & adjust. Just take notes from Dimel.
Thank God this site has more intelligence. Hell, even the Cartel schools are struggling to keep up.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 10, 2022, 06:31:28 PM

Yes Chanson, agree.  I lurk at the other site for breaking news, but this is home.

Kyy, here's the thing.  Lofton stays or leaves, CUSA is still a 1 bid league next year.  Our one and only chance at making the NCAA tourney is to win the conference tourney.  Playing and hopefully beating name brand schools can help us in recruiting, but won't get us an at large.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 10, 2022, 07:05:50 PM

The game has changed. Golding just landed a school boy he has had on the radar for awhile. If the kid gets good he will move up. That will only stop when we get to the top. Then it will turn into lateral moves at the top. We don?t have to worry about it now. If we send a great product up we will establish a reputation for it. And Golding will be gone or we had better have a plan. I think we may have learned a little more from the recruiting of the kid rather than picking up an up and coming player looking to move up from the portal. It does indicate to coaches at the high school level that he wants them. It may indicate that he isn?t going to look for putting pieces together in total reboots.

I understand that. I want Lofton replaced by a much better player that helps his team beat cartel teams. And we are so good that we have to take a break from whipping cartel teams to whip the new guy, too. I want the new Cusa to be considered a tough enough league to be a multi bid conference. I want to be so good that other conferences want us and not want to ditch us. Again.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 10, 2022, 09:45:30 PM

I want everything you want, KY. It just can't happen like we are used to. I agree in not picking up highschoolers, but sometimes kids give loyalty to those who take a chance on them. I'm not sure what kind of upbringing this kid had, but we have to trust CJG. What I don't like is he has a kid & that is obviously where his priority is.
The 1 kid I know will stay is Onyema. His parents are quality & know the value of UTEP & Dl Paso. Sibley & Evans were not treated well from bigger programs while Kalu was given is the same situation as the highschool PG we picked up. Coach needs a good relationship with these kids & needs to win with them. That is where it starts.
We can't worry about other teams but ourselves. That is what will get us out of CUSA. That & money (Senter).

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 11, 2022, 07:11:53 AM

The cartels have ensured the stratification they were looking for.  They don't mind a St Peter's happening but they are making darn sure St Peters or next year's Cinderella can't build on that success.  Manage to get to the Sweet Sixteen or worse yet, the Elite 8?  Your coach and every starting player will be gone the next season and you're trying to rebuild with nothing to sell recruits.

It is highly unlikely CUSA will ever be a multi bid league on a regular basis.  The "algorithms" in place to select teams are pre-weighted every year.  Big 10 gets the entire conference in every year, gets favorable seeding, and every year most drop out in the first or second round.  Why do they get so many in?  Because of their "brutal" schedule. 

Indiana got in.  Their marquee out of conference wins?  24 win Notre Dame, 17 win St Johns, 10 win Nebraska, then some in-conference wins against other overrated teams.  Indiana had a losing season in conference play.  But they are Indiana.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 11, 2022, 07:14:20 AM

i don't have any problem with school boys.  We have to move product up.  The NCAA used to protect the schools.  Now, it is as official as it can get without a certificate.  We are a minor league that feeds the triple A clubs.  We have to do our job well so that we get some crumbs.  The system is what it is, now.  I want us to do what it takes to not only survive in the new system, I want us to be so good at it that the team moves up-not just a trickle of players.  Getting out of C-USA isn't even a consideration for now.  We have spent the last 30 years or more steadily sifting lower and lower-as we have been the damned dead weight in them all.  We have reached absolute bottom.  There is no where to go.  The new CUSA will be the weakest conference in the country.  We the teams of the new CUSA must prove that to be wrong.  Luckily, WKU and MTU were left stuck here with us so the conference has a shred of respect left.  This year will give the teams staying a chance to make a statement that they aren't the grounds left in the cup by claiming that the teams leaving will leave us stronger.  It will at least give us a chance as a new and unknown quantity instead of the leftovers of a conference.  I can worry and do worry about other teams.  We are in a life raft with the other teams.  We need to do great-each of us to begin our climb up.  Ours and UTEP's. 
UTEP has one thing to do.  Win.  Winning is the only way we can survive and maybe even grow.  Winning will be measured by how many games we win, who we beat, and how many players we send up.  If we do that well enough we may at some time establish that C-USA is worthy of teams aspiring to join and not leave at this level.  If we do our part and just win it will seem like we can't get ahead because we keep losing our best players-that is the new mindset we must come to understand and embrace until the team itself can be moved up en mass.  I want Golding gone in two years.  We aren't going to go to paying two mil, so I want him gone because he was so good.  And I want his better replacement brought in, but a step up each time until UTEP is the top team in every way in the conference.  Then the team moves up naturally. 

It occurs to me that the minor league baseball analogy may have more to think about.  The fans see the finished product, but those involved know what goes on behind the scenes.  I thought what if we had an affiliation with the Big12 where we sent up and they sent players our way.   And then of course I thought well that probably is already how it happens on an informal basis.  Not the affiliation part but then that may actually be going on on an informal basis already. 

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 11, 2022, 08:41:32 AM

Relegation has been happening for the last 20 years, but not based on actual performance.  I think it might have a lot to do with tv market.

I think there's a very real chance that the cartels have destroyed the brand in their greed.  I think there's a very real chance that we are all fighting for a piece of an ever diminishing pie.  I personally have completely lost interest in college sports outside of UTEP.  I've already lost all interest in professional sports for different but similar reasons.

It may quite literally come down to regional minor leagues feeding the majors in college sports.  I've made similar comments before, but I think when you find the game is stacked against you, you simply refuse to play their game and make your own.

form a minor league.  Structure coaches contracts so that you get paid really high dollar amounts when they move up.  Charge cartel schools for the scholly for a player that moves up.  Help form a player's union that files a class action lawsuit or a strike to guarantee the scholly value of a player moving down -- G'town wants to let a player go that's not working out?  OK, but they owe him the $50k per year that his scholly was worth until he graduates.  Him personally.  He uses that to pay his tuition at the school he moves to and pockets the rest.

Just gotta stop with our Stockholm Syndrome.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 13, 2022, 12:48:22 PM

I'm assuming we are keeping Kennedy. He has really hravitated to El Paso & he is dating my buddies niece. That is 3 4☆ kids in KK, Sibley, & Evans.
Not bad

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 13, 2022, 01:09:51 PM

I have been watching verbalcommits constantly as the number of tp players has swelled to over 1300 and grows by the minute. What has me wondering at all of the players going here and transferring to there, none of our players have found a home yet.  So these guys weren?t going somewhere else.  They were throwing a line in the water.  I figure there is nibbling going on and maybe even some throw backs looking for bigger fish. But the longer they are out there the more they start to stink and people begin to wonder why they are still there.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 13, 2022, 02:24:28 PM

We've talked about how this is a new system and the coaches have to adjust.  But it's new to the players too and they are younger and less mature.

In the case of JB, SB, and TV however, I'd imagine if no one comes knocking then it's off to Europe.  The rest of the guys were probably strongly encouraged to put their names out there.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 13, 2022, 03:11:55 PM

It's new to this old fart, too and I am having trouble with it, too.  There's all of this mystery about who is just seeing if there is interest and who would be welcomed back.  The time that has passed with no changes for our players and the lack of acquisition that is not nearly enough to replace all if they all left leaves me wondering. 

As for your thinking about JB, SB, and TV I am wondering just a bit about that, too.  If they can't attract a job, a tryout, with a cartel team anywhere I am not absolutely sure they wouldn't be faced with a choice of it maybe being better off to play one more almost all-star season at UTEP? Not saying, just wondering.  I would think that all of this has had an affect on the professional leagues, too.  It would seem to me that it would be making more cartel players realize that it can be an indication of their worth on the market as a pretest trial.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 13, 2022, 03:59:34 PM

Boum being the highest scorer in CUSA & JB being a long scoring 1 player, they are waiting for the right team to say YES to. TV will either play back up to a bigger team or start for a UTEP equivalent or lesser school. Everyone else will be looking for any kind of scholarship.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 14, 2022, 06:11:19 AM

Derek Hamilton has signed

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 14, 2022, 08:45:31 AM

Yup. He committed a while ago. Now he needed to get his big ass in shape. 280lbs is no bueno if he wants to see significant minutes.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 14, 2022, 08:47:59 AM

I feel like the early season might have been different if Hollins had reported for duty in playing condition.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 14, 2022, 09:49:26 AM

We might have won 2 more games & possibly an NIT invite. Not a big difference maker. Well...we move on. Here is who we have so far for Fall 2022.
No Sr's at this time.
Jr's
4☆Keonte Kennedy 6'5" SG/SF
2☆Jonathan Dos Santos 6'7" SF
2☆Derick Hamilton 6'10" C
Soph
4☆Jamari Sibley 6'8" PF
4☆Che'Evans 6'5" SG
2☆Ze'Rik Onyema 6'8" PF/C
2☆Kevin Kalu 6'9" C
Fresh
2☆Jamal Sumlin 6'3" PG

That is 8 players with more coming. We have size & some speed. We need PG's & wings. Luckily PG's are a dime a dozen & Golding can afford to be picky. Sharp shooters that can create their own shot. This has been a Miner issue since I can remember. KK is trying to be that guy, but needs more work. We had Boum for 2yrs & his loss will hurt. Who will be the next kid to not be afraid to drive to the paint & create?
Other boards have people talking that Golding has failed with recruiting. Those idiots can sweep my porch. We have an above 500 team with this 8 player young team & its only getting better. Golding came in last year & picked through the left overs & somehow got most of the starters to stick around. He's not just good, he's really good.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 14, 2022, 11:30:14 AM

Other board has a lot of dummies and drama queens.

"Sharp shooters that can create their own shot.   This has been a Miner issue since I can remember."

Who was the last one?  Chris Craig?

