UTEP

2008-09 UTEP Basketball Preview: #75

Joel Welser — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:31:54 -0700

HTML clipboard

UTEP Miners

Overall Rank: #75

Conference Rank: #4 C-USA

2007-08: 19-14, 8-8, 6^th

2007-08 postseason: CBI

UTEP slipped into the CBI last year and Coach Tony Barbee hopes to move up a level or two as far as postseason tournaments are concerned. The talent is there, but this is a team that has struggled to string wins together and struggled even more to win on the road. To many an 8-8 conference record was disappointing and the team certainly could have done better. If the defense does not improve and the road woes continue, the Miners will underachieve once again.

Who’s Out:

Marvin Kilgore and Victor Ramalho are the two starters who have run out of eligibility. Kilgore did a little bit of everything during his two years in El Paso and averaged 12.8 points, 5.0 assists and 4.6 rebounds during his senior campaign. The Miners will not have an individual who can do everything as well as Kilgore did. The loss of Ramalho, along with Jeremy Sampson, is a cause for concern in the frontcourt and much of the depth in the paint will have to be picked up by underclassmen. Corey Speight, Manuel Cass and Pearson Smith have also wrapped up their careers with the Miners.

Who’s In:

The newcomer who will make the biggest impact this year is Kareem Cooper. The former Memphis center averaged 3.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in limited playing time for the Tigers two years ago. The 7-footer is a monster under the basket and will immediately give the Miners a big time scoring threat in the paint. Arnett Moultrie will likely be an important backup under the basket. The 6-11 freshman will develop into a decent scorer, but for now UTEP will need him to play some solid defense and grab some rebounds. Chano Rashiduddin will be asked to do the same off the bench. In the backcourt, Blaise Ffrench…and no that is not a typo…will be very important to the success of the team. The point guard will be the backup right away and on a team that hopes to reach the NCAA Tournament, Ffrench will have to play at a high level when the starter needs a break. Isaac Gordon, a transfer from Mercer, and the tough Jason Jones will add depth on the wings.

Who to Watch:

There is one player on UTEP that every college basketball fan should watch. Stefon Jackson ranked seventh in the nation last year averaging 23.6 points per game. And the 6-5 senior out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is not simply a shooter. Jackson scores a majority of his points around the basket and reached the free-throw line an amazing 9.2 times per game last year. Jackson even led the team in rebounds the last two years. His senior year should be his best yet. And the scary thing is the fact that Jackson has a couple talented perimeter mates returning. Julyan Stone and Randy Culpepper both had superb freshmen campaigns. Stone led the nation among freshman with a 2.13 assist-to-turnover ratio. He will not score often, but with Jackson and Culpepper on the court, the last thing UTEP needs Stone to do is score. Culpepper put his name in the books as well, hitting a freshman Conference-USA record 81 three-pointers. Culpepper is better suited to be a sharpshooter off the bench just like he was last year, but he could be just as effective as a starter. Either way, Culpepper will hit a ton of long balls. Gabriel McCulley was not as productive as Stone and Culpepper as a freshman, but the 6-7 wing showed plenty of potential when he was given the opportunity.

Final Projection:

Tavaris Watts was the leading scorer among forwards and centers averaging 6.9 points per game. If all goes as planned, Watts will give that job off to Cooper and spend his time doing the dirty work under the basket. Sophomores Claude Britten and Wayne Portalatin are pretty inexperienced, but they will get the chance to be the main backups for the big men. Much of this team is young, but at least they have experience. If Stone and Culpepper can continue to improve as sophomores and if Cooper can step in and live up to his potential, UTEP will be thinking about an NCAA berth. Yet, in an improved conference, the fight for the second spot behind Memphis will be fierce and winning some games on the road will be a necessity.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NIT

Projected Starting Five:

Julyan Stone, Sophomore, Guard, 2.8 points per game

Randy Culpepper, Sophomore, Guard, 12.8 points per game

Stefon Jackson, Senior, Guard, 23.6 points per game

Tavaris Watts, Senior, Forward, 6.9 points per game

Kareem Cooper, Junior, Center, DNP last season

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2008-09 Preview & Awards | Coach Interviews | Discuss the Preview

NCAA Legend Don Haskins Passes Away

Press Release — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 07:43:03 -0700

EL PASO, TEXAS - Don Haskins, one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history, passed away on Sunday. He was 78.

