Posts Tagged ‘Tim Floyd’

23 Sep

UTEP Basketball Was a Lot of Fun This Season

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez, UTEP. Tagged: .

by Ray Sanchez© 04.03.16

What fun! I’m talking about the women’s and men’s 2015-2016 UTEP basketball season.keithadams

The Miners’ women’s team had a much better record. It won the Conference USA championship, finished with a 29-5 record and made it to the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament.

The women players were a delight to watch. Their greatest strength was quickness, which enabled them to create turnovers and go flying down the court for layups. They piled up victory after thrilling victory as El Pasoans cheered them on.

They met their Waterloo last Monday in the Don Haskins Center against University of Oregon, an exceptionally good shooting team that didn’t rattle and won 71-67.

Bouquets to Miners coach Keitha Adams, who has notched out a special niche in UTEP coaching lore.

 

BUT HEY, the men’s team was also fun to watch. In fact, the men mirrored the women’s players in quickness. They had a little of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in them. They’d go on a winning streak then hit a string of losses.

Still, when they were on they, too, were a delight to watch. And their performance when the school honored the school’s 1966 championship team will be long remembered. They came from behind, thanks to that quickness, and beat two good opponents.

Overall, the men’s team finished with a 19-14 record and gave opponents that beat them plenty of fits.http://raysanchezbooks.com/timfloydsuit.jpeg

Bouquets, too, to Miners coach Tim Floyd.

 

TRIVIA QUESTION: The 1966 Texas Western College team that won the NCAA championship wound up with a record of 28-1. The only regular season loss was to Seattle. But there was another team that beat the Miners in pre-season play. Who was it and what was the score? Answer at end.

 

THE RESPONSE to the legacy series celebrating sports at El Paso High School on March 24 was, to say the least, outstanding. Hundreds of El Pasoans showed up to cheer the school’s former sports stars.

Unfortunately, the school has had so many athletic stars there was no way there was time to mention them all. I introduced the male athletes and I felt sad that I couldn’t also mention other EPHS exes like the following:

  • Jim Paul, who did so much for baseball.
  • Ron Gillett, a former basketball star who ran Dos Lagos Golf Course so many years.
  • Dolph Quijano, one of our greatest boxers.
  • Football greats like Jim DeGroat, Ernest Keily, Bill Chesak, Neal Franklin.
  • Bert Williams, an all-around athlete who became our mayor.
  • Jimmy Rogers, who has done so much for our Sun Bowl.
  • Junior Ruiz, a four-sport star of the 1950s who has been seriously ill of late.
  • Baseball stars Manny Ponsford, Mike Barrueta, Sergio Guerrero, Joey Pennies.
  • Henry Masterson, a former tennis great.
  • And so many others.

 

THE PROGRAM ended at the 1960s so also there was no time to mention that at the state track meet Tony Zuniga won the mile in the 1970s, Gilbert Contreras won a cross country title in the 1980s and Juan Buendia won a cross country title in the 1990s.

I hope mentioning them now helps a little.

All in all, it was a happy event. I thanked the Tiger athletes for helping make my career as a sportswriter a joyous one. I’ve had offers from other cities through the years but, like Don Haskins and others who chose to stay put in El Paso, I’m glad I didn’t leave. Now we have many more superb high school athletes at El Paso High and other high schools to write about and cheer.

And so many other sports blessings I thank my lucky stars.

 

Answer to trivia question: The Phillips 66 Oilers who at the time were considered a professional team. Nevertheless, the Miners lost by only 68-59.

2 Jan

UTEP Basketball Has the Talent to Make Playoffs

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez. Tagged: , , , , , .

By Ray Sanchez 11.08.15

UTEP officially opens its 2015-16 basketball season next Saturday at Loyola ray's crystal ballUniversity in New Orleans, so it was time last week to take my obnoxious crystal ball out of its drawer and ask how the Miners will fare this season.

It’s not a pleasant task because it always brags when it’s right and makes excuses when it’s wrong, but everywhere I go people keep asking for its predictions.

So I gingerly opened the drawer and, as usual, was met with sarcasm. “Where in the #$%$#! world have you been?” it snarled. “Don’t you know the basketball season is almost upon us? What a slacker.”

I retorted, “Slacker? Man, you know how many sports I have to keep up with and write about? But never mind that, just give me your thoughts on the Miners this basketball season.”

Then I added, “Please.”

THE ORB snickered but straightened up, cleared its throat in its customary obnoxious way and replied, “Well, since you said please.

“The Miners seem to have plenty of firepower this season. Did you see the Orange vs. White scrimmage? Man, four players scored more than 20 points. Center Hooper Vint, 6 feet 11, looked much improved. And then there’s 7 feet 1 Matt Willms. Wow, if a team has a great big man under the bucket and guards breaking through defenses to feed him the ball, that’s a big, big advantage. May I point out Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul Jabbar?

“The Miners seem to have other good scorers, too, like newcomer Lee Moore and returnee Omega Harris. And then there’s Dominic Artis, a transfer from University of Oregon. From what I hear, he’s been the most impressive of all in practice.