I'm hoping Che' Evans will fit that category.  Kennedy will presumably continue to develop assuming he stays.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 14, 2022, 04:17:35 PM

The promise of Evans is he is a pure shooter, however multiple sources say his defense is a big challenge. Finesse kids usually don't transition into getting down & dirty on D. Boum fit that bill mostly. He wasn't really a sharp shooter, but he did create his own shot & his defense picked up tremendously.
The key is for Golding to recruit long & quick shooters or scorers. He can make a defender out of most.
When I went to a practice, his positioning, footwork, & shuffling drills were epic. I saw vids of the Sumlin kid & he is quick & not afraid to drive. I'm just wondering about transitioning to D1 speed. After that, everyone else has practiced or played college ball.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 15, 2022, 11:22:42 AM

I'm sure lots of kids visiting the Miner campus during these next few weeks. Once all is done, I'm hoping to hear we get some quality & experienced players.
Go get 'em CJG.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 15, 2022, 11:14:29 PM

4☆ NMSU 6'2" PG Mario McKinney signed with UTEP today. That makes 4 4☆ kids playing for UTEP.
I don't feel he did enough with NMSU to prove his worth. Kid will get his chance here. Like a lot of NMSU kids, he has a record, but being with the right program can change a kid. If Golding trust him, so do I.
He is a much needed point guard. This is our 2nd true PG pick up & 8 scolley players. Remember Onyema is a walk on using Mom & Dads GI Bill.
Keep them coming, Golding. I love it.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 16, 2022, 06:23:40 AM

Agree that on paper he's not all that exciting.  But he's gotta have a pretty good idea what he's getting into, and Golding's got a pretty good idea what his capabilities are.  All the players last year developed while they were here, so maybe he will as well.

PG fills a critical need.  Oughta be able to win at our current low-mid competition with four 4 star players and a good coach.

I suppose right now my biggest questio is do we have a reliable SG?  Of returning players Sibley had the most consistent 3...   Kennedy?  Right now I think of him more as a SF

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 16, 2022, 07:49:57 AM

New Mexico State Transferred   2/24/2021      
Mario McKinney, Jr.(JUCO)(RS)(ERS)

Missouri
Transferred   12/4/2016      

Mario McKinney, Jr.(JUCO)(RS)(ERS)

So, he was a four star recruit in 2016 and he is a shown as a juco then he is shown as a rs fr in 2019.  So, is he a sophomore and 30 years old now. lol  I am just curious about the six years(?). Mizzou in Dec of 2016 and he was already at a juco.  Then he transferred to nmsu in feb of 21 still as a freshman.  What was he doing for the years between dec of   2016  and feb of 21?  What class is he and how many years of eligibility does he have?

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 16, 2022, 11:49:03 AM

Hell of a question, KY. Verbal Commits has him to be a Soph next year. I am scratching my head on this one as well. I know Covid gave an extra year, but he is at his 4th school now. Maybe it's something like Evans where he didn't lose a year when at San Diego St. I don't think he played for Missouri & the 1 JUCO year was a wash with Covid. NMSU swallowed up his 1st year of eligibility & now has 3. Will he be able to play right away, I don't know. Golding seems to think so & we will find out soon enough what his story is. I do like how he is older & will have a chip on his shoulder that no young Buck is gonna outplay him.
I did see some vids on the kid & his strength is ball control, athleticism, & finding the open man. He's yet to prove scoring ability, rebounding, & defense. The biggest & more important question is being a dominant Floor General. JB was a good Floor General, not a great one. More recent Floor General I can remember were Stone & Artis. It would be great to see that again.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 16, 2022, 12:29:12 PM

Lol. If he was 19 in 2016 he could be 25 balding and with a long grey beard using a walker. Jk. But seriously he is old enough to have already graduated and gotten his master?s degree playing with 19 year olds and 20 year olds. He should be a steadying influence?  I am just curious how he was able to go so long without burning more something up. Witness protection program?  It was nmsu so lost academic progress would make some sense I guess. Jk. He is a Miner now, and that indicates to me that is has some good sense.
Golding is a stone cold serious control freak I think.   If I am right I think McKinney knows what he was signing up for. Remember that this kid had visions of the NBA coming out of high school. He also knows what El Paso is like. He knows it is as quiet as can be. A person can concentrate on learning here. He obviously has basketball skills. He wasn?t his own constellation because he was 7 feet tall. So concentration and guidance may be what he is looking for. And to trade up in a year or two. No sweat. Play so damned great this next season to be the best player in cusa and move up. Or maybe even wait a year and stay at UTEP and get an education first.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 18, 2022, 02:54:01 PM

Was doing some vid watching on Sumlin & he reminds me of Omega Harris a lot. Maybe just a hair slower, but better with ball skills. He & McKinney can be a Hell of package if they both can score.
I'm also seeing why he is a 3☆PG w/VC, but a 4☆SG w/ESPN. He is a score 1st guard, but because he is so quick & has handles, he can transition to a true PG with ease.
All in all, we have a team that can perform right now. The good thing is Golding will sit your ass if you can't D up.
Let's see what else CJG has in store for us.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 18, 2022, 03:47:13 PM

Omega played full speed every second and his first couple years was a little out of control.  Obviously a great player.  But I'll take a hair slower with better handles, especially if he can shoot like Omega

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 18, 2022, 05:24:14 PM

I may have missed this but if you haven?t watched the video you have to;
https://www.news5cleveland.com/sports/local-sports/student-athlete-of-the-week/student-athlete-of-the-week-jamal-sumlin
I personally have a new favorite. I hope he takes advantage of the opportunity and if he does he will find a whole new world can be his. He may be good enough to play right away. Optimism. They have had him in their sights for a long time.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 18, 2022, 09:03:29 PM

I sure like his coach

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 18, 2022, 09:05:00 PM

Yes. I saw the video. Great story & great pick up from Boykins.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 19, 2022, 12:31:47 PM

Kennedy in the portal

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 19, 2022, 12:32:52 PM

Che Evans in the portal

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 19, 2022, 02:24:52 PM

There goes the neighborhood. Evans was no big deal, but Kennedy is tough. We are dealing with a brand new ball club. I have no idea what kind of product we will see next year. Ugh

All we can do is trust Golding can put up a good product.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 19, 2022, 02:37:24 PM

I like the company we keep. Top teams started with all new starters. That is fine with me. What matters is what he gets and how well they play. Welcome to the brave new world of college basketball.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 19, 2022, 02:56:06 PM

So...
After much deliberation, I have concluded that this might have been CJG plan all along.
When he got here, he had slim pickin's & had no choice but to sell the team to stay. He was successful, but without Williams.
Now that he has had a year to market the UTEP brand, he is not as reluctant to let others go. If not, he would have made a better attempt at keeping all besides a non-scholley player in Onyema.
Either he planned on making what he inherited better or wanted to build the team in his image. In that scenario, I go with the latter.

The fact is, none of us know. Do we see it as a dumpster fire or a necessary gutting?
 Based on CJG success, I believe the correct way to look at it is to trust in his process.

Go Miners

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 19, 2022, 05:00:55 PM

I?m not opposed to blowing it up.  There was dysfunction left over from CRT

We just need to see what happens.  This year earned CJG some trust with me

We don?t know how this will all shake out.  There?s so many guys in the portal might be able to pick up some if they get left without a chair when the music stops.  Or we are the ones without a chair

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 19, 2022, 05:14:17 PM

The way I understand it, these players have dropped a line in the water.  But by going fishing Golding may or may not welcome them back if they didn't get any bites or what they caught were too small.  Golding is fishing too though, and if he lands some fish he likes better than the guys that went fishing he can tell them he already has his limit.  So, we may end up with some players returning, I think.  Maybe.  On another note, what about Evans, putting his name in the tp.  Did he realize that he wasn't going to get any pt after his time here, or was he attending classes here?  Just fishing?  Are some of these kids just proving they can go to school and behave?  Lot's of questions.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Minermojo on April 19, 2022, 06:51:03 PM

I wonder if Midas tells those that get into the TP that they might not have a position after all is said and done. WHY should he hold up the recruiting and wait if those people get picked up or not. Screw them, them getting in the TP is an indication that they're not happy here. So be it but don't expect special treatment and think that the coach will wait on you and keep your position open. If I was Golding for every one of those that indicate that they're entering the TP he should start getting a replacement and if he does he only has to tell the "unhappy ones that decisions have consequences, it's that simple.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 20, 2022, 08:45:40 AM

Might be safe to say that we are done losing players.
C Onyema
C Kalu
C Hamilton
PF Sibley
SF Dos Anjos
PG McKinney
PG Sumlin
Onyema is only leftover from Terry. All other are his. So for those who keep track of coaches that play with own players, the clock starts now.
He is building his team, his way. I admit, in the mass exodus usually meant NCAA applied "The Death Sentence."
The college sports world is very different. I don't think any of us are comfortable with it. The issue that will come up down the road is the student/athlete graduation rate. If it drops, then that would be direct proof NCAA has taken control of higher learning institutions.

I hope we can pick up quality players.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 20, 2022, 09:23:08 AM

OK, going off memory on some of these guys, maybe someone can fill in the blanks?

PG -- McKinney -- transfer from NMSU.  Good handles, good reviews out of high school but hasn't been much of a scoring threat
        Sumlin -- incoming freshman, video looks promising, but a freshman

SG -- currently no one

SF -- Dos Anjos -- I don't remember anything about this guy.  Europe?

PF Sibley -- High ceiling here.  Can shoot the 3 better than any departing players, mobile and active

C -- Onyema, Kalu.  Good potential upside with these guys.
      Hamilton -- big boy, can't jump.  Seems really raw, but you can't teach size.   Electrical Engineering major so probably won't have eligibility issues.


So seems like the two spots we were most worried about a month ago are in OK shape.  PG and C.   We desperately need SG and SF, guys 6-5 to 6-8 that can shoot the outside, drive the paint, and are very very active.  Need about 4 of these, and at least one more PF.  If we got more big bodies, could Sibley play SF?

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 20, 2022, 10:19:51 AM

Dos Anjos is from Brazil & is a JUCO out of Florida.
Still have Kalu, last I checked. Came in raw, but has upside. I think we are OK on the big bodies. We need long shooters & drivers.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Ronstr on April 21, 2022, 12:18:34 PM

I will say I  LOVE this thread. Very insightful. The posts and opinions on here are so much more accurate than on digs.
I will say I am "probably" part of the winey asses you speak of on digs. However, I have tried several times to become regular here, but this site is very chique-ish. There are a bunch of amazing posters on here, but new folks just don't become the norm. That's ok I guess. (I jumped in when ky started....I fell away later)

Keep posting your insights.....I LOVE reading them.....take care....peace...

