Joe on utepia | The place for commentary for UTEP athletics

Podcast: True or false, Trevor Vittatoe is the best UTEP quarterback in history

In case you missed it over at Turn Up the Orange, The El Paso Times' podcasters recently previewed the coming football season with some true or false questions.

The podcasters are Joe on Utepia's Joe Muench, UTEP football beat writer Bret Bloomquist, photo editor Ruben Ramirez and presentation editor Pablo Villa, along with host Jay Koester.

Let us know your answers to the questions in the comment section below.

To listen to the podcast, click here. (or right click, save-target-as to download)

Wise UTEP move

UTEP's new athletic slogan, "Yes We Can," was a wise move because perception can mean so much.

"Yes We Can" is geared toward a lot of endeavors, but the one involving community involvement, I think, is where the Miners hit a 3-pointer. They are now committed to getting to know fans better.

I don't think El Pasoans have been liking UTEP coaches/athletes as much as they have in the past. Basketball Coach Tony Barbee is not out in public a lot, as one example. It's his nature. It's not a fault, but he's not perceived to be an out-with-the-fans sort of guy.

I know its get old comparing everybody to Haskins, but His Coachency was out and about virtually every day in the pickup of his. He got to know so many people, not just those who gave money to the Athletic Department. That's important because it makes a person feel good to be able to say they know the coach, be it basketball or the more out-in-public Football Coach Mike Price.

"Guess you said 'hi' to me today, Dear?"

"Who?"

"Tony Barbee, and he remembered my name."

Getting to know athletes/coaches is a two-way street. It takes the people of El Paso to be friendly, too. And I think they are.

I think more UTEP players/coaches will find that out — and visa versa — now that "Yes We Can" goes out in public.

"

Price UTEP's best coach

Playing with some figures here:

Mike Price, with a 30-30 record (.500), is the best football coach Utepia has had in right at two generations. A generation is said to be 21 years and nine months, by the way.

Taking figures for coaches who were here at least five years — in pseudo modern times — nobody else fared better in a five-year Miner span except Bobby Dobbs (31-20-1 from 1965-69). That's a winning percentage of 61.

Bob Stull, of course, was here only three years, going 21-15 (.583) from 1986-88.

If you want the all-time winningest coach, the Athletic Department's office building is named in his honor, and it's a real, real old building. He is Mike Brumbelow. From 1953-57, he won 74 percent of his games.

Note: Dobbs and Brumbelow each coached more than five years at UTEP. I'm just taking five-year totals because that's how long Price has been here. I think Mike Price is the best coach, too, because he fits into El Paso. He generally likes it here. He's out in public. I've never seen him pout. El Pasoans like people like Mike Price.

Although Price hasn't had a winning season since 2005, his job certainly is not on the line. After all, his worst finish is 4-8. There are several coaches between Dobbs and Price who never came close to winning four games in any season while at UTEP.

Some posters on this blog think it's do-or-die for Price in 2009. No way. El Paso likes Mike Price.

Gillispie's next stop?

This is not a prediction. No, I didn't hear this anywhere, either. But:

Some Houston Cougar basketball boosters don't think Coach Tom Penders has lived up to his billing as a builder of a top-25 program. Indeed, Houston is not getting better, even though it's one of the nation's largest cities.

Houston's new AD is former UTEP associate AD Mack Rhoades. He was in Utepia when Billy Gillispie turned the Miners back into an NCAA Tournament team. Gillispie fizzled at Kentucky. Could Houston be more his style.

Word here is that Rhoades liked Gillispie a lot

Surely Penders has a contract. Surely Houston has money.

Mack Rhoades gets Houston AD job

Update to last two blogs: The University of Houston today named former UTEP associate AD Mack Rhoades as is new athletic director.

Present UTEP associate AD Brian Wickstrom was also in the running.

