Miners Repeating Success

Texas-El Paso faced high expectations after last season’s dramatic turnaround. First-year coach Doc Sadler’s club hasn’t disappointed.

The Miners, behind sure-handed point guard Filiberto Rivera and leading scorer Omar Thomas, have kicked their fast-paced game into gear and won 10 straight games for the first time since 1991-92.

The Miners (14-2, 4-0 Western Athletic Conference) beat Nevada 83-80 in overtime on Wednesday, taking over first place in the conference.

UTEP went 6-24 in 2002-03, but finished 24-8 last year, which was then-head coach Billy Gillispie’s second in El Paso. The Miners finished second in the WAC, earned an at-large NCAA berth and, as a No. 13 seed, almost upset Maryland before losing 86-83.

But then Gillispie was lured to Texas A&M;, and talk was that key players might transfer. Sadler, an assistant under Gillispie, took over and has the team feeling good about itself.

“To this team’s credit, they just stayed together and we’ve worked awfully hard,” Sadler said.

That hard work is paying off.

UTEP leads the WAC in scoring offense with 77.8 points a game and has begun to receive some national notice. The streaking Miners received 21 votes in the most recent Associated Press Top 25 poll.

Sadler depends on Rivera and Thomas, both seniors, to set the Miners’ fast pace.

“With a point guard like Fili, we’re going to force the issue right or wrong,” Sadler said. “I do know that because of being on the road with the crowd and those things that sometimes you want to slow it down, but that doesn’t play to the strength of this team.”

Rivera is No. 1 in the WAC with 6.6 assists per game.

“When someone goes in, however many minutes they play, they want to play hard,” Rivera said. “We’re playing so relaxed, nothing is distracting us.”

UTEP will be home on Thursday to play Hawaii (10-2, 2-2).