Standout
Caldwell’s Journey to the Top
Adams Overcomes Adversity Rifle Senior Shooting for Olympics
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REACHIN’ FOR THE STARS
Senior Cameasha Turner rallies her teammates during their pregame ritual before facing Middle Tennessee on Jan. 7 in the Haskins Center. The Miners defeated the Blue Raiders 84-73.
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AND THE RACE IS ON
Freshman Terry Winn outplays the Cougars for a loose ball at an away game versus Washington State on Dec. 13.
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Miner Athletic Club
Brumbelow Bldg., Room 109 500 W. University Ave. El Paso, TX 79968 www.minerathleticclub.com
Jeff Darby
Senior Associate A.D. / Communications
Chris Park
Senior Associate A.D. / External Relations & Development
Jon Teicher
Assistant A.D./ Director of Broadcasting
Omar Cruz
Assistant Director for Development
Mark Brunner
Associate Director of Media Relations
Arianna M. Castillo
Development Assistant
Stephanie Avalos
Multimedia Designer
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Spring Edition - 2016
FEATURES Bringing the Energy- Powered by Price’s
Tevin Caldwell discusses how he stood out as a walk-on and became a team leader.
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Keitha Adams explains how facing adversity has strengthened the team’s motivation in their journey to a conference title.
Senior Amy Bock talks about passion and confidence as she chases her dream to Olympic stardom.
TEICH’S CORNER
10 GIFT IN KIND PARTNERS 11 PREGAME DINNERS
Facing Adversity Head On
Amy Bock Enjoying The Ride After Pan-American Games Success
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22 LET’S SAAC HUNGER 24 FACES IN THE CROWD
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Teich’s Corner Jon Teicher - The ‘Voice of the Miners’ March 19, 1966 is a day that the West Texas town of El Paso will never forget. March 19, 1966 was a day that would transform intercollegiate sports and the world around it. March 19, 1966 was the day that little Texas Western College, the Miners, located in El Paso, Texas, challenged the mighty Kentucky Wildcats in College Park, Maryland, for the national championship of college basketball. America might not have known it on March 19, 1966, however it was anything but just another game. March 19, 1966 was the day that Texas Western started five African-American players, the first team ever to do so in the championship game. March 19, 1966 was the day that Texas Western took down all-white Kentucky for the title, to this day the only men’s division Iteam in Texas to do so.
California would even be aware of college basketball and who might be playing for the national championship. In 1967, the UCLA Bruins would win the third of eight titles in nine years, interrupted only by Texas Western’s triumph the season before.
“... LET ME JOIN ALL
MINER FANS IN A SALUTE TO THE 1966 MINERS. WE WILL NEVER
fornia chose UCLA, in part due to his fascination with the Bruins basketball exploits. It wasn’t until many years later that the young boy himself learned of the significance of Texas Western. As luck would have it, not long after his graduation from UCLA, the young boy turned young man from Southern California found himself in El Paso, as the play-by-play voice of the UTEP Miners. Thirty-five years later, the young man is honored and privileged to have had the opportunity to spend time with the men from the 1966 NCAA champs at previous anniversary celebrations to the first screening of Glory Road in 2006.
Like all El Pasoans, the young man carries the pride of that accomplishment with him wherever his broadcast travels have taken him across America, March 19, 1966 was a typical day for As UCLA’s championship string through the Western Athletic continued to grow, the young a young boy growing up in SouthConference and now Conference boy learned that it was Texas ern California, far removed from the U-S-A. Western, renamed UTEP, that events unfolding for the team from El had disrupted the Bruins Paso, Texas playing in College Park, As we now commemorate the impressive championship chain. Maryland. It not include knowledge 50th anniversary of Texas Westof what happened on the basketball ern’s historic feat, let me When it was time to decide floor that day, March 19, 1966. In fact, join all Miner fans in a salute to where he would attend college, it wasn’t until the next year, 1967, that the 1966 Miners. We will never the young boy in Southern Calithe young boy from Southern forget! 8 › Miner Pride › Spring Edition 2016
FORGET!”
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GIFT IN KIND PARTNERS Spring Edition -2016 The Miner Athletic Club’s Gift In Kind (GIK) program continues to be a winning partnership for UTEP Athletics and the generous donors providing the trade. The Miner Athletic Club views GIK as a type of charitable giving in which, instead of giving money to buy needed goods and services, the goods and services themselves are given. The Miner Athletic Club’s program affords the contibutor a donation level towards their annual benefits value for the GIK provided.
