Josh Puga and UTEP 66 chime in this week with some information on basketball and football prospects.

EL PASO, Texas – Tired of searching for recruiting information or trying to debunk some rumors you saw on a message board? Well you’ve come to the right place. Miner Illustrated has decided to give its fans a one-stop shop to read all about it through the “Scouting Mine.”   

For each edition of the Scouting Mine, the staff at MI will bring you all of the UTEP information you can handle each week regarding football, basketball and any other sport that has relevant recruiting information.   

If we’ve missed something or you’d like to send us a note if you’re a recruit, parent or sports fan, feel free to contact us at show@minerillustrated.com.   

To save time and make sure every edition of the Scouting Mine gives diehard Miner fans the most comprehensive news, the updated information will be added to the top of each new article, while other links and notes will remain on the bottom. Hopefully this allows previous and new readers the ability to enjoy our content every week and not have to search for a small note they saw last week. Thanks and let us know how it works!   

The MI Recruiting Board …   

For those who would like to see information on the 2011 recruiting class, click here to see a list of prospects that the MI staff has their eyes on. The list is updated weekly with commits, stories and new school additions.  

Catching up with the recruits – Sept. 3 …
 

A.C. Patterson, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV), 6-foot, 295 lbs, Offensive Lineman   

8/21 vs. Hamilton (Ariz.)- Patterson helped his team amass over 200 yards rushing in a 24-17 defeat.   

8/28 vs. Del Oro (Calif.) – Patterson and the offensive line opened up the running lanes for 274 rushing yards in a convincing 38-13 win.   

Wardell Crutchfield, Baldwin Park (Baldwin, Calif.), 5-foot 10, 220 lbs, Linebacker   

9/3 vs. Roland   

8/27 vs. Southlake Carroll - Defense shuts out the Dragons after the half in a 35-14 upset win.   

9/3 vs. Waco   

Xavier “Xay” Williams, Ranchview (Carrolton, TX), 5-foot 11 inch, 195 lbs., Running back   

8/27 vs. Celina – Williams had a 74-yard TD run and finished with 81 yards on 4 rushes in a 62-14 loss.   

9/3 vs. Prosper   

Tyrone Darling, Seguin (Arlington,TX), 6-foot, 220 lbs., Linebacker   

8/26 vs. Ennis. Helped the defense shut down the opponent’s offense in a 40-7 win.   

9/2 vs. Poteet – Defense holds opponents to 269 total yards, but offense sputters in a 28-7 loss.   

Cody Elenz, Copperas Cove, Texas,  6-feet 5 inch 285 pound offensive lineman
The Bulldawgs powerful offensive attack defeated Waco Friday 49-27.   

Ishmael Harrison, Red Oak, Texas, 5-feet 10 inch 175 wide receiver,
Harrison rushed seven times for 59 yards, including a 35 yd. touchdown scamper. He also chipped in with 47 receiving yards in Red Oak’s 24-10 victory over last year’s defending co-district champion Lake Dallas.   

Clint Simon, Kingwood, Texas, 6-foot 3 inch 257 pound offensive lineman
The Kingwood Mustangs suffered their second loss of the season 31-0 to Clear Creek.   

Shane Huhn, Cibolo, Texas, 6-foot 185 pound defensive back
Cibolo Steele behind the running of Malcom Brown, and a solid defensive effort. rattled Round Rock 24-14. Huhn has 13 tackles in his first two games.   

Basketball Recruiting Updates – Aug 30th …   

Head coach Tim Floyd just received his first verbal commit for the 2011 class, but the coaching staff is continuing their work to bring the best players possible to UTEP. Miner Illustrated is pleased to share a few more recruits the Miners are pursuing.     

Phil Greene, 6-foot 2 inch, Combo Guard, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)   

Green is a dynamic guard with a great feel for the game.  He is extremely athletic and has great vision on the floor.  Green can penetrate the lane and dish to a teammate or finish on his own with above average ball handling skills.  He uses his length very well on defense which allows him to lock down his man.  Green is originally from Chicago, but decided to play his senior year at the IMG academy to prepare for the next level.  According to Zagsblog.com, Green currently has a top three of West Virginia, DePaul and St. Johns, but he is still considering UTEP, Oklahoma St., Oregon, Arizona St., and Marquette.  Here is some video of Greene showcasing his skills.    

