Just wondering(s)

Just wondering(s):

Is UTEP planning to announce the contract details of new basketball coach Tim Floyd? We know UTEP has only X amount of cash money to offer. Free use of nice cars is never a problem. The car dealers in El Paso are quite generous. The BB, FB and ADs usually get two to use. And a nice deal on a house. TV deals can be lucrative (note the NY Yankees). My suggestion is never heeded. Somebody deed the Athletic Department 10 acres and somebody build three nice houses on it - and dig a nice lake in the middle. Stock it with bass. Now that would be a nice perk.

It was a funny, in a weird way, how the Trevor Vittatoe deal unfolded. First the record-setting star q'back was suspended from the team for unspecified reasons. On the day his penance was over, it was announced that, oh, well, he's going to miss all of spring ball contact because he just had an operation.

On that note, Coach Mike Price has always been a tad mysterious about the status of players. Are they being disciplined or are they really hurt. How about the Tyler Ebell mystery a few years ago? The star RB was, all of a sudden, too injured to play for the Miners, but was OK immediately after the season to play in a senior all-star game.

And one more note: It seems like spring is the time for (real?) injuries, and lots of them. Again, the Miners have only a semblance of a starting unit for their scrimmages.

Comments

[CLEOFITZWITZ]

I believe JAT can best answer those questions.

[John C]

Perhaps Tim Floyd contract terms with UTEP will not be solidified or disclosed until after the NCAA has ruled on the USC matter.

Perhaps Tim Floyd contract terms should not be disclosed so not to attract too much attention and detract from his efforts to build up the baskeball program.

If his contract terms are kept confidential (maybe not able due to open records laws at public institutions) for some time then the topic of compensation will disapate and not bring more distraction to the program.

By the way, Muench and El Paso Times should put a halt to the insults from other bloggers.

[just a thought]

Thanks for the alley oop CLEO, and while I'm privy to a lot of junk information (and that's really all it is) about UTEP football I'll keep mum about the injury situation and let MP run his show.

In years past other UTEP head football coaches used Spring like a battle royale every day. Michael Comer went at Toraino Singleton. Paul Smith battled Brian Young. Robert Robert Rodriguez versus Howard Jackson. Everyone did everything. Depth charts could change drastically before the summer if someone played lights out. Walk-ons played against 1st teamers and the like. This is how both groups showed their mettle and character or lack thereof. Could walk-ons play? Would starters give 100% against a "scrub"?

While MP is known to gamble on 4th down he remains conservative during Spring Ball as he thinks he knows what he's got and doesn't want to thin out his already thin talent pool. The player's coach that he is gives his studs a pass. Starters don't care much for Spring Ball -- it's like NFL minicamps. Too far from the season to really get "into" it.

UTEPs 3rd and 4th string versus 3rd and 4th string gives you little in my opinion and during Fall practice these younger players are used for game planning purposes. Sort of tough to see who else can really play unless they're thrown into games (like Buckram).

[Pugapalooza]

JAT, considering you are privy to junk info, pretty insightful stuff. You are dead on with the comparison of spring ball and NFL minicamps. I think spring ball/minicamps are out there to keep fans interested during the offseason. Don't get me wrong I am interested and paying attention but more because I am a diehard fan who understands that although spring practices are relevant they aren't as important as camp socorro or practices in the fall.

[OZ]

Hey John C, imagine if Muench would put a stop to the insults...we all would go blog somewhere else. Gotta have thick skin my friend...I once got upset at Manny for questioning my loyalty to UTEP. In the end, we both laughed it off. Imagine all the insults Muench gets too...some are just complety off but amusing.

I may disagree with Muench most of the time but I always enjoy reading the intresting spins he pulls outta his "hat"...Reading CLEO's and JAT's responses are way more accurate compared to those of Muench.

[Lorenzo]

I refuse to post specific negative rumors about players on the internet, but if all I've been hearing on campus about the stars on the football team is true, the coaches really need to be stricter with these guys. No one on the team should get a free pass, especially if the team hasn't had a good year in almost half a decade.