Disclaimer......not trying to be a little bitch......just saying...I will pop in to read cuz I "dig" the posts. (even ky's long winded ones....lol)

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 21, 2022, 01:35:40 PM

Thanks for dropping in.  I remember you had quality comments. 

Funny thing, I was going to post a comment about the other site asking if there is such a thing as getting paid per post?  Because if there is, how do I get in on it?  And if there isn't, then I have no explanation for about 3/4 of the posts that happen there.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 21, 2022, 02:05:42 PM

Glad you can make it back, Ronstr. Digs has 1 or 2 good insiders that I follow. However, no pre-madona's here. I don't think any of us care about 1 upping the next.
To stay on topic, I have seen no activity on recruiting yet. I hang around Verbal Commits, Twitter, & other social sites to keep up & nothing.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Ronstr on April 21, 2022, 04:53:17 PM

Hell, if I can get paid, I am all in! I can post stupid shit with the best of them! I probably do anyway.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 21, 2022, 05:30:46 PM

I don't want to piss on anybody's Post Toasties but, I am kind of keeping my fingers crossed on McKinney.  He evidently is being given an opportunity-again.  He has to know that Golding is taking a chance on him not being a problem.  I think Golding is counting on Onyema and others to help set a tone and an expectation. 

I think it is interesting that Golding has had all of these supposed openings for as long as he has and has filled what, 2 spots?  I watch VC and you can see that some are trading up, down, or laterally.  But, also, you can see that some are instantly picked up.  You deal was already done. probably.  Or maybe someone just decided that it was too good to wait.  But it seems to me that he isn't just randomly shopping on VC.  Is he waiting and having them wait to make a big splash?  That runs the risk of having them trade up in the interim.  Is he waiting until the last minute to see what comes up?  I don't see it.  He needs to have much more control than sitting and hoping.  If he is just taking what is great as it comes up and nothing has been great enough yet?  I don't think so. 

I am hoping this will help;
Division I Men?s Basketball Recruiting Calendar

For the men?s basketball recruiting evaluation periods, there are two different kinds of evaluation periods that take place. During the April evaluations, coaches can only evaluate recruits at NCAA-certified events. If you are on an AAU team or participating in a club basketball tournament at that time, chances are, it?s an NCAA-certified event. You can always double check if the event is NCAA-certified before you attend.

During the remainder of the evaluation periods, all live evaluations must take place at a regularly scheduled high school, prep school or two-year college tournament, practice or game. Again, it?s important to know when the evaluations can happen, but chances are, the coach will let you know when they plan to visit you during this time.

August 1 ? September 8, 2021: Quiet period (exception below)
August 6?15, 2021: Dead period
September 9 ? November 7, 2021: Recruiting/contact period
November 8?11, 2021: Dead period
November 12, 2021 ? March 30, 2022: Recruiting/contact period (exception below)
December 24?26, 2021: Dead period
March 31 ? April 7 (noon), 2022: Dead period
April 7 (noon) ? 20, 2022: Recruiting/contact period (exceptions below)
April 8?10, 2022: Evaluation period (only for certified events)
April 11?14, 2022: Dead period
April 21 ? July 5, 2022: Quiet period (exceptions below)
April 22?24, 2022: Evaluation period (only for NCAA certified events)
April 25?28, 2022: Recruiting period
May 19?27, 2022: Dead period
NBA Draft Combine (Dates TBD): Evaluation period (for combine only)
NBPA Top 100 Camp (Dates TBD): Evaluation period (for NBPA Top 100 Camp only)
June 17 (noon) ?19 (6 pm), 2022: Evaluation period for scholastic events approved by the NCAA and NFHS and intercollegiate events approved by applicable two-year college governing body only
June 24 (noon) ? 26 (6 pm), 2022: Evaluation period for scholastic events approved by the NCAA and NFHS and intercollegiate events approved by applicable two-year college governing body only
July 6-31, 2022: Dead period* (exceptions below)
July 7?10, 2022: Evaluation period (NCAA certified events, institutional camps and permissible governing body events only)
July 26?31, 2022: Evaluation period (NCAA College Basketball academy only)
*A prospective student-athlete may not make an unofficial visit during the month of July unless he has signed a National Letter of Intent or the institution?s written offer of admission and/or financial aid, or the institution has received a financial deposit from the prospective student-athlete in response to an offer of admission

BUT DOES the transfer portal just act like a flea market?  Are those in the tp subject to any of the dates above?  For Austintacious, in poker if you had 7 drawn cards face down would you show them one at a time or at the end.  Depends, right.  Or has he even drawn cards, yet?

btw, White is going to Western NM.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 22, 2022, 01:05:22 PM

Another thing I wonder about is VC shows TV, Agnew, Kennedy and Boum as being immediately eligible.  But Clardy isn't.  So, Che Evans, Giffa, Maring, Saterfield, and Clardy aren't eligible to play somewhere else.  But we know that Clardy, played last year as did Maring and Saterfield.  So, if they leave, they sit.  If they stay, they are eligible.  Right?  McKinney is shown as not immediately eligible, too.  Also, TV, Agnew, Kennedy and Boum are eligible and could play here or there, anywhere but none have left after Agnew on 4/9.  I still wonder how many will be back. 

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 23, 2022, 11:06:22 AM

I have 0 clue on who sits pr plays. I did look at McKinney & he seems to be the kid to take over for Boum. If he is going to get fouled, he better work on FT. Also, the more I see clips on  Sumlin, the more I like this kid. His IQ is better than.you think.
He really is a true PG, but not used to D1 speed. Like I said before, the kid has wheels & can move quick. We need more long shooting guards with experience.
Can't wait to see who Golding closed on during visits this week.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 25, 2022, 08:14:03 PM

Welcome Tae Hardy 2* SG transferring from Southern Miss.

Verbally Committed to UTEP Year2018 (JR) PositionSG Height6-3 Weight191 HometownEllenwood, GA High SchoolBelieve Preparatory Academy Junior CollegePearl River Community College

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 25, 2022, 08:46:23 PM

Decent stats.  50% fg, 38% 3pt, 84% FT

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 25, 2022, 08:57:05 PM

Great. We need more. A lot more.

I took a look at this kids videos on YouTube. He is above average. He has a bit of speed, likes to shoot, & doesn't need to shoot off the pass. His D looked OK, he drives, & hits the shot after contact. I know nothing about rebounding, FTs, IQ, handles, & asst.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 26, 2022, 05:31:29 AM

He only played 7 games last year due to shoulder injury.  Hopefully he's back 100%

FWIW, here's what the USM coach had to say at the time.  Coachspeak, but still:

?One of the biggest things that he has that high basketball I.Q.,? Ladner told Pine Belt Sports. ?He does the tough things and gets on the floor for loose balls, but he also keeps the other guys organized out there. He is that quarterback on the floor type of guy.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Minermojo on April 26, 2022, 11:06:39 AM

"Disclaimer......not trying to be a little bitch......just saying...I will pop in to read cuz I "dig" the posts. (even ky's long winded ones....lol)"


C'mon man, that poor old man at least has someone to pay attention here. At home not even his dog listens anymore unless it's a call for dinner. Be kind to old people, as a matter of fact this month is "Be Kind to Old People" month. That's a reason for my post, I'm just being kind to the old bugger.

Don't listen to him Ky, you just keep rambling on to your hearts content even if you do sound like THE SOB, presidon't Biden, the Senile Old Bumbler. LOL

;)

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Ronstr on April 27, 2022, 06:08:07 AM

LOL....Nah Ky is cool. Can't knock an old dude as I am one too.

I feel we will get an announcement today on another player. Wednesday. Might be wishful thinking.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 27, 2022, 07:29:46 AM

https://youtu.be/ZCVR_ajL_Eo

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Minermojo on April 27, 2022, 11:21:57 AM

Bwahahaha, good one. welcome to the club.  ;D

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 28, 2022, 11:35:15 AM

I am chomping at the bit here waiting to see who else commits.
We are in need of shooting guards & a long body. We don't necessarily need a wide body, but a 6'7" to 6'9" versatile long player. We have size in Hamilton, Kalu, & Onyema.
If we can get some speed & shooting, we around be able to at least repeat a 20 win season.
Remember, CUSA is going to be a bit watered down for the season coming up. The Miners will need to set the tone early.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on April 28, 2022, 12:47:58 PM

TV to Northwestern in the Big10.  Best of luck to him.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on April 28, 2022, 01:44:28 PM

Maybe he's going there for the education.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 28, 2022, 06:53:17 PM

Quote from: kyyote on April 28, 2022, 12:47:58 PM

TV to Northwestern in the Big10.  Best of luck to him.

Wish him the best. Hope he finds what he is looking for.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on April 30, 2022, 10:26:47 AM

I saw we are in the hunt for VCU transfer 6'8" PF Mikeal Jones Brown. The kid was ranked a 4☆ & after watching some videos..., let's just say I want this kid wearing orange badly. He is a beast.
Come on CJG. Bring this kid home.

On a side note. I was reading that a kid entered the portal from Miami because he wants more $$ from UIL. WTF is going on here? The NCAA has got to go.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on May 01, 2022, 09:17:13 PM

Still no movement. We only have 7 on the team with 3 bigs, 3 guards, & a SF. 6 more to fill. I check Verbal Commits every 4hrs & only keep track of a few recruits on Twitter. I have to admit that I am very nervous. While we have some pretty good pieces, it is very incomplete & bringing kids with promise is not going to win the conference. We need some Haskins Juju to pick a David Latin quality player to bring this team together.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Minermojo on May 02, 2022, 02:46:48 PM

The way I see things materializing is that we will be in the same state as we were this year. Players this year were not used to the system that Golding was implementing and while some of them were good those same players that learned the system got into the portal. We'll need heads that's for sure and the cycle will be repeated, unfortunately. That portal is screwing a lot of schools especially those that were lucky to get a few good players and will now lose them. SAD

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on May 02, 2022, 06:02:04 PM

Looks like we picked up 6'2" PG Malik Zachary out of New York with 2 more years of eligibility. Kid protects the rock well & has handles, however not a big scorer or rebounder.
Yet another kid with a record. I'm actually not harsh on kids with records because I believe in 2nd chances. Kid was probably in a tough spot & had to protect himself. School should be a sanctuary from all those distractions.
I think we have 2 PGs & 1 hybrid guard. I'm happy with that. Now let's get some length & scoring.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on May 02, 2022, 09:15:33 PM

Well, hmmm...  OK.  I have done high risk/low reward things most of my life.  There have been rewards but there have also been rewards that were more like punishment.  Wisdom might suggest I should take a lesson from that.  But then, it is hard to measure the rewards of things like jumping out of airplanes and running along the top of boxcars and jumping one to the next doing 60 mph.  Here's the lesson.  At 73 I know I could do it, but have enough sense not to.  And that, my friends is kind of how I feel about how I see things going as the team comes into view.  Know what I mean, Coach?