Jake White, 6-foot 8 inch, Power Forward, Chaska High School (Chaska, MN)   

White is a skilled post player with a high basketball IQ.  He isn’t afraid to bang down low and rebounds well on both sides of the floor. White is a good shooter with range beyond the three-point line and finishes well around the basket. He is not overly athletic, but plays smart and hustles throughout the game. He needs to add some weight to his frame to stay at power forward, but a well-rounded player with a lot of upside. White currently has offers from UTEP, Wichita State, Colorado State, Navy and Northern Iowa. Here is a small video clip of White.   

Miner Illustrated’s own, Carlos M. Silva, Jr. sent in some notes regarding John Florveus a 7-foot center from Hillsborough Community College (FL).  According to SWFLHoops.com Florveus is set to visit UTEP this weekend.  We are continuing to monitor his recruitment and hope to have more information soon.    

Football recuiting update – Sept. 4 …   

With all eyes focused on the season opener against ArkansasPine Bluff, the Miner recruiting front has quieted down. The Miners have extended an offer to Arrius Holleman the excellent wide receiver out of Lubbock, Texas. At 6-feet 3 inches 176 pounds,  Holleman brings the ideal size and speed the Miners like in their wide outs. Holleman has used his 4.5 speed to get the 2010 season off to a fast start totaling five catches for 166 yards and two scores. The Dave Campbell Top 300 athlete has offers from the Miners, Houston, Rice and SMU.   

The Miners also have offered Carrollton’s 5 feet 11 inch 172 pound running back  Braxton Bearden. Dave Campbell’s Travis Stewart calls Bearden a 4A breakout player for 2010. Bearden plays multiple positions, including wide receiver, running back, kick returner and safety. In his YouTube video the first thing that jumps out is his 4.4 speed. Currently he holds offers from the Miners and Baylor with Texas Tech and several other schools showing significant interest in the Newman-Smith athlete.   

In other recruiting news, John Cabot and Stevie Dorman, two quarterbacks the Miners are looking at, are continuing to gain interest from several BCS schools, including UCLA and BYU.   

Catching up with the commits – Aug. 27 …   

Want to see how the recent UTEP verbal commitments are doing before they put on the Orange and Gold? Keep your eyes peeled every week for this section of the Scouting Mine as Josh Puga and UTEP66 give you the rundown on future Miners.   

A.C. Patterson, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), 6-foot, 295 lbs, Offensive Lineman   

8/21 vs. Hamilton (Ariz.) Patterson helped his team amass more than 200 yards rushing in a 24-17 defeat.   

Wardell Crutchfield, Baldwin Park (Baldwin, Calif.), 5-foot 10, 220 lbs, Linebacker   

Crutchfield opens his season Sept. 3  against Roland.   

Brandon Durant, Copperas Cove (Texas), 5-foot 11 inch, 180 lbs., Linebacker   

8/27 vs. Southlake Carroll defense shuts out the Dragons after the half in a 35-14 upset win.   

Xavier “Xay” Williams, Ranchview (Carrolton, Texas), 5-foot 11 inch, 195 lbs., Running back   

8/27 vs. Williams had a 74-yard TD run and finished with 81 yards on four rushes in a 62-14 loss.   

Tyrone Darling, Seguin, Texas, 6-foot, 220 lbs., Linebacker   

8/26 vs. Ennis Darling helped the defense shut down the opponent’s offense in a 40-7 win.   

Cody Elenz, Copperas Cove, Texas,  6-feet 5 inch 285 pound offensive lineman   

Paved the way for a relentless second half running attack in Copperas Cove’s 35-14 win over No. 25 Southlake Carroll.   

Ishmael Harrison, Red Oak, Texas, 5-feet 10 inch 175 wide receiver  

Harrison carried the ball three times for 124 yds  and two touchdowns in Red Oak’s 31-0 win over North Garland.   

Clint Simon, Kingwood, Texas, 6-foot 3 inch 257 pound offensive lineman   

Simon played well in Friendwood’s  27-14 loss to  Alief Elisk.   

