UTEP's basketball scholarship situation?

A look at next season’s UTEP Miners, keeping in mind that some coaches can shuffle roster players like card sharks during the off-season.

It appears UTEP basketball, roster-wise, is not oversaturated with guys on scholarship.
Coach Tim Floyd has a history of going over the limit, but then retreating back to the 13 max at the last minute. In other words, heads get chopped one way or another.

From the way the roster looks, there appear to be 14 scholarship guys, one over. But that’s counting point guard McKenzie Moore, who is reportedly enrolled at UTEP but has not been academically eligible. He may not be officially on scholarship.

Here’s how coaches generally handle too many guys on scholarship:

1) There can be flunkouts. It happens. And sometimes coaches don’t mind that it happens. If he really need a player who may be struggling in class, he gives him a heavy dose of tutors, and there’s usually an assistant coach assigned to make sure players go to class. If you don’t need him, because you can get  a better player, you kinda let him die off the eligible list.

2) Coaches often help a player find a different school, one where he may see much more playing time.
Coach: “Hey, Stretch, you’re not going to see a lot of playing time here. But I’ve talked with the coach at Eastern Northwestern Tech and he said you could start for his team.”
 That’s happened a lot at UTEP, and at many other schools, over many years.

3) And some guys just plain quit, as did Darius Nelson one game into this past season.
So that’s why a coach is not in a lot of trouble if he’s one or two scholarships over the limit at this time of the year.

But since coaches are always on the lookout for even better players than they already have, they are known to line up these new players during the summer, and then they go through the above process before it’s time to turn in the official scholarship list.
Sometimes it’s a dirty deal.

What’s unfair to a player is if he’s a good student and works hard in practice , but the coach found somebody whose a better basketball player. So his scholarship gets yanked when he and his parents had expected scholarship money to pay for his college education.

So far UTEP has announced the signing of three freshmen-to-be, while losing only senior Gabe McCulley, who has used up his eligibility. And Nelson quit.

I counted 10 scholarship players on the 2011-12 season set to come back next season:
John Bohannon (6-foot-10), D’Von Campbell (6-0), C.J. Cooper (6-0), Cedrick Lang (6-9), Mike Perez (6-3), Jalen Ragland (6-6), Jaques Streeter (6-0), and Julian Washburn (6-7).
Add in Malcolm Moore (6-7) and Hooper Vint (6-10), who both missed most of this past season with injuries.

Add in new signees: Twymond Howard 6-6), Chris Washburn (6-8) and Dustin Watts (6-4).
That’s 13.
Point guard McKenzie Moore would make 14.

And counting?

Comments

[Canaima]

Joe - you call them signees but has signing day occurred or are commitments at this point verbal only? I'm asking because 1) I honestly don't know and 2) last reports I heard said that Howard was reconsidering and may not come to UTEP - he was receiving a lot of attention from some major programs and that since his commitment was verbal only, he could still back out. So please do some research and let us know. And while your at it, do some research on this point guard you mentioned and give us something besides rumor and supposition.

[baballa31]

All 3 have signed letters of intent so it looks like they are coming to UTEP as of now. McKenzey Moore is already on campus but whether he is eligible still remains to be known.

[UTEP Hulk]

Jalen Ragland is going to red shirt next year.

[david bb]

Yeah, Ragland is red shirting next year.

[david bb]

@Canaima: You said "2) last reports I heard..."

Please provide link of these reports you have heard. I just did some research and found no mention of him reconsidering. I only found more that has him listed as committed to UTEP.

[Canaima]

Yes david bb, I looked and couldn't find anything - at least nothing that was dated after his commitment. Maybe I had him confused with that January kid. Where did he end up?

[Prospero]

And by telling Ragland a year in advance that he is going to redshirt next year, isnt that a way of telling him "hey, i dont think this is the place for you." Even if he does sit out as a redshirt, does that really save a scholarship? UTEP would still be paying for his school wouldn't they?

[David]

Ragland is still on scholarship if he redshirts. The plan was to redshirt him this year but Floyd could not with Nelson quitting and Moore/Vint getting injured. Floyd sounds high on Ragland so if he decides to transfer I think it will be on his own account. That leaves the sophomore class in 2013 to include Vint, Watts, Howard, C. Washburn, and Ragland. Juniors will be Lang, J. Washburn, Cooper, and Campbell. Seniors will be M. Moore, Bohannon, and Perez. Mckenzie Moore (if qualifies) I assume will have 3.5 years of eligibility with this year now being his redshirt since he never actually played JC. He will take Streeter's scholarship after he graduates. That means he will be in the sophomore class on 2013. That leaves no scholarships for 2013 freshman class unless one or more of the current roster leave/transfer. That means if Floyd wants to add anymore players in the class of 2012 or 2013 than somebody has to go for each additional player since the scholarships are tied up the class of 2014 recruiting class.

[rj]

Ty is signed as far as I know so he's coming unless something crazy happens, January is out of the loop, looking to sign with Vegas or SDSU. But Ty not coming would be a major shocker at this point.

[Luis]

D'Von Campbell is transferring

[Luis]

Oh, and Twymond Howard signed a letter of intent. He is coming to UTEP.