The UTEP men's basketball program landed a commitment from class of 2023 center Babacar Mbengue (7-foot, 225 lbs) from Olympus Preparatory Academy in New Jersey.
UTEP received a positive commitment from a double-digit scoring mid-major transfer on Sunday that should provide a spark of optimism and excitement for the fan base.
UTEP men's basketball head coach Joe Golding identified the guard position as his top priority this offseason and he has already added two of them for 2023.
About 24 hours since he entered the transfer portal, former UTEP forward Ze'Rik Onyema has received high-major interest from universities like Texas, Vanderbilt, Texas Tech, Georgetown, Penn State and UCLA, sources tell 600 ESPN El Paso.
Texas interim head coach Rodney Terry, who spent three seasons as the Miners' head coach, will face his former star guard at UTEP in Souley Boum and the Xavier Musketeers on Friday evening in the Sweet 16.
The fact that 18 former Miners are playing Divison I basketball is an accurate reflection of how the transfer portal has impacted UTEP over the last half decade.