EL PASO, Texas – Three-star prospect and TABC All-State and All-Region honoree Isaiah Ward (William J. Brennan HS) has signed with the UTEP men's basketball team, head coach Joe Golding announced Thursday. He is the third member of the Brennan squad, which earned runner-up honors at the state championship, who will don the Orange and Blue in 2026-27. Teammates Donovan Criss and Delano Tarpley signed with the Miners in the fall of 2025.
 
A brief profile on Ward and a quote from Golding follows below.
 
Isaiah Ward
Forward
6-6, 190
William J. Brennan HS
San Antonio, Texas
 
Three-star prospect according to ESPN, On3 and 247Sports who helped lead Brennan HS to runner-up honors in the 2026 state tournament alongside fellow Miner signees Donovan Criss and Delano Tarpley …  it was the third trip to the final four in four years for the powerhouse San Antonio program … earned TABC All State and All Region accolades … voted to first team All-District 28-6A … was considered a glue guy and an emotional leader of the team … helped guide the program to 30+ wins in all four years on the varsity and a combined record of 129-20 … that includes an astonishing 63-1 mark in district play (last loss in 2022-23) … accounted for 12.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.1 apg and 1.1 spg across his prep career … finished with more than 1600 points (1638), 800 rebounds (807), 400 assists (412) and 140 steals (145) during the four-year span … connected on at least 55.0 percent from the floor in every campaign on the way shooting a combined sizzling 57.8 percent (689-1192) in the timeframe … his best scoring season came as a sophomore when he compiled 14.5 ppg on 58.5 percent shooting … also was a beast on the boards with 6.9 rpg, his best single-season average throughout high school … posted 22 double-digit scoring games as a senior, including going off for a season-best 23 points against Mansfield (12/5/25) … pulled down eight or more boards six times, with a campaign-high nine vs. Warren (2/18/26) … notched at least two steals 10 times in '25-26 … strung together three straight games and seven total with at least 20 points in '23-24, including erupting for 30 points in a romp past Holmes (2/10/24) … posted seven double-doubles in that sophomore season … showed off his consistent talent as a freshman with 16 straight double-digit scoring efforts … his uncle, Kevin Ward, was a four-year letterwinner for the UTEP football team (1981-84)  and the first starting black QB in program history … chose the Miners over prior offers from the likes of Mississippi State, Texas Tech, Denver, Sam Houston, Texas State, UIW and UTSA.
 
"We couldn't be more thrilled to add Isaiah Ward to our UTEP Basketball family for the 2026-27 season. He's a dynamic player that can help us in a variety of ways at multiple positions. Most importantly, he comes from a winning background at Brennan High School, having played in the 2026 UIL Class A Division 1 State Championship Game. We love that he'll be reunited with his high school teammates Delano and Donovan here in El Paso. We look forward to Isaiah helping us a lot as the years roll on."
Head coach Joe Golding
 

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