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2004-05 UTEP Basketball Preview
 Miner
fans are excited about UTEP basketball again. After two horrible
seasons in which the team went a combined 16-46, UTEP basketball
experienced a magical turnaround last season. The team went from 6-24
to 24-8, improved from a last place finish in the conference to tying
for the WAC regular season championship, and earned a trip to the NCAA
Tournament for the first time since 1992. UTEP faithful are expecting
this year’s Miner team to continue to the momentum they established last
season.
There is very good reason to
believe that the Miners will again compete for the conference title and
a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Miners return five of their top
seven players from last year’s team, including their top four scorers,
their top two rebounders, and their top two leaders in assists. In all,
the Miners return 75% of their scoring, 73% of their rebounding, and 76%
of their assists. There will be three key components of last year’s run
that will be missed this season: head coach Billy Gillispie, who
accepted the head coaching job at Texas A&M; starting forward Roy
Smallwood, who provided a lot of leadership and often seemed able to hit
the key shot or grab the important rebound; and starting guard Chris
Craig, the team’s best outside shooter. Still, new head coach Doc
Sadler, a Miner assistant coach last year, should step in quite nicely
for Gillispie, and the returning players as well as a sextet of
newcomers should more than make up for the loss of Smallwood and Craig.
Frontcourt:
Last year’s starting center,
John Tofi, underwent foot surgery on October 1 after a surgery on the
same foot during the summer proved to be a failure. With Tofi sidelined
four to six weeks, the door is open for newcomer Will Kimble, a
6-10 junior, to assume the starting center position. Kimble last played
for Pepperdine in the 2001-02 season, averaging 5.4 points and 3.7
rebounds per game. He had worked hard on his game in the summer of
2002, and came into his junior year at Pepperdine with high
expectations. Unfortunately, at the beginning of his junior season, he
was diagnosed with the same heart condition that killed Loyola Marymount
star Hank Gathers (click
here for more details), ending his career at Pepperdine. He has
since had a defibrillator implanted, and has been cleared to play.
People who have seen Kimble play rave about his size, strength, and
quickness. Everyone agrees that he will be a big help defensively and
on the boards, but there is some disagreement as to how talented he is
offensively. I expect Kimble to have a very good season.
One of the positions that may
be up for grabs is the starting power forward spot vacated by the
graduation of Smallwood. I believe that last year’s leading scorer, 6-5
senior forward Omar Thomas, has to be the favorite to earn the
starting nod here. Thomas came off of the bench last season to average
15.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in only 22.5 minutes of play. He was an
excellent shooter from the field, hitting 53.0% of his shots last
season, and was decent at the line, hitting 78.2% of his free throws.
He is an outstanding scorer, with a excellent mid-range game, a number
of crafty moves around the basket, and an uncanny ability to get to the
free throw line. After watching Thomas play pick-up games against his
teammates recently, it appears that he has added an accurate three point
shot to his arsenal. While not really a power forward, he did spend a
lot of time at that position in relief of Smallwood last season. With
his newfound three point shot, Coach Sadler might decide to move Thomas
to shooting guard, and play Tofi or incoming freshman Stanley Branch at
power forward.
Jason Williams, a 6-5
junior forward, should again start at the three spot this year. The
versatile forward was a pleasant surprise last season, leading the team
in rebounding at 6.1 rpg, finishing second in scoring (11.6 ppg) and
assists (3.5 apg), and third in steals (35). He shot 44.7% from the
field and 70.4% from the line last year. The athletic Williams is also
the team’s best defender. His major weaknesses last season were his
ball handling, as he led the team in turnovers with 95, and his outside
shooting. After watching Williams in pick up games it appears that his
outside shot will again be his Achilles’ heal this year.
After he fully recovers from
his foot surgery, junior John Tofi, a 6-8 C/PF, will play a lot
of minutes for the Miners. He may replace Kimble at the center
position, start at the power forward position with Thomas playing at
off-guard, or back up both the center and power forward positions. Tofi
was the team’s fourth leading scorer last season, averaging 10.8 points
per game while shooting 56.7% from the field. He also finished second
on the team in rebounding w/ 5.9 boards a game. Tofi is a very good
offensive player in the post, with some nice moves and a soft touch
around the basket. Some, including myself, questioned Tofi’s
aggressiveness inside at midseason, but he did play more aggressive in
the season’s final games. He should be one of the better inside players
in the WAC this season.
Incoming freshman Stanley
Branch, a 6-8 PF, should see significant minutes off of the bench.
Branch comes in with a reputation as an outstanding athlete and a
ferocious rebounder. Last year at Lutheran Christian Academy in
Philadelphia he averaged 12 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots
while shooting 46 percent from the field and 79 percent from the line.
People who have seen him playing pick up games at the Don Haskins Center
recently have been awed by his athleticism and are impressed with the
way he plays in transition. When in a half court set, he apparently
likes to shoot from the perimeter. With his height and athleticism he
would help the team more if he moves his game inside, something that I
believe the staff will stress once practices begin. He should back up
both the center and power forward positions this season.
Junior forward Brent Murphy,
6-8, should also see time backing up the center and power forward
positions this year. Last season the sharp shooting Murphy averaged 2.7
points and 1.2 rebounds per game, hitting 47.6% from the field and 44.0%
from beyond the arc. One problem that he did have last year was a
reluctance to pull the trigger when he was open from three-point range.
He needs to improve on that this season, and needs to improve on his
play down low on both ends of the court.
After a promising sophomore
season, 6-7 SR SF Thomas Gerhke to a huge step backwards last
year. He seemed timid and unsure of himself, which caused him to go
from playing significant minutes at the beginning of the season to
playing only at garbage time when March rolled around. He only averaged
1.5 points and 1.4 boards in the 22 games he played in last season. I
have heard from a friend that he has improved this season, but he will
have to improve by quite a bit to make any impact on this team.
