UTEP BB recruiting

Now is the time to watch and see if Tim Floyd will cull his UTEP basketball roster. Two reasons:
1) He really doesn't look to have an NCAA Tournament-bound team with his present roster.
2) He's been known to cull. First  fill the roster (the 13 limit) then go get better guys, when they become available, and find ways to "disappear" some of the earlier signees before fall enrollment.

On 1: Recall three of Floyd's first signees never made it here, including 4-star 6-8  forward Rashanti Harris. Didn't make grades. The two others were the Heat Academy players, Michael Haynes and Desmond Lee. Those were three top talents.

Now the best newcomer is Julian Washburn, who has been enrolled at UTEP but couldn't practice with the team this past season. He's apparently really talented, too. He reportedly had early offers from six Big 12 schools, along with Arizona and others. They apparently backed off when he didn't project academically.

The other newcomers, to go with returnees John Bohannan, Gabe McCulley and Michael Perez aren't highly pedigreed by the recruiting pundits. But you never know. Neither was Tim Hardaway.

On 2:  There's no longer the NCAA's "five-and-eight rule."  For a few years it limited schools to a maximum of five scholarship freshmen in one year and eight over two years.

At Iowa State years ago, Floyd was known for oversigning, then dumping players if he could get better ones. Some in college basketball called the "five-and-eight" the "Tim Floyd Rule."

Reportedly, Floyd has said he has one roster hole to fill. That means one of the 13 he has now isn't coming back? Who?

There are still some players out there, who'll drift off major-school rosters and such. And there's no more five-and-eight rule. And Tim Floyd, one can be assured, isn't one to build a program with some three- or four-year plan. Recall the Gary Nord (football) six-year plant?

Comments

[Ruffian]

Joe - Have you ever actually talked with Coach Floyd about his recruits and/or his recruiting process? Have you ever attended any of his practices? Have you ever trailed any staff member for a day to see what they do? Your writing is filled with "apparently" and "reportedly," and gossip-like innuendo. You should put your abilities to better use and go write for a soap opera. Leave the real sports writing to Bill Knight.

[a fan]

No problem with poor academics. It is UTEP after all, not the Texas University.

Just make the NIT or CBI once every few years and we are a happy lot.

[A Miner fan]

Pagan el pendejo por escrivir de pura cochinada! Va quedar alli como pulga. Ya quitan este pulga!

Translation: They pay this ignoramous to write this crap! He will stay on this job like a tick. Someone should take this tick off now and yank him off!

[shyminer]

In reply to "a fan" Not the Texas University? What are you talking about? Don't belittle the BB program with your garbage that it's just UTEP, UTEP has a very proud tradition in basketball and not even the "Texas University" has a NC in Men's BB like the Miners. Sometimes idiots do it to themselves...

[346576wq]

Hey Joe, coaches are paid to produce and without knowing the details some players act as though they are owed a scholarship! If that's the case then coach is just sending the message;" you are replaceable!" Earn it! In the current economy a "free ride" is not something to take for granted! When you put the orange and blue on, play with the passion and commitment your fellow athletes have in the past. Go Orange! GO MINERS! No Fair Weather Fans Needed!

[JAT]

The Gary Nord plan did work. He just wasn't around to reap the benefits in '04-'05.

[Lowercase Ray]

There is a belief from pundits and conference USA followers, that in football our conference is one of good offenses and where defense is optional. I would even qualify the above by noting that the East Division plays a better brand of defense then it's West Division breatherens. Along these lines I read the below article from Bleacher Report, which has Tulsa, Houston, East Carolina and UCF in the top 15 offensive teams. Tulsa and Houston, which we watch them replenish their weapons on a yearly basis, didn't surprise me much. East Carolina, which also consistently puts out a good offensive team, also didn't surprise me any. UCF was the more surprising of the four teams that made the list. When I stopped and looked at what they did last year, I realized that the East not only plays good defense but some of those teams have a pretty good offense to go with it.

It was almost painful to think that UTEP, which normally is mentioned to be offensively along the lines of Tulsa and Houston, this year isn't really expected to be that. The talk is more along the line that the defense may be the better half of this year's team.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/647391-college-football-predictions-power-ranking-the-most-potent-offenses-in-2011

[Canaima]

Joe - I think you're assuming all non-Seniors are returning. We saw that Bo and Perez both had academic problems and I will be surprised if they are around next year. I have many years watching UTEP and rarely has a season passed without an unexpected departure of a player or two - whether because of grades or other reasons. I'm not sure how the rules work but it seems to me a coach would over-recruit given the odds that a player will drop from the team between seasons. I also wouldn't be surprised to see additional redshirts next year.

Joe - you wrote that Floyd "reportedly" has one position available. Why don't you call him and ask him for an update? You are a member of the media aren't you? Do you mean to tell us that you have no access to the UTEP coaches? Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen a real news article in the Times that you have written - just these rambling blogs - hmmmm...

[prospero]

As long as Floyd is recruiting, the bball program will be in good hands.

[CLEOFITZWITZ]

Tim Floyd is unlikely to bring in any blue chip recruits. The highest rated recruits UTEP has ever signed were Greg Foster and Derrick Caracter. Both of them were transfers. The Miners should welcome transfers like these whenever possible as these are rare opportunites to get top talent. The same situation exists at all schools from CUSA (with the exception of Memphis), MWC, WAC, MAC, and Missouri Valley. On occasion, a player will slip through the hands of a "big six" conference member and sign with one of these schools. It is rare.

There is nothing wrong with the types of players UTEP goes after and Floyd should not be attacked for it. In a conversation I had with former Miner and Haskins assistant Gary Brewster, I asked him if UTEP was going to sign any blue chippers. He said Haskins did not typically go for that type of player. With good reason. He said that whenever Haskins decided it was worth to pursue a high level recruit, he was usually met with a disturbing question. How much am I going to get? UTEP can't afford the Cam Newtons for football and it can't afford it's basketball versions either. Don't go thinking that programs like UT Austin are clean. It's rare to find a "big six" program that is.

Julyan Stone and Randy Culpepper were not highly sought after players. Neither were Prince Stewart, Eddie Rivera, or Antoine Gillespie. Gillespie is an interesting story, though. He was the 2nd best player on his high school team to Tom Kleinschmidt (DePaul) and flew under the radar. UTEP scooped him up and the rest is history. This is the way Haskins got his players and it worked. Tim Floyd will also be successful because he, like Haskins, is a great coach.

[pj]

Go mid majors!I do not watch the major conferences any more the sec,big 10,acc,etc are nothing more than halfway houses for convicts with academics being a joke.There needs to be some major house cleaning in college athletics. they gave SMU a mid major the death penalty,could you see them giving Ohio St,or Auburn the death penalty?They just slapped them on the hand and looked the other way.You know scumbag Scam Newton knew what hes corrupt dad was doing.Not only do these major conferences attract convicts,but also corrupt dirtbags like calipari , Petrino,Saban,Calhoun,Tressel,etc.Hope Utep never gets to be one of the major colleges.