I am adding this to a purposefully long comment above just to let some of you know that I know, and that I sometimes do things like this to keep your brains busy.  This comes from many years of teaching young children and the knowledge that an idle mind is the Devil's playground.  So, you see, I am right now trying to save some of you from yourselves.  Mojo, you especially should know how hard the nurses at the home where you stay are always complaining about you abusing yourself?  And then you get all mad and wander off.  Then they have to issure the gray alert and send out people to find you hanging out at the grade school playground eying the children and drooling.

One last thing.  Souley Boum   UTEP   >Xavier

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Minermojo on May 03, 2022, 11:27:07 AM

Oooh that's low, even for you Ky. LOL

But, what can we expect from someone who jumps out of perfectly good airplanes...not too bright there old man. I've always preferred having my feet firmly on solid ground, now that's smart. You know it's said, those who can't pass the  Air Force entrance exam are sent next door to the Army recruiter. Some of those are even talked into jumping out of airplanes. Some of us would rather fix them then jump out of them, like me.  ;) ;D

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on May 03, 2022, 03:56:29 PM

Lol. Oh, I passed all of the tests, vision, height, weight, hearing, and they even offered to send me to school to be an officer when they drafted me.  I really had no intention of jumping when I signed up for Airborne, but I had to do it if the old men of 35-40 could.  I couldn't let the old farts show me up.  And I'm glad I did.  The silver wings and the jump boots made the uniform.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on May 04, 2022, 10:31:37 AM

So I was reading the other board & there is talk about better players still in the portal. One name came up was 6'7" Calvin Solomon transfering out of SFA.
He did visit UTEP a few weeks back, but is still visiting other schools. The kids interior offensive game is a scorer like Boum. He drives & creates, except instead of being 6'1" he is a long, lean, & quick 6'7".
The kid has great footwork & knows how to find or create separation. He was a 2☆ out of highschool in Houston.
I'm not sure about his shooting, rebounding, or assts, but Golding & staff need to get knee pads on & beg this kid to wear orange. He & Sibley would be a dynamic duo in the paint. 

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Minermojo on May 04, 2022, 11:13:05 AM

", and they even offered to send me to school to be an officer when they drafted me. "


Wow, an Army officer, that's equivalent to being the best Group of Five player but not good enough for the worst team in the Cartel group. No kidding, but one time at work this helicopter pilot asked us how to get around the Franklin mountains. Sheesh, there's a huge gap to the south and north, maybe he could have taken one of those two.

Another time while refueling the giant C5 aircraft which can hold 6 whole buses in it's interior an Army officer came to us and asked us where he could find a C5 airplane. There was one on the flight line in front of us and you couldn't miss it even if you were blind. We sent him somewhere else and the next time he came by our group he gave us a look that could kill. Bwahahahaha, we enjoyed that one.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Minermojo on May 04, 2022, 11:20:16 AM

Ha, ha, I had to come back and apologize to the old man but I still retain my opinion of Army officers. All we have to do is look at Milley and Austin, that's their best by the way.

As for the paratroopers, my brother was a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division and so was my BIL. I have a lot of respect for them as it takes guts to jump out of airplanes, no brains but lots of guts. LOL

I'm sure you looked sharp in your spitshined boots and snazzy uniform. It's one of the best looking in the military.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on May 04, 2022, 11:56:05 AM

Here's the thing.  If you were holding a rifle and in a firefight with an enemy trying to kill you, would you rather have an army officer, that officer, or an Air Force officer?  The answer is so obvious that the question seems too silly to ask, doesn't it.  As for the current leadership of the military at the highest levels my respect for military discipline based on honor and respect keeps me from commenting.  I will say that perhaps the worst day in my life regarding U.S. military came under the command of the current administration. 
I was Infantry trained, and Airborne qualified and sent to a tank battalion.  There I became the battalion dispatcher and part of Battalion Maintenance, where I was somewhat over the mechanics ;).  Someone had to manage the monkeys, so to speak and check on them.  I had to be able to drive all of the track and wheeled vehicles in the battalion, including track recon vehicles and armored personnel carriers, tanks, tank retrievers, jeeps to 5 ton trucks, and was the driver/operator of a 60 ton tracked bridge laying vehicle that could span a fifty five foot river as I was the one who tested them in order for them to be licensed to drive them.

Also;
Christian Agnew   UTEP   -> Southeastern Louisiana

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on May 04, 2022, 03:29:11 PM

Hey guys, I think we signed a player today.
https://kvia.com/sports/utep/2022/05/04/source-evansville-point-guard-shamar-givance-commits-to-utep/

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on May 04, 2022, 04:38:31 PM

Very nice. I thought he might skip on UTEP because Newton went somewhere else. I'm betting Newton was in his ear to take the position. No doubt he is a proven starter for PG.
We have enough PG & SG. Now we need long athletic players. We need quick kids to get that defense rolling efficiently.
Come on Golding team. Let's make it happen.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on May 04, 2022, 06:26:21 PM

So far, this is what I have Starting Forwards Onyema/Kalu/Hamilton
                                                                Sibley/

and at Point Shamar Givance/ Malik Zachary/ Jamal Sumlin

and SG's Tae Hardy/ McKinney

I believe Hardy is the starter based on his play at Southern Miss, and Point is Givance.  I think Zachary and McKinney are players with a lot of potential who are getting a chance to be good citizens in a place where being a good citizen can be fairly easy to do and playing basketball.

Jamal Sumlin may push the two ahead of him.
Hamilton may be a real wild card, though.  He may be able to come in and provide an anchor down low.  I do believe he plays with a power and attitude more like a traditional post player.  This may really open things up for Sibley to just get crazy good.  Also, Hamilton may put a stop to the back door cuts problem we had last year'

Defensively, I trust Golding to be able to teach them how to move their feet and keep the hands up.  Oh, and that if they don't play defense they don't play.

So, we have four spots left. I hope the best is yet to come. As it is, and if the team above is the best we have we are a much weaker team I am afraid. I mean trading out the top four players for the best four we picked up I think we lost ground. The last four spots filled will go a long way in telling us which way Golding may be able to take us in the conference we?re in.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on May 04, 2022, 10:02:42 PM

I agree, KY.
1st off, I saw some vids on Givance & he is no doubt our starting PG. Kid is quick, fantastic handles, knows how to find the open man, & can score a little bit. Reminds me of Streeter.
We also need more pieces to make this team work. Dos Anjos, Hamilton, & Sumlin are really unproven players. We need some proven length.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on May 05, 2022, 09:19:09 AM

Do we actually have any shooting guards?  Didn?t we sign all PG?  Can any of these guys hit the 3 at 38% or better?

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on May 05, 2022, 05:30:00 PM

I think McKinney & Zachery can shoot, drive, & play the 1. Combo guards. We need long athletic shooters. Long to help rebound & athletic to drive in the paint. The 3 ball is not really a must. Boumn, Derozen & CP3 proved that I'd range jumpers are more efficient. We just need to defend the 3.
Every team out there is fixated on that long ball. It's good off the pass or when you are left wide open. After that, it is less than 30%. I say push to the paint & settle for the mid range, pound the paint, or force them to foul.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on May 06, 2022, 12:29:16 PM

Saterfield to Portland State.  This is a tell, I think.  This tells me that Saterfield didn't think he could beat out the sg's we have or are going to have.  He was willing to transfer to Portland State.  So, either he didn't want to be here or figured he was better off there.  And he knows already what it was like here.  Left the known for the unknown.  He played here and you would think he could have tried to win a spot again with a leg up on the competition.  I think he knew he was better off leaving, and I am going to take it that he figured we had our starting sg.

I think we may go back to pounding the ball inside.  I consider two-point shots to be what pays the bills and three-point shots to be expendable income or desperation purchases of lottery tickets.  I think our guys are going to be carrying lunch buckets.  I think Golding wants to beat you by out working you-not winning the lottery.  Who stayed?  Duh!  Kalu, Sibley, Onyema.  The first two arrivals, Dos Anjos and Hamilton.  Then, he went and got his guards.  We have our team.  I think we either get some real good gets or some solid additions.  It has come down to time to shit or get off of the pot.  Musical chairs music is going to stop soon so players and coaches are going to start making moves.  I asked if the team will be better or worse than last season's team earlier.   The remaining spots may be determinative in that regard.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on May 06, 2022, 12:45:26 PM

Man, I wish my glasses were as orange as y'alls.

I think Saterfield left because he can't play D worth @#$#.  No doubt Golding told him if he couldn't D up, he wouldn't play.  Saterfield also can't hit the ocean from a rowboat unless he's set and open.

You have to be a legit threat from 3 or the D will back off and not concede the dribble drive.  I don't think any of these guys are D1 SG size (6-4 min) which further means the D can sag back and still recover if they shoot it up.

Teams are fixated on the 3 ball because every single Cinderella in the last decade has gotten there by tearing it up from the 3.  Power D1 teams have guards with the length and speed to shut down everything inside unless you can spread them out by making them respect the 3.

