San Francisco Transfer Souley Boum Signs With UTEP

Photo courtesy of SFExaminer.com

UTEP landed yet another transfer, this time dipping into the west coast and getting Souley Boum from San Francisco. Boum officially visited UTEP this weekend and signed with the Miners while on campus.

Boum, a 6-foot-3 guard, had a promising freshman year at San Francisco, landing on the West Coast Conference All-Freshman team. He averaged 10.9 points per game in only 20.9 minutes per game. He reached the 20-point plateau seven times, scoring a career-high 26 points twice against Colgate and Portland. Boum also led San Francisco in free throws made and free throws attempted, all on limited minutes and a slim 145 pound frame.

New associate head coach Lamont Smith is very familiar with Boum, having coached against him this past season as the head coach of San Diego. Boum scored 21 points against San Diego in their first meeting, then five points in the second game.

The fit between Boum and UTEP looks great on the surface, especially when you factor in the coaching staffs' success with sit one play three transfers. Current Fresno State guard Deshon Taylor averaged 7.6 points per game in the 2014-2015 season at UMKC. He then transferred to Fresno State and averaged 12.5 points per game in his first year eligible in 2016-2017. Taylor improved again and averaged 17.8 points per game this past season. There are strong parallels between Boum and Taylor as high-scoring guards.

Boum is already a proven commodity as a scorer, thriving at getting to the free throw line and shooting a respectable 36% from three. A sit out year will do wonders for him in terms of adding strength to his diminutive stature and getting acclimated to a new system at UTEP.

Head coach Rodney Terry continues to remake the UTEP roster. Boum is the second transfer Terry has landed, joining NJIT transfer Anthony Tarke. Both Boum and Tarke are promising transfers for the Miners, as both were double-digit scorer’s at their previous schools.

Boum and Tarke might not be the last transfers that UTEP lands. Former Fresno State big man Bryson Williams also officially visited UTEP this past weekend. The Miners still have three roster openings for the 2018-2019 season.

UTEP Lands NJIT Transfer Anthony Tarke

A day after landing 2018 big man Kaosi Ezeagu, UTEP strikes again as NJIT transfer Anthony Tarke committed to the Miners today. He chose UTEP over Maryland and South Alabama.

Tarke wrapped up a productive sophomore season finishing with averages of 15.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists. He also chipped in 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. The 6-foot-6 athlete was primarily used as a power forward at NJIT, where his impressive leaping ability was put to use. His production went up during Atlantic Sun Conference play, where he averaged 17.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

The one area where Tarke struggled this past season was his perimeter shot, both at the free throw line (64%) and from three (28% on 4.9 attempts per game). The sit out year should help increase those percentages, as will his shot selection.

Tarke joins Ezeagu, Nigel Hawkins, Efe Odigie and Deon Stroud in head coach Rodney Terry’s first recruiting class. UTEP now has four scholarships left for the 2018-2019 season.

Kaosi Ezeagu Commits to UTEP

Head coach Rodney Terry added a new piece to the puzzle with the commitment of Canadian big man Kaosi Ezeagu this evening. Ezeagu, a 2018 big man, chose UTEP over South Carolina and Western Michigan. He also becomes the second Canadian on UTEP’s roster, joining redshirt junior wing Isiah Osborne.

Ezeagu, listed at 6-foot-10, developed a reputation as a defensive-minded big man. He graduated from GTA Prep at Mississauga Secondary School in Brampton, Canada. Ezeagu participated in the BioSteel All Canadian High School Basketball Game this year, the equivalent of the McDonald’s All-American Game in the United States.

He will team up with fellow incoming freshman Efe Odigie to man the center position. While Odigie is lauded for his offensive touch in the paint and hands, Ezeagu thrives as a rim-protector. He joins Nigel Hawkins, Odigie and Deon Stroud in UTEP’s 2018 class.

There are still five scholarships left for Terry and his staff to use. NJIT combo forward Anthony Tarke, who recently officially visited UTEP, is set to make his decision tomorrow. Tarke’s finalists are Maryland, South Alabama and UTEP.