 

“AS FOR OUTSIDE shooters, can you believe freshman Trey Touchet hit 28 out of 30 to win a three point shootout in scrimmage?

“And as far as guard play, even coach Tim Floyd is impressed. He said he liked the guard play, especially of Artis and Moore. And there’s another good guard that will be joining the action. That’s Josh McSwiggan, who’s out with a knee injury.”

I shook my head in wonder. “Gee,” I said, “you’re really optimistic.”

The crystal ball just smiled.

 

“BUT WAIT,” I said, “don’t forget that other teams in Conference USA will have outstanding players, too. You’re just focusing on the Miners.”

It answered, “True. And anything can happen, like dissension or eligibility problems or injuries or who knows what but the Miners have coach Floyd. He’s been in the big time. And he’s never sounded so optimistic. I think he’ll have a big season and has a good chance of making the NCAA playoffs.”

I must admit I was impressed. I picked up the crystal ball and, for a change, put it back in its drawer gently.

 

TRIVIA QUESTION:  What are the first and second names of the three DiMaggio brothers? Answer at end of column.

 

BOUQUETS to UTEP for scheduling a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 1966 NCAA men’s basketball championship. It’ll be celebrated at the men’s basketball game against Western Kentucky on Feb. 6 and will be nationally televised on FOX Sports 1 with a tip-off time of 3 p.m.

As UTEP sports information director Jeff Darby points out, “The significance of Western Kentucky as the opponent for the anniversary game is great, as the Hilltoppers also participated in the 1966 NCAA Tournament and started two African American players, including Clem Haskins, who was selected third in the 1967 NBA Draft.  Clem Haskins and Dwight Smith became the first African-American players to join the WKU basketball program in the fall of 1963, putting the school at the forefront of integrating college basketball in the South.”

More Details coming.

 

ANSWER to trivia question. Joseph Paul, Dominic Paul and Vincent Paul.

19 Jun

22 Wins Not Enough For Miners’ Fans?

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez. Tagged: , , , , .

By Ray Sanchez 03.29.15

One would think that 22 wins and a second place in Conference USA would be considered a good timflorydbasketball season.

Not in El Paso. For a lot of UTEP fans, anything short of a NCAA bid is considered a failure. You should hear the complaints about the players this year. They had no heart, they gave up, they’re terrible shooters, one player complained too much and on and on.

Coach Tim Floyd had plenty of detractors, too. His handling of the players, his strategy, even his demeanor were questioned.

This is not meant as an argument with fans. Heck, I love hearing from them – both the good and the bad. It shows they care.

But, boy, are we spoiled.

 

IN DEFENSE of the players, I go back to when I was covering the Dallas Cowboys. Tom Landry was the coach then. I loved the man. He was the same when he won as when he lost.

After a key game, I asked him why the Cowboys were beaten. Without changing expression, he simply said, “The other team was better.”

That’s what happened with the Miners in basketball this season. They lost a few games to lesser teams but that happens. However, at the end the only team that finished ahead of the Miners in conference, Louisiana Tech, was simply better.

 

AS FOR COACH Floyd, I’ll let Charles Hill, a statistician at UTEP games and a member of the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame board of directors, do the talking. I quote, in part:

“Quit blaming coach Floyd and the other coaches for the disappointing season … Coach Floyd doesn’t need anyone to defend him … He is one of the best coaches in NCAA basketball and certainly one of the best defensive minds in the game.

“Who do you suggest that UTEP should hire? Please don’t say Nolan Richardson. He is 70 years old. James Forbes might be a popular candidate but he is in his 60s and has never had to recruit players. Stop and think about what you are saying. The Miners will be just fine under the leadership of Coach Floyd and his staff.”

 

TRIVIA QUESTION: Who was the first high school runner to break the 4-minute mile? Answer at end.

 

WHAT A THRILL watching greatness. Firing Line was a marvel of effortless speed as he left six good horses 14 1/4 lengths behind in the $800,000 Sunland Derby last Sunday. “Breathtaking,” one spectator remarked. We now have someone to root for in the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday of May. The Sunland victory made Firing Line, ridden by Gary Stevens and trained by Simon Callaghan, eligible.

There were other outstanding races on the card. The favorite in the Sunland Oaks, Callback, trained by Bob Baffert, was disqualified and placed fourth. “Bridge jumpers” (people who like to bet heavily on favorites — one Sunland patron bet $2000 to win on Callback), were devastated but Baffert still came up with an entry for the Kentucky Oaks. His other entry, Maybellene, finished second and was moved up to first.

 

 

ALL IN ALL, it was quite a weekend at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino. Thousands of spectators overflowed the stands and the parking lot was so packed people had to park on side streets.

Another big winner was United Blood Services. The exotic Sunland Park Gala that’s held the night before the Sunland Derby benefits that organization, and is that heart-warming or what?. United Blood Services has saved countless lives through the years.

One particular example presented last Saturday included a young girl who was born premature and weighed only a little over two pounds at birth. Thanks to United Blood Services she survived and there she was on the Sunland Gala stage last Saturday – pretty as a picture, fully grown and celebrating her 16th birthday.

It brought a tear of joy to more than one attendee.

 

ANSWER to trivia question: Jim Ryun.