DALLAS – UTEP seniors
Tae Hardy and
Calvin Solomon have been tabbed to the Conference USA All-Preseason Team, the league office revealed Thursday. The Miners joined Middle Tennessee and WKU as the only programs in the conference to have a pair of members on the squad. Furthermore, UTEP was predicted to finish fifth according to the CUSA preseason poll.
Hardy led the 2022-23 team in scoring (12.8 ppg) and 3-pointers made (47) while ranking second on the squad in minutes per game (32.4 mpg) and third in both assists (1.9 apg) and steals per games (1.2 spg). He reached double figures in scoring in 16 contests, by far the most of any Miner. He also posted a squad-best 20 double-digit point efforts.
The native of Ellenwood, Ga., was one of three players on the team to tally points in every tilt, including notching at least eight points 27 times. His season-high 24 points came at I-10 rival NM State (11/30/23), which was aided by going 8-8 at the charity stripe. He showed his endurance by logging a career-high 49 minutes played while adding 20 points in a double-overtime victory against Alcorn State (11/22/23).
Solomon was the only Miner to start all 32 games last year, topping the squad in offensive rebounds (71-ninth C-USA), rebounding (6.0 rpg-ninth C-USA), steals (2.0 spg-second C-USA/32nd NCAA) and free throws attempted (127) after transferring in from Stephen F. Austin. He rated second on the squad in assists (2.0 apg), tied for second in free throws made (76) and third in scoring (9.6 ppg), blocked shots (14) and minutes per game (27.8 mpg).
The Houston, Texas, native joined Randy Culpepper and Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway as the lone Miners in program history to average at least 2.0 steals per game. His 64 total steals rated sixth on UTEP's single-seasons chart. Solomon paced the Miners in rebounding in 14 games while doing so in scoring and assists on five occasions. He saved the best for last, notching a career-high 18 points while adding eight boards vs. WKU (3/8/23) in the CUSA Championships.
UTEP returns three starters and seven letterwinners overall, in addition to bringing back a pair of redshirts, from last year's team. The Miners also inked six newcomers.
The entire CUSA men's basketball preseason all-conference honorees and full preseason poll results are listed below.
CUSA MBB Preseason Player of the Year
Isaiah Crawford, LA Tech
CUSA MBB Preseason All-Conference Honorees
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Arturo Dean, FIU |
So. |
G |
Miami, Fla. |
| Isaiah Crawford, LA Tech* |
Sr. |
F |
Fort Worth, Texas |
| Kyle Rode, Liberty |
Sr. |
F |
Lexington, Ky. |
| Elias King, MTSU |
Sr. |
G |
Atlanta, Ga. |
| Camryn Weston, MTSU |
Sr. |
G |
Albany, Ga. |
| Cameron Huefner, Sam Houston |
Jr. |
F |
Adelaide, Australia |
| Tae Hardy, UTEP |
Sr. |
G |
Ellenwood, Ga. |
| Calvin Solomon, UTEP |
Sr. |
F |
Houston, Texas |
| Dontaie Allen, WKU |
Sr. |
G/F |
Falmouth, Ky. |
| Brandon Newman, WKU |
Sr. |
G |
Valparaiso, Ind. |
* - 2022-23 All-Conference USA selection
2023-24 CUSA Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
| Rank |
School (first-place votes) |
Total |
| t-1. |
Liberty (5) |
71 |
| t-1. |
MTSU (1) |
71 |
| 3. |
WKU (2) |
63 |
| 4. |
LA Tech (1) |
48 |
| 5. |
UTEP |
41 |
| 6. |
Sam Houston |
38 |
| 7. |
FIU |
31 |
| 8. |
NM State |
30 |
| 9. |
Jacksonville State |
12 |
Season tickets are now on sale and may be purchased through the Eisenberg Family Ticket Office by calling (915) 747-UTEP, emailing
tickets@utep.edu, visiting
www.UTEPMiners.com/Tickets, or in person at 201 Glory Road (Brumbelow Building, UTEP Campus), Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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