Right after that victory the powers that be of this college changed the name to the University of Texas at El Paso in correspondence with them being a part of the University of Texas system.  They kept the Miners for a nickname but also soon after joined the WAC conference, a prestigious mid-major that wanted a team from Texas to go with their Rocky Mountain base of programs.  Even with the giant win and all the recognition this program received from that, the Southwest Conference (which is basically the conference of Texas as all 8 teams are located in Texas) still had no need for these Outsiders located in the Western most tip of Texas, right on the direct border of Mexico.  This does not seem to bother Haskins as he knows he has built his own private Oasis in the middle of the desert and is able to draw some of the most talented (though undervalued) players from all-around the country to El Paso.  That victory might have been a win for the ages but Haskins is not resting on his laurels and continues to give overlooked talent a chance to shine especially from big urban cities.  This year will be no different as the Miners will rely on an all world backcourt and a tough frontline to attempt to win the Western Athletic Conference tournament and advance to the NCAA tournament once again.  

Coach Haskins has assembled possibly the best guard tandem in the country and combined them with some big time studs up front to have a another glorious season on the Rio Grande. Haskins or the Bear as he is known on the Streets of El Paso is an unbelievable coach who is adept at finding the best possible talent that all the big schools have missed and bringing these kids to this border town.  He has put together a phenomenal run at UTEP and this program is one of the best kept secrets in the country.  Haskins would not be afraid to put his squad against any other on any given night. Still Haskins knows to be able to get over the hump and beat those national powers he needs more athleticism on the wings.  If you throw a Michael Jordan or a David Thompson out this way, I don’t know if this team would ever get beat.

The one position the Miners could match up with anybody is point guard.  Haskins has not one but two of the best point guards in the country in senior Nate “Tiny” Archibald and sophomore Tim Hardaway.  Any program in the country would be happy to have either one at these sensational players playing for them.  As a matter of fact, I think a program just across the state probably could win the whole enchilada if they would have had either one of those cats on their Cougar team.  The funny thing is that these two come from the Big Apple and the Windy City respectively and the only reason the latter came here was to play with the legend that is the former.  Oh and of course to play for the Bear.  And the fact he was overlooked by the big schools in Illinois didn’t hurt.  Throw in the fact that Haskins also has another point guard, senior Bobby Joe Hill, at his disposal and the choice was clear.  The Miners were going to play a three-guard offense as much as possible.  How did you get away with having a three guard offense when all three are not only point guards but small point guards (both Hardaway and Archibald come in right around six foot).  Well, if you got this kind of talent you make sure you get minutes for all three of them.  And beside it wasn’t like the Miners had great wing players coming out of the woodwork though Haskins is trying to fix that problem with a slew of new recruits.  

Archibald is as good a penetrator as the college game has ever seen.  A playground legend in the South Bronx Archibald almost never made it to college and that would have been a crime.  He barely went to school but with the help (intervention) of two mentors, Floyd Lane and Pablo Robertson, he got a second chance to play.  Though the coach made him sit and watch his junior year he got his chance his senior year and shine.  After a year at a JC, Archibald came to El Paso City and has never looked back.  He just missed being on the ‘Glory Road’ team as he was in that JC. He plays like he missed out on something and wants to prove he belongs here.  He does and then some.  He is unbelievably quick and loves to get in the lane and either pass or score.  The unorthodox Lefty has a soft mid range touch and will kill you with his different shots and angles.  And he is without question one of best and most willing passers on the planet.  Some said that Archibald was just a stat freak and selfish and could not lead a team after putting up ridiculous numbers in his first year here.  Anybody that watched or played with the Miners knows that is not the player they saw this year.  Don’t get me wrong, Archibald still put up terrific numbers being one of the few people in D-1 to average over 15 points a game and seven assists.  Archibald took over leadership from the erstwhile Mr. Hill when he got hurt and showed he can in fact be a great little General. He has all the skills to be a great pro and though he may never dunk a basketball he is as good as there will ever be at getting to the hoop.  Whoever gets this guy next year at the next level will be a very lucky team. 

