Christian Agnew Will Bring The Sauce to UTEP Basketball

Tomorrow afternoon, the NCAA's Division 1 council will decide on whether or not all transfers will be immediately eligible for the 2020-21 college basketball season. They are expected to pass the waiver for this season and for UTEP, that would mean a big boost to their backcourt.

The Miners are currently missing one player from their projected depth chart, Christian "Saucy" Agnew. The 6'2 junior guard from Detroit transferred to UTEP from North Alabama this offseason, but the Lions declined to provide support for his move to El Paso. Without the support of North Alabama, Agnew's waiver with the NCAA Clearinghouse was not granted. That would be a moot point tomorrow if the Division 1 council grants all transfers immediate eligibility.

"Saucy is a guy that I thin will pretty much complete our team," UTEP head coach Rodney Terry said at his Zoom press conference with the media this morning. "He gives us more guard depth. He gives us a guy that can come in and pick the ball up 94 feet and a defensive presence. He also gives us a guy that can score the basketball, in terms of getting to the paint and making shots."

In two seasons with North Alabama, Agnew started 45 games and as a sophomore, he led the team in scoring average (12.8) and total points (383). He also scored in double figures 23 times during his sophomore season with the Lions. There is little doubt that Saucy can provide the kind of energy boost that the Miners need.

Through the first four games this season, UTEP has relied on Bryson Williams and Souley Boum for the majority of their scoring. They also have struggled at times to shoot the ball and they will go four to five minutes without a basket. Agnew can give UTEP the secret sauce that they are current lacking, on both sides of the ball. The team needs a consistent third and fourth scoring option, and Coach Terry believes that Agnew and Keonte Kennedy can both develop the way Boum did last season. That could be the difference between another disappointing season or a top four finish in Conference USA.