Exciting times are ahead for UTEP Basketball! A talented group of freshmen will join a solid nucleus of returning players as the Miners meet the challenges of the 2007-08 season. This year’s team will be built around a very special player, Stefon Jackson, who earned second team All-Conference USA honors last season and set school sophomore records for points and 20-point games. We have strongly upgraded our non-conference schedule this season, a goal of mine when I was named head coach in August, 2006. Our team will play six games versus 2007 NCAA Tournament teams before tipping off the C-USA slate. If you choose to become a UTEP Miner, you will face some of the nation’s elite teams annually while playing before crowds of over 10,000 every night in the Don Haskins Center, one of the top venues in college basketball. With no pro sports teams in the city, UTEP Basketball receives unbelievable attention and media exposure. Most importantly, you will receive a first-class education at UTEP. Our outstanding Miner Athlete Academic Center (MAAC) staff will be there every step of the way, helping you reach your full poten- tial academically. I promise that our coaches will work tirelessly to assure that you leave UTEP the best person, stu- dent and player that you can be. I invite you to follow in the footsteps of legends like Jim Barnes (the #1 pick in the 1964 NBA Draft), Nate Archibald (NBA Hall of Famer) and Tim Hardaway, and add your own chapter to UTEP’s illustri- ous basketball history. The Miners won the 1966 national championship and have played in numer- ous NCAA Tournaments. More trips to the “Big Dance” are on the way … will you come aboard for the ride? Go Miners! OPPONENTS O CONTENTS 07.08 MEDIA INFORMATION 198 NTRO 96 CoNFERENCE USA I 97 NIT SEASON TIP-OFF M INERS MINERS 98 STATE FARM SUN BOWL ToURN. M 100 ARKANSAS PINE-BLUFF/ 6 OUTLOOK TEXAS A&M CORPUS CHRISTI HES 101 ORAL ROBERTS/ C OA TEXAS A&M C [WE ARE] UTEP U 102 TEXAS SOUTHERN / NMSU RECORDS R 103 UNLV/ RADIO/TV ROSTER P 8 TE SOUTHEASTERN LoUISIANA U RE A 9 ROSTER 46 National Spotlight 104 USC UPSTATE / BUFFALO 126 Scoring Records E W 48 NCAA Tournament 105 WYOMING / NEW MEXICO 127 30-Point Games 10 STEFON JACKSON 54 1965-66 Champions 106 TEXAS TECH/ 128 1,000 Point Club 56 Glory Road EAST CAROLINA 132 Field Goal Records 58 Don Haskins 107 HOUSTON / MARSHALL 134 3-Point Field Goal Records 14 MARVIN KILGORE 60 Pipeline to the Pros 108 MEMPHIS / RICE 136 Free Throw Records VICTOR RAMALHO 109 SMU/ 16 62 Athletic Excellence 138 Rebounds W EVIE SOUTHERN MISS R 18 JEREMY SAMPSON 64 President Dr. Diana Natalicio 139 20-Rebound Games 66 Director of Athletics Bob Stull 110 TULANE / TULSA 140 Double-Doubles 111 UAB / UCF 20 PEARSON SMITH 68 Don Haskins Center 144 Assists ORDS 72 Foster Stevens Complex 145 Steals C COREY SPEIGHT ˚ E 22 R 74 Larry K. Durham 146 Blocks CLAUDE BRITTEN 24 Sports Center 06-07 REVIEW 07 147 Miscellaneous Records 25 MANUEL CASS 76 Strength and Conditioning 148 Records By Class 114 EDIA 78 El Paso, TX 06-07 Results 149 Team Records M 26 RANDY CULPEPPER 82 UTEP 115 06-07 Statistics 152 Overtime/100-Point Games 27 GABRIEL MCCULLEY 86 Academic Excellence 153 Biggest Wins and Losses 116 06-07 Game-by-Game 28 ERIC MUÑOZ C 90 Miner Village 154 NCAA Tournament Records COACHES 92 Miner Athletic Club 118 06-07 Box Scores 155 NIT Records 29 WAYNE PORTALATIN 93 Compliance 156 NCAA Tournament Box Scores 34 123 Final Notes 30 JULYAN STONE 163 NIT Box Scores ToNY BARBEE 167 Annual Team Statistics TAVARIS WATTS 31 Barbee begins his second 170 Conference Honor Roll Copy current as of Oct. 31, 2007. A limited quantity of media guides are available to year as head coach of the the public for $20 each by sending a check or money order payable to UTEP Athletic IDE Media Relations, Brumbelow Building Room 126, 201 Glory Road. 171 National Honor Roll GU UTEP Miners. CREDITS 172 UTEP in the AP Poll EDIA Managing Editors: Jeff Darby and Leah Wayne LL M 173 UTEP vs. Ranked Teams A RANDALL DICKEY Editorial Assistance: Joe Centeno, Jullianne Kim and Katrina Montañez B 38 ET 174 Letterwinners K Layout and Design: Leah Wayne AS 39 TONY MADLOCK Cover Design: Joe Centeno and Leah Wayne 177 All-Time Jersey Numbers P B TE Cover Photography: Brian Kanof 178 Annual Season Statistics 40 MILT WAGNER Photography: Rhonda Alexander, Bruce Berman, Christ Chavez, El Paso Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Miami Heat, El Paso Herald-Post archives, Garrett Ellwood (NBAE/Getty 187 Year-By-Year Record Images), El Paso Times (Ruben Ramirez), Brian Kanof, Richard Love, NCAA Photos, New 2007-08 U 41 MIKE BABUL Orleans Hornets, Pacers Sports & Entertainment, Philadelphia 76ers, Javier Vicencio, 188 Year-By-Year Scores University Communications (J.R. Hernandez, Laura Trejo), Rocky Widner (NBAE/Getty 42 SUPPORT STAFF Images) Lewis Woodyard, and UTEP Library (Special Collections, Claudia Rivers). Front cover front to back: SENIORS Marvin Kilgore, Pearson Smith, Jeremy Sampson and Victor Ramalho; Back cover: FRESHMEN Manuel Cass, Wayne Portalatin, Claude Britten, Gabriel McCulley, Julyan Stone and Randy Culpepper (front row). 