UTEP Continues to invest in Athletics

El Paso Eagle · June 23, 2006

Miners to get new basketball facility

By Bill Knight / El Paso Times

Jeff and Sharon Stevens and Paul L. Foster have pledged a combined $6 million to UTEP to build a $10.5 million basketball practice facility.

The Foster and Stevens Basketball Complex tentatively is set to be situated on the corner of Mesa St. and Glory Road, next to the Don Haskins Center and where the UTEP Ticket Center currently is located. The facility, which is expected to house three practice courts for men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s basketball offices, locker rooms, a weight room and a training center, also will have a Hall of Honor to recognize the tradition of the Miner basketball program

UTEP officials currently are in the process of finding an architectural firm to design the facility.

“We have come up with a vision for the facility,” UTEP athletics director Bob Stull said. “So our vision could look like this, but it also could take on a different format. We are looking at the possibility of putting this where the ticket center is now. But we want to have a spectacular building. It is the only UTEP building on Mesa Street. So we want to make sure it is an outstanding building.”

Stull pointed to the additions of the Larry Durham Center attached to the Sun Bowl and the Helen of Troy Softball Complex as part of the strategic plan he set in motion in 1998. Stull cited the need for the facility due to conflicts in scheduling with the Haskins Center. It also will be an excellent recruiting tool.

Foster is the president and CEO of Western Refining, and Stevens is the executive vice president of marketing for Western Refining.

“To be part of this basketball facility is a real honor for Paul and myself,” Stevens said.

UTEP basketball coach Doc Sadler said, “This is an unbelievable day. A lot of great things seem to be happening here, and this is one more dream

turning into reality. This is the most unbelievable thing that has happened to me, other than getting this job. This will be the finest facility in the country.”

Stull said he joined Stevens and Foster on trips to Vanderbilt, the University of Memphis and the University of Texas, studying their practice facilities.

“This will be a great facility, and we would like to have the coaches’ offices overlooking the practice courts, much the same as the football coaches’ offices in the Durham Center overlook the Sun Bowl,” Stull said. “We already have a number of people willing to join the project—Kathleen Moore wants the training room in honor of her husband (former Miner coach and trainer Ross Moore), Susan Drury wants the coaches’ offices in honor of her late husband (Dan), and Russ Vandenburg wants to sponsor the weight room.”

UTEP president Diana Natalicio said, “We have changed the skyline of our university in the past few years. Paul Foster and Jeff Stevens have each pledged $3 million to help us. Is that not an amazing commitment from those who deeply care about this university? You are enabling us to achieve dreams we have had for this program for a long time.”

The Hall of Honor will recognize the long history of UTEP basketball, including the 1966 NCAA championship and the program’s 25 postseason tournament appearances.

Sadler, still beaming, called this “the biggest signing in UTEP basketball history.”

PlummMeanGreen · June 25, 2006

Miners to get new basketball facility
By Bill Knight / El Paso Times

Jeff and Sharon Stevens and Paul L. Foster have pledged a combined $6 million to UTEP to build a $10.5 million basketball practice facility.
The Foster and Stevens Basketball Complex tentatively is set to be situated on the corner of Mesa St. and Glory Road, next to the Don Haskins Center and where the UTEP Ticket Center currently is located. The facility, which is expected to house three practice courts for men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s basketball offices, locker rooms, a weight room and a training center, also will have a Hall of Honor to recognize the tradition of the Miner basketball program
UTEP officials currently are in the process of finding an architectural firm to design the facility.
“We have come up with a vision for the facility,” UTEP athletics director Bob Stull said. “So our vision could look like this, but it also could take on a different format. We are looking at the possibility of putting this where the ticket center is now. But we want to have a spectacular building. It is the only UTEP building on Mesa Street. So we want to make sure it is an outstanding building.”
Stull pointed to the additions of the Larry Durham Center attached to the Sun Bowl and the Helen of Troy Softball Complex as part of the strategic plan he set in motion in 1998. Stull cited the need for the facility due to conflicts in scheduling with the Haskins Center. It also will be an excellent recruiting tool.
Foster is the president and CEO of Western Refining, and Stevens is the executive vice president of marketing for Western Refining.
“To be part of this basketball facility is a real honor for Paul and myself,” Stevens said.
UTEP basketball coach Doc Sadler said, “This is an unbelievable day. A lot of great things seem to be happening here, and this is one more dream
turning into reality. This is the most unbelievable thing that has happened to me, other than getting this job. This will be the finest facility in the country.”
Stull said he joined Stevens and Foster on trips to Vanderbilt, the University of Memphis and the University of Texas, studying their practice facilities.
“This will be a great facility, and we would like to have the coaches’ offices overlooking the practice courts, much the same as the football coaches’ offices in the Durham Center overlook the Sun Bowl,” Stull said. “We already have a number of people willing to join the project—Kathleen Moore wants the training room in honor of her husband (former Miner coach and trainer Ross Moore), Susan Drury wants the coaches’ offices in honor of her late husband (Dan), and Russ Vandenburg wants to sponsor the weight room.”
UTEP president Diana Natalicio said, “We have changed the skyline of our university in the past few years. Paul Foster and Jeff Stevens have each pledged $3 million to help us. Is that not an amazing commitment from those who deeply care about this university? You are enabling us to achieve dreams we have had for this program for a long time.”
The Hall of Honor will recognize the long history of UTEP basketball, including the 1966 NCAA championship and the program’s 25 postseason tournament appearances.
Sadler, still beaming, called this “the biggest signing in UTEP basketball history.”
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Simply amazing what the hiring of one high profile name football coach has done for the entire UTEP athletic program from top to bottom. I once remember something very similar happening at UNT back in the day... It seems here in the great and almighty sovereign state of Texas, these kind of things (collegiately) most always begin with how your football program is fairing, now doesn't it?

