UTEP Forward Vince Hunter To Leave Men’s Basketball Program and Enter NBA Draft

Miner Rush, a popular UTEP fan website associated with SB Nation, broke a bombshell this morning and first reported that Miners sophomore forward Vince Hunter has decided to forgo his final two years of eligibility and enter the NBA Draft. However, the story did not confirm whether or not Hunter has hired an agent, which would prohibit him from returning to UTEP next season.

600 ESPN El Paso spoke with Miners head coach Tim Floyd, who confirmed that Hunter had made up his mind, is no longer taking classes at UTEP, and has no intention to return to the school for his junior season. With Hunter's decision to leave the basketball program, the UTEP roster will be even more decimated heading into the summer. The team already lost seniors Julian Washburn (10.3 PPG), Cedric Lang (10.3 PPG), and C.J. Cooper (8.1 PPG). Adding Hunter (14.9 PPG) to that list would mean that 53% of the team's scoring from this season would be gone. Earvin Morris (11.0 PPG) would be UTEP's leading scorer on the roster of players returning.