Restaurant Partners
Avila’s Mexican Restaurant Chicago’s Street Food Chipotle Mexican Grill D’Lox Breakfast, Brunch and Lunch Fudge-N-More Chocolate Shop Great American Steakhouse Kiki’s Mexican Restaurant Nuovo Cappetto Italian Restaurant Peking Express The Pizza Joint Quintero’s Meat Company Rib Hut Rudy’s Country Store and BBQ
Miscellaneous Partners
AUS Mailing Services Airport Printing Services Art & Framing Gallery Best Buy Dish Network Dunham Networking Guynes Printing Lucchese Boot Company Mesilla Valley Transportation Nammo Lapua Oy Bullets Sun Travel Tents and Events Texas Fabric and Foam Inc.
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presents ON ONE
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NE DIAMOND Bringing The Energy Powered by Price’s E GOAL Creameries Give ‘Em Five is Price’s Creameries largest community outreach effort. The program is designed to provide a source of additional funding to assist community organizations and schools in planning, developing and implementing innovative programs and creative opportunities which result in increased student achievement. Each quarter, Give ‘Em Five will feature a UTEP student-athlete’s story that exemplifies the mission of the outreach effort along with the impact they display on and off the court. This quarter’s article highlights El Paso native Tevin Caldwell..
Tevin Caldwell has always been one to take advantage of opportunity. With his high school basketball career winding down in 2011, he seized the chance to keep playing at Northern New Mexico College. A year later, he met the challenge of being part of a top junior college program at Cochise College. After starting all 31 games for the Runnin’ Apaches, Caldwell found an unlikely Division I suitor in the UTEP Miners. “I was going on visits to schools like Our Lady of the Lake and the University of the Southwest,” said Caldwell, a military brat who was raised in Germany and Colorado but prepped at Americas High School in El Paso. “A bunch of NAIA schools were involved. But during the summer my coach, Jerry Carrillo e-mailed [UTEP assistant coach] Ken Deweese and said ‘This guy Tevin is still looking for a place to go, and he’s right there in El Paso.’ Coach Deweese called and told me to come in for open gym, and they liked me.” Caldwell accepted the offer to walk on at UTEP, and had realistic expectations. “I looked at the roster and saw Julian Washburn, Vince Hunter … I thought yeah, I’m probably not going to play much,” he said. “But God had a different plan.” From the very first day of practice, Caldwell demonstrated that he wasn’t the average walk-on. He proved himself to the coaching staff with his work ethic and intensity. “I never treated myself like a walk-on,” Caldwell said. “The way I went about my business in practice, I felt like I was a part of the team. Some of the walk-ons would sit on the side and hide until coach called them.” www.MinerAthleticClub.com ‹ 13
The 6-3 guard ended up playing in 30 games during his initial season with the Miners (2013-14), and even made a start against West Alabama. Then, in the summer of 2014, something unusual happened. “We were playing a pick-up game and coach Floyd pulled me aside and said ‘Tevin, I really appreciate what you have been doing here. You have gotten so much better and I think it would be beneficial for you to redshirt.’ At that point I was like, ‘No, coach, I can play right now and I can help you right now!” But Floyd knew that he was losing Washburn at the end of the 2014-15 season, and Caldwell could do a lot of the same things that he could. Caldwell would be much more valuable to the team a year later. “I felt like I was an old book on the shelf that they once threw away and then they opened it and said ‘Oh man, this is a really good book,’” Caldwell said with a smile. “So they put it back on the shelf.” Washburn scored over 1,500 points in his UTEP career but carved his niche as a dynamite defender. “I think replacing Julian is about more than just defense,” Caldwell said. “I watched him for two years. Just his being on the floor affected the game offensively. He had great spacing and his cuts were very hard. And he was a good rebounder when he wanted to be.
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“...If I lose my effort, then I don’t deserve to be here... Right away I tell myself, pick the energy up, bring the energy.”
“What I bring to the table is a lot of things that you won’t see in the newspaper. I will set a nice hard screen. Or you will see me sprinting down the floor, trying to tap the ball loose from a guy on the fast break.” Perhaps more than anything, Caldwell gives the Miners energy. “I think that’s what got me here,” he said. “I feel like if I lose my effort, then I don’t deserve to be here. That’s what keeps me motivated. If I’m on the bench watching the game and waiting for coach to call my name, once he does I’m like, ‘OK. Energy.’ Right away I tell myself, pick the energy up, bring the energy.” Not only does he bring energy, he also strives to provide leadership to a newcomer-laden team that desperately needs it.