Hardaway is similar to Archibald is that he can penetrate and distribute the ball well.  He has a killer crossover dribble that leaves opponents flatfooted or sometimes even falling down. The move has even been coined by TV analysts calling it the UTEP two step which has become all the craze this winter in Western Texas.  Like Archibald, he almost never came to UTEP as he was stuck behind much higher profile kids in Chi town!  It seemed the major schools wanted, bigger guards such as Kendall Gill and Nick Anderson for their programs.  Their loss as Russ Bradbury liked what he saw on his first recruiting trip North and convinced the Bear that he must come out of hibernation and come see this kid.  Haskins has not done much on the recruiting tail lately but made the exception and after Hardaway heard all of the stores of the legendary coach and his ‘Glory Road’ team Hardaway could not wait to get to El Paso.  This under six footer has taken this city by storm and quickly developed a bond and a playing style with his new sidekick in crime Nate the Great.  He has learned much from Archibald already and has definitely become a better passer playing next to the best but there are some things that set these two waterbugs apart.  The difference in the two stars is their range.  Hardaway has no limit to his and is not afraid to fire from anywhere.  He creates space with his ability to drive and then launches one from the rafters and waits as it flies to the basket.  Hardaway is also an intense competitor who loves to play the game.  His defense is way better than Tiny’s and he is adept at pickpocketing other players.  He was a bit overmatched guarding bigger guards but made up for lack of height with his toughness.  He will not back down from anyone and loves to keep the heat on.  This warrior is by no means perfect as Haskins had to sit him down for a couple of days after he let loose on some homophobic statements after the game against TCU.  He apologized over and over again but the damage was done and he will take heat for that few moments of stupidity (and deservedly so) for the rest of his life.  He will get over it as this kid is too talented and has too much heart not to bounce back from a moment he would like to forget but never will.  The fans did not forget the rest of the year though he was lucky the Miners had no more road games. He sat home for the trip to Laramie and Provo (he would have been brutalized there by those psycho fans) though the trip to the conference tourney was no fun for Timmy. Sometimes you have to go through some tough times to learn what it is all about and Tim has sure taken the ‘hardaway’ of learning this lesson! 

Haskins came into the year with Bobby Joe ‘My Dad says butane is a bastard gas’ Hill as the anointed leader of the team.  Hill had earned this moniker of course after he led the team to it’s glorious win over Kentucky a few years back.  This kid from Highland Park Michigan made his presence known as soon as he arrived in El Paso.  He was the catalyst of that team with his ballhandling, scoring but especially his in your face defense that caused more turnovers than possible any pressure by one guard in the country.  It was not rare to see Hill strip one of his foes three or four times a game and go the other way for easy layups.  Those kind of plays are much more backbreakers than a great block or a steal off the wing as it demoralizes the leader of the other team and almost always leads to easy, uncontested baskets.  ‘He is as good of a leader as I have ever had’ the Bear will tell you as he relies on this street tough kid to set the tone for the rest of the team.  Hill is not the offensive weapon of the others but is consistent and Haskins counts on him for leadership and defense.  This five eleven spark plug can score but chooses to let his running mates be the focal point.  Hill did miss some games early with injuries and it opened up the Miners to develop different lineups that actually benefitted them in the long run. He took a demotion to the bench in stride and came back for the stretch run and produced some glorious moments for the fans of El Paso where one can definitely say he has become King of the Hill.  The Miners are so deep at point guard that senior Willie Worsley and Sophomores Jeep Jackson and Luster ‘Pony’ Goodwin barely got on the court last year.  All three of these cats are as quick as a slip on the bath tub mat with Goodwin even having some two guard skills but they were nowhere near the talent of Hardaway and Archibald and Hill is well, just the King!  

