Jan. 30, 2012
The UTEP men's basketball team will play its first home game in over two weeks on Saturday when UAB comes to town for a 7 p.m. matchup with the Miners.
It's the "Noche Latina" game at the Haskins Center, and fans are invited to come celebrate their Hispanic heritage. UTEP players will be wearing special "Mineros" jerseys for this game. There will be live Mariachi music and food specials ($2 tacos and 2 for 1 Churros) courtesy of Delicious Mexican Eatery.
Fans will want to stay in their seats at halftime for a breathtaking, high-flying performance by ACRODUNK.
The first 3,500 fans will receive special edition replica jersey Koozies (drink holders). Fans can also bid on a commemorative "Mineros" jersey during a silent auction in the concourse of the arena.
In addition, UTEP will be honoring Dick Gibbs as part of its "Miner Legends" series. Gibbs played for the Miners for two years from 1969-71 after transferring from Burlington Junior College in Burlington, Iowa. A 6-5, 210-pound forward, he was a highly recruited player out of the junior college ranks. The Ames, Iowa native was UTEP's fourth-leading scorer as a junior, averaging 10.5 points per game, while pacing the squad in rebounding with 8.5 per game. He really blossomed, however, as a senior, averaging a team-leading 17.4 points and 10.6 boards while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 82.4 percent from the line. Gibbs' career rebounding average of 9.7 ranks fourth in school history. He posted 16 double-doubles with the Miners. Gibbs was a member of the 1969-70 UTEP squad that captured the Western Athletic Conference title and played in the NCAA Tournament. He was a first team All-WAC honoree as a senior. Gibbs was chosen by Chicago in the third round of the 1971 NBA Draft. He played six seasons in the league with Houston, K.C.-Omaha, Seattle, Washington & Buffalo and had his best season in 1973-74 with Seattle, averaging 10.8 points and 3.1 rebounds over 71 games.
UTEP and UAB have staged some epic battles as members of Conference USA over the last seven years. The Miners and Blazers played a double-overtime game in Birmingham two years ago, and a triple-overtime affair last season. The last time UAB faced UTEP at the Don Haskins Center, Derrick Caracter scored on a dunk as time expired to give the Miners a 52-50 win on March 6, 2010.