Haskins died at his home, surrounded by friends and family, at 4:30 p.m. MDT. A public memorial is tentatively planned for later in the week, with arrangements pending.

"It is a very sad time for all of us," UTEP Director of Athletics Bob Stull said. "Don is an icon of El Paso. He has had a huge impact on the city and the University of Texas at El Paso. Since his retirement, he has remained very interested in our entire athletic program and supportive of all of our coaches. He has been an invaluable resource to everybody in the athletic department. He remains one of the most revered and honored coaches in basketball history. His decision to start five black players in the 1966 national championship game, as chronicled in the movie Glory Road, changed college basketball and the sports world. He will always be remembered for that."

"My thoughts and prayers go out to Mary and the Haskins family," UTEP coach Tony Barbee said. "We are losing a national treasure. I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to get to know him over the last two years. The information he shared with me was invaluable to a first-time head coach. He is a Hall of Fame coach and a Hall of Fame person. It's sad to think that we're losing someone so special to this community and this university, and a national hero at the same time."

Haskins, who was nicknamed "The Bear," was the head coach at UTEP from 1961-99, leading the Miners to 719 wins, as well as a national title (1966), 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and seven Western Athletic Conference championships.

CBS Sportsline.com named him the greatest Division I men's basketball coach of all time in July, 2001. "UTEP -- with no recruiting base, no media attention and substandard budgets -- had no business winning much of anything," said sports columnist Dan Wetzel. "No coach did more with less, maximized his talent and made strange parts fit better than The Bear."

Haskins, who announced his retirement on Aug. 24, 1999, ranks 19th among all-time Division I men's basketball head coaches with 719 victories.

He was born on March 14, 1930 in Enid, Okla. He played his college ball at Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State) from 1949-52, where he was a second team All-Conference selection as a senior. Haskins split time at the guard and forward positions as a collegian, leading Oklahoma A&M to the NCAA semifinals in 1949 and 1951.

Haskins' coaching career began at Benjamin High School in Benjamin, Texas in 1955. He was a teacher and coach of both boys and girls teams at Benjamin High from 1955-56. Haskins also headed the basketball programs at Hedley (Texas) High School from 1956-60 and Dumas (Texas) High School from 1960 -61.

Haskins took over the UTEP program for the 1961-62 season. His first Miner squad notched an 18-6 record. His second UTEP team posted a 19-7 mark during the 1962-63 campaign and made the first of Haskins' 14 NCAA Tournament appearances.

The Miners captured the NCAA title on March 19, 1966, shocking heavily-favored Kentucky, 72-65, for the championship. That year Haskins became the first coach ever to start a lineup of five black players at the major college level. The achievement was documented in the 2006 motion picture Glory Road.

Haskins' teams captured WAC championships in 1970, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1992, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1975, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1992.

Haskins has tutored numerous players who have gone on to play in the NBA, including Antonio Davis, Tim Hardaway and Jim Barnes, the first pick by New York in the 1964 NBA Draft.

Haskins' last Miner team notched a 16-12 record during the 1998-99 season, his 32nd winning season in 38 years as head coach.

Haskins was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Sept. 29, 1997, and the Jim Thorpe Association Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame on Aug. 9, 1999 in Oklahoma City.

He is survived by his wife, Mary; three sons - Brent, David and Steve; and three grandsons. A fourth son, Mark, passed away in 1994.