The Miners are almost at loaded up front as in the backcourt.  Led by seniors Jim “Bad News” Barnes and David “Big Daddy D” Lattin the miners are a physical and fearless team up front. Barnes is the true low post option that any successful team has to have.  A scorer and rebounder, the other teams main focal point is stopping this beast underneath.  Barnes is only six eight and played a lot of center but as his nickname would suggest he was more than tough enough for the big guys he had to compete with in the paint.  Barnes grew up in Arkansas and was too poor to have shoes for basketball games so he just wore socks.  He still dominated as he was six foot six by the time he was 13. He bounced around several high schools (he went to one because they offered to buy him new shoes-no really-I can’t wait) but ended up in Stillwater Oklahoma which of course is the home of Oklahoma State University and legendary coach Hank Iba.  It is also the alma mater of one Don Haskins who played for Iba and learned many of his coaching philosophies from him.  Barnes was the first black player ever named Oklahoma prep player of the year but decided to go to a JC as he was worried he was not up to par with the academic requirements of a major University.  This was one of the first major players that Haskins got to come to El Paso after two years at Cameroon College in Lawton Oklahoma.  Bad News has taken this program to another level with his dominant play underneath the basket.  Haskins swears his ‘Glory Road’ team would have won it all if they had Barnes and if there wouldn’t have been some strange refereeing in the tourney (this team seems to get that kind of stuff for some reason).   He is that dominant and that much of a target and in reality his nickname is for the way he plays on the court.  Off the court he is one of the nicest, giving people you would ever want to meet and the people of El Paso (and wherever this guy roams) love this big bear of a man.  Barnes only real downsides are two-fold and related: with all of the physical play he does get into foul trouble and does miss time due to getting banged up.  Various injuries kept Barnes out of five games last year (the Miners lost four) but when he was on the court he was the most dominant player there no matter who the team he was playing. His matchups with Billy ‘the Hill’ McGill Barnes has dominated with his brute strength though like everyone else on the planet he has a hard time stopping that ‘jump hook’ thing.  He almost broke Lresmic Cosic in two with one of his dunks over the skinny seven foot six kid though he and Mel Daniels seemed to play to pretty much a stalemate (immovable object meet unstoppable force). Daniels might be the only guy in the WAC who matches Bad News for sheer strength. Barnes will be back for one more year and that means Bad News for the WAC.  

Lattin is a physical presence who relies on his body to do damage.  A great screener and rebounder, Lattin can be counted on score from anywhere inside of about five feet usually with a throw down that will shake the foundation of not just the standard holding the backboard but usually the entire facility as well.  Lattin was a superstar in High School in Houston being the first Texas player to win All-American honors.  He bounced around a bit after college but ended up here with Haskins and Barnes and the rest is history.  Lattin is nowhere near the talented low post machine Barnes is but he does know how to finish and most importantly he knows his role.  His role is to use his six foot six 223 pound body to intimidate his opposition.  Whether it is a slew of dunks in their face, a flurry of rebounds over bigger men or a back screen that will literally break your back, Lattin is the embalmment of the term power forward.  He teamed with Bad News not only to give the Miners the best nicknamed duo in the Southwest but the finest pair of undersized big men this side of Pecos.  Like Barnes, Big Daddy D did miss some games due to the pounding down low (and eventually lost minutes to some first year kids with their advantage in height) but when he was on the court he made a huge impact on both ends.  This duo played with intensity and toughness and brought the pain to the WAC.  They might not have the size of some of their opponents but whoever had to bang down low with these two for 40 minutes knew they had been in a fight.  Fellow Seniors Harry Flournoy and Nevil ‘the Shadow’ Shed started the year in the rotation down low but got surpassed by some bigger, more athletic players in Haskins constant refurbishing of the cupboards.  This duo along with guards Willie Worsley and Orsten Artis were a huge part of the ‘Glory Road’ team that changed the face of basketball with that win over Kentucky and will never be forgotten for their contributions to this program and to the world in General! 

The Miners had many solid complimentary players up front.  The player with the most upside of these is Sophomore Antonio Davis.  Davis is a physical player who loves to mix it up underneath but is also athletic enough to hang with quicker players.  A decent scorer but a terrific rebounder, Davis is a hard worker developing a more diverse game than the rest of the big men on this team who rely on their brute strength to dominate in the paint.  The nagging injuries to Barnes and Lattin (as well as about four others that were in front of him on PT totem pole) plus his ability to hit a mid-range shot and play outside the box (though he is not afraid to bang with the trees) got him much more court time than expected when the season began.  He started out barely playing but by the end of the year was eating up minutes with his great defense and smart play for the Miners.  A six foot nine 215 recruit from Oakland California (there is a reason Haskins schedules road trip in big urban Metropolises) Davis was stuck on the bench his first season but he improved so much and Haskins needed his ability to guard people that he became one of the most important players on the team.  He is clutch and a terrific team player and when you can guard athletic forwards as well as guard the rim (he does block shots too) then all you have to do is be able to throw down a few dunks on some nifty pick and rolls with your best buddy on the team, Hardaway, and soon enough you are no longer expendable.  And as hard as this kid works (he will literally go to the ends of the earth to play basketball and get better) there is no doubt that he will be a huge part of the success of this program for the next two years.  And who knows after that as most of these kids Haskins has brought in have got a shot at the next level though Davis is nowhere near the talent of Bad News Barnes.  The game is changing and Davis is the prototype for the big boys who can do a bit more than just post up on the block and clank in turn arounds.  Davis is the main returning big man for this team but he is not alone as Haskins keeps his cupboard well-stocked.  He is not even a cinch to start next season as Haskins liked being able to use this flexible kid off the bench. Fellow Sophomore Dave Feitl brings different size to the post which is much needed in El Paso. Feitl will bang and use his body underneath but can also score on the blocks.  Another Big Five conference connection is Feitl who grew up right square in the backyard of the Arizona Wildcats.  This six eleven 235 pound low post machine was going to go for an official visit to the Wildcats until they tried to keep it on the down low and asked him to make it unofficial so they could have the visit for an out of towner.  Well, that did that and before you knew it he was in El Paso because this kid who grew up in Pennsylvania loves the warm weather.  Of course, the Wildcats don’t need any more big men who can post up down because after all that is their strength.  Not!  Feitl is the definition of a project who is nowhere near as athletic as Barnes but is already in the rotation due to his size but some other young guys are on a short list to move up as well. Another Sophomore, Wayne ‘Soup’ Campbell, who has already missed one year might miss this one as well with reconstructive knee surgery.  Fellow sophomores Terry White and Anthony Burns were on this list though they did play some of the year on the JV.  Juniors Jim Forbes, Gary Brewster and Scott English had all played supporting roles last season but got caught in the wash with these new kids coming to El Paso.  There is size and talent on this roster and Haskins knows how to rotate players with much less on their plates and make them winners. 

