UTEP Basketball Lands 1st Commitment in JUCO Big Man Bonke Maring

It's been a quiet first few weeks on the UTEP basketball recruiting front as the team tries to finalize their coaching staff and 2020-21 roster under new head coach Joe Golding.

The men's basketball team received their first commitment from JUCO big man Bonke Maring, a 6-foot-10 forward from Blinn College.

UTEP has extended offers to two other JUCO prospects including Jorrell Saterfield (Ranger College, guard) and Jaeden Zackery (Chipola College, guard). They are also in the mix for a pair of Division I transfers—Maryland forward Jairus Hamilton and IUPUI combo guard Jaylen Minnett.

Maring made a major jump from his freshman to his sophomore year, going from a 2.7 point, 2.4 rebound player, to scoring 12.6 points and grabbing 8.0 rebounds per contest during his sophomore season. He made the All-Region XIV Conference second team for Blinn College. He's from Cypress, Texas, where he earned second-team all-district honors at Cy-Springs High School and played for the Houston Raptors club team.

Before he committed to UTEP, Maring received offers from UTSA, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Lamar, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Tarleton State and New Orleans.

Ze'Rik Onyema is the only active forward on UTEP's current roster. Tydus Verhoeven, who entered the transfer portal following the season, is still practicing with the team. Coach Golding told 600 ESPN El Paso two weeks ago that he felt good about potentially keeping Verhoeven on the squad, but nothing has been made official.