UTEP men's basketball is starting from almost zero after every player on this season's roster with remaining eligibility entered the NCAA transfer portal, leaving the Miners staring at a full-scale reset just as they gear up for a move to the Mountain West Conference.
According to the El Paso Times, all 12 UTEP players who still had college eligibility hit the portal this week. Coach Joe Golding told the paper that "most of the players entering the portal were not invited to return to UTEP," framing the upheaval as a deliberate program reset rather than a mass player-led walkout.
The group of Miners in the portal includes Elijah Jones, KJ Thomas, Kaseem Watson, Tyreese Watson, Caleb Blackwell, Bobby Montgomery, C.J. Smith, David Tubek, L.A. Hayes, Trey Horton III, Jordan Hernandez and Mouhamad Mbaye, according to local coverage. Yahoo Sports is keeping a running tracker on those moves as they develop.
Two veterans, Jamal West and Cassius Brooks, have already finished their college careers, and the turnover leaves UTEP with roughly 13 scholarship spots to fill, the newspaper reports. In the same El Paso Times report, Golding said he wants about 10 core players receiving NIL money, and the athletic department is preparing to significantly increase its NIL spending as the Miners brace for Mountain West competition.
Incoming class and what’s already signed
It is not completely bare cupboards in El Paso. UTEP has already announced four incoming pieces expected for 2026-27: Donovan Criss, Delano Tarpley, Isaiah Ward and 7-foot junior college center Alexandre K'Medehouto. UTEP Athletics detailed the signing of four-star recruit Criss in November, and local reporting has pointed to the Brennan High trio and the South Plains big man as the first blocks in Golding's next roster.
What comes next and the timeline
The men's basketball transfer window runs from April 7 through April 21, which gives UTEP a tight two-week sprint to attack the portal and sell a nearly blank depth chart to potential transfers. ESPN notes, citing NCAA guidance, that official visits kick in shortly after an opening dead period, compressing the calendar for coaching staffs that are trying to rebuild almost on the fly. That timing tends to favor programs that already have deep NIL backing and established recruiting pipelines, two areas UTEP is openly trying to strengthen before it steps into the Mountain West.
Golding, who received a contract extension last summer, now has to prove that institutional vote of confidence on the recruiting trail. UTEP Athletics confirmed the extension in 2025, and local beat coverage has pointed out that how the Miners navigate the next two weeks of the portal window will go a long way toward deciding whether this is a quick reload or a long, grinding rebuild in their new league.