Another ex-Utepian AD candidate

Brian Wickstrom, UTEP's senior associate AD, has joined former UTEP top assistant Mack Rhoades as a finalist for the Houston athletic director job, as reported by the Houston Chronicle.

UTEP AD Bob Stull lauds Wickstrom in the story.

Earlier, the Cleveland Plain Dealer quoted souces saying Akron AD Rhoades was in Houston on an interview. People here know and respect Rhoades for his work at UTEP prior to Wickstrom.

But there are also some other big names on the Chronicle's list: Interim UH AD John Robinson Jr., former Rockets and Texans executive Steve Patterson and Oregon State associate AD Todd Stansbury.

One Houston employee, quoted in the Chronicle, said Wickstrom is a "money machine." He gives Wickstrom credit in securing $14.3 million for UTEP new basketeball practice facility. Well, Paul Foster and sidekick Stevens kinda donated that, likely without a lot of prodding.

Here's where Stull comes in, as printed in the Chronicle: "Brian is great,” Stull said. “He’s well-prepared. There’s not an area that he doesn’t know pretty well because of his background. He’s really well-rounded. “He’s going to be a great AD. I’m sure he’s interested (in the UH job).”

Here's a guess: Stull is known to be quite fond of Rhoades. But he's giving his kudos to Wickstrom. It brings up scenarios. As one poster asked, is UTEP better than Akron? I'd say yes, but not by a whole lot. And since Rhoades was a finalist at Rutgers and is said to be on the Marshall AD search list, I'd say Rhoades knows he's going somewhere.

Then again the other candidate look good. Patterson, with his pro experience, might have the inside track. Whereas the University of Houston is no great shakes in sports (bad football facility, too), it is in one of the nation's largest cities, and the largest in Texas. There's lots of money to be had in Houston. Much more than in El Paso. And Akron is just a mid-sized school in big Buckeye state, Ohio, which is also full of nearby pro franchises.

Losing an assistant AD, albeit the top assistant, is a big deal. They are the ones who are charged with getting booster money to the program. Stull does the smoozing, they do the legwork.

Mack Rhoades to Houston?

The Cleveland Plain Dealer, citing sources, said former UTEP Assistant Athletic Director Mack Rhoades is a finalist for the vacant athletic director's job at the University of Houston.

Some thought Rhoades would be the eventual replacement for Bob Stull, when Stull retires from Utepia.

Rhoades is presently the AD at Akron. Recently he was a finalist at Rutgers. The Plain Dealer said he's thought to be a candidate at Marshall.

Rhoades, highly popular here, is going places in college sports.

If offered, I bet Rhoades takes Houston in a heartbeat. What a stepping stone to the real big time.

conference realignment (Hey, it's summer)

There's chatter that the Big 10/11 is looking to add one more school, thus being able to split into two divisions and then have a conference championship game and make TV money.

Two things to remember: 1) It's summer. Conference realignment is always a top subject. 2) 12-team conferences are the ideal for the eventual college football playoff system. Champs go to the playoffs (and even some runner-ukps, too). Other runner-ups go to the bowls.

Most of you posters know this stuff, already. But just as a refresher, he are the big conferences that do not (yet) have 12 members:

Big East has eight (that play football).

Big 10 has 11

Mountain West has 8

Pac-10 has 10

WAC has 9

NOTE: Mid-American actually has 13

Here's the fun part. If the above go to 12, they (except MAC) need to take from other conferences. UTEP's Conference USA now has 12, but Memphis would love to go play in the Big East and UTEP, it sez here, ought to be back with its old cronies in what's now the Mountain West.

This will be quite complicated, as most poster know. For example, if the Pac-10 adds two, would not Utah and BYU be good candidates? But BYU won't play on Sunday because of religious convictions. That's a problem that people bring up all the time. Who wants the BYU hassle?

Does Missouri leave the Big 12 for the Big 10/11? Then the Big 12 would need another school.

It's summer. It's time to talk expansion scenarios