Hoops

[Chanson]

On the gcu web site UTEP 76 gcu 10 halftime 🤙⛏

WTF? Are you kidding?

[Chanson]

Either Miners1 is off his rocker or the GCU website is full of sh!t.
The game is over & the Miners won 70-69. I read the game was back & forth and Williams has a game winning drive to win the game.

[Chanson]

Got a little more info on Grand Canyon U. Marvin Menzies is Asst coach there & he brought some kids from UNLV last year. GCU is supposed to be really good this year & is said to take NMSU down this year and give a good show in the dance.

[Minermojo]

Wow, we were able to escape with a one point win. At least we won, that's what counts. I'm hoping GFCU wins the WAC this year instead of Enemas U.

[Chanson]

What is with the spuratic game days for. I see Tuesday, Thursdays, & Saturdays. That's a load of shit. Is it because of TV or just stupidity?

[Miners1]

I think stupidity. And speaking of stupidity. CBS sports has UTEP ranked at 198 😐

[Chanson]

I'm good with ranking them 350. I saw them play TT and I like what I saw. Being the sleeper is a good place to be. Especially since our best player wont touch the floor until December.

[Miners1]

Kaden Archie?

[Chanson]

Si señor. Players & media say the kid drives strong to the hoop & when lanes start to collapse, he passes out. No one talks about his defense though, so we shall see.
I'm also going to that Miner Athletic Club 1hr open gym practice on Monday. I'll take notes & report. I think Archie can practice but cant play.

[SisyphusMiner]

In the GCU game did anyone other than Williams and Edwards impress with their defensive play?

[Chanson]

So, I was at the 1hr open gym practice last night & I like what I saw. 1st half was 5v5 and Terry was loud and vocal with the players on positioning & limiting mistakes. The 2nd half was executing play calls back and forth on the court. After practice all the athletes came up and shook all of our hands. There were about 80 people who showed up to watch.
The kids who looked to be leaders were Williams & Lathon. Much improved players were Stroud, Boum, & Vila. The one kid who didnt play was Tarke. He said later he tweaked his knee and had to lay off a bit. The players that stood out because of hustle were Hawkins, Ezeagu, & Verhoeven. The kid that looks like he is just figuring it out was Odigie. He looks to be in way better shape than last year, but missed some assignments & Terry laid into his ass.
All in all, we have a very good team this year with some very good depth.
Coach Terry talked to us for 20min after practice & said we are gonna win some games this year. He also said the big team with all the hype on CUSA is W.Kentucky because returning players. He also said that our team last year played toe to toe with them last year, but they inched forward in the last 5min. He said we will give them & all teams in the conference a run for sure.

[kyyote]

Great report!  Thank you for the information and keeping the burner hot.  A strong basketball campain would make this year a whole lot more enjoyable for Miners fans.

[SisyphusMiner]

Nice!  Thank you!

[Chanson]

I wanted to talk about what I saw at practice in regards to talent & production. Let's start from the 1 to 5.
Lathon- he is a leader both by example & verbally. He pushes others to pick it up & is always 1st to finish with exercises. His shot now has better arc & is the fastest kid on the floor.
Boum- is super quick with the ball & hits shots with a quick release. He is a good (not a natural) PG that brings up the court with good control, but is a SG when setting up.
Edwards- kid can flat out shoot & play defense. He also drives to the hoop with control. Reminds me of Gary Payton.
Stroud- the kid is a silent killer. He has an OK jumper and can drive well. Is working on ball control & defense. He's really fast & has major hops. I see production come conf play.
Hawkins- works hard & is a good defender. Jumper is OK. Not starting at this time, but he is a great back up. Looks like working on confidence especially with current talent.
Kennedy- very strong & athletic. For his size he is quick & likes to run. Didnt see much shooting or drives just cuz he is figuring out the play calling. He will be great next year.
Archie- exact skills & build as Kennedy. In practice he hits all assignments efficiantly. He good at defending. Didnt see much offense cuz CRT working with eligible kids right now.
Tarke- didnt practice but is a strong driver & can defend. He lost the ball a few times against TT, & saw little playing time.
Odigie- seemed lost at times in practice especially with D. I think it's more of a maturity issue & he should be fine.
Verhoeven- is athletic & has decent post moves. The lid practiced hard. Can see the talent & I cant wait until it comes out. Reminds me of a smoother Ced Lang that jumps.
Vila- 7 footer that moves like a wing. Because of his speed he is really good at defending, is a good reb'r, & has a nice jumper. Very smooth shot & will be a prob for defenders.
Ezeagu- is strong in the middle & has developed some post moves. Needs to work on footwork. I hope he redshirts cuz he would benefit on 1yr of maturing.
Williams- an all around bad ass. He is Caracter & Hunter all in one with a jump shot. Kid protects the paint well & has great post moves. We haven't seen a post player like him since the Haskins days.
We really have some talent this year. I think the only reason we are turning the ball over a lot is because the team is still getting used to each other. As soon as they figure out limitations, we should see that part cleaned up. Also, CRT said we were outrebounded v GCU by dbl digits. So if you cut the 20 turnovers & rebounds in half, UTEP dominates. He said we stayed in the game & won because of defense. I really loved hearing that.
I hope this helps.

[ATL-Miner]

Great info! Thank you.

I wanted to talk about what I saw at practice in regards to talent & production. Let's start from the 1 to 5.
Lathon- he is a leader both by example & verbally. He pushes others to pick it up & is always 1st to finish with exercises. His shot now has better arc & is the fastest kid on the floor.
Boum- is super quick with the ball & hits shots with a quick release. He is a good (not a natural) PG that brings up the court with good control, but is a SG when setting up.
Edwards- kid can flat out shoot & play defense. He also drives to the hoop with control. Reminds me of Gary Payton.
Stroud- the kid is a silent killer. He has an OK jumper and can drive well. Is working on ball control & defense. He's really fast & has major hops. I see production come conf play.
Hawkins- works hard & is a good defender. Jumper is OK. Not starting at this time, but he is a great back up. Looks like working on confidence especially with current talent.
Kennedy- very strong & athletic. For his size he is quick & likes to run. Didnt see much shooting or drives just cuz he is figuring out the play calling. He will be great next year.
Archie- exact skills & build as Kennedy. In practice he hits all assignments efficiantly. He good at defending. Didnt see much offense cuz CRT working with eligible kids right now.
Tarke- didnt practice but is a strong driver & can defend. He lost the ball a few times against TT, & saw little playing time.
Odigie- seemed lost at times in practice especially with D. I think it's more of a maturity issue & he should be fine.
Verhoeven- is athletic & has decent post moves. The lid practiced hard. Can see the talent & I cant wait until it comes out. Reminds me of a smoother Ced Lang that jumps.
Vila- 7 footer that moves like a wing. Because of his speed he is really good at defending, is a good reb'r, & has a nice jumper. Very smooth shot & will be a prob for defenders.
Ezeagu- is strong in the middle & has developed some post moves. Needs to work on footwork. I hope he redshirts cuz he would benefit on 1yr of maturing.
Williams- an all around bad ass. He is Caracter & Hunter all in one with a jump shot. Kid protects the paint well & has great post moves. We haven't seen a post player like him since the Haskins days.
We really have some talent this year. I think the only reason we are turning the ball over a lot is because the team is still getting used to each other. As soon as they figure out limitations, we should see that part cleaned up. Also, CRT said we were outrebounded v GCU by dbl digits. So if you cut the 20 turnovers & rebounds in half, UTEP dominates. He said we stayed in the game & won because of defense. I really loved hearing that.
I hope this helps.