Don Haskins Career Coaching Record
Year	Overall	Conference	Conf. Finish	Postseason
1961-62	18-6	5-3	2nd	None
1962-63	19-7	None	None	NCAA
1963-64	25-3	None	None	NCAA
1964-65	16-9	None	None	NIT
1965-66	28-1	None	None	NCAA
1966-67	22-6	None	None	NCAA
1967-68	14-9	None	None	None
1968-69	16-9	None	None	None
1969-70	17-8	10-4	1st	NCAA
1970-71	16-10	9-5	T2nd	None
1971-72	20-7	9-5	T2nd	NIT
1972-73	16-10	6-8	5th	None
1973-74	18-7	8-6	5th	None
1974-75	20-6	10-4	2nd	NCAA
1975-76	19-7	9-5	T2nd	None
1976-77	11-15	3-11	8th	None
1977-78	10-16	2-12	8th	None
1978-79	11-15	3-9	T5th	None
1979-80	20-8	10-4	T2nd	NIT
1980-81	18-12	9-7	4th	NIT
1981-82	20-8	11-5	T2nd	None
1982-83	19-10	11-5	T1st	NIT
1983-84	27-4	13-3	1st	NCAA
1984-85	22-10	12-4	1st	NCAA
1985-86	27-6	12-4	T1st	NCAA
1986-87	25-7	13-3	1st	NCAA
1987-88	23-10	10-6	4th	NCAA
1988-89	26-7	11-5	T2nd	NCAA
1989-90	21-11	10-6	T3rd	NCAA
1990-91	16-13	7-9	T5th	None
1991-92	27-7	12-4	T1st	NCAA
1992-93	21-13	10-8	4th	NIT
1993-94	18-12	8-10	T5th	None
1994-95	20-10	13-5	T2nd	NIT
1995-96	12-16	4-14	9th	None
1996-97	13-13	6-10	T6th	None
1997-98	12-14	3-13	7th	None
1998-99	16-12	8-6	4th	None
Totals	719-354	262-200	---	---

Best Non-BCS Freshmen: Part One

Kevin McNeill — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 06:58:55 -0700

The NBA Draft is finally behind us, where half of this year’s top dozen picks were freshmen. 2008 looks to be no different, with the likes of one-and-doners Derrick Rose, OJ Mayo and Michael Beasley in all likelihood hearing their names called early.

But of course, not all incoming freshmen are already fielding calls from would-be agents. In fact, not every member of the stellar Class of 2007 is even going to the so-called “Big Six” power conferences. Many are going to be thrilling fans at the mid-major level as well.

On a side note, just for the purposes of this column, I will not classify either Gonzaga or Memphis as “mid-major” programs. The two schools have become perennial Top 25 stalwarts, have consistently been a top 3 seed or better in the Tournament in recent years (with the notable exception of last season for the Zags) and have run roughshod over their respective conferences. Memphis has the fourth ranked incoming class of 2007 according to scout.com, while Gonzaga is in the top 20 as rated by rivals.com.

These are not the normal recruiting traits of so called “non-BCS” schools.

With that said, here are some of the best prospects coming to a mid-major school near you this fall.

Manuel Cass, UTEP

Cass is one of the premier talents in this class to come out of Illinois. He lead Carbondale to the Class AA state title game in 2005, went on to star at Boys to Men across town, and averaged 15.7 points and seven rebounds last season on a South Kent (CT) team that had eight players offered scholarships at the Division I level.

At the same time, Cass was kicked off the team at Carbondale for unspecified reasons and has reportedly had academic and discipline issues throughout his prep career. He de-committed from DePaul, despite the fact that Coach Jerry Wainwright was one of the first coaches to show interest in the prospect. Cass claimed he simply no longer wanted to play in an urban environment. However, possible NCAA penalties against the Blue Demons as a result of Wainwright allegedly visiting Cass during a no-contact period might have played a larger role in the decision.

Regardless, Coach Tony Barbee’s first recruiting class has been impressive, with Cass joining big men Claude Britton and Wayne Portalat as well as guard Randy Culpepper. Should Cass continue to develop, and mature, he should emerge as the dominant scorer of a newly dangerous Miner team.

Keenan Ellis, UAB

The lanky 6-10 power forward needs to add a few pounds, but has all the traits of a future superstar who will have an instant impact on his team next year.