IMO we need at least SG 6'4 or bigger, and at least one more guy that can play SF.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on May 06, 2022, 01:24:23 PM

Well, maybe this will make you feel better.  We lost TV and got dos Anjos/Hamilton and that is a loss unless they play as well and that we damned sure don't know that they will.  We lost Boum, the conference scoring leader and we got Tae Hardy and McKinney wounded unknowns and that means we lost ground there.  JB is gone and Givance is here.  Loss.  Sibley remains so that is even and maybe a plus because of experience.  So far, we are not as good as we were when we started last season.  Surprise me, Coach!  Three times!  Of course, if Golding wins with the new guys, maybe we will believe that they were better.  Yet to be determined. 

Last thing.  Ezeagu left UTEP to go to Kansas State.  Played a little.  Entered TP and is going to Sam.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on May 08, 2022, 09:22:35 AM

Looks like we have another announcement from the Twitter verse. 6'6" Otis Frazier transferred to UTEP with 3 years of eligibility. The kid is from AZ, but transfers to us from George Mason. He only saw 8 mpg as a Freshy & averaged a little over 2 ppg.
He was a 2☆ out of high school, but his YouTube videos look fantastic. Kid is built like Onyema & is a high flying act when it comes to dunking. Kid is a shot blocker as well. He is very athletic & has great hops.
The kid also has a decent jumper from beyond the arc. I think he will be fighting for playing time with Sibley. What I like about him is he can overpower long players in the paint, but has the athleticism to defend the perimeter.

The downside is he is unproven on a D1 court & looks like he needs some polishing. With very little minutes played at GM, it also tells me his Bball IQ is not quite where it needs to be.
All in all, he should fit in nicely where Hollins left off. We need more long player like him.
With 3 schollies left, I'd like to see 2 more long bodies & a proven big man.

Later today, I'll break down who we have & possible impacts from what I have seen on video & stats.
Keep them coming, Golding. I actually like what I see so far. No spectacular recruiting like Terry, but pieces that fit Golding's mold. I'll explain what that means later.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on May 08, 2022, 10:54:16 AM

This kid is going to be Golding for us. He has been dedicated to basketball enough to have gone to a prep school. George Mason is Div 1 and in an tough conference. He father was an athlete. He?s going to play basketball here.
? Frazier has good size at 6?6″ 198 lbs and is known for his intensity on defense and ability to finish high above the rim. He definitely looks like he will bring a lot of energy to both ends of the court and often looks to attack the rim with ease while still possessing a solid three-point shot. ?
Look at what GM said when they got him. Does that sound just perfect for what we need or what!

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on May 09, 2022, 02:32:44 PM

OK. After our mass exodus, Golding has managed to build up an OK roster. More importantly, a roster in his image.
Here we go:
Sr.
2☆ 5'10" PG Shamar Givance
2☆ 6'3" SG Tae Hardy
Jr.
3☆ 6'2" Combo G Malik Zachery
2☆ 6'7" PF Jonathan Dos Anjos
2☆ 6'10" C Derick Hamilton
Soph.
4☆ 6'8" PF Jamari Sibley
3☆ 6'1" Combo G Mario McKinney
2☆ 6'6" SF Otis Frazier
2☆ 6'8" PF Ze'Rik Onyema
2☆ 6'9" C Kevin Kalu
Freshy
2☆ 6'2" PG Jamal Sumlin

So, what does this all mean? Herr is my opinion on starters.
1 Givance
2 Open to who ever defends & the hot hand
3 Also open to best defense & hot hand
4 Sibley
5 Not sure. Hamilton comes with experience, but Onyema knows program

I will say that we lost some rock stars on JB, KK, & Boum. We can't replace that level of talent, but maybe this team works better together. The other thing that is a huge pick up that we didnt have last year is a bench. Hollins took a while, but did OK while Saterfield & Saucy were a very high risk. After that yhe talent fell off a cliff. We have a legit bench that can move on and make a difference when we get in foul trouble or towards the end of games for fresh legs. Sumlin is the only kid we question on next level play.
Givance- should be impressive & will hit ground running where JB left off only a bit shorter.
Hardy- Familiar with CUSA play & has skills. May be starter at the 2.
Zachery- will battle for 2 position & can score
Dos Anjos- most Brazilians are work horses & that what we need for rebounding & driving.
Hamilton- while mobility might be in question, he has size & strength to protect the paint.
McKinney should also compete as a Combo guard.
Frazier- Is a beast for 6'6" & will be a force when he drives or takes the jumper.
Sibley- Did well last year & hasnt come close to his ceiling
Onyema- hard work & talent is there. Waiting on his. All IQ to catch up.
Kalu- big & strong, but needs confidence.
Sumlin- will be learning his 1st year. Should be way better than Gifa.
I. Curious to see what others think about these kids.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on May 09, 2022, 03:39:45 PM

Nice job, Chanson.  I have questions about who has to sit out.  Verbal Commits shows players as either immediately eligible or not.  I have Onyema, Kalu, Sibley, as duh eligible.  Givance is shown as Yes, as is Hardy.  McKinney and Frazier and not marked as Yes.  I figure los Anjos and Sumlin will be eligible. Zachary and Hamilton I don't know but think Yes.  What about Frazier and McKinney and maybe Zachary?

I think Onyema, Kalu, and Sibley stayed because they will be starting.  I think we will See los Anjos backing up Sibley.  Kalu has Hamilton  behind him.  Givance with Sumlin and McKinney backing him up running things with Tae Hardy.  With plenty of switching around.  But I am still holding out hope that as players become desperate that Golding may find some jewels still.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on May 09, 2022, 05:26:48 PM

I actually don't know who sits out. With all this portal/Covid exceptions/JUCO, etc., I can't keep track.
JUCOs should be a no brainer. The only one I would question is McKinney.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on May 10, 2022, 06:21:47 AM

Teich is already licking his lips for the first time Frazier takes a charge and he can yell ?Down goes Frazier!?

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on May 10, 2022, 09:30:38 AM

So, I am reading other sites & most are not happy with the recruiting. I think we have kids to keep other offenses under control. The offe se is what I worry about.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on May 10, 2022, 11:57:10 AM

As for the recruiting, I think most of us don't have any real idea of what we want or if that can even happen anymore.  The last four or five years have thrown everything so much into chaos on so many different levels that about the only thing we understand is Winning and Losing.  I readily admit that I am speaking for myself, too.  Do we want a four star who struck out and fell to us or do we want a leaping unknown who was tearing shit up at a lower level.  Well, anyone with any sense would say it depends on the players.  And this is where damned near every one of us doesn't know the players, what to look for and how they might fit.  That's where the coaches come in.  So far, the only thing that I can see that stands out to me a little is that Golding seems to be willing to give players a second chance after some problems that might be mistakes of youth or indicators of future problems and only time will tell.  I will say that last year was Golding coaching a Terry team.  So, without Williams is was a severely weakened Terry team and Golding made the adjustments he could.  But the team was designed and had developed the feed Williams game and now he was gone.  The team had to almost entirely turn into a guard heavy perimeter shooting team.  Luckily, Boum was pretty good at it, JB found the shot that had abandoned him and lost him his shot at OU, and Kennedy came on like Elliott Ness on the Chicago mob!  We learned that Golding could win with Terry's players, even with one hand tied behind his back.  He is a little nugget for you to think about, what would last season have been like if BW had returned to UTEP and Golding had had the full house to play.  Anyway, we know Golding can coach.  Can he recruit?  I don't even think that is the right question anymore.  It is now days can a coach assemble the right players.  I watched Baylor and Tech play all new starters from the previous year.  They didn't send all of their players to the pros and cry about empty cupboards.  They had new players winning and going up the national rankings through the season.  I watched the Tech coach this year while watching Verbal Commits.  He did it again.  H has just taken the most obscure seemingly players and picked them up for the team he is assembling.  It is a brave new world.  Some teams at the top had always been so stacked that they just absorbed the players that turned pro.  They were stacked because the players were stuck.  Funny thing is some of those found out with new mobility that the elevators also went down.  But the sudden ability to move upset the entire system.  Big name teams couldn't figure out how to keep all of the talent they had assembled.  More importantly for us, some found out the new way to assemble.  I year teams.  These coaches are like the guys that built 55 Chevys with 327's to take to the drags in the 60's to beat the Corvettes, the factory speedsters the rich kids had. 
So, I asked for Golding to surprise me but I wouldn't know if it was a great get or not unless it was spectacular enough to make me leery.   And so we wait.  We wait to see what the chef cooks up for us.  I think we need to develop a taste for stew. 

Don't forget.  If the Chef is good enough to fix us up another fine meal, maybe even better than last year's hopefully, he may be lured away by big bucks.  This would be the year to prepare for it financially.  Decide whether or not UTEP will be a feeder or a destination.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on May 10, 2022, 12:03:37 PM

I think what you're saying makes a lot of sense.

Basically there's going to be an element of luck on whether you get the right group, although arguably that was a factor under the old scheme.  It's just possible that Xs and Os and high IQ players start being a bigger factor than ever at this level. 

And I think we might have won conference or come really damn close with BW. NIT for sure, maybe NCAA.  BW played for Tech the way Golding would have wanted him to play.  All out all the time.  No taking plays off.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on May 10, 2022, 02:29:05 PM

I really like the "Cook" analogy. In the past it was using same ingredients to get better, while today's game is completely different ingredients each year & hope to make something good.
You're right. We wait until mid season to see how good the meal is that the chef prepared. What's tough is the process has changed too quickly, but the part that is comforting is everyone else is going through the same thing. I. Actually for change, but not at the expense of kids being kicked to the curb with no education. The portal will extend the value of a player, but also kill the dream for others. Education is secondary in this scenario & that sickens me.
Anyway, back to the Miners. What I like about Golding is he is blue color & is used to fighting his way through limitations by means of playing & recruiting to defensive fundamentals while allowing creativity on the offensive side.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Minermojo on May 11, 2022, 11:23:55 AM

Honestly, in my opinion which is worth nothing in this inflation, I don't think things will change much. Sure, he maybe brought in players that were of the same level but one big problem is that this NEW players don't know his system like the ones that left. So it's back to square one with them. The newbies still need to learn his system and while some of the players aren't as proficient we may be headed on a downward spiral or if best be in the same level as this past year.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on May 11, 2022, 12:07:31 PM

You are right on most of your post, especially the part about your opinion. ;)  Seriously though, you may be right about knowing his system, but you may also be wrong in that all of the players had been used to Terry's system, and were having to change to something new.  In that case these players have a cleaner slate to start learning Golding's system.  These will be his players chosen for his system and that should give him an advantage over last year's team built for Terry's Bryson Williams' ball.  But you may be right.  We may be less of a team than we began with last year.  Golding set a high bar with Terry's leftovers.  But not even close to high enough.  We didn't win our conference tournament or go to the dance.  Any year we don't hasn't been good enough.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Austintacious on May 11, 2022, 05:10:57 PM

I've said before how the football team at the high school I teach at was the runnerup at the 4A State Final game.  That got a lot of attention from schools.  In the past weeks, over 30 coaches from the P5 conferences and mid and small schools have visited including one of UTEP's assistants.  They talk to the players and evaluate how they hold up to questions, etc.  I imagine it's a similar process for Golding and his assistant coaches as they fill up UTEP's roster.  This helps them determine whether they want to make an offer to prospective players.  Is it any different trying to get players through the portal? 