Edited June 25, 2006 by PlummMeanGreen

gangrene · June 25, 2006

Simply amazing what the hiring of one high profile name football coach has done for the entire UTEP athletic program from top to bottom.
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Then again, they could have been inspired by the move "Glory Road" which highlights UTEP's successful run at the 1966 basketball national championship??

I think Price was a good hire for UTEP and I'd love to be in a similar situation, but I'm not buying your theory that Price and one successful football season inspired someone to donate $6 million to UTEP in order to build a basketball practice facility.

greenminer · June 25, 2006

I think Price was a good hire for UTEP and I'd love to be in a similar situation, but I'm not buying your theory that Price and one successful football season inspired someone to donate $6 million to UTEP in order to build a basketball practice facility.
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My count is at 2 successful seasons . Then again, that includes 2 bowl losses.

I agree: if anything, I would think it had more to do w/the recent resurgence of the bball program and the release of the movie than anything related with the football program.

-gm

Quoner · June 26, 2006

Then again, they could have been inspired by the move "Glory Road" which highlights UTEP's successful run at the 1966 basketball national championship??
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That's why our program took off after Necessary Roughness.

SilverEagle · June 26, 2006

That's why our program took off after Necessary Roughness.
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It was only shot on the North Texas campus. It wasn't about us.

Edited June 26, 2006 by SilverEagle

UNTFan23 · June 26, 2006

It was only shot on the North Texas campus, it wasn't about us.
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I think you missed the sarcasm.

SilverEagle · June 26, 2006

I think you missed the sarcasm.
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No, I got the attempt at sarcasm.

But, for it to be more effective, you have to be making reference to two real and/or similar events. UTEP's movie was about a real event, "Necessary Roughness" was not.

It was shot on our campus. They used our colors, but they didn't even use our real name in their fictional story (Glory Road was about a real event).

How could we have blown that opportunity for publicity for our program (the point of the sarcasm), when there wasn't one in the first place.

stebo · June 26, 2006

I caught NR on cable (again) the other night and there is a pretty funny inside story to it. The "North Texas" team was called Texas State and we played only one "real" team in the movie - that team - Southwest Texas State Bobcats; who is now Texas State. IF we ever agree to play Texas State - we could call the matchup the Neccesary Roughness Shootout. They beat us in the movie, I think that they would have a chance of taking us again - either way it would be a great game.

El Paso Eagle · June 26, 2006

Then again, they could have been inspired by the move "Glory Road" which highlights UTEP's successful run at the 1966 basketball national championship??
I think Price was a good hire for UTEP and I'd love to be in a similar situation, but I'm not buying your theory that Price and one successful football season inspired someone to donate $6 million to UTEP in order to build a basketball practice facility.
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While Price might not be responsible for all of the recent excitement added to UTEP’s athletic programs, he certainly the reason it got kick-started. At this point in time it’s becoming a big thing in this area to get involved with UTEP sports. Another thing that has really helped to garner support here is the fact that Price, Sadler (BB) and Stull (AD) are extremely outgoing and are very fan friendly. They are positive and upbeat and are making people believe they will do everything they can to be successful.