Ellis will also be a part of something of a resurgence by the disappointing Blazers, as Coach Mike Davis will compliment Ellis with a freshman class that includes Terrence Roderick and Aaron Johnson. This is in addition to the arrival of transfers Robert Vaden, who followed Davis from Indiana, Walter Sharpe from Mississippi State and guard Channing Toney from Georgia. Davis will also have star guard Paul Delaney back in the lineup, who had a breakout year last season.

But Ellis should have no trouble fitting in with all the new talent. After all, he did play alongside OJ Mayo and Bill Walker at North College Hill (Ohio) High. With his help, UAB just might be the only team with a chance of preventing a possible top-ranked Memphis team from running the table in the conference once again.

Beas Hamga, UNLV

Coach Lon Kruger is definitely making a name for himself in Sin City. Coming off an improbable MWC Championship and Sweet Sixteen run in just his third season, Kruger and his staff should continue their success in 2007 thanks to a first-rate recruiting class, anchored by 7-footer Beas Hamga.

Hamga, originally from Cameroon, averaged a double-double (13 points, 12 rebounds) his senior year. However, more impressive is his shot blocking ability, using his standing reach of 9 feet, 6 inches to swat away seven shots a game.

Originally committed to Iowa, Hamga rescinded it when Coach Steve Alford left for New Mexico. He chose the Running Rebels over New Mexico (where his high school teammate Darrington Hobson committed) as well as the likes of UConn, Indiana, Kentucky and Georgetown.

Darrington Hobson, New Mexico

There is no doubt Hobson is a premier talent with a world of potential. When he transferred to Decatur Christian in Chicago - his third school in three years - the Chicago Sun Times gushed that he was “the most highly touted out-of-state transfer since Kevin Garnett left South Carolina and landed at Farragut in 1994.”

Well, that might be a bit much. Still, the 6-7 self-proclaimed “triple-double threat” has shown he can dominate, scoring nearly 20 points and pulling down a dozen rebounds a game during his final year at Decatur. He should immediately have an impact on the Lobos, who will also add Dairese Gary to the backcourt, a highly touted guard who backed away from his commitment to Iowa to follow Coach Steve Alford to Albuquerque.

However, there’s a question as to how long he may stick around – possibly jumping to either the NBA or to another program. In addition to his frequent stops during his prep career, Hobson also had verbally committed to both Wyoming and Pepperdine before finally signing with the Lobos.

In a revealing interview with rivals.com he explained why he seems to have trouble sticking to one team: "I hate sitting on the bench. I want to play. If I don't start, I'd like to go somewhere that I can get some good minutes.” He also added that “I don't think a lot of people know what I can do. That's why I want to go somewhere that I can play as much as possible."

Of course, every player wants minutes. You don’t bust your hump every day in practice to get a courtside seat during the games. Still, players that put such an emphasis on their “PT” that they will bounce around from school to school have had a tendency to not put the interests of the team ahead of their own. Hopefully that won’t be the case here.

Matt Howard, Butler

Thanks for the dream season, Bulldogs. Can we have another one?

That seems to sum up the sentiment of Butler fans as newly hired Coach Brad Stevens looks to continue their remarkable success from last season, where they made it to the Sweet Sixteen, and set a conference record for having 16 consecutive weeks in the Top 25.

That will largely depend on 6-7 forward Matt Howard, a leave-it-all-on-the-floor bruiser who will look to start immediately for the Bulldogs. Despite his relatively small size for a forward, Howard recently held his own among some of the top recruits from the region, putting up 12 points and 9 boards in 18 minutes in the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star game, which features the best high school players from both states.

With Howard joining the returning backcourt of Mike Green and potential All-American AJ Graves, as well as fellow freshman Zach Hahn, Butler basketball fans should be able to look forward to another great season, and a possible return to the NCAA Tournament.

Check Back Tomorrow For Part Two of the Nation's Diamonds in the Rough.. including Xavier's Dante Jackson and NMSU's Herb Pope.

Four Players Leaving UTEP Program

Jeff Borzello — Thu, 31 May 2007 00:13:40 -0700