[John C]

Can anyone confrim whether or not Tim Floyd and UTEP has hired Keith Wilkinson as director of basketball operations. ESPN and LA Times has published that he has been a recent hire in that position by Tim Floyd at UTEP.

Keith Wilkinson was a forward and played under Tim Floyd at USC in 2007, 2008, 2009. He went on to play professional basketball in the Ukrain last season.

He is the one that disclosed that USC AD Mike Garrett stormed into the USC lockerroom after a 2008 semifinal NCAA tournament game against Memphis to berate then point guard Daniel Hackett for missing two free throws in the game in the last 15 sec which USC lost by two points. Tim Floyd was outside the locker room at the time.

Wilkinson added that after this incident, Tim Floyd forbade Mike Garrett from making any post game appearances in the locker room and led to the strained relationship that grew between Floyd and Garrett.

[CLEOFITZWITZ]

One source told me that the reason that so many Spring injuries occur is because the guys are not in shape. Only a fraction of them are really working hard in the off-season and only have themselves to blame when they get knocked out.

As far as Tim Floyd and his contract are concerned, I like the fact that he agreed to coach without finalizing the monetary details. It just cements my feeling that he really wanted to be here for all the right reasons. I'm sure UTEP and El Paso will take care of him.

[John C]

I go back to my post above about confirming Keith Wilkinson as director of baketball operations at UTEP.

Most of the players are going to support their coach. Especially if they were a starter in the coach's program. If they were not then they dispise the head coach.

There is an extreme amount of politics in sports. This was true in my days when I played baseball at the collegiate level. There are some of the coaches that I despised, they played favirites in my mind.

Chemistry between the coach and the athelete is the key to getting the most out of a player and the team. Sometimes this chemistry is mis-matched --- supposedly for the good of the team at the expense of the indivdual athlete.

No solution to this problem, except that it has been around for decades.

Tim Floyd should bring in the people that make him comfertable and this will build a winning program that we all want.

[DFW Miner]

Any news on potential basketball recruits?

[John C]

I visited LA Times and found an article that Tim Floyd is in the mix to recruit Dwayne Polee Jr. the all City Section player of the year from Westchester CA.

His father Dwayne Polee SR had the same petigree during his high school days in LA, played at Peperdine and is currently the director of basketball operations at USC.

Polee committed to Tim Floyd and USC a few years ago, however has changed his mind since all of the changes with the USC basketball program.

Tim Floyd hired Dwayne Polee SR and is trying to make a pitch to hire the dad and bring the son to UTEP.

If he is able to do this then there will be a direct recruiting trail into the LA area which is fertile with highschool basketball talent.

[Pugapalooza]

Dwayne Polee, just visited SJU this weekend and based on NY Post story he has SJU, UNLV and Georgia in his top three. I know UTEP is still being considered, but might be a long shot at this point. Like John C said there is some history with the Polee family and our odds would be much improved if Polee Sr is hired so hopefully we will find out within the next week or so.

Miner Illustrated stated that they are looking at a couple of JUCO players as well, but Polee is probably the best of the bunch, unless Floyd can persuade Marcus Thornton (6-7, 295) from Atlanta,GA to join the Miners, but that would be a "Miner" miracle since they are competing with Kentucky, Florida, Texas, Michigan, Auburn, UTEP, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Clemson, Alabama, Tennessee and Memphis. Floyd is aiming high which is nice and just maybe he can pull off a couple of surprises during the remainder of the spring signing period.

[MONCHIS]

The UTEP football team will once again be as dismal as last year, guaranteed!
Even with a new defensive scheme, (sorry UTEP fans), but we'll witness the same results by a very porous defense!
Trevor Vittatoe is a dud, he's not as advertised by coach Price!
This QB is a dunce just like his predecessor, Palmer, all brawn and no brain!

[Joe Muench]

Re: [Joe on utepia] MONCHIS submitted a comment to Just wondering(s)

Where have you been? Havent seen your posts lately

[Tyler Ebell]

Hey Joe its Tyler Ebell. why dont you send me and email and i will let you know why i wasnt playing and why i was able to play in the Hula Bowl after the season. T_ebell@yahoo.com. thanks....GO MINERS!