Previewing their 2016-17 season, the UTEP men’s basketball team debuted in front of the El Paso crowd for the first time this season in their annual Orange-White scrimmage.
The day was filled with a 3-point contest followed by a slam-dunk challenge. Forward Jake Flaggert stole the 3-point contest, nailing 14 in the first round and 10 in the final round against guard Dominic Artis.
During the dunk contest, Tim Cameron and Isiah Osborne stole the fans with their slams in the first round. Cameron boasted a windmill dunk, while Osborne leaped over a trainer. The two noteworthy performances landed the two in the finals round. But in the end it was Cameron, who hopped over 7-foot-1 center Kelvin Jones for the dunk, and won the crowd’s approval for the slam dunk champion.
“It was really important to get out here and have some of these guys playing with the lights on and with a crowd in the stands,” head coach Tim Floyd said. “It’s always interesting to see how guys react with a crowd versus who they are in practice. We always learn a great deal.”
The orange squad, fronted by Omega Harris, Artis, Terry Winn, Flaggert and Jones, stormed out in the first half. They opened up with a 10-3 run against the white. They scored 14 of 17 of the first points scored. The white could not get anything going offensively, and fell behind the first half 35-18.
Harris was on fire during the first half, drilling deep shots and dishing off solid assists. He ended the night with a whopping 35 points, making 12-of-17 shots.
Paul Thomas, Matt Willms and Trey Touchet led a late comeback for the White squad in the second half, cutting the score at the nine-minute mark 49-44. Thomas commanded the jump shots, while Touchet aimed for the outside shots.
Willms, who returned to the scene for the first time since the 2014-15 season, came back to the Don Haskins Center, playing for the first time since the 2014-15 season. He showed some promise in his rehabilitation process, but was still limited in minutes during the scrimmage.
“I think it was very good for Matt Willms to get out there and be able to play,” Floyd said. “It’s the first competition he has had in two years. He has literally only practiced for seven days in two years. I thought it was so important for him to get some reps.”
