Miner Rush, a UTEP Miners community

UTEP's own Julyan Stone is expected to get his 2nd career NBA start tonight against the Dallas Mavericks.

"In an interview with a small group of reporters, Barbee declined to utter more than a few words when asked about Moultrie or his background, nor did he even use Moultrie's name."

Pretty cool read at DenverStiffs, in regards to Julyan Stone about to receive plenty of playing time with their starting point guard Ty Lawson out with injury.

We knew it was a done deal, but it's nice to hear the "letters have arrived" at Tim Floyd's office. Harris definitely has eligibility concerns, but there's no way Tim Floyd would be recruiting him if he wasn't positive he would be cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse. KTSM has also confirmed that Harris will have four years of eligibility with UTEP. It's not clear if he will have to sit out next season, per NCAA transfer rules, since he did not play in any games last season with Georgia State. KTSM also confirms that William Small, Harris' recruiter at Georgia State, will join Tim Floyd at UTEP but the article wasn't clear in what capacity he will serve. He won't be UTEP's Director of Basketball Operations, as that spot has been filled by former Floyd player (USC Forward) Keith Wilkinson. So, it appears Small will be an assistant coach and/or recruiting coordinator. Small has 16 years of coaching experience and it's all in the southeast. He's coached at Southeastern Louisiana, Troy, Western Kentucky (where he's credited with signing Courtney Lee who's now with the New Jersey Nets), Tulane, and most recently Georgia State. At Georgia State, Small was the lead recruiter of Harris and three star forward James Vincent. If Small could consistently sign 3 and 4 star recruits to the Colonial Athletic Association's Georgia State, I can't even begin to imagine what he might be able to bring to UTEP. So far, with Harris coming along with him, he's off to a good start in El Paso. Also, in news that slipped through the cracks seemingly everywhere else, John Bohannon, of Lancaster, has also signed on the dotted line. These signings give UTEP a 6'9 center who physically is ready to play immediately and a 6'10 freshman who has seemingly endless upside. Bohannon was the star of Tony Barbee's final recruiting class and it was vital that Floyd keep him committed. With Jamison Stearns and Darrious Curry out of the picture, the only Miner recruit unaccounted for is Matt Korcheck, a 6'9 center out of Sabino High School in Tucson. Scout has Korcheck rated as the #29 center prospect in this year's class. On April 14, Bill Knight reported that Korcheck is "still with the Miners" but I have not found confirmation that he's made it official. If he does sign, or has, the Miners will be set in the post in 2012. Exciting times.

The Miners basketball team has lost their second Tony Barbee signee in a matter of days, this time it's Darrious Curry. According to Bill Knight, John Bohannon and Matt Korcheck are still committed to become Miners. Best of luck to Darrious Curry wherever he lands. UPDATE: KTSM reports that John Bohannon "is still believed to be coming to El Paso" after meeting with Tim Floyd this week.

Rivals ($) is reporting that Tony Barbee recruit Jamison Stearns has asked to be released from his letter of intent with UTEP. The move gives Tim Floyd another scholarship to work with. Here's wishing Jamison the best of luck in the future.

Andy Katz is reporting that UTEP has hired Tim Floyd to be their newest head basketball coach and replace the departed Tony Barbee.

The El Paso Times' Biill Knight has a nice round-up of where the UTEP mens basketball coaching search stands as of this morning. With all the movement in the last 24 hours, I wouldn't be surprised if we have an official announcement very soon. Excerpt: "Most thought Floyd to be the top choice, but recently his name has drifted out of the picture. He interviewed with UTEP athletic director Bob Stull last weekend in New Orleans. Floyd also interviewed with the University of Houston last weekend. Sources close to the search say "it's not dead yet" and that it is safe to assume talks are still ongoing with Floyd."

I guess I'll have to wait a couple of hours before every posting anything that Steve Kaplowitz reports. After earlier reporting that UTEP's hiring of Randall Dickey was a done deal and that an "announcement could come as soon as today," Kaplowitz has retracted his story and apologized for jumping the gun. Miner athletic director Bob Stull contacted Kaplowitz and convinced him that he has not made a decision yet.

So, the Floyd rumors do not appear to be true. It looks like Bob Stull has tabbed one of Tony Barbee's top assistants to take over the UTEP mens basketball program. The University has not confirmed the Kaplowitz report yet.