Quite a few players from LBJ HS in Austin have gotten offers from the mid and small schools.  The larger power schools will probably wait until later.  The players hold off on commitments to schools as they think about what's best for them.  Last year, one of my student/players showed me pictures of him in propective schools football uniforms but waited until signing day to indicate their choice when they sign the letter. 

Comments?

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on May 12, 2022, 11:37:55 PM

Verbal Commits has reported 2☆ 6'7" Calvin Solomon has committed to UTEP. I couldn't find any vids with his time at Stephen F. Austin, but I did see some of his High School vids. This kid has a motor. True sports fans know exactly what means. This guy is a big defensive guy as well.
He has 2yrs of eligibility & he is for sure not a starter.
He doesn't have that touch to be an offensive power, but that motor will get him lots of defensive playing time.
Role players are important & I think he will be a better version of Agnew.

Fellas, I have to admit that I am OK with his recruiting this year. He is bringing in speedy, strong athletes. If that doesn't say "we are defense first," I don't know what is?

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on May 13, 2022, 06:59:09 AM

turnovers on the defensive end turn into layups on the offensive end, and those are pretty high percentage.

I hope you're right.  I really have no idea what to expect from these guys.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on May 13, 2022, 07:14:46 AM

Just a couple of points.  He has been at SFA since 2019.  Abilene Christian plays them in the WAC so Golding knows this kid pretty well.  What I noticed is that he looks to be exactly what I have been looking for.  He doesn't shoot 3-pointers, he shot 23 in three years and 13 were last year while he shoots over 50% from the field.  That tells me he is playing and shooting shots that are close enough to be hard to miss.  I expect to see a lot more stuffs and a lot less bombs away.

Chanson, you say he definitely is not a starter.  I think that may not be true.  I think he may very well end up starting.  He averaged just about 10 points and 5 rebounds a game as a starter in the WAC.  They play pretty good basketball and he did pretty well against that level-our level- of competition.  I think he may take Sibley's starting spot.  He averaged twice as many points and an extra rebound more than Sibley last season.

So far, I have Givance as the starting point guard, Hardy maybe as the SG, and I think Solomon is the starting PF.  I think my question is will Onyema or Hamilton play the post because I don't know how mobile Hamilton will be.  And there is dos Anjos..  I could see Sibley moving to SF.  I think we will get a  treat shortly to solve this.  So, the guards and the PF are solid. 

Points. 
Solomon 10 ppg (6 rpg)
Givance 5 to 10 ppg  He is all about distribution.  Led his conference in assists to turnover ratio
Hardy 15 ppg

We averaged 69 ppg and JB, SB, KK produced 50 ppg.  Looking at Givance as the starter and generously attributing 10 ppg to him and let's give Solomon and Hardy both an extra 5 ppg that's only 45 points.  That means we have to find 25 to 30 points.  Our starters produced around 50 ppg combined and 20 from the bench.  Boum and Bienemy produced about 35 points a game combined.  Givance and Hardy are probably going to produce ten points a game less.  Our front line averaged about 17 ppg and so that will need to get up to about 30 ppg to make up for the loss of points from the 35 ppg JB and SB produced.  So, with Solomon at around 10 we need the center and the sf both to also get 10 each.  That is just the starters.  So I am holding out for a 10 ppg starting sf and a 10 ppg starting center.  Or someone is going to have to make a big step up from what they have been doing.

 

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on May 13, 2022, 12:23:22 PM

Quote from: kyyote on May 13, 2022, 07:14:46 AM

Chanson, you say he definitely is not a starter.  I think that may not be true.  I think he may very well end up starting.  He averaged just about 10 points and 5 rebounds a game as a starter in the WAC.  They play pretty good basketball and he did pretty well against that level-our level- of competition.  I think he may take Sibley's starting spot.  He averaged twice as many points and an extra rebound more than Sibley last season.

So far, I have Givance as the starting point guard, Hardy maybe as the SG, and I think Solomon is the starting PF.  I think my question is will Onyema or Hamilton play the post because I don't know how mobile Hamilton will be.  And there is dos Anjos..  I could see Sibley moving to SF.  I think we will get a  treat shortly to solve this.  So, the guards and the PF are solid. 

Points. 
Solomon 10 ppg (rpg)
Givance 5 to 10 ppg  He is all about distribution.  Led his conference in assists to turnover ratio

All great points & I hope you are right, but i still think Sibley is the more talented player. Solomon may start if they need a long line up, but I don't see him starting over Sibley. I also don't see him starting over some of our SGs. I see him taking 6th man of the year. He has Agnew type talent except he is taller & a bit better on scoring.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on May 13, 2022, 12:55:23 PM

It will be interesting to see how it plays out.  I think that Givance is a tell.  He is all about distribution but doesn't score.  So, who is he going to feed?  We need 65 points from his players.  Let's just say we look for a balance.  Thirty-35 from inside the arc and the same from beyond it.  Hardy is good for 15 and maybe twenty.  We need another guard to get another 15 or so.  Zachery and McKinney aren't probably going to do that, so I don't know if it is coming from beyond the arc.  No.  I look at this team and it is built strong up front.  Kalu C/F, Hamilton C, Onyema PF, dos Anjos PF, Sibley PF, Solomon PF, and Frazier Sf.  The freshman, Sumlin will get a chance to learn from Givance.  And we have two spot left, I believe.  As I said, I am hoping for a couple more nice surprises.

A little further digging and I found that for the past few years ACU was in the top 50 including 23 and last year number 2 in free throw attempts.  Last season UTEP ranked 197th.  You don't go to the line by bombing away from beyond the arc.  You power it inside and force the opponent to foul you.  The part about Free Throws is they're free!  And they foul out starters!

I think we pound the ball inside.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on May 14, 2022, 12:33:09 PM

I don't know if we realized just how bad our rebounding was last year.  Out of 350 we were 309. That is flat out ridiculous!  We basically allowed teams to keep putting the ball back up until they got the basket or we got a lucky bounce.  And we either made our shot or we gave up trying on that possession.  Yet, we won.  We won because we out worked the other team and had some pretty good 3-point shooters.  I think we can count on the players we have to either play with the same intensity, out working other teams, or they will be watching others play.  I also believe we are about to see a very different team playing a very different style of ball.  Remember the old Haskins could beat you with his players or he could beat you with your players?  Golding won with Terry's players-and did a better job of it minus the biggest star.  So he has shown the second part.  He can beat you with your players.  Now we find out how he does with his own players. 
I have watched dos Anjos and he does have a sweet shot.  I noticed that he likes to step beyond the arc to shoot the long ball.  Chanson says that Solomon doesn't have the skills and I may even agree.  But, we need rebounds and muscle inside.  Slam dunks.  Put backs and fouls drawn!  I think Solomon is better at that.  I could see dos Anjos maybe pushing Sibley and the two splitting time at the sf spot.  I also think there may be some fluidity with players taking positions determined by situations.  But I will readily admit that I am just trying to figure it out.  I saw today that we are down to one scholarship left.  So, much of the mystery is over.  I was just thinking that the players have got an open audition for every spot on the team, right?  Everybody has been in their own situations until now.  It's on like Donkey Kong, now.  Show us what you've got.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on May 14, 2022, 05:41:35 PM

The team we have will be a lot more physical. While we might be penalized more, defense & rebounding took an upgrade, while the scoring piece stepped down a notch.
The other thing I wanted to address is that I thought Onyema was a walk on which means we have 2 schollies available.
That was the case last year unless Golding GA e Onyema an athletic scholly. I'd like to see a scorer and/or a premier big man.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on May 15, 2022, 08:01:59 PM

So I've been looking at video's and the newbie that stands out Otis Frazier. The kid can ball. His hops allow him to block, dunk, & rebound with frequency. Kid has an OK shot as well. I'll have my eye on him.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on May 19, 2022, 09:35:07 AM

Man O' man is it dead out there. Golding looking for 1, possibly 2 more players. Only thing I can see so far is offer to 6'11" Canadian Arden Begaj. Kid is super skinny, but moves OK & has a great shot from beyond the arc. Other than that, he needs work. Willms & Ezeagu were more recent Canadian big men UTEP had picked up. Not sure if anyone knows, but Willms still lives in El Paso. I see him at all the games. Not sure if he is assisting with recruiting.
Also looking at where Golding recruits from is spread out. We have 2 international kids from Brazil & Canada(Toronto). Then kids from Georgia, TX, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Arizona, Ohio, Missouri, New York, & Maryland. Did I miss a state? I love how these coaches are all over the place.
Anyway, it looks like our team is set & Golding needs to get these kids in the gym working on strength, speed, & cohesion. I think we can now move on to football.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on May 19, 2022, 10:27:58 PM

So, if you were picking the players to start a team with would you pick players who had been starters at your level before or would you pick nonstarters?  Silly question, right.  So, it stands that if Golding is picking players that's what he would do, right?  Except that the starters at teams on our level either moved up or they stayed at their own schools.  So, the next choice is either a nonstarter from an equal or greater level school or a starter from a lower-level school.  That choice is one that the coaches face and gets figured out in practice.  But using this as a guide let's take another look at our new team.

Here are the players.

