UTEP basketball coaching staff move

This is a no-brainer UTEP basketball move that took a bit of reshuffling, that's all. Some raise eyebrows when this sort of thing happens, but it does happen.

Greg Foster, college degree newly in hand, can now be hired as a full-time college basketball coach. Great for UTEP and El Paso. Foster can take the spot vacated by one-year assistant coach William Small, who (yeah right) went to Murray State, so he could be closer to home.

Small, then an assistant at Georgia State, came here with highly touted 6-foot-8 recruit Rashanti Harris in the spring of 2010. Harris never made it into school. He was considered an elite 4-star athlete.

Small had recruited Harris to Georgia State, but Harris never made it out of the NCAA Clearinghouse (academics) and didn't play at Georgia State. One could surmise that's why this star recruit was passed on by the nation's "bigs."

It sure looked like one of those tag-along deals.  The school (UTEP) gets what it wants, but has to bring along a coach, or another player from the main recruit's school.

Note that Tim Hardaway was the "tag along" in 1985 when UTEP really wanted the big center from his Chicago high school. Hardaway turned into an all-time UTEP great, and then an NBA All-Star. The "most-wanted" recruit was outta here fast. He and Coach Don Haskins never hit it off. I recall he was gone before the second semester even started.

Foster played at UTEP  with Hardaway and Antonio Davis in the late 1980s. He had a long NBA career. And he has good ties to the community  (by marriage) He is an excellent fit in Utepia. He'll be a great ambassador for UTEP basketball, and certainly has good ties in the overall basketball world.

Comments

[Lorenzo]

Couldn't agree with Joe more. I love that UTEP's staff now consists of two important pieces from the Miners' glory days in the 80's in Foster and Floyd. If all goes well, maybe Foster can take over the job down the line when Floyd is ready to retire.

[Georgia State Panther]

I am from Georgia State. Small was a third rung
assistant, a terrible speaker, and a four star weasel. No way a coach like Floyd (NBA, NCAA postseasons) would be interested in a Small except
to land Harris.

[MONCHIS]

Yea, Foster's got ties to UTEP, but can Foster coach?
It seems to this observer that UTEP would be better off hiring a coach that has better credentials and far more experience than just, "UTEP ties"!
I remember Bohannon, disrespecting Foster and yelling four letter words at him during a UTEP game! This demostrated and is emblamatic of a total lack of respect and discipline! No leadership nor authority were displayed by Foster! This type of deal is UTEP's modus-operandi, where they give someone a break just because they have, "ties", but no coaching experience! Foster didn't handle the Bohannon incident very well, did he? A more experienced coach wouldn't have taken this kind of abuse by any player and would have sent this young thug packing!
This is why UTEP always ends up being a loser!
Inferior coaching is always the result, as witnessed by UTEP recent dismal failures.
Even when UTEP had home court advantage during the C-USA tourney which was held here!

[rambo]

" A more experienced coach wouldn't have taken this kind of abuse by any player and would have sent this young thug packing!"

what?? that would be a decision made by the head coach, not a guy that was the lowest person on the staff at the time.

[David Ross]

Why call the player names like Thug,MONCHES??? Are you a thug if you get into a verbal disagreement with your assistant coach? If you happen to ues some 4 letter words?....I occasionally use 4 letter words and I do not think I am a thug. Do you not think this situation was handled in private where it needed to be handled? All young men are prone to outbursts like this one but that does not make them thugs or criminals.....they usually learn from the experience and move on to being a better team mate and player. If the behavior continues, then the coach, not someone who has no idea what the whole story is, deals with the problem.

[Buck]

Well put David!

[Mr Hate]

Did not need Rash*ti Hardon anyway. Worthless big dummy.

[Ugg Boots Clearance]

I wish you could've gotten him to talk about his relationship with Janet Jackson, though, as well as the stabbing incident in Philly a few years ago.

[Best Jerseys]

Forgive others but not yourself

[justin bieber supra shoes]

let's join our hands together to stop this kind of wrong doings. It may risk lives in the future if we just let them continue.

[גוף חימום]

Small and attending Georgia State, came here with many touted to recruit in spring. Harris has never been to school.

[maine it services]

Who would take over then? A lot would change in the game I assume.