The great team we're gonna have is starting to fall apart again

[Dawgma]

Kelvin Jones is gone because of his father's wishes and lack of playing time.... 

https://www.minerrush.com/2017/10/21/16515210/utep-basketball-kelvin-jones-leaves-the-program

[Chanson]

Unbelievable. Just when I thought I could not be shocked. Just crazy.

[MinerInWisconsin]

I have no respect for him or his dad. UTEP put in a lot of time developing him into a decent player. Had high hopes for him this year and especially next season when Wilms is gone. Very selfish and short sighted decision.

[Chanson]

So, I have thought about this loss of Jones a lot. It is weird to say the least, but I don't think we can blame the kid when his dad doesn't have a clue. The dads decision reminds me of the horse in Animal Farm. He only knows hard work, but doesn't have the sense to plan for the future.
I really hope this kid turns out well, but let's face it, he was a back up. He had great athleticism for his size, but he was still raw and needed at least a year to refine his skills. The kid couldn't shoot, had no post moves, and collected fouls quickly.
We are only losing potential and not a sure thing. If Willms, Thomas, or Omega decided to take off then that would be devastating. Jones leaving is no where close to that level. That is the risk we are taking with these kids now a days. I have to admit that I would rather see IA, Williams, & even St. Pierre leaving when they did than a key player leaving 1wk before a game.

From what I saw last night, I think we will be just fine. We have 3 capable big men in Willms, Smith, & Thomas with Rhyanes to get short, but hard minutes to rest those 3. Plus, we have a few kick ass SF's that can make up for a ton of big man play in Wade, Osborne, Flaggert, & Frazier. Floyd has always been known to play small a lot and we have the right team for it.

[Dawgma]

Thanks for the reassurance Chanson...plus the nice comparison to George Orwells classic allegorical masterpiece Animal Farm.  Im just frustrated that we can never start a year in a relatively mundane way.  Theres always something that goes wrong either with transfers or injuries or parents or grandparents.  It just gets old. I swear we've been cursed somehow.  Maybe a little chicken blood around the Haskins Center entrances might help.

[ATL-Miner]

It's too bad this kid chose to go. I thought he was on the path to being a really good center...a lot of big guys need some time to develop and this year could have been a big jump for him if he learned not to foul every minute and could make more the 47% from the FT line. But I agree with Chanson's point that he was a backup and project....albeit with some promising talent. Nevertheless, I don't see how him transferring helps him. Dumb father.

Looking at the timeline, I'm wondering if St Pierre's leaving, and UTEP's immediate recruitment of JUCO 3 Star Center Idehen or 4 star JUCO Nick Marshall gave father and son concerns about next years playing time too. To me, this seems like a prudent recruiting moving after losing a center frosh recruit early in the semester to replace them with a capable replacement. But, the timing now just seems odd to leave two weeks before the season starts and screwing over teammates that are depending on you to fill your role. IMO, this isn't on Floyd at all, it's on a father who doesn't know anything about basketball and is living vicariously through his son.

Thankfully, this roster still looks very promising. I'm more excited to see these guys play this yr than in a long time. Hopefully Tirus Smith will really see what an opportunity that has presented itself to him and gets his ass in shape. (Take note of Vince Hunters workout regime as a frosh Mr Smith if you're reading. Strike while the iron's hot.)

[Chanson]

So, there is obviously more to what is going on here. Did Jones get caught smoking pot? Did he get a girl pregnant? Did someone get in dad's ear (a la IH) and push him somewhere else?
What ever the answer is, dad put this kid in a difficult spot. If the kid is leaving right away, then he is dropping his classes and will not finish the semester. Something happened and I feel we will not here about it, especially since dad was never involved in the 1st place.

Anyway, I wish the kid well. I have met this young man and he is a very good kid. I have read a few other sites and some folks are going crazy and blaming the kid. This kid was sold on the product here at UTEP. That is why everyone was shocked. The parent is at fault, just like in most cases when a kid leaves prematurely.

I'm convinced our team will do well this year. Unlike last year, we are good and talented. Last nights game also convinced me that we are deep as well.

Go Miners

[kyyote]

A talented big man is someone's lottery ticket.  There are millions of dollars at stake potentially. Us fans are all about the basketball.  The kid's family is all about the business of basketball.  That is why I don't complain about CTF's over signing of recruits.  He uses his path to the NBA in recruiting.  Players think of college as a stint in the minor leagues.  The IH's and Tim Floyds are playing in a different world than the fans.  Floyd was pissed because he had landed a big fish and someone came by and stole it.  It was the theft the CTF was mad about, and not the game.  He played the game masterfully, and got fucked.  This goes back to when Kappy and CTF had their spat.  I think CTF was upset that Kappy was feeding into the fan's view of recruiting and transfers instead of looking at it from the college/minor league basketball business.

[UTEPDefense]

CTF attacked Kappy because a few days before that press conference, right after Buddah Jones and McSwiggins left, Kappy posted a tweet speculating that Terry Winn and Dominic Artis might also want to leave as well.  With Kappy using two players names in his speculation and adding fuel to the fire at that moment, that is what set Floyd off and why he said Kappy reported “fiction”. 

Ironically, Winn ended up leaving about half a year later anyway.

[Chanson]

A talented big man is someone's lottery ticket.  There are millions of dollars at stake potentially. Us fans are all about the basketball.  The kid's family is all about the business of basketball.  That is why I don't complain about CTF's over signing of recruits.  He uses his path to the NBA in recruiting.  Players think of college as a stint in the minor leagues.  The IH's and Tim Floyds are playing in a different world than the fans.  Floyd was pissed because he had landed a big fish and someone came by and stole it.  It was the theft the CTF was mad about, and not the game.  He played the game masterfully, and got fucked.  This goes back to when Kappy and CTF had their spat.  I think CTF was upset that Kappy was feeding into the fan's view of recruiting and transfers instead of looking at it from the college/minor league basketball business.

I am also one of the rare ones that agrees with how Floyd recruits. If you work hard and buy into the system, you get a ride for 4 to 5 years. If you think you are a super star and feel you deserve special privileges then you are going to get pushed out.
Flaggert and Touchet have less talent than half the team, but they do what is needed. Then you look at Frazier at SMU. He got special privileges and his head coach tried to save his own ass and used him as a scape goat. The world isn't fare sometimes and these kids need to learn that.
If you work hard and keep your nose clean, then most of the time good things happen for you.