2017–18 UTEP Miners men's basketball team

The 2017–18 UTEP Miners basketball team represented the University of Texas at El Paso during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Miners, led by interim head coach Phil Johnson, played their home games at the Don Haskins Center as members of Conference USA. They finished the season 11–20, 6–12 in C-USA play to finish in a tie for 11th place. They lost in the first round of the C-USA tournament to UTSA. UTEP averaged 6,155 fans per game.[1]

2017–18 UTEP Miners men's basketball
ConferenceConference USA
Record11–20 (6–12 C-USA)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaDon Haskins Center
Seasons
2017–18 Conference USA men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Middle Tennessee 16 2   .889 25 8   .758
Old Dominion 15 3   .833 25 7   .781
Western Kentucky 14 4   .778 27 11   .711
Marshall 12 6   .667 25 11   .694
UTSA 11 7   .611 20 15   .571
UAB 10 8   .556 20 13   .606
North Texas 8 10   .444 20 18   .526
FIU 8 10   .444 14 18   .438
Southern Miss 7 11   .389 16 18   .471
Louisiana Tech 7 11   .389 17 16   .515
Florida Atlantic 6 12   .333 12 19   .387
UTEP 6 12   .333 11 20   .355
Rice 4 14   .222 7 24   .226
Charlotte 2 16   .111 6 23   .207
2018 C-USA Tournament winner

Following a loss to Lamar on November 27, 2017, that saw the Miners drop to 1–5 on the season, head coach Tim Floyd announced that he was retiring effective immediately.[2][3] The school had previously announced a new athletic director, Jim Senter, a week prior, but Floyd said that had nothing to do with his decision.[4][5] Assistant Phil Johnson was named interim head coach of the Miners the next day.[6] On March 12, 2018, the school hired Fresno State head coach Rodney Terry as the new head coach of the Miners.[7]

Previous season

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The Miners finished the 2016–17 season 15–17, 12–6 in C-USA play to finish in a tie for third place. In the C-USA tournament, they defeated Rice in the quarterfinals before losing to top-seeded Middle Tennessee in the semifinals.

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Dominic Artis 1 G 6'3" 190 Senior San Francisco, CA Graduated
Tim Cameron 3 G 6'4" 180 Freshman Norcross, GA Transferred to High Point
Adrian Moore 4 G 6'4" 175 Freshman Little Rock, AR Transferred to Butler CC
Chris Barnes 5 G 6'3" 180 Sophomore Compton, CA Transferred to Angelina College
Terry Winn 12 F 6'7" 230 RS Sophomore Monroe, LA Transferred to Texas–Rio Grande Valley
Ivan Venegas 13 F 6'8" 230 Sophomore Chihuahua, Mexico Walk-on; left the for personal reasons
Deon Barrett 23 G 5'10" 150 Freshman Lancaster, TX Transferred to Texas–Arlington
Hudson Urbanus 25 G 6'0" 160 Freshman Austin, TX Walk-on; left the for personal reasons

Incoming Transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Keith Frazier 25 G 6'5" 190 RS Senior Dallas, TX Transferred from North Texas. Will eligible to play since Frazier graduated from North Texas.

Class of 2017 recruits

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Justin Smith of Stevenson High School boxes out Evan Gilyard of Simeon Career Academy in 2015.
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Evan Gilyard
#54 PG
Chicago, IL Simeon Career Academy 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) N/A Oct 7, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 75
Kobe Magee
PG
San Antonio, TX Brandeis High School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) N/A Feb 27, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 0
Tirus Smith
SF
Petal, MS Petal High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Oct 19, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 0
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Class of 2018 recruits

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US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jacob Eyman
PF
Los Alamitos, CA Los Alamitos High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sep 10, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Teddy Ochieng
PF
Kenya Cantwell Sacred Heart Of Mary 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) N/A Oct 29, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Avery Martinez
SG
Costa Rica Cantwell Sacred Heart Of Mary 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Oct 29, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Lamar Norman Jr.
SG
Wyoming, MI Godwin Heights High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Nov 1, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

