Tim Floyd has been a busy man since his reunion with UTEP was announced in March.
Floyd, an assistant under fabled coach Don Haskins at UTEP from 1977-86, has made public appearances, scrambled to sign recruits, scouted prospects and last month finally started full workouts with his team - all while El Paso was abuzz about having him back on campus.
Floyd's return to UTEP has been like watching Haskins all over again, from his mannerisms to his vision for the team and the high expectations.
Longing for the days when Haskins paced the floors of the building named after him, fans are expecting to see a team that works hard and wins games. Just like Haskins, Floyd has a knack for lowering expectations so that he doesn't disappoint when the season starts.
''We have holes. We don't shoot great, we don't post up great,'' Floyd said of where UTEP should be ranked compared to other Conference USA teams. ''Without seeing everyone else (in conference), I couldn't tell you where we are.''
Others might disagree.
Fellow coaches in the conference thought two UTEP players were deserving of preseason honors: Senior guard Randy Culpepper was named the league's preseason player of the year and senior forward Jeremy Williams was named to the second team.
Williams averaged 10.0 points and 4.7 rebounds last season. Culpepper, the reigning C-USA Player of the Year who averaged 17.9 points and 1.8 steals per game last year, has bought into Floyd's teachings. Since practices began, Culpepper said Floyd has focused on a work ethic that demands attention to detail and a desire to constantly improve.
''We want to come back this year levelheaded and wanting to get better,'' Culpepper said. ''There's always room for improvement. We can all work harder and be better.''
Floyd's biggest challenge won't be implementing a new system with the players. Rather, he will have to deal with the loss of big men Derrick Caracter and Arnett Moultrie.
Caracter, who averaged over 14 points and eight rebounds, decided to enter the NBA draft and was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers. Moultrie left for Mississippi State.
When the season starts Friday with a sold out home game against Pacific, Floyd will return to college basketball with a team that won the regular season C-USA title, finished 26-7 and made an NCAA tournament appearance for the first time in five years.
''I like the fact that a lot of them were a part of a winning team,'' Floyd said of his returning players. ''I like their athleticism, I like the fact that they are great listeners, and I like the fact that we have a returning backcourt with experience.''
For him personally, the season provides a chance to put more distance between him and the whiff of scandal. He's coached at Idaho, Iowa State and New Orleans, as well as with the Bulls and Hornets in the NBA, but his stint at Southern California is the one most remember.
Under Floyd, the Trojans made three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and had three straight 20-win seasons. But he quit in 2009 after being accused of giving $1,000 in cash to a middleman who helped steer O.J. Mayo to USC.
Floyd has denied the allegations while the school wound up banning itself from postseason play and throwing out the wins from Mayo's lone season with the Trojans in 2007-08.
Floyd begins his second stint with UTEP in a different light. Gone are the days of being under the shadow of Haskins. Instead, he will have his opportunity to make a mark and leave his own legacy.
''It's a meaningful season,'' Floyd said. ''This one is meaningful because I started my career (at UTEP) and the man that shaped my career (Haskins) spent his entire career here. I understand the historical importance of this school. They have played great basketball for 50 years, had a lot of great players, and I have an opportunity to keep it going.''
