EL PASO, Texas – Jeremy Cox (associate head coach), Steve Green and Hunter Jenkins (assistant coaches) will join the UTEP men's basketball staff and work with head coach Joe Golding for the 2025-26 season, Golding revealed Tuesday.
 
Cox, who was a member of Golding's staff his first three years in El Paso, spent last season at Oklahoma State. The Cowboys piled up 17 wins and advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2025 NIT. Green is a NJCAA Men's Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Famer and was a three-time national champion as head coach of South Plains College while turning the program into a perennial power. Jenkins spent the 2024-25 season as head coach of Frank Phillips College. He made his lone year at the school a memorable one, guiding the Plainsmen to their first appearance at the NJCAA national tournament since 1958.
 
"Jeremy, Hunter and Steve all bring a bevy of basketball knowledge and recruiting experience to El Paso, and I couldn't be happier to have them on board," Golding said. "It's exciting to be able to bring Jeremy back to run the defense and inject toughness into our team. Coach Green is a guy I tried to hire my first year at UTEP and it finally worked out this year. His experience across all levels of basketball is unmatched and his abilities as an offensive mind are renowned across college basketball. Hunter is one of the brightest rising stars in college basketball coaching and his ability to blend recruiting acumen with on-court instruction and development will benefit us immensely."
 
Cox has more than 30 years of coaching experience, including nine seasons as a head coach (224-66). He won the 2006 NJCAA national championship and was the NJCAA National Coach of the Year as well while leading Arkansas Fort-Smith. He was recently inducted into the school's hall of fame.
 
"UTEP has always been a special place, and it was a place I always wanted to coach at," Cox said. "After leaving, there wasn't a day that I didn't miss it. I'm excited to have the opportunity to come back and work at this special place with one of the best people and as good of friend as I have in all of college basketball. I wanted to come back and finish what we started."
 
The Miners posted a 20-win season in 2021-22 while securing their first postseason victory since 2009. In 2023-24 UTEP made a run to the CUSA Championship contest for the first time since 2011.
 
Cox was an associate head coach at SFA from 2016-21, helping it record 119 wins and compete in the 2018 NCAA Tournament (lost to eventual runner-up, Texas Tech). The Lumberjacks were 28-3 in 2019-20, including winning at No. 1 Duke. He was named the 2017 TABC Division I Assistant Coach of the Year.
 
He was with former UTEP head coach Doc Sadler at Southern Miss (2014-16). Cox led College of Southern Idaho to the conference crown and second place in the Region 18 Tournament in 2013-14. He was the region Coach of the Year.
 
He served under another former UTEP basketball coach as he was on Billy Gillispie's staff at Texas Tech during the 2012-13 campaign. Prior to his time in Lubbock, Cox was on Sadler's staff at Nebraska during the 2011-12 season. 
 
Cox spent two seasons (2009-11) as an assistant coach at South Florida. In his first year, the Bulls posted the program's third 20-win season and made their first postseason appearance (NIT) since 2002.
 
Prior to working with Gillispie at Texas Tech, Cox was on his staff at Kentucky from 2007-2009. The Wildcats advanced to the 2008 NCAA Tournament and the 2009 NIT. Under Gillispie in 2006-07 at Texas A&M, the No. 3 seed Aggies defeated No. 14 Penn and No. 6 Louisville to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16.
 
Cox won 20+ games in all three years as head coach at Arkansas-Fort Smith (85-15 record), including defeating Monroe College (N.Y.), 73-61, to claim the 2006 NJCAA National Championship. He was the NJCAA National Coach of the Year and District II Coach of the Year.
 
Cox had the best winning percentage in school history (93-36, 72 percent) in four seasons at Garden City Community College (1998-02).

Cox's first head coaching position came at North Dakota State College of Science during the 1997-98 campaign. NDSCS was crowned the 1998 NJCAA Region XIII Champions, while Cox was named the Region XIII Coach of the Year. 
 
Cox was also an assistant coach at UTSA from 1993-97. Prior to that, he was an assistant at Paris College (Texas) during the 1992-93 season. Cox broke into the college basketball coaching ranks at Wyoming in 1991-92 as a graduate assistant under head coach Benny Dees.
 
Cox graduated cum laude in 1991 from Mesa State College (Colo.) and received his master's degree in sports management from the United State Sports Academy (Ala.) in 1999. 

He and his wife, Cindy, have two children -- Austin and Kaili.
 
Green boasts a record of 705-192 as a head coach, including forging a mark of 552-152 during an outstanding 22-year run with South Plains. He guided the program to the NJCAA Men's Basketball National Tournament 12 times, taking home the title in 2008, 2012 and 2018. The 2012 squad finished 36-0 to become only the sixth team in NJCAA history to put together a perfect national championship season.
 
