Top 10 UTEP basketball players according to Chat GPT AI
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Not a terrible list. The old school has good representation.
Take away Foster and Williams. Add 4 yr players Stone and Washburn. Wolfram next.
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Here’s all you need to know about the type of fans that are on Twitter. Chris Craig was mentioned. Chris Craig!!!
I didn’t think it was a terrible list either. What did u think of hardaway at #1?
Well, he would have to be #1 in my lifetime. He's probably the most famous and he has an Olympic gold.
There’s a legit argument for Jim Barnes being the greatest UTEP basketball player ever. He averaged 29.1 pts and 19.1 rebounds a game his senior year and was the number 1 pick in the NBA draft. He is definitely a generational talent who carried those Miner teams to two NCAA tournament appearances.
I'd agree, but you can make pretty strong arguments for a handful of others. But, Barnes is the most important player ever. If he doesn't sign, I don't think the rest of UTEP basketball history happens.
Goes to show that is a younger fan. All from the Gillispie/Sadler teams.
To be fair, I'm a younger fan so I didn't get to see anyone before Wolfram.
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Younger fan or not, Chris Craig is nowhere close to being a Top 10 player. Not even top 10 guard. Probably a Top 10 Rab recruit and that’s it.
True, Chris Craig was a great 3 pt shooter but definitely was just a roleplayer on that 2003 NCAA team.
The "will never get enough love" UTEP bball list:
Chris Blocker (His total face job/posterizing of Brad Lohaus of Iowa doesn't even make most UTEP top dunk lists?).
Chris Sandle (RIP)
John Tofi (Not the best UTEP big man but played without fear and a true warrior)
"Gym" Bice ("Cool Hand Luke" in a UTEP uni)
Kent Lockhart (RIP)
Prince Stewart
Roshern Amie
Kimani Jones-Young (His name will be become a regular household name, as a head coach someday)
Sharif Fajardo
Terry White: This dunk says it all
Chris Blocker (His total face job/posterizing of Brad Lohaus of Iowa doesn't even make most UTEP top dunk lists?).
Chris Sandle (RIP)
John Tofi (Not the best UTEP big man but played without fear and a true warrior)
"Gym" Bice ("Cool Hand Luke" in a UTEP uni)
Kent Lockhart (RIP)
Prince Stewart
Roshern Amie
Kimani Jones-Young (His name will be become a regular household name, as a head coach someday)
Sharif Fajardo
Terry White: This dunk says it all
That’s a good list, 2step. The one quarrel I have is with Gym Bice being on the list. Granted, he played hard nosed defense and did to the best of ability what Haskins asked of him, but he was decent at best as a player. He was like the token below average player who won Haskins, and fans, over with his hard work and dedication. Both great qualities, but Bice averaged 3.7 pts and 2.4 assists per game…in over 20 minutes of play per game. He took up too many valuable court minutes and made it to where the opposition only had to guard 4 spots on the court.The "will never get enough love" UTEP bball list:
Chris Blocker (His total face job/posterizing of Brad Lohaus of Iowa doesn't even make most UTEP top dunk lists?).
Chris Sandle (RIP)
John Tofi (Not the best UTEP big man but played without fear and a true warrior)
"Gym" Bice ("Cool Hand Luke" in a UTEP uni)
Kent Lockhart (RIP)
Prince Stewart
Roshern Amie
Kimani Jones-Young (His name will be become a regular household name, as a head coach someday)
Sharif Fajardo
Terry White: This dunk says it all
Don’t get me wrong, I liked him for what he brought work ethic wise, but he doesn’t belong on any lists like the one’s we’re commenting on. My .02 worth.
I agree. I lived in San Diego while Bice was playing, and only got to see the team play when visiting El Paso, when the Miners played at SDSU, and when they were on TV. Every time I did see them play I was very happy with our starting backcourt, Prince Stewart and Eddie Rivera, but really concerned about our backcourt depth, as Bice received the bulk of the minutes, yet, in my opinion, wasnt even a decent player. I get that he hustled, but he was slow and lacked talent. I know that there are Miner fans who like him, but I'm just not one of them.
Now every other name on that list I'm a big fan of, and have to say that overall it's a very good list.
Since, UTEP has made it past the sweet 16 once, I would argue that David Lattin should be in that top 10. Averaged 14 and 9 and won the National Championship. No disrespect to Greg Foster but I’d take Lattin, and maybe Character over Foster.
Yup. He is in jail, he for sure top 10 former player that has gone to jail.
It's missing the early 80s and there are a lot of options there - Pony Goodwin, Jeep Jackson, Juden Smith, Fred Reynolds, etc.
