UTEP Miners
Overall Rank: #96
Conference Rank: #6 Conference USA
UTEP Team Page
2010-11: 25-10, 11-5
2010-11 postseason: NIT
Coach: Tim Floyd (25-10 at UTEP, 353-190 overall)
Coach Tim Floyd did a fine job at UTEP during his first season, leading the Miners to a 25 win season and a trip to the NIT. However, that was a very experienced team. With eight players gone, including the top five scorers, Coach Floyd has to rebuild. He has a decent recruiting class coming in and they have to step up right away with just three players returning for 2011-2012 from last season’s team.
Who’s Out:
Randy Culpepper was the do-it-all scorer. Christian Polk was a great shooter. Julyan Stone was a big guard who passed and hit the glass. Jeremy Williams was an underappreciated slasher who is playing professionally overseas. Claude Britten was the big body under the basket. Those five led the Miners in scoring last year and are now gone. Even Isaac Gordon and Wayne Portalatin played a few minutes here and there. Coach Floyd was a controversial hire, but he was brought in to take advantage of the Miners recent success and keep it going. The idea was partially to have a good 2010-2011 season, which they did, but in the wide open C-USA last season they could have done better. Either way, Coach Floyd now has the task of rebuilding with new faces.
Who’s In:
And this huge class is pretty good. Jacques Streeter sat on the sidelines last year after starting 63 games at Cal State Fullerton. The point guard is a fine scorer who has plenty of experience leading a team and that should give him the starting job right away. Two junior college transfers should vie for starting roles immediately as well. Point guard Mitch Marquis is a playmaker who can also do plenty of scoring. Even if he does not need to score, Marquis can at least keep the opposition honest with his three-point shooting ability. His ability to score could also cause him to manage some minutes at the off guard position. Marquis’ teammate at Tyler Junior College in Texas will be joining him at UTEP. Malcolm Moore is not a shooter, but he a fine slasher who can finish above the rim and help out on the glass, something this team desperately needs. A whole slew of freshmen will battle for minutes and even starting roles as the season progresses. Point guard D’Von Campbell will find a way to earn some playing time this year. C.J. Cooper will likely have to bide his time for minutes on the perimeter. Julian Washburn might be the best player in this class when all is said and done. The 6-7 forward is not a prolific scorer, but he can do a lot of the dirty work. Jalen Ragland is a do-it-all wing who can shoot, rebound and pass. Having a player like him come in off the bench will be a big bonus in certain situations. Darius Nelson is listed as a small forward, but on this team the 6-7, 235 pounder will spend some time at the four spot as well. The true big guys are Cedrick Lang and Hooper Vint. Lang is a bruiser who will likely see plenty of action during his freshman campaign.
Who to Watch:
The Miners had eight players who averaged over ten minutes per game last year. The best five may be gone, but the other three are back and ready to play a bigger role on this team. Gabriel McCulley is the best of the bunch. The 6-7 wing is the only senior on the roster and he will need to turn into a leader on and off the floor. After starting 11 games in 2010-2011 and averaging 6.1 points and 4.2 rebounds, McCulley could be in for a big year. He can hit the outside shot, but he does his best work attacking the basket. Coach Floyd generally likes to have athletes on the floor that may be undersized, but can hit the glass. McCulley will likely play the three spot, but even if he spends time at the four, he can do what this team needs him to do.
Final Projection:
A couple keys to this team will be outside shooting and finding a big man who can at least play some defense and hit the glass. Michael Perez, a 6-3 sophomore, could fill the former. He rarely shot last year, but he made 47.1 percent of his limited attempts from beyond the arc. The wide open shooting guard spot is his to lose at this point. Certainly some of the new guys can shoot too, but Perez has the experience and should develop into a decent shooter off of the bench if he cannot hold on to the starting job. John Bohannon is the big 6-10, 210 pound center. He started ten games as a freshman and proved to be a decent interior scorer and fine rebounder and shot blocker. The Miners just need him to stay out on the floor longer without getting into foul trouble. There is talent here, but it may take some time for it to come together. With three players returning who played quite a bit last year and a couple junior college transfers who were teammates, the chemistry concerns may go away quicker than one would expect and that should leave the Miners with a decent 2011-2012 campaign and bigger hopes for the future.
Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI/CIT
Projected Starting Five:
Jacques Streeter, Junior, Guard, DNP last season
Michael Perez, Sophomore, Guard, 1.5 points per game
Gabriel McCulley, Senior, Forward, 6.1 points per game
Malcolm Moore, Junior, Forward, DNP last season
John Bohannon, Sophomore, Center, 5.2 points per game
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