"I'm really glad to be in El Paso and am looking forward to working with a quality staff under the direction of Coach Golding at a tradition-rich basketball program," Green said. "UTEP has always been a special place. I've sat on the opposing bench several times here, and I've learned to appreciate what this university has to offer."
 
During the 2018 season, the Texans ran the table as they knocked off conference foe Odessa College in the Region V title game to earn an automatic berth to the 2018 NJCAA Men's Basketball National Tournament. The Texans stayed hot in Hutch by winning five in a row, including toppling Southern Idaho, 98-95, to capture the program's third national championship.
 
One of four coaches to claim three championships in NJCAA history, Green also directed the school runner- up honors in 2015. Overall, the Texans secured eight conference titles and seven regional crowns during his tenure. He was the NJCAA Coach of the Year three times and the WJCAC Coach of the Year on seven occasions.
 
Green's first head coaching stop was at Howard College (1988-91) where he finished 81-19 and earned a pair of WJCAC titles and a regional championship. He then was hired at Midland College, compiling a record of 73-24 from 1991-94. The school won one regional championship and had one national tournament bid during his tenure.
 
Prior to starting at SPC, he was an assistant coach at both San Diego State (1994-99) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christ (1999-2000). After the incredible run with the Texans, he was tabbed an assistant coach at Texas Tech prior to the 2022-23 campaign.
 
The native of Miami, Okla., won a state title with Miami HS (Okla.) in 1972. He went on to star at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College from 1972-74. To this day, he holds the NEO record for most steals in a game (11) and was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2023.
 
He served as a graduate assistant under the legendary Eddie Sutton in 1979-80 before spending six years at Lamar and a pair at Houston. LU won 20+ games in his first five years with the program while also advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
Green is a graduate of Oklahoma Christian University.
 
Jenkins's Frank Phillips squad rolled to a final record of 24-9, including 11-5 in conference play, while receiving the at-large bid to the tourney. Four individuals received All-Western Junior College Athletic Conference recognition.
 
"Me and my family are excited to join the rich tradition of UTEP Basketball," Jenkins said. "I am beyond thankful to Coach Golding for the chance to be a Miner. I am looking forward to meeting the wonderful fans in El Paso and having a great 2025-26 season."
 
Previously, he spent four seasons as head coach at Clarendon College. He posted back-to-back 20-win seasons. The team was 25-9 in 2023-24, advancing to the Region V Championship contest. The squad featured the top ranked JUCO player in the country (Dior Johnson), in addition to seven other DI signees. The team rolled to a record of 25-5 and a second-place showing in the WJCAC in 2023-23. In his first year, the program featured a top-10 offensive in the nation, putting up 90.0 ppg.
 
He was one of the youngest assistant DI coaches nationally at MAC member Buffalo. He helped the Bulls land four-star standout (Chance Robinson) and the No. 21 JUCO player (David Nickelberry) in the country.
 
Prior to his stint with the Bulls, Jenkins was an assistant coach at Odessa College for former Miner assistant Kris Baumann. In the 2018-19 season, the school was 28-7, including 14-2 in the WJCAC to claim the conference title. The Wranglers went on to play in the Elite Eight of the NJCAA Tournament.  He coached a third-team NJCAA All-American (James Reese) that year, in addition to seven other DI players.
 
He signed and coached the No. 1 JUCO player (Wendell Mitchell) in the nation while serving as an assistant coach with Trinity Valley CC in his first full-time appointment. The Cardinals were a stout 28-5 and marched to the Sweet 16 of the NJCAA Tournament. Seven players moved onto the DI level.
 
Jenkins was a graduate assistant at Texas Tech under Big 12 Coach of the Year Chris Beard. While in Lubbock, Jenkins was a part of a staff that upset two top 10 nationally ranked teams. The Red Raiders reeled in an elite recruiting class that included 2018 NBA Lottery Pick, Zhaire Smith as well as 2019 Lottery Pick, Jarrett Culver
 
He also had a stop at LA Tech as a GA/student assistant for two years, learning from current Georgia head coach Mike White in his final season. The team was 50-19 in the two years.
 
In 2017 he was voted as one of the top-15 diamond in the rough college coaches according to Coachstat.net.
 
Jenkins has enjoyed the opportunity to learn under some of the top coaches in college basketball. Hunter has worked under 10 current Division 1 Head Coaches in his career. Chris Beard (Ole Miss), Mike White (Georgia), Eric Konkol (Tulsa), Dusty May (Michigan), Matt McMahon (LSU), Darris Nichols (LaSalle), Tony Skinn (George Mason) and Jordan Mincy (Jacksonville).
 
A native of Palestine, Texans, Jenkins won a state championship in 2010 while playing for his father at Cayuga High School. He received his bachelor's degree from LA Tech and has a master's degree in interdisciplinary studies from Texas Tech University.
 
Jenkins and his wife, Joanna, have a son, Jett.
 
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