With Recruiting Under Wraps, Rodney Terry Announces UTEP Roster

Since settling in the Sun City, UTEP men’s basketball head coach Rodney Terry has been actively filling his roster spots for the upcoming 2018-19 season and beyond. Upon graduating players like Omega Harris and Matt Willms, and losing players like Tirus Smith and Trey Wade to transfers, Terry was tasked to fill a roster with nine scholarships available.

Terry and staff not only filled the depth for this season, but planned ahead toward the 2019-20 season with Division I transfers that have to sit out a season.

Here is the roster:

Senior forward Paul Thomas leads the way for veteran returners on the roster and he’s coming in with some added company. Sophomore guards Evan Gilyard and Kobe Magee will pave the way for other guards in the mix. Isiah Osborne, a junior stretch guard, returns to be another option for the Miners to create some offense.

Incoming freshman eligible to play right off the bat include center Kaosi Ezeagu, forward Efe Odigie and guard Nigel Hawkins. Ezeagu and Odigie will likely see a lot of playing time this season, as the Miners have to replace the losses of Willms and Smith in the paint. Hawkins could find some time as a sharpshooter sixth man that comes off the bench and scores in waves, similar to Omega Harris’ first season with the Miners.

The 2019-20 year looks sharp, rounded out by Division I transfers like forwards Tydus Verhoeven and Bryson Williams, and guards Souley Boum and Anthony Tarke. Freshman guard Deon Stroud, who reclassified his graduation to 2018, will be a prop-48 and sit out during the season to focus on academics. 

Preferred walk-on players include Jakobe Dill, Garrett Sullivan, Ountae Campbell and Gilles Dekoninck. Both Campbell and Dekoninick are former Fresno State players under Terry. 

Terry also touched his preference against adding graduate transfers, which he felt that he would need to focus on grabbing scholarship players instead.

UTEP men's basketball will also announce their full 2018-19 schedule soon, per Terry. Today, Marquette Hoops on Twitter said that the two teams will take on each other on Dec. 4 at Marquette.