EL PASO, Texas – One of the most beloved teams in UTEP basketball history, the 2003-04 NCAA Tournament squad will be returning to the Don Haskins Center for a 20-year reunion on Saturday.
The '03-04 Miners will be signing autographs at 6 pm on Saturday in the Haskins Center concourse, prior to UTEP's game versus Liberty. The '03-04 team will also be honored at halftime of Saturday's game.
Members of the 2003-04 team that are scheduled to attend on Saturday include:
- Joe Devance
- Omar Duran
- Thomas Gehrke
- Josh Gutierrez
- JD Hampton III
- Darius Mattear
- Brent Murphy
- Juan Rivas
- Filiberto Rivera
- Roy Smallwood
- Omar Thomas
- John Tofi
- Jason Williams
Led by coach Billy Gillispie, the 2003-04 Miners tied the NCAA record for turnaround, finishing 24-8 following a 6-24 season. They earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, where they dropped a narrow (86-83) contest to ACC Tournament champ Maryland in the first round.
UTEP opened the season by upsetting the Harlem Globetrotters, 89-88, in an exhibition game that ended the Globetrotters' 288-game win streak. The Miners' success continued as they tied for first place in the Western Athletic Conference with a 13-5 mark and reached the championship game of the WAC Tournament. Rivera, Thomas and Williams were all named to the All-WAC Tournament team. Rivera was first team All-WAC and Thomas was second team during the regular season, while Gillispie was appointed the WAC Coach of the Year.
Tickets for Saturday's game start at just $9.15 and are available by calling (915) 747-UTEP or by visiting
www.UTEPMiners.com.
Help support UTEP student-athletes by making a gift to the Miner Athletic Club.
Visit givingto.utep.edu/mac today!
For complete coverage of UTEP men's basketball, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @UTEPMBB (Twitter), @utepmbb (Instagram) and on Facebook @UTEPMensBasketball or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at www.UTEPMiners.com