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2017–18 UTEP Miners men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 1 Paul Thomas 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Summer Creek HS Humble, TX
G 2 Omega Harris 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Putnam City West HS Bethany, OK
G 3 Evan Gilyard 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Fr Simeon Career Academy Chicago, IL
F/C 4 Tirus Smith 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Fr Petal HS Richton, MS
G/F 5 Trey Wade 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr South Cobb HS Marietta, GA
F 11 Jake Flaggert 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Sr Lovejoy HS Lucas, TX
G 13 Isiah Osborne 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So University of Windsor (Canada) Windsor, ON
G 15 Kobe Magee 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 150 lb (68 kg) Fr Brandeis HS San Antonio, TX
G 21 Trey Touchet 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Jr Saint Thomas More HS Lafayette, IN
G 24 DeShaun Highler (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Fr JW North HS Riverside, CA
G 25 Keith Frazier 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Sr Kimball HS
SMU/North Texas
Dallas, TX
C 41 Matt Willms 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Sr Findlay Prep Leamington, ON
F 54 Isaiah Rhyanes (W) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Andress HS
El Paso CC
El Paso, TX
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Oct 28, 2017*
1:00 pm
Sul Ross State W 78–70 
Don Haskins Center 
El Paso, TX
Nov 3, 2017*
7:00 pm
Western New Mexico W 98–50 
Don Haskins Center 
El Paso, TX
Non-conference regular season
Nov 10, 2017*
7:00 pm
Louisiana College W 100–50  1–0
Don Haskins Center (5,835)
El Paso, TX
Nov 16, 2017*
12:00 pm, ESPNU
vs. Boise State
Puerto Rico Tip-Off quarterfinals
L 56–58  1–1
HTC Center (701)
Conway, SC
Nov 17, 2017*
8:30 am, ESPNU
vs. South Carolina
Puerto Rico Tip-Off consolation 2nd round
L 56–80  1–2
HTC Center (987)
Conway, SC
Nov 19, 2017*
9:30 am, ESPN3
vs. Appalachian State
Puerto Rico Tip-Off 7th place game
L 72–76  1–3
HTC Center (1,774)
Conway, SC
Nov 25, 2017*
7:00 pm
at New Mexico State
Battle of I-10
L 63–72  1–4
Pan American Center (6,069)
Las Cruces, NM
Nov 27, 2017*
7:00 pm
Lamar L 52–66  1–5
Don Haskins Center (5,855)
El Paso, TX
Nov 30, 2017*
8:00 pm, Stadium
New Mexico State
Battle of I-10
L 60–80  1–6
Don Haskins Center (7,078)
El Paso, TX
Dec 2, 2017*
7:00 pm
New Mexico W 88–76  2–6
Don Haskins Center (6,394)
El Paso, TX
Dec 9, 2017*
7:00 pm, Stadium
Washington State W 76–69  3–6
Don Haskins Center (6,341)
El Paso, TX
Dec 19, 2017*
7:00 pm
Incarnate Word W 72–66  4–6
Don Haskins Center (6,023)
El Paso, TX
Dec 21, 2017*
7:00 pm
Howard
Sun Bowl Invitational semifinals
W 69–56  5–6
Don Haskins Center (6,013)
El Paso, TX
Dec 22, 2017*
7:00 pm
North Dakota State
Sun Bowl Invitational championship
L 51–63  5–7
Don Haskins Center (8,021)
El Paso, TX
Conference USA regular season
Dec 28, 2017
7:00 pm
North Texas L 62–63  5–8
(0–1)
Don Haskins Center (6,306)
El Paso, TX
Dec 30, 2017
7:00 pm
Rice W 80–62  6–8
(1–1)
Don Haskins Center (6,147)
El Paso, TX
Jan 4, 2018
6:00 pm, beIN
at Southern Miss L 75–85  6–9
(1–2)
Reed Green Coliseum (1,956)
Hattiesburg, MS
Jan 6, 2018
5:00 pm
at Louisiana Tech L 88–97  6–10
(1–3)
Thomas Assembly Center (3,654)
Ruston, LA
Jan 11, 2018
7:00 pm
Florida Atlantic L 66–73  6–11
(1–4)
Don Haskins Center (5,643)
El Paso, TX
Jan 13, 2018
7:00 pm
FIU W 72–68  7–11
(2–4)
Don Haskins Center (6,074)
El Paso, TX
Jan 20, 2018
2:00 pm
at UTSA L 61–65  7–12
(2–5)
Convocation Center (2,210)
San Antonio, TX
Jan 25, 2018
6:00 pm, Stadium
at UAB L 78–85  7–13
(2–6)
Bartow Arena (3,013)
Birmingham, AL
Jan 27, 2018
5:00 pm
at Middle Tennessee L 50–81  7–14
(2–7)
Murphy Center (5,227)
Murfreesboro, TN
Feb 1, 2018
8:00 pm, CBSSN
Western Kentucky L 60–72  7–15
(2–8)
Don Haskins Center (6,116)
El Paso, TX
Feb 3, 2018
7:00 pm
Marshall L 65–74  7–16
(2–9)
Don Haskins Center (6,061)
El Paso, TX
Feb 10, 2018
7:00 pm
UTSA L 59–63  7–17
(2–10)
Don Haskins Center (6,335)
El Paso, TX
Feb 15, 2018
5:00 pm
at Charlotte W 87–86  8–17
(3–10)
Dale F. Halton Arena (3,059)
Charlotte, NC
Feb 17, 2018
5:00 pm, ESPN3
at Old Dominion L 33–82  8–18
(3–11)
Ted Constant Convocation Center (6,902)
Norfolk, VA
Feb 22, 2018
7:00 pm
Louisiana Tech W 74–72  9–18
(4–11)
Don Haskins Center (5,386)
El Paso, TX
Feb 24, 2018
7:00 pm
Southern Miss W 73–44  10–18
(5–11)
Don Haskins Center (6,117)
El Paso, TX
Mar 1, 2018
6:00 pm
at Rice L 70–76  10–19
(5–12)
Tudor Fieldhouse (1,802)
Houston, TX
Mar 3, 2018
4:00 pm
at North Texas W 68–66  11–19
(6–12)
The Super Pit (3,744)
Denton, TX
Conference USA tournament
Mar 7, 2018
6:30 pm, Stadium
(12) vs. (5) UTSA
First Round
L 58–71  11–20
The Ford Center at The Star 
Frisco, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Mountain Time.

Source[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Attendance Records" (PDF). NCAA. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 18, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  2. ^ Parrish, Gary (November 28, 2017). "UTEP's Tim Floyd, a former coach of the Chicago Bulls, announces his retirement". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  3. ^ Goodman, Jeff (November 28, 2017). "UTEP's Floyd retires after Miners fall to 1–5". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  4. ^ Grathoff, Pete (November 28, 2017). "Citing 'new world of college basketball,' Tim Floyd abruptly retires from coaching". KansasCity.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  5. ^ Villasana, Jose (November 27, 2017). "UTEP's new athletic director: We are going to engage our community". KVIA. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  6. ^ Dauster, Rob (November 28, 2017). "UTEP announces that Phil Johnson will replace Tim Floyd". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  7. ^ Broaddus, Adrian (March 12, 2018). "UTEP hires Fresno State's Rodney Terry as their new basketball coach". TheProspectorDaily.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  8. ^ "2017-18 Men's Basketball Schedule". UTEPAthletics.com. University of Texas at El Paso. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.