FirefightnRick · June 26, 2006

I caught NR on cable (again) the other night and there is a pretty funny inside story to it. The "North Texas" team was called Texas State and we played only one "real" team in the movie - that team - Southwest Texas State Bobcats; who is now Texas State. IF we ever agree to play Texas State - we could call the matchup the Neccesary Roughness Shootout. They beat us in the movie, I think that they would have a chance of taking us again - either way it would be a great game.
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Actually the Armadillo's played SWT and Kansas, but was also sheduled to play Colorado as well but never did.

Colorado sent two trunks of their uniforms and I actually had to unpack and wash them and prepare them for fittings. But a tornado like storm blew in and messed up the shoot that weekend that was going to take place in Lewisville I believe and threw the whole shooting schedule off. My supervisor, Dan Moore at Paramount called Boulder and asked for another two day extension on the uni's, but CU got their panties in a wad and demanded that their uni's be sent back as originally scheduled that next Monday morning. I couldn't hardly believe that because for one, CU would have looked great in a nationally released movie such as this, and two, the uni's they sent were old used ones from the middle 80's I suppose. They were not new ones and all Paramount wanted was another couple of days. As it turned out, I was handed a rush order of newly designed helmet stickers that matched(in color only) with a pile of some shitty old looking blue uni's that had been used in some other movie in the past. I then had to take the OPPOSING helmets, about 35 of them in all, strip them, paint them and put all the stickers on them for the next night shoot. This was one of THREE, 72 hour stints I did while working double duty time as "Rowdy" the Armadillo and as an assistant to Dan Moore in the ward robe department.

I was basically the equipment manager for the entire set. If you'll look at the first practice they have in the movie where the players have their names written on the front of the helmets, that's my crappy handwriting. I also placed all stickers and stripes on all the helmets you see in the movie except for Kansas and SWT. The problem was that all the helmet stickers they gave me, the printer made them to go onto a flat surface, not a spherical one. Therefore, I had to cut and customize each sticker to each helmet. Multiply that by two for each helmet and your talking about a major pain in the @ss.

It was an interesting job to say the least.

Rick

greenminer · June 27, 2006

While Price might not be responsible for all of the recent excitement added to UTEP’s athletic programs, he certainly the reason it got kick-started. At this point in time it’s becoming a big thing in this area to get involved with UTEP sports. Another thing that has really helped to garner support here is the fact that Price, Sadler (BB) and Stull (AD) are extremely outgoing and are very fan friendly. They are positive and upbeat and are making people believe they will do everything they can to be successful.
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Excellent point. How many commercials have we, El Pasoans, seen Price and Sadler in local commercials? It may not seem directly related, but everyone here knows who they are and they immediately seem more accessible and inviting by getting their faces out to the public regularly. That's a big deal when recruiting the fan.

They take the "thankful to be here" cliche to a whole new level by making you believe they'll do anything for UTEP athletic's success.

UNTLifer · June 27, 2006

It was only shot on the North Texas campus. It wasn't about us.
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Man, the season can't get here soon enough. SE's tempers gotten short. Would it take the edge off if we sent RF over for you to yell at?

SilverEagle · June 27, 2006

Man, the season can't get here soon enough. SE's tempers gotten short. Would it take the edge off if we sent RF over for you to yell at?
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If you think my remark had anything to do with a short temper, then you're entirely too sensitive.

But then, as I've found out.....so are some coaches.

Quoner · June 27, 2006

No, I got the attempt at sarcasm.
But, for it to be more effective, you have to be making reference to two real and/or similar events. UTEP's movie was about a real event, "Necessary Roughness" was not.
It was shot on our campus. They used our colors, but they didn't even use our real name in their fictional story (Glory Road was about a real event).
How could we have blown that opportunity for publicity for our program (the point of the sarcasm), when there wasn't one in the first place.
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Wow - the point of the sarcasm is you are overblowing the impact of the movie and selling a bunch of other people short.

GreenTiger_OriginalAcct · June 27, 2006

I caught NR on cable (again) the other night and there is a pretty funny inside story to it. The "North Texas" team was called Texas State and we played only one "real" team in the movie - that team - Southwest Texas State Bobcats; who is now Texas State. IF we ever agree to play Texas State - we could call the matchup the Neccesary Roughness Shootout. They beat us in the movie, I think that they would have a chance of taking us again - either way it would be a great game.
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Stebo,

I think you are on to something here. We need to convince RV to setup this game as soon as Texas State becomes D-I, then we can play a game each year for the Bakula Trophy. ESPN would send someone for that reason alone!

Edited June 27, 2006 by GreenTiger

UNTLifer · June 27, 2006

If you think my remark had anything to do with a short temper, then you're entirely too sensitive.
But then, as I've found out.....so are some coaches.
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I guess my shot at humor went the way of Quoner's shot at sarcasm.