Perhaps the most important player on the team is backup guard Charlie ‘why is everybody always picking on me’ Brown.  Brown is the first African-American ever recruited in the Southwest and has had a marvelous run at UTEP.  Haskins has made it a point to recruit kids from anywhere and that includes a huge amount of Black kids as you can tell by the roster. Brown is a great athlete who can really board for a six two guard (he can flat jump out of the Special Events Center) and can score though he regressed as last season went on. He was a star a few years back leading the Miners in scoring and was second in rebounding. He seems to be coasting some now but Brown has put up with more nonsense on and off the court then should be allowed but has shined on the court. Brown is actually the first black player ever to get a scholarship in a state that part of the Confederacy so you can only imagine what it is like for him playing in Southwest Texas and especially on the road. This might be the year that Haskins does his best Lucy impersonation and pulls out the football from his trailblazing stalwart. After all it is obvious that he needed to find some more size on the wings.  Brown is every bit a good enough athlete but no matter who high you jump (or how far as legendary Miner Bob Beaman actually tried out for the team a few years back) 6’2 is not big enough to guard 6’6 studs. It is a good thing the WAC is not a wing oriented conference but it was quite difficult for this team to match up with of the new breed player of the league coming in who are big but like to fly up and down the court.  Their best option for that are juniors Dick Gibbs and Gus Bailey who split time last year. These two studs are both 6’5 and can play but neither one is exactly David Thompson.  They are more role players who can guard and help on the boards but neither is a terrific athlete. Haskins has a bunch of those on the JV roster but this old school coach likes to develop players and many of these kids use a redshirt season to develop.  This has worked in El Paso for years as many of these guys on the roster have been here for much longer then your normal college athlete.  It does work but Haskins has made it clear if he finds the right kid who fits well with his system and the other players it does not matter what year he is in, the Bear will put him in.   

Don Haskins has truly put together a program to be proud of out in the western most part of Texas.  Set firmly on the Rio Grande and being the sister city to one of the most violent places on the earth, El Paso Texas is known for many things.  But until recently basketball was not one of them.  The Bear from Oklahoma has changed all of that with the recent game changing upset of the Kentucky Wildcats in the national tourney when he started five black players smack dab in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement people know who the Texas Western Miners are.  And what they stand for.  This University with a majority of Hispanic students changed it’s name almost right away but never mind as the University of Texas-El Paso and their rugged coach showed they are not a one trick pony.  The Miners will rely on the best small guard combination in the country and a healthy dose of muscle and mean underneath.  Haskins will continue to find players from somewhere (usually the streets of a big city) that nobody has ever heard of and turn these kids into great basketball players by emphasizing team play first and foremost.  Oh, but you better be able to play that patented man to man defense or no matter how much you score you will not get on the court for the Miners.  Haskins is as respected as they get not just from his peers and the media but from his players as well.  For when the Bear Growls his kids listen!  And so far that prescription for success is working pretty well in the West Texas Town with that oh so rhythmic name!