Friday, Oct. 15, is a magical day for so many UTEP basketball fans. It is the day it all begins.
Fans began buying season tickets shortly after Tim Floyd was hired on March 30 and the excitement has been building since. Floyd, who has an exceptional record on his own, is near and dear to Miner fans. He was the basketball son of this city's legend, Don Haskins. He hangs his hat on the same mean, tough, unforgiving man-to-man defense.
Friday, Floyd begins his run with UTEP. Friday is the opening day of basketball practice for the Miner men.
Normally, Floyd would have a pretty good idea as to who can do what on his new team.
Coaches are allowed to hold individual workouts in the fall. But, since the Miners lose seven seniors, since they will have nine scholarship openings for next season, Floyd has been on the road almost non-stop - recruiting and recruiting and recruiting.
"I don't think we'll fully know what we've got until we're out there for about a week," Floyd said, via telephone from a recruiting trip.
"The majority of the individual work has been done by Coach (Phil) Johnson. The demands of recruiting are pretty strong. Everyone wants to see the head coach. But I know Coach Johnson feels good about the guys we've got coming back."
The returners are a veteran group. They finished 24-6, winning the Conference USA regular-season title, losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to eventual NCAA finalist Butler. Randy Culpepper was the Conference USA Player of the Year.
Julyan Stone is a three-year starter at point guard. Jeremy Williams and Christian Polk were outstanding junior college additions a year ago. Gabe McCulley will be back after a medical redshirt season. Isaac Gordon saw key playing time and was a team captain. Big men Claude Britten and Wayne Portalatin, each 6-11, have seen plenty of playing time over the last three years.
Of course, the Miners - who had no seniors a year ago - had a trio of losses. Derrick Caracter declared early for the NBA. Arnett Moultrie transferred to Mississippi State. Myron Strong was dismissed from the team.
Certainly, Floyd was not worried about his non-stop recruiting trip. Johnson is a former head coach at San Jose State and a former assistant with Floyd at the Chicago Bulls. There is a huge element of trust between Floyd and the experienced Johnson.
The Miners will play a pair of exhibition games - Oct. 30 against Eastern New Mexico and Nov. 5 against Texas A&M-Kingsville. Then the real action begins. UTEP opens the season against an always tough Pacific team on Nov. 12 in the Haskins Center, a Pacific team that won 23 games last year.
The Miners will also play in The Legends Classic, facing Mercer and Western Carolina in the Don Haskins Center, then traveling to Atlantic City on Nov. 26 to meet Georgia Tech. The Miners will then play either the winner or loser of Michigan-Syracuse on Nov. 27. The two tough rivalry games with New Mexico State sandwich the trip to Atlantic City - the Aggies in El Paso Nov. 23 and the Aggies in Las Cruces Nov. 30.
"In the old days, we would work strictly defense for the first 10, 12 days," Floyd said.
"But, because the playing season has been moved up so much - we used to open around Thanksgiving - we have to literally bring every part of our game along as much as we can. I think it will be mid-January before we really start putting a better product on the floor."There are just so many rough spots you have to work through early," Floyd said. "Some teams will run zone. Some will press. You have to put in in-bounds plays. You have to get ready for everything."
Floyd then added, "Certainly, our staple will be our man defense."
Oct. 15 has long been the magical day for men's basketball - the starting date for half a century. It has been moved a day or so, here and there, to reach weekends so schools could do things like Midnight Madness. But, for the most part, Oct. 15 has been the day.It is the day this year.
"I feel like our guys are eager to get started," Floyd said. "I know we as a staff are."And the fans? Well, they made their excitement clear last March and April, when they started buying season tickets.
Now the moment is almost here and there is a hint of excitement blowing through the desert air.
Bill Knight may be reached at bknight@elpasotimes.com; 546-6171.
Tim Floyd
Background: Former head coach at University of Idaho,
University of New Orleans, Iowa State and USC; former head coach of
Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Hornets.At UTEP: First year; eight
years as assistant coach (1978-86).Record: 328-180; eight trips to
the NCAA Tournament; three trips to the NIT; only one losing season
in 16 years.Fun fact: His father, Lee, played basketball for UTEP
in the early 1940's.
