Will UTEP Lose Star Recruit Isaac Hamilton to USC?

Maybe it was just too good to be true. According to the LA Times, UTEP's prized recruit, Isaac Hamilton has asked out of his Letter of Intent and wants to enroll at USC. The irony with Hamilton's sudden decision is that USC is where Tim Floyd coached before joining the Miners. UTEP denied his request and Hamilton is currently appealing to the National Letter of Intent Steering Committee. If they grant the McDonald's All American his wish, the Miners will lose the biggest impact player they would have had since Jim "Bad News" Barnes came to El Paso to play for Don Haskins in 1962.

Hamilton claims the reason he wants to stay close to home is because of an ill grandmother. Floyd did not accept the excuse and told the LA Times that "Isaac made his decision for all the right reasons. If this appeal is allowed, we might as well not have letters of intent." New USC head coach Andy Enfield declined to comment. If UTEP loses Hamilton, it will have a huge impact on the team's offense, which already lacked a pure scorer. Plus, Chris Washburn Jr. announced a few weeks ago that he would transfer out of the program and prized freshman Andre Spight was denied eligibility from the NCAA Clearinghouse. Suddenly, the 2013-14 UTEP season went from a probable trip back to the Big Dance to a huge question mark.