Michael Madrid was tabbed as an assistant coach for UTEP women's basketball on May 16, 2017, and now carries the title of associate head coach/international recruiting coordinator. He has an impressive resume with ample experience at both the high school (10 years) and college levels (14 years), including two years with the Orange and Blue.
He has helped Kevin Baker obtain the most wins (26) by any Miner coach through their first two years in program history, including establishing the school record for victories (17) in a debut season in 2017-18. UTEP has also won a game at consecutive C-USA tournaments for the first time since a five-year stretch (2010-14).
In 2018-19 UTEP put things together for the stretch run to lock up a bid to the C-USA Championships for the second straight year. The 11th-seed Miners fought back from 10 points down late in the third quarter to upset sixth-seed Marshall, 64-56, in double overtime (3/13/19).
UTEP also recorded its first road sweep in league play in three years with two wins in three days (at FAU, 70-44, 2/7/19 and at FIU, 60-55, 2/9/19). The 26-point rout at FAU marked the second-biggest margin of victory in a conference road game in program history. UTEP also dispatched North Texas (59-51, 3/7/19) to win on "Senior Day" for the second occasion in as many years.
Madrid aided in the Miners having quite the turnaround in 2017-18, his first year on staff. UTEP more than doubled the team’s overall win total from the previous campaign. The Miners compiled an overall record of 17-14 (7-9 in Conference USA, 9-4 in non-conference play) to surge past the 2016-17 team's overall victory total (8-23) by nine wins while also exceeding the number of league victories (5-13 C-USA).
UTEP, which was picked 11th in the C-USA preseason poll, earned a three-way tie for seventh place in the league and advanced to the quarterfinals in the 2018 Conference USA Championships. The Miners even led top-seed UAB by five late in the third quarter before eventually falling by nine (75-66) to conclude the campaign.
The team finished 7-5 in games decided by five points or less, which are the most such victories in a season in program history. UTEP went 5-8 on the road on the regular season after going 1-9 in hostile territory last year. It was 9-5 at home, including an 80-75 win on “Senior Day” over eventual C-USA Tournament Champion WKU.
Prior to arriving in the Sun City, Madrid put together a record-setting run in two years with San Jacinto College while forging a combined record of 46-20. In 2016-17 the squad rolled to a mark of 24-9 while making the NJCAA Tournament for the first time in the college’s history. San Jacinto went 22-11 in 2015-16 and earned the Region XIV Tournament Runner-up honors, which at the time was the farthest any women’s basketball team at the college had ever advanced. The squad knocked off nationally-ranked Trinity Valley to secure the spot in the title tilt before ultimately falling to Blinn College.
Prior to this tenure at San Jacinto, he won 24 games in his first opportunity to serve as a head coach over two season with Paris Junior College. Immediately beforehand he was an assistant coach at Texas Woman’s University for a trio of seasons, helping the Pioneers win their first Lone Star Conference tournament championship in any sport and advance to the National Collegiate Athletic Association South Central Region tournament.
His coaching career started at New Mexico’s Portales High School, which culminated with the squad taking home the 2001 Class 3A championship. After one year with Lubbock Estacado High School as a boys’ football, track, and basketball coach, he coached boys’ basketball for two years at Lubbock High School. Madrid then served five years-one as a graduate assistant and four as an assistant coach- at Lubbock Christian University. The team advanced to the NAIA National Championships Tournament all five years, including being the national runner-up in 2005-06. It also won the 2006-07 Sooner Athletic Conference title.
Madrid earned a bachelor’s degree in special education from Eastern New Mexico University in 1998 before receiving his master’s degree in sports administration in 2001. He also holds a master’s degree in education administration from Lubbock Christian University. Madrid and his wife, Sammie, have a daughter (Ryan).
