With news of Vince Hunter's departure in hopes of hearing his name called on NBA draft day, and the need for a guard or two, the coaching staff is hard at work during the current open period in closing out the class of 2015.
Two 2015 eligible guards picked up offers on Friday according to Verbal Commits, with the remaining open scholarships more than likely reserved solely for guards.
Olin Carter a 6'1 point guard from Allen, Texas received a UTEP offer, as did Tymetrius Toney a 6'3 JUCO combo guard from Alpharetta, Georgia.
Carter was named 6-6A Offensive Player of the Year this past season at Allen High School, and has a knack for the big time shot, elite defensive prowess, and will also bring a leadership factor as a possible future floor general.
The crafty and explosive Carter averaged 16.7 points per game this past season, leading his team to the class 6A Regional Final in the Texas State Playoffs.
A seasoned three year starter at Allen, he came up huge in a recent playoff game, scoring 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, including eight free throws.
Carter has offers from Fresno State, San Diego, and Texas-Arlington.
Toney originally signed, and played his freshman year at Appalachian State in 2013-14 where he averaged 6.2 points and 2.0 rebounds per game in his freshman year, but transferred to a JUCO after a coaching change at Appalachian at the end of his first year on campus.
Appearing in 36 games this past season at Georgia Highlands College, Toney averaged 17.8 points per game, and scored in double figures in his last 11 games which also included the prestigious NJCAA tournament, averaging 18.2 points per game during that span.
He also reached the 30 point plateau three times this past season, and poured in 20 points or more 16 times as well. As a main scoring option for Georgia Highlands, Toney shot 44.4 percent from the field, and also recorded 65 steals.
Toney was a key component in Georgia Highlands run to the NJCAA Tournament semifinals with the gaudy and even heroic like scoring performances with back-to-back 30 point scoring games in the tournament, leading Georgia Highland to a 30-7 overall record on the season.
No word on if either will officially visit in next the few weeks, but the possibility for that is very high with an urgency to seal up the class of 2015.
Oklahoma City area guard Tyson Jolly is still very high on UTEP's radar with Omega Harris and the possibility of legit playing time leading the UTEP pitch in his recruitment.
It would appear UTEP will be heavily relying on 2015 signees Paul Thomas, Christian Romine, and returners Hooper Vint, Matt Willms, and Terry Winn for front court depth, with the high possibility of signing at least two more guards to wrap up the class of 2015.
Other roster addition possibilities could be an immediate or have to sit out a season transfer, but no names or solid evidence of that is out there at the moment, but is always a possibility with the recent roster moves and graduations.
The late signing period for the class of 2015 starts April 15th and runs through May 20th, and with the AAU circuit going full swing here in the next couple of weeks, we should also hear more 2016 names come about as well.