Sibley F Started here 23 0f 33 games.  5.3 4

Onyema F NS   2  1.7 /9minavg
Kalu C/F NS  1.5 2.2 /9minavg

Derick Hamilton F/C Juco 30 games, including 23 starts, as freshman 11.0
Sumlin G High School

Zachary G Juco 7.9  3.7
Hardy G SM Transfer  Starter 11  2.7
McKinney G NMSU TR NS/S 3.8  2.1 /12minavg
Givance G Evansville Trans/Starter   13.7
Frazier G/F GM Trans/NS  2.6  1.8 /8minavg
Solomon F SFA Trans/Starter  7.7 4.8
dos Anjos F Juco Starter  10.3   5.7

So, using the guide above we find the starters at our level and lo and behold there is Sibley, Hardy from Southern Miss, Givance, and Solomon.  Then there are the nonstarters at our level that want to be starters and lower level starters who want to start and move up.  Our level nonstaters are Kalu, Onyema, McKinney, and Frazier and lower level starters are Hamilton, dos Anjos and Sumlin.  Lower level starters and our level nonstarters are in direct competition for starting spots.
If starters are Givance and Hardy and we add Sibley and Solomon starters at our level we are left with a open spot for either a third forward/center, or perhaps a guard forward or a third guard.  Let's start with Onyema and Kalu.  They are nonstarters but they are our level.  We know what they were last season.  They have to be better than Jucos Hamilton and dos Anjos.  I don't know how this turns out but we are going to need points.  Kalu and Onyema haven shown an inability to produce offensively.  If we go with a third guard i don't see the big points scorer.  I see backups to give Givance and Hardy their breaks. 
As for the Canadian kid Chanson mentioned.  He is 6' 11' and likes to shoot the three.  Unless he is a reincarnation of Dirk fricken Nowitski or however you spell his name, I want him to get his skinny tall ass in the paint, and play like he thinks he's Shaq.  Make people fear his boney-assed elbows or suffer broken noses and cuts around their eyes.  And tell Hamilton he has permission to kick him in the nuts if he shoots a three point shot!

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on May 20, 2022, 05:55:18 AM

Yeah, I think y'all are on the money.

Onyema goes strong to the hole, and seems to have the mental attitude to play in the paint.

I think Kalu had some of the skills but was intimidated by the size and strength of his opponents.  If he can hit the weight room and develop an attitude he could get there his junior and senior years, but I doubt he's there next year.


The 6-11 kid is high school class of 2024.  He plays like a SF.  Does have a nice shot.  Interesting, but he'd better spend some time at Tim Horton's.  Regardless he won't be helping us next year.


Overall I don't see much of an outside game here next year.  Top 3 pt shooter may be Sibley.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on May 20, 2022, 08:19:28 AM

When I look at this team, I see nothing that makes me feel good about it.  I look at 1700 players that have entered the transfer portal and these are the ones Golding was able to find and get.  I see teams in our conference and nmsu getting players that appear to be higher profile players and I have to think either Golding is going to just come apart once he has to play with his players and not Terry's or he knows something that caused him to choose these players.  I have to believe in him on blind faith and that isn't easy to do.  He seems to be able to coach but all we have seen is him do it with another guy's players. 
I'm looking for hints.  I am assuming that the players he got out of all that were out there are the players he wanted and not just what he could get.  And he chose a point guard that is a true point guard.  He had to start from scratch, and he found his floor general.  I think he found his perfect man for the job.  The ability to be the coach on the floor is about knowledge and skills and those won't be diminished because the competition level got better.  But Givance isn't a star either.  He is the straw that stirs the drink.  He needs something to drink to stir.  Like Clara Barton, I am asking where's the beef.  Is it in a stud shooting star.  Do we have a guard that is going to drop thirty on teams consistently.  Who?  The answer is Hell no!  Do you see any Shaqs or KD's in our new collection of players?  I don't see any beasts.  It seems to me that Golding is looking to assemble a team of competent players at each position to just do their jobs. It seems to me that he is looking for balanced scoring from all five positions.  I also think he may be looking for the ability to use his bench to keep up the balanced attacking defense, with fresh bodies than a starting five with some bench relief.  I also think he has gotten the forwards he wants to take advantage of the turnovers his defense forces.  Last year we had no game inside.  Points came from outside.  I expect it to be almost the opposite this year.  I expect 60 % or so of our points to come from the front line.  So, if that is the case, they will need to get about 40 from them.
I think Golding believes he can play basketball straight up with his players playing your players straight up on offense.  Just do your job, work the ball around and make easy open shots.  He wins by defensive pressure giving him an extra 5 to ten possessions and those are winning points.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on May 20, 2022, 07:02:32 PM

The 3 kids that should be starting are Sibley, Hardy, & Givance. That is PG, SG, & SF. KY & I are wrestling with Solomon, but I feel Frazier should be the starter for PF. He is only 6'7", but the kid is strong & has Onyema athleticism. I would say Onyema, but he can't shoot & doesn't have post moves, unless he grows some skills this summer. Because his skills are limited, he is better at protecting the pai t as a center.
That is where it starts to get very tricky. Is do t know how Hamilton is going to play. If he plays like that other 6'10" kid that was here a year & couldn't figure out what to do, then it will be Kalu & Onyema battling for the 5.
No doubt all kids will play, since that is what Golding did last year. Even walk on's got great playing time.
The kids will be given an opportunity to play & those that dominate, will see more minutes.
This team Golding put together is a gritty & tough team with speed & ball control. I don't doubt rebounds & turnovers will be much improved. It is the scoring that has me scratching my head.
Also, we have a bench, gentlemen. Last year our bench was not that strong.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on May 20, 2022, 07:27:22 PM

 ?It is the scoring that has me scratching my head.?

We agree on that. All of a sudden they all have to be much more productive than they have been. I still have my fingers crossed that there will be an announcement that we have landed some sleeper that is a guaranteed 30 points a game. I know.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on May 20, 2022, 08:20:49 PM

There are a LOT of names in the portal and we have spots.  He?s probably waiting to see if someone gets desperate that?s worth having

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on May 21, 2022, 09:03:35 AM

Upon doing more research, Onyema was given an athletic scholarship. That means 1 is remaining.
Nor sure if any high scorers are available since they are always hot commodities. I saw we did get a Chapin Walk-on in Holms. He is the other talented player that played along side KJ Lewis. Known for his defense.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on May 21, 2022, 11:25:25 AM

Golding's definition of "worth having" may not be high scorer.  Reading between the lines, I'm not sure he's keen on high scoring guys.  I think he'd be pretty happy if 10 guys each got 8 points.

I could be completely wrong, just basing it on some of his comments and what he's gone after.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on May 21, 2022, 11:41:56 AM

Correct.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on May 22, 2022, 08:52:13 AM

There was a lot of action on Verbal Commits since yesterday.  Che Evans found a home.  I remember how great he was to get.  Nothing.  Did he practice with the team or even attend UTEP?  His situation made me look at last season's team as to the level of the players on the team.  From the starters, four of them left and all of them moved up.  Beinemy is turning pro, Keonte to Vandy, Boum to Xavier, TV to Northwestern, and Sibley stayed here.   So, that is kind of proof of their worthiness to have been here.  Good enough to have played at this level and moved up under the coaching.  But it is the others that I am wondering about.   I used to think they were for grades averaging.  But, no, they were here to play basketball and their entering the transfer portal showed that.  They want to play.  What I see is three ways to go.  Up the ladder to a cartel team is what the players strive for, a lateral move to get a chance to start, and moving down for the same reason is also part of the choices.  What you would ideally want to see is every player seen as moving up to a cartel team or at least seeing them move laterally to become starters.  What we see is that last year's team Had the starters, who were exactly what you want but after that what?  Well, how about lateral moves to become a starter?  None.  Four players, Saterfield, Agnew, White, and Evans moved down.  Three are still looking and down is what it looks like for them, too.

I think the story is the fact that half of the team wasn't our level of players.  So, when players are recruited it is always a crap shoot.  No one knows how well they will do, and in that particular situation, until they get on the hardwood.  There, they sift themselves into starters and backups.    The starters are good.  They are the best you have and they are looking to move up,  It is the other ten players  that should be almost as good as the starters.  Other teams at our level should be fighting for our backups, right?  But that isn't what we have here.  Four of the players have already moved down hoping to get to play and three more are still hoping they can even do that.  So, that is the part that bothers me.  We had quite a difference in talent levels between starters and bench.  Someone else can look at that and how it happened.  I'm more inclined to look at our current team and see how it stands up.

So, lets say we have to have a better tam than last year's.  Can we measure it using the same standards?  That means that all of the starters need to move up after next year.  We aren't even sure who the starters will be, but do you see four cartel level players on the team?  Then there is the rest of the team.  How many of our new players could move laterally to other teams in cusa and start?  Finally, find me seven of the players that are better than the ones that we had that had to move down.  Well, using our measurement we have to eliminate the top level, the move up to cartel level to measure our new team.  So, for us we would measure cartel players that moved down to our level to become starters.  Any of those?  Well, some of the players like Sibley had at one time been in that position.  But immediately moving down there are none from a cartel team that moved down to our level to start.  How about lateral moves?  Hardy, maybe.  McKinney maybe.  But it seems to me that the rest are all lower level players looking to move up.

I think that so many players are players who played at a lower level rather than sat at our level or higher tells us that proven players at a lower level was more important than reputation or "potential".  What will success look like besides winning games?  How many players move up at the end of the season.  Seriously, that means Givance needs to be so good he leaves to go to a cartel, and so do three others of this team or we are losing ground, right?  Or will improvement be measured in a different way.  Maybe a bunch of players develop enough to be starters laterally at other same level schools.  Yeah, right. 

It is really hard to judge a team before it has ever played a game.  Last year's team had starters good enough to play at a higher level.  But the rest of the team was pretty weak it seems.  This year's team appears to have no players that could play at the next level up or they would have been grabbed by such teams instead of us.   Will these same players be that much better at the end of next year?  All five of them?  Hell, we can't even tell who the starters are.  Last thing. What is winning?  Moving the most players up or actual winning.  What I mean is how do we and the players determine winning and success?  What if we won cusa but did it by just being a well coached team of mid level players.  Would that be better than losing cusa but putting five players up to the next level and having a bench ready to do the same every year.  Winning is winning of course, but there is the how you did it part.  Will we be a better team, with better players?  Will we be a better team with players not as good?  Will we be as good a team with better players(hard to see that, right).  All of the rest of the choices I don't even want to list. 