“I try to be in the young guys’ ears because my first year, Tyler Tafoya was always in mine,” he said. “He kept me ready for what was coming. So that’s what I try to do.” After this season, Caldwell plans to get his Masters in Leadership Studies and start a coaching career. “I love helping people and I love being around people,” he said. For now, though, he’s cherishing one last go-round as a player, and he’s excited about who he’s gone to battle with during the 2015-16 campaign. “I look at these guys and I’m glad they’re on my team. I’m glad I don’t have to play against them,” he said. “Dominic [Artis] is honestly the best point guard I have ever played against. I’ve never seen someone so smart off the pick and roll. He makes the bigs look good. I have never played with a legit scorer like Lee Moore. “The thing I like the most about this team is we’re all coachable. Coach may get after us in practice but we just nod our heads, say ‘Yes sir’ and get back to work. That’s how we grow.”
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Facing Adversity Head On Adams Guiding Battle-Tested Miners
When confronted with adversity, some people choose to run while others stick their heads in the proverbial sand to avoid the situation. There is another option, of course, but it is only for the strong-willed individuals who are willing to endure some momentary suffering in exchange for longterm achievement and growth. UTEP women’s basketball head coach Keitha Adams is a perfect example of what happens when someone faces adversity head on. The Miners faced plenty of challenging circumstances during the 2014-15 season and finished at 1216 for their first losing campaign since 2005-06. There were injuries to key players, hard-fought losses and Adams even missed the first games of her collegiate coaching career due to emergency oral surgery early in the Conference USA season. Yet throughout it all, Adams and company refused to fold up shop or ignore the challenges. Rather they took the approach to confront it, or 16 › Miner Pride › Spring Edition 2016
as Adams puts it “meet it, greet it and beat it.” It was not an easy path, but they are now reaping the benefits in a big way. More than midway through the 2015-16 campaign, the UTEP women are 18-1 for the best start (prior best was 14-1 in ‘06-07 and ‘12-13) in program history. The Miners have won eight consecutive contests, including their first seven C-USA tilts. They have received votes in the Associated Press top-25 for seven straight weeks while also recently picking up a vote in the USA Today/Coaches Poll. UTEP also boasts the top RPI (30) in Conference USA and is one of just seven teams in the nation with one loss or fewer.
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Yet this year’s success wouldn’t have been possible without the lessons learned in 2014-15. “One of the reasons we’ve had success this year is because of what we went through last year,” Adams said. “We recognize the adversity we faced but we stuck together through it all.” Fittingly enough, they have also handled some adverse circumstances in 201516 with composure and poise. That was no more evident than the 2015 Long Beach State Classic. On the first day of the event the Miners fell, 47-40, to host Long Beach State University. To make matters worse, they would have just 22 hours to regroup for a matchup against a quality and rested UNLV squad. The Miners dug themselves an early 9-4 hole before bouncing back in a big way by outscoring the Rebels 56-43 the rest of the way for the bounce-back win. UTEP hasn’t experienced a loss since that point, but it has had other defining moments. The latest example came on a cross-country trip to Florida. In the win at Florida Atlantic on Jan. 21, the Miners dug out of a 30-18 hole to produce a 78-66 victory. Two days later they grinded out a 69-57 win at FIU despite playing without two of their emotional leaders (Cameasha Turner and Chrishauna Parker). “What I’m most proud of, we faced adversity and overcame that,” Adams said. “When you have adversity and beat it, it’s a great feeling. You have to do that in life ... meet it, greet it, beat it.” What the future holds for the remainder of the season is to be seen, but with an attitude like that, it’s safe to say that the Miners will be ready for whatever comes their way. www.MinerAthleticClub.com ‹ 19
Amy Bock Enjoying The Ride After Pan-American Games Success UTEP Senior Going Out With A Bang For Senior Season UTEP rifle senior standout Amy Bock began shooting in 2007. Fast forward nine years, and the native of New Jersey has gone to three Pan American games (2011, 2013 and 2015) while also enjoying a successful collegiate career. The most recent appearance at the Pan-American games was one for the memory books. While representing Puerto Rico, she was tantalizingly close to punching her ticket to the 2016 Olympics in Rio after finishing fourth in air rifle. “I am satisfied with what I did,” Bock said. “I’m proud of myself for that. I was .1 away from making the Olympics. So even now when there are times I don’t think I can do it (compete at that high level), I remind myself that I did.” Bock, who is a humble, thoughtful and well-spoken student-athlete, downplays her international experience but UTEP head coach Hannah Muegge clearly understands the significance. “This is a match you try to attend to because it’s the next step (to qualifying for the Olympics),” Muegge said. “Amy was competing against the best. Everyone who participated in the Pan-