Demetrius Jackson, Baldwin Park, California, 5-feet 10 inch 175 pound defensive back   

Jackson opens his season Sept. 3rd against Rowland.   

Shane Huhn, Cibolo, Texas, 6-foot 185 pound defensive back   

He had several open field tackles in their nationally televised 28-23 loss to San Antonio Madison.   

Back to the recruiting …   

According to UTEP66, the football team is looking at the junior college ranks for possible help in 2011. Offers have been extended to two JUCO defensive players, linebacker Josh Atkinson of Diablo Valley and cornerback AJ Annelus of Santa Monica.   

Atkinson, a December graduate, is 6-feet one inch 230 pounds with excellent 4.6 speed. Last year Atkinson had 82 tackles, including 14.5 for losses. A stellar student, he made the CCC All State Academic Team. In addition to the Miners offer, he has received ones from San Jose State and Utah State.   

The 5-11 inch 195 pound Annelus has 4.5 speed with good coverage skills. Annelus, in addition to offers from UTEP and Tulsa, is getting looks from Connecticut, Oregon State, Louisville and Illinois.   

In other recruiting news the Miners lost a prospective recruit when Kenneth Lynn signed with Iowa State. Lovett Gibson is scheduling his recruiting trips with his first reported trip, Sept. 17, to Minnesota.   

Basketball recruiting updates, through Aug. 29 …   

Miner Illustrated has some great followers who pass along so me great information and in this edition we would like to thank Quantumii_usa for contributing to the site. Here are some more recruits with offers  UTEP.   

Mycal Ammons, 6-foot 6 inch, SF, Vicksburg High (Vicksburg, MS)   

Ammons is a talented small forward with a lot of potential and extremely athletic.  He is a great shooter, especially from midrange and can finish strong in the paint off the dribble.  Ammons is a solid defender and rebounds well for someone who prefers to play on the perimeter.  He is a smart basketball player that makes great decisions in transition and in the half court.  Ammons was recently in Orlando at the AAU Nationals at the end of July.  He currently has offers from UTEP, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Southern Miss, Georgetown, LSU, Maryland and Miss State.  Missouri, UTEP and South Carolina are his top three choices.  Here is a highlight video of Ammons.   

LeAntwan Luckett, 6-foot 5 inch, SG, Ridgeland High (Ridgeland, MS)   

Luckett is a high-flying shooting guard that can break his opponent down with his dribble and take it to the rim or pull up and hit the midrange jumper.  He excels in transition and finishes above the rim with authority.  Luckett is improving his ball handling in the half-court and needs to work on hitting from long range, but his upside is hard to ignore.  Rivals has him rated in the top 150 at no. 77 and his recruitment is heating up.  He currently has offers from UTEP, Mississippi State, Baylor, Georgia, Arkansas and others. Luckett currently has Mississippi State, UTEP, Baylor, LSU and Missouri State in his Top 5.  Here is some video of Luckett.   

Tavon Sledge, 5-foot 9 inch, PG, Half Hollow Hills High (NY)   

Sledge is a lightning quick point guard prospect who plays much bigger than his listed height of 5-9.  He averaged 18 pts and 10 assists a game as a junior and helped his team go undefeated (21-0) while winning the Suffolk County AA Championship.  Sledge is a playmaker with a score first mentality, but can handle the rock and get teammates involved.  His quickness is an asset on defense which allows him to pressure the ball and create problems for opposing guards, but he can get overpowered by taller guards due to his height.  He needs to improve on his outside shot, but overall he would be a nice addition in the backcourt.  Sledge was also at the AAU Nationals and more recently at the NYC Golden Hoops in Brooklyn.  He currently has offers from UTEP, West Virginia, St. John’s, Fordham, Iowa State, Cincinnati and others.  Here is a small video clip of Sledge.   

As always, keep checking back to www.minerillustrated.com for the latest information regarding basketball, football, the recruiting trail and the rest of UTEP Athletics.   

The Miner Illustrated staff may be reached at show@minerillustrated.com.   

Scouting Mine Disclaimer: While the information we are reporting is gathered from other news sources, blogs and internet message boards in some cases, we always try and confirm information from either the player mentioned or via official statements from the UTEP Athletic Department.