UTEP Basketball: Miners in the running for a pair of 2017 prospects

2017 JUCO forward Josh Boutte, and 2017 high school guard Caleb Bennett are showing high interest in UTEP with Bennett placing UTEP into his final four selections.

Boutte, a 6’6 redshirt sophomore, was the KJCCC Conference’s freshman of the year last season. He averaged 16 points, and 10 rebounds in his freshman campaign.

He also posted a monster outing last season posting 41 points and 23 rebounds, and ranked fifth in the league in blocked shots.

Boutte, a native of New Iberia, Louisiana, holds offers from Florida Gulf Coast, SEMO, Jacksonville State, and Robert Morris.

Bennett is a 6’4, Rivals three-star prospect from St. Joseph, Missouri, and has trimmed his list down to Leigh, FIU, and Northern Iowa along with UTEP.

He averaged 14.7. points, and 4.7 rebounds in 29 games as a junior last year according to Max Preps. Middle Tennessee, and Buffalo also offered the explosive combo guard, Wichita State, Tulsa, and Wake Forrest also had him on their recruiting radars.

With one 2017 verbal commit, and a 2016 Prop 48 athlete on board for 2017-18, Bennett and Boutte would be very nice and needed additions in Tim Floyd’s new strategy of recruiting under the radar talent for the class of 2017.

Additionally, 2017 big man Jacob Hughes is still on track for his official visit next week.