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American games was the best for their country so that gave her a whole new level of competition.” Fueled by past achievements, Bock now has set her sights on perhaps the biggest challenge any athlete faces -- finding the balance between vying for competitive greatness and keeping the love and passion she had for the sport when she first started. “When you’re wrapped up in the collegiate and international level shooting, you’re constantly stressing,” Bock said. “So this final year (at UTEP) I want to enjoy shooting and come back to loving the sport as much as I possibly can, whether it’s good days or bad.” She has done a good job of that in the 2015-16 season by taking a big-picture perspective, as evidenced by her counsel to her teammates. “Don’t get as stressed as you should,” Bock said. “In a lot of sports people always stress. Rifle is a lifetime sport so let’s take it easy and do it one step at a time. There’s no reason to stress or worry.” For a UTEP squad without a lot of experience, Bock is a blessing to Muegge.
“Fueled by her past achievements, Bock now has set her sights on perhaps the biggest challenge any athlete faces...”
“She’s a great asset with her having the experience she has,” Muegge said. “She’s the only one on the team who has gone and tried for an Olympic quota. She brings a great level of confidence and experience that she can share with her fellow teammates to get them to the level that they need to be.”
The long-term goal for Bock is to qualify for the 2020 Olympics, and she has a message for anyone out chasing a dream that they might not think is attainable.
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Let’s SAAC Hunger Student-Athletes Come Together to Fight Hunger
The UTEP Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) collected more than 26,000 pounds of food during the “Let’s SAAC Hunger” campaign. “Let’s SAAC Hunger” is a Conference USA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee conference-wide community service initiative. C-USA’s 14 schools collected a total of 75,082 pounds, which equates to more than 70,000 meals. Nine C-USA schools gathered more than 1,000 pounds of food donations during their respective drive week. Each C-USA school worked within its respective community to conduct a campus-wide canned food drive for one week during the fall semester. C-USA also partnered with YouGiveGoods, a for-profit company that facilitates online food drives. This partnership allowed C-USA student-athletes to reach a much larger audience, encouraging all student groups and alumni to participate. Each institution selected a local food bank to receive its donations. The UTEP SAAC organization was crowned the winner of the Conference-wide competition by collecting 26,086 pounds of food for the El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank. They surpassed their second place competition, University of North Texas, by over 9,000 pounds of food. This is the second time UTEP has won the competition in the past 3 years. The highlight of the week was a food collection with El Pasoans Fighting Hunger at the UTEP sports events. SAAC members held an autograph signing for local youth football teams and
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“It was a true collaboration in an effort to raise donations for El Pasoans fighting hunger...” collected canned food at the entrances of the football and basketball games. SAAC members also helped raise awareness to the cause by handing out “Fighting Hunger” bracelets. “Our students worked really hard,” said Nicole Okolo, UTEP Director of Student-Athlete Development. “It was a true collaboration in an effort to raise donations for El Pasoans Fighting Hunger. SAAC was instrumental in disseminating information, and we’re so proud that this victory is reflective of everyone’s hard work. We also want to thank EPFH for being so committed to the cause and recognizing the importance of initiatives such as C-USA’s Let’s SAAC Hunger.” The C-USA SAAC was formed in 1998. Its committee consists of 28 members (two from each institution) with one member serving as chair, two members as vice chair and a secretary that all oversee an external affairs working group, a top issues working group and a student-athlete health and safety committee. The C-USA SAAC meets four times per year by phone and also holds one in-person meeting each summer. www.MinerAthleticClub.com ‹ 23
Faces in the Crowd Kick-Off and Tip-Off Luncheon Series, Pregame Basketball Dinners
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THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO Miner Athletic Club I Brumbelow Building, Room 109 I 500 W. University Ave. I El Paso, TX 79968 mac@utep.edu I 915.747.8759 facebook.com/minerathleticclub I twitter.com/UTEP_MAC I Linkedin.com/in/minerathleticclub www.minerathleticclub.com
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