Final question.  Did we get better, stay the same, or get worse?

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on May 22, 2022, 11:23:47 AM

We'll have to wait & see if we are better, worse, or same. Very different team that was recruited this year. While defensenis a given, what we should see with this team is quickness, ball handling, & rebounding. That means turnovers & rebounding should improve. What was sacrificed to gain that is scoring. I'm good with this strategy, because what is just as important as scoring is keeping the other team from scoring. We now have back ups that can step in & not be a defensive liability.
About the Evans kid, everyone that saw him practice said he was a major defensive liability. I wouldn't be surprised if Golding hand held him to the portal.
KY also talked about kids held in high regard. I think McKinney is one of those kids. He had a criminal record which is why NM State picked him up. He actually was a 4☆ on ESPN. The kids that look like they will be scoring contributors is Zachery, McKinney, Sibley, & Frazier. No real shooters on the team thus far.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on May 22, 2022, 11:25:42 AM

The only standards that matter are W/L and postseason.  We will just have to see.  As they say, that's why they play the game.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on May 22, 2022, 01:17:08 PM

More.

Looking at UTEP basketball rosters I was kind of shocked at what I found.  Looking back a few years I found so many names of players I could barely remember.  I ended up looking randomly at 2017-18's roster.  At the bottom of the list, I was surprised to find that the Head Coach was interim head coach Patterson.  Floyd had quit, but the players were his.  But it was the numbers of players that had come through that amazed me.  There were 13 players listed including Omega Harris.  The next year was Terry's first season, 2018-19.  Only 4 players were on the team from the previous team, while there were thirteen new names on the roster.  Boum, Verhoeven, and Williams were amongst this first group.  The second year of Terry's tenure, 202019-20, he kept 13 of the previous year's players and there were just four new faces.  Kennedy was one of them.  Then 020-21, the third season under Terry there were seven that were remaining from the previous season including Williams, Boum, TV, and Kennedy, and added Bienemy and Onyema and others.

Last year's 2021-22 season was Golding's first.  Nine players from Terry's team remained.  TV, Boum, Kennedy, Onyema, and Bienemy were included in them.  Four on the starting five were Terry's players, as they had been starters the season before.  There were six new players brought in by Golding.  Included were Hollins, Kalu, and Sibley.  Maring, Saterfield, and Giffa were his other three.  Hollins is gone to graduation and started some games.  Saterfield also played some and he chose to transfer to Portland State.  Kalu and Sibley are returning, and Sibley may be a starter.  Giffa and Maring are still looking for a home.  For the 2022-23 season, Golding will only have four returning players and according to my numbers eleven players are gone and ten have been replaced, leaving one.

Looking at Kalu, Sibley, and Onyema, they were all three shown as Freshmen last year.  Hamilton will also be a Sophomore, I believe.  Sumlin will be a freshman.  Zachary is a junior, I think.  Hardy, another junior, I think.  McKinney was a sophomore last season.  Givance has his last season here.  Frazier is a junior, I think.  Solomon has played three years already.  You tell me.  Junior still?  Dos Anjos, junior?

Winning is winning.  Kind of.  Beating up eight graders is winning but beating up Mike Tyson is winning too, and they aren't the same.  Beating all of the directional NM state schools is winning and beating cartel teams is winning and they aren't the same either.  We are in a conference that is fighting for survival and relevance.  We have a chance to go either way.  The conference and the teams planning on being here when the dust settles need to show an intention to play at a level at or above where the conference is now and not already looking to be a red-headed stepchild. 

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on May 31, 2022, 04:18:11 PM

Quote from: Chanson on May 31, 2022, 03:54:33 PM

Here is what we have so far.
Class Rank Height Position Name

Sr    2☆    5'10"    1    Shamar Givance
Sr    2☆    6'3"      2    Tae Hardy
Jr    3☆    6'2"      1    Malik Zachery
Jr    2☆    6'7"      3    Calvin Solomon
Jr    2☆    6'7"    3/4  Jonathan Dos Anjos
Jr    2☆    6'10"    5    Derick Hamilton
So   4☆    6'1"      2    Mario McKinney
So   2☆    6'6"      3    Otis Frazier
So   4☆    6'8"    3/4  Jamari Sibley
So   2☆    6'8"    4/5  Ze'Rik Onyema
So   2☆    6'9"      5    Kevin Kalu
Fr    2☆    6'2"      1    Jamal Sumlin
Fr    2☆    6'3"      2    Antwonne Holms (walk on)
Fr    2☆    6'4"      2    Milos Merrick (walk on)

The 3 freshy's are out of HS, 3 from last year, 2 Grad Trans, & rest are transfers from D1's & JUCOs. We have 1 scholly left & I think coach is waiting for a quality player or another grad transfer.
This class looks like an advaced version of what Golding had at ACU. This is a very gritty, blue collar, fast team. I have no doubt the guard play will be what we historically like to see. The bigs will probably hold there own. It's the 3/4 positions I am worried about. If they are mediocre, the bigs will fail. If they hustle, drive, & find the open man/hit jumpers, then the bigs will thrive. The guards will always control tempo.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: kyyote on May 31, 2022, 06:16:07 PM

For me, there are some basic questions and facts available.  Golding did ok last season with Terry's players.  This season we will find out how he does with his players.  This is his hand-picked team.  So, will his team be able to be better than the team Terry's players allowed him to field?  The thing is, I don't want the team to be a little better than last season's team.  The league is considered to be weak and we can't even win it.  I want us to be the every year domination kings champions.  That means that is the real question.  Is the team the kind of team a dominating king champion's kind of team?  Maybe a year away(which I would want to know why)?  That leaves the question for me pretty much a win or lose deal.  Golding's hand picked all-star team for me has to be better than Terry's and win the conference championship.  I consider that a step in the right direction.  Those are simple things.  Like, when I look at the players I may not be impressed but it isn't my job and it is Golding's job.  Simple though, they will either prove Golding is the man or not.  No excuses.  Can he make a team, that is better than what we had?  If he does, we have to deal with that.  If he doesn't we had to deal with that even more.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on June 05, 2022, 09:51:57 AM

Saw in Verbal Commits that 2☆ 6'3" JUCO PG Carlos Lemus from Venezuela has committed to UTEP.
I saw some video's & he is more drive to the hoop than anything else. I didn't see much shooting or passing, but I did see great ball skills & athleticism.
This is like the 3-4th kid we picked up that likes to drive to the hoop.
This means the Miners are getting into:
1) Drive & Score
2) Drive & get Fouled
3) Drive & Kick Out

Good teams hate scrappy teams because it throws them off their progressions.
From just the eye test:
GOOD
- Gritty & Scrappy
- VERY Fast & Quick
- Steals, Rebounds, & Ball Handles
- Perimeter D & transitional D
- Fast Break Opportunities
BAD
- Interior D
- Unproven Perimeter Shooting
- Big Man Production O & D

We have our team, ladies and gentlemen. I can't wait to see these kids practice.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on June 22, 2022, 10:32:32 PM

Do we know when the basketball roster will be updated?
I was listening to Kappy a few nights ago and Asst coach talked about each kid. He got me excited. Our back court is gonna be pretty good. I think I'm gonna go see a practice. Last practice I attended didn't really show much big man offensive activity under the basketball. If we can get at least 1 of the 3 bigs to surprise us, we should repeat 20 wins. I'm that confident in this gritty team.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on June 23, 2022, 05:53:45 AM

Are practices happening now?  I really hope you get a chance to go to one and let us know your thoughts.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Minermojo on June 23, 2022, 11:57:07 AM

The thing that got me excited in the past was that if we got a good lower classification player and that he was a proven commodity that we could keep him for at least 3 years. Nowadays that doesn't even matter. With this portal Bull Schiff if a player proves his mettle it's likely he'll be leaving...and that sucks. I don't pay attention to his scholastic classification because of the portal.

NCAA sucks and the Cartel gets all the benefits.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on June 23, 2022, 06:32:46 PM

I don't think practices are happening now. Once NCAA allows, Golding is open to allowing season ticket holders attending. Only 6 at a time. I love it.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on June 27, 2022, 10:58:53 PM

Finally the UTEP website has an updated roster. I noticed a Coronado grad walked on to the team as well.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on July 16, 2022, 09:34:25 AM

Saw that UTEP offered 2☆ 6'2" SG Shammah Scott out of Ohio for this up coming season. He is out of highschool. The kid is not really spectacular, but has a skill we are all familiar with. He drives to the hoop & either finishes or gets fouled. Much like Souley Boum. His 3 is OK, but I didn't see any mid range game or defense. Not really a starter, but a strong back up to our already deep back court.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on July 27, 2022, 10:06:35 AM

Looking into Bball recruiting, UTEP has been on the trail very hard. They have 2-3 recruited lined up for 2023. A 6'9" Robert Morris transfer & 2 6'5" SGs. He starting to recruit the length we are used to when Terry was here. Just not high ☆ quality. With Golding coming from DII then small DI, he has perfected scoping for under the radar type players. We need 1 or 2 big players to make this work. I hope we see that in McKinney & Sibley since they both were 4☆ players out of highschool.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: SisyphusMiner on July 27, 2022, 10:48:59 AM

Thanks for the updates.  I don't have time myself to keep up right now.  These recruits are "lined up" you say, so does that mean we have some kind of verbal commitment?  Have you had a chance to look into them at all?

I think we saw last year that player rankings might not matter a lot, but if they don't have the capability to play Golding's D correctly it really really hurts us.  His D is high risk and if a player is out of position it results in a dunk

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on July 27, 2022, 09:24:31 PM

No commitments, but I love seeing that early activity.

Title: Re: UTEP Mens Basketball Recruiting
Post by: Chanson on August 06, 2022, 10:18:33 PM

Been listening to Kappy a bit on ESPN Radio. He's had Cox, Boykins, etc on. From what they are saying is they have some tough kids that can shoot. They talked about the comparison with 80s Miner teams from Chicago. Man did I love hearing that.