I would add Juden Smith, Mike Richmond, Pony Goodwin, and Quintan Gates.The "will never get enough love" UTEP bball list:
Chris Blocker (His total face job/posterizing of Brad Lohaus of Iowa doesn't even make most UTEP top dunk lists?).
Chris Sandle (RIP)
John Tofi (Not the best UTEP big man but played without fear and a true warrior)
"Gym" Bice ("Cool Hand Luke" in a UTEP uni)
Kent Lockhart (RIP)
Prince Stewart
Roshern Amie
Kimani Jones-Young (His name will be become a regular household name, as a head coach someday)
Sharif Fajardo
Terry White: This dunk says it all
I can't take Caracter. He was a hired bull with poor foot work and only played 3/4 of a season. Helped a good team be really good. Talented, but just didn't play here long enough. I think longevity has to play a role on an All-time list. Foster has to be above him. Heck even Bo and VH are above Caracter in my mind on the All-time list.
Still the UTEP leader in rebounds despite only playing 2 seasons. Plus he has Olympic Gold as well.
Yep. I would include Bryson Williams in there as well. He spent three years at UTEP, with two productive years on the court. Can't forget the other BW, Brandon Wolfram. Four year player who was extremely efficient offensively. Probably more like top 20 guys.
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True. Didn't even think of Bryson since he was so recent.
Vince Hunter could have been an all-time great if he had stayed all four years. As it is, in his two years freshman and sophomore he averaged 14 and 8 a game and shot over 50% from the field.
Dave Fetil
Vince Hunter
Omar Thomas
Antoine Gillispie
Fili Rivera
Jon Tofi
Brandon Wolfram
Juden Smith
Jeep Jackson
Eddie Rivera
They are pretty good for a 3rd and 4th teams if you ask anyone.
Going through these names brings back so many good memories.
Man, this both depresses me and gives me hope.
Vince Hunter
Omar Thomas
Antoine Gillispie
Fili Rivera
Jon Tofi
Brandon Wolfram
Juden Smith
Jeep Jackson
Eddie Rivera
They are pretty good for a 3rd and 4th teams if you ask anyone.
Going through these names brings back so many good memories.
Man, this both depresses me and gives me hope.
The nostalgia is real with this one
I've wanted to comment on this list for some time, but hadn't carved out the time until now. Before I start I want to say that I realize this is an AI program that built the list, and it's pretty amazing that the AI was able to come with such a reasonable list. Still, I want to give my thoughts.
I have to agree that Jim Barnes should be number 1 on the list. What he did in his two years here was incredible. Archibald would place second, Hardaway third. After that trying to pick the order gets dicey, so I'm not going to attempt it.
In my opinion Greg Foster doesn't deserve to be anywhere near the top 10. I understand that he is a good community guy, and I respect his long tenure in the NBA, but I always thought that he played WAY too soft in a Miner uniform.
I agree that DJ, as our leading scorer, deserves to be on the list, and I agree with those who want to see him higher that Culpepper. While Randy was more explosive, DJ was much, much more consistent.
I love Antonio Davis and Jason Williams, but neither make my top 10. Williams' teammates Fili and OT were better players in my opinion.
I agree with the idea that David Lattin should be on this team. That 66 team went 28-1 and won a National Championship. There certainly should be room for both of its top players on this list.
One name that no one has mentioned is Charlie Brown. I never saw him play, but it is my understanding from Sweet Lou that the first black Miner Basketball player, an all conference selection, was one of the greats. I was lucky enough to have had a long conversation with Lou and Charlie several years ago in Southern California. Unfortunately for Charlie, since he was pre-Haskins, his name isn't as well know among Miner fans as it should be.
This is a special team for me. My dad was from Oklahoma, my Mom from Utah. My dad was a Sooner fan, my Mom a BYU fan, my brothers Longhorn fans. Football was the most popular sport in my house, baseball second, basketball was an afterthought at best. The only Miner game that I had been to at the time was a basketball game against BYU when I was a pre-teen. I cheered for the Cougars that game, along with the rest of my family.
As I grew I started to discover that I preferred basketball to the constant stream of football and baseball games on the tube in my house. Then, in my junior year of high school, this team came along. Here was a local team beating Big 10 and PAC 10 powerhouses, advancing, as said above, to a top 5 ranking in the AP poll. I was completely hooked. I became an avid Miner and college basketball fan, watching the team constantly on the TV (they were carried locally due to the success of that team).
The next year, my senior year of high school, my oldest brother took me to Albuquerque to watch the Miners beat Nolan Richardson's Tulsa team in the NCAA Tournament. During my four years of undergraduate studies I never missed a home basketball game, and caught every home football game football game from my sophomore through senior years. Thanks to that 83-84 team I became an die hard Miner fan for life.
Thinking of it a different way, though, I guess they're responsible for the misery I put myself through every year now! 😄
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