Joe Golding's third season at the helm of the UTEP men's basketball program is not an absolute make-or-break.
It is big.
His arrival in 2021 after leading Abilene Christian to NCAA tournament glory sent a charge of excitement into a Miner program that last made the NCAA tournament in 2010, which perhaps overlooked the fact Golding needed eight years to take ACU to the postseason.
The landscape of college basketball has changed, to the point teams can retool almost instantly through the transfer portal and where a Conference USA school like Florida Atlantic can make the Final Four a year after going 19-15.
That doesn't mean UTEP has to make the Final Four this year, or even the NCAA tournament. This is an important season to take a major step forward after the 14-18 disappointment of 2022-23 when UTEP's offense became nearly unwatchable.
This year the Miners need to show they've put themselves in the mix for bigger things, that if matters line up correctly they have the foundation in place to make a March run.
Golding agrees.
"I like where we are in year three," Golding said a week before Monday's opener against McMurry. "I’m excited to coach this team, I’ve loved coaching this team since the summer. I’ve had a lot of fun, good things are happening. But yes, I’m happy where we are in year 3.
"This team will compete, I like that about this team. We have to have some success early coming off of last year, that’s important to get our fan base back involved and getting belief back in our program. We’re going to have opportunities early."
It is big.
His arrival in 2021 after leading Abilene Christian to NCAA tournament glory sent a charge of excitement into a Miner program that last made the NCAA tournament in 2010, which perhaps overlooked the fact Golding needed eight years to take ACU to the postseason.
The landscape of college basketball has changed, to the point teams can retool almost instantly through the transfer portal and where a Conference USA school like Florida Atlantic can make the Final Four a year after going 19-15.
That doesn't mean UTEP has to make the Final Four this year, or even the NCAA tournament. This is an important season to take a major step forward after the 14-18 disappointment of 2022-23 when UTEP's offense became nearly unwatchable.
This year the Miners need to show they've put themselves in the mix for bigger things, that if matters line up correctly they have the foundation in place to make a March run.
Golding agrees.
"I like where we are in year three," Golding said a week before Monday's opener against McMurry. "I’m excited to coach this team, I’ve loved coaching this team since the summer. I’ve had a lot of fun, good things are happening. But yes, I’m happy where we are in year 3.
"This team will compete, I like that about this team. We have to have some success early coming off of last year, that’s important to get our fan base back involved and getting belief back in our program. We’re going to have opportunities early."