6 8 100 100 R 07 O U M M C 2007-08 UTEP BASKETBALL MEDIA GUIDE MEDIA RECORDS REVIEW OPPONENTS WE ARE UTEP U COACHES MINERS 06 2007-08 OUTLOOK 07 ..................................................................................................................................... M INERS M ....................................... C HES QUICK FACTS C OA ....................................... C Location: El Paso, TX Founded: 1914 U U Enrollment: 20,000 P TE Nickname: Miners U RE A Colors: Dark Blue, Orange, E Silver Accent UTEP HAS A GENUINE GO- W Front row (left to right): Randy Culpepper, Eric Muñoz, Claude Britten, Manuel Cass, Stefon Jackson, Victor Ramalho, Pearson Smith, Marvin Kilgore, Jeremy Sampson, Julyan Stone, Gabriel McCulley, Tavaris Watts, TO-GUY IN GUARD STEFON Wayne Portalatin and Corey Speight; Back row Aaron Tafoya, Oscar Rubio, John Barela, Randall Dickey, Tony Madlock, Tony Barbee, Milt Wagner, Mike Babul, Nathan Root, Tony Cordova and Mychal Minjarez. O Conference: Conference USA JACKSON, WHO IS JUST 230 Arena: Don Haskins Center (12,000) ONENTS President: Dr. Diana Natalicio PP POINTS SHY OF 1,000 FOR HIS Director of Athletics: Bob Stull O CAREER. JACKSON SET SCHOOL Head Coach: Tony Barbee (Massachusetts ‘93) The UTEP basketball program is on the road back to national THE BACKCOURT SOPHOMORE RECORDS FOR Career Head Coaching Record: 14-17 07 prominence. Jackson is coming off a sensational year, leading the team in scoring, rebounding (6.4 rpg) and steals Assistant Coaches: POINTS (578) AND 20-POINT W After earning three straight postseason tournaments bids from 2004-06 (1.5 spg). He scored in double figures in 29 of 31 games and netted a career-high 33 points versusJ ackson Randall Dickey (Ouachita Baptist ‘83) EVIE Tony Madlock (Memphis ‘91) GAMES LAST SEASON R State in the State Farm Sun Bowl Tournament -- just four points shy of UTEP’s sophomore scoring record. (16) . -- including trips to the “Big Dance” in 2004 and 2005 -- the Miners slipped Milt Wagner (Louisville/Memphis ‘04) to 14-17 last season. UTEP struggled with a general lack of size, strength and He led the Miners in scoring in 23 games and in rebounding nine times. Director of Basketball Operations: Jackson went to the free throw line in all but two games and averaged 7.1 charity shots per contest. He Mike Babul (Massachesetts ‘00) experience. Basketball Office Phone: (915) 747-5323 R Head Coach Tony Barbee acted swiftly to reshape the roster, signing was the only three-time Conference USA Player of the Week over the course of the season. Jackson would ORDS C like to sharpen his shooting touch in 2007-08, particularly from outside (32.0 three-point percentage). 2006-07 Record: 14-17 E six talented high school recruits who will all contend for playing time R Conference USA Record: 6-10 immediately. Claude Britten, Manuel Cass, Randy Culpepper, Gabriel McCulley, Kilgore would also like to shoot better after connecting on 42.4 percent of his All-Time Record: 1,169-897 Wayne Portalatin and Julyan Stone form the nation’s 34th-best group of attempts last season, including 22.2 percent from beyond the arc and 62.2 percent NCAA Tournament Appearances: 16 (last in 2005) NCAA Titles: 1 (1966) from the foul line. Kilgore will also be looking to assert himself more offensively; after signees, according to HOOP SCOOP Online. NIT Appearances: 9 (last in 2006) M scoring in double figures 10 times in the first 17 games, he was held to single-digit points Another significant addition is junior college transferT avaris Watts, who EDIA in 11 of the final 14 outings. H e committed 77 turnovers last season, but did a much better Media Relations Phone: (915) 747-6652 M sat out the 2006-07 season to concentrate on academics but was widely Associate AD/Media Relations: Jeff Darby ON POINT regarded as the team’s most skilled big man a year ago. job of protecting the basketball the second half of the year. Kilgore averaged 3.3 giveaways Cell Phone: (915) 204-0642 HEAD CoACH ToNY BARBEE E-mail: [email protected] UTEP has six letterwinners returning, including a pair of backcourt starters in non-conference games, and 1.8 miscues versus C-USA opposition. Assistant Media Relations Directors: Mark Brunner, SAYS HIS TEAM’s seniOR LEADERSHIP HAS in Stefon Jackson and Marvin Kilgore.