The final frontcourt player
with any chance of seeing significant time this season is 6-10 FR C
Nathan Nixon. Nixon walked-on to the team last season, but was not
on the roster, leaving him with four years of eligibility. As a senior
at Bandera (TX) HS, a small school in a small school conference, he
averaged 14 points and 10 boards a game. Unfortunately he had little or
no experience playing against opponents his size before coming to UTEP,
which explains why he was not offered a Div 1 scholarship. The staff
has been working with him to try to make him into a legitimate backup at
this level, but my guess is that Nixon will only play during garbage
time this season.
Juan Rivas, a 6-5 F
from Venezuela, is also listed on the team’s official roster. Rivas is
a walk-on who has been helping out in practice the last two seasons, and
is not expected to play many minutes or make any type of impact on the
team.
Backcourt:
Returning at the point guard
spot is 6-1SR Filberto Rivera, a first team All-WAC performer
last year. Rivera is extremely quick, an outstanding penetrator, and a
great floor general. He also is an excellent defensive player. He
scored 11.2 points per game last season while hitting 44.3% of his
shots, including 34.3% of his three pointers. He also led the team in
assists at 4.8 assists per game, and had a 2.11 assists to turnover
ratio. Rivera is the best point guard in the WAC, and should again earn
first team All-WAC honors.
The position most up for grabs
on this team is the starting off guard. While Thomas is a possibility
here, I expect 6-3 JR SG Giovanni St Amant to get the nod. After
starting his freshman year and setting several UTEP freshman records,
Gio came off of the bench behind Craig last season, in part because
Gillispie was not pleased with St Amant’s defense, and because Craig had
a better outside shot. Gio’s defense did improve last season, but I
have heard rumors that his work ethic is not what it should be. If Gio
puts forth the effort he could be one of the better shooting guards in
the conference. Last year in relief he averaged 5.9 points and 1.4
assists per game, numbers that he will dramatically improve on if he is
given the starting nod. Gio is a quick player that can penetrate and
create his own shot. He can really help his cause by working hard and
consistently hitting his outside shot.
Another possible starter at
the shooting guard position is 6-7 JR Miguel Ayala. Ayala, who
played at Fullerton (CA) College last season, is known for his outside
shooting, and was ranked by several publications as one of the best JC
shooting guards in the country at the beginning of last season. Playing
out of position (center) last year he averaged 14 points and 6.7
rebounds per game while shooting 42 percent from three-point range and
87 percent from the line. Unfortunately a friend of mine that has seen
him play says that he has difficulty defending opposing shooting
guards. Whether he starts or not he should see significant time at both
the shooting guard and small forward spots.
Another newcomer at the two
spot is Kelvin Davis, a 6-4 FR. Davis has impressed everyone who
has seen him play recently with his athleticism and quickness. When I
watched him play he was inconsistent with his shot, but that should come
around with time. He also appears to be a very active defender,
something that Miner fans really appreciate. Davis comes to UTEP from
the Laurinburg Institute, a prep school in North Carolina. Before that
he played for Sacred Heart HS in Connecticut, where he averaged
29 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as
a senior. His inconsistency on offense will probably cost him a shot as
the starting off guard, but his athleticism and willingness to play
defense should earn him some time at the two and three positions.
The
final player in the mix at the shooting guard spot, with an outside
chance at starting, is 6-2 JR James Fontenet. Fontenet is a
walk-on from Scottsdale (AZ) Community College. Normally I wouldn’t
list a walk-on as having any chance to start, but Fontenet is much
better than your normal walk-on. Last season at Scottsdale he averaged
18.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.6 steals per game. Just as
importantly, he is a three-point shooting specialists, and might be
counted on to open things up for our interior players with his outside
shot, just like Craig did last season. Also like Craig he is capable of
backing up the point guard spot. Fontenet might see an unusually large
number of minutes for a walk-on.
Another player who will back up Rivera at point guard is 6-0 FR PG
Vernon Carr, Jr. Carr averaged 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, three
assists and 1.5 steals as a senior at Redford HS in Detroit last season,
earning All-Detroit and All-State honors. I was able to see him play
recently, and was impressed by his shooting, his ability to penetrate,
and his toughness. Carr recently suffered from a stress fracture, but
should not miss much, if any, time this season. He will likely learn a
lot playing time behind Rivera this season, and should have a bright
future with the Miners.
There are two more players
listed on the Miners’ official roster: 5-11 SO PG Josh Gutierrez
and 6-1 SO SG Colt Tharpe. Both are walk-ons who are not
expected to see significant time this season.
Outlook:
At the beginning of last
season I was concerned about the strength of the Miners inside, as Tofi
was the only true post player on the team. The Miners, who did get
out-rebounded on the year, made up for this by hustling and helping out
on defense, and by using their quickness and shooting ability on
offense. The addition of Kimble, Branch, and, hopefully, the
development of Murphy suddenly gives the Miners the inside size and
depth they were lacking last season.
The Miners will again be
strong in the backcourt and wing positions, where there will be even
more talent and depth than last year. The biggest concern here is the
depth at the point guard position, as the Miners do not have anyone with
the talent and experience to replace Rivera if he gets injured. The
Miners also need to find a consistent outside shooter to replace Craig,
but, with the depth at the two guard position, I expect that someone
will be able to step up. The Miners also have phenomenal depth and the
three spot.
The Miners should contend for
a conference championship again this season, and should be favored to
earn another trip to the NCAA Tournament. I believe UTEP has an
excellent shot at earning top 25 honors.
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