Following UTEP’s loss to Tulane over the weekend, I was thinking about how unique this season has been up to this point for Coach Tim Floyd and his team with 10 games to go.

I know most fans might think I am crazy but I can’t ever recall being this excited about a 10-10 (3-3 CUSA) UTEP basketball team since I started following the team as a kid back in the late 80s.

This has been a roller coaster of a season to say the least and although there have been some disappointing moments along the way in some hard fought losses on the road (most recently at Tulsa and Tulane) as well as plenty of inconsistent play with so many young players.

There have been some bright spots as this team has played well at home (especially in conference play) and even in defeat they continue to play hard until the games clock runs down to 0.  Almost every game this season home or away has been competitive and some have been downright exciting to the end even when the Miners took the loss.

Barring a ten-game winning streak to end the season or a shocking run in the Conference USA tournament this team will not make the NCAA tournament or even the NIT.  Not trying to rain on anyone’s parade just the reality of the situation.

However, there are some intriguing story lines to follow as the rest of the season unfolds.

First and probably the most bittersweet storyline is Gabriel McCulley’s swan song as he ends his career at UTEP. Not exactly how he envisioned his senior season coming to a close, but he has been the indisputable leader of the team and arguably the Miners most valuable player.

His experience has been instrumental to this team’s development and his high level of play has given the squad a swagger we didn’t see when he was sidelined with his injury earlier this season.  His contributions will be felt for a long time as he helps prepare the freshmen and sophomores for the rest of this year and the seasons to come.

Next and somewhat surprising is the breakout performances by the sophomore duo of Michael Perez and John Bohannon.  Like most fans you could see the potential of both players as freshmen and earlier this season it seemed as if the coaching staff and players were still trying to figure out their roles for this team.

After some consistent play over the last month, both players have cemented their status as starters for the foreseeable future and look to finish this year on a strong note leading up to their junior and senior campaigns.  It has certainly been refreshing to see how both players have seemed to mature both on and off the court after a bumpy first year in El Paso.

Finally and arguably the best story line of all, is watching the youngsters develop before our eyes.

Floyd has not been shy in playing freshman this season and while it has been out of necessity with limited veteran options you can plainly see the future is bright for this UTEP basketball program.

I would be remiss to start the conversation without mentioning future star and current starter Julian Washburn, who has been a major contributor in his first year with the program.  While most (including myself) are blown away with his athleticism, including some high flying dunks, Washburn has a smooth offense game and continues to impress on the defensive side of the ball.

Another player making some significant strides in his first year is Cedrick Lang, who has been a pleasant surprise bringing some much needed size and depth to the undersized Miner frontcourt especially with the injury to Malcolm Moore.  As a relative unknown coming from South Dakota he has made a name for himself and is getting better every minute he logs on the court.

Even with limited minutes, the remaining freshmen (CJ Cooper, D’Von Campbell and Jalen Ragland) have been able to gain valuable court experience and their time will come as soon as next season.  Throw in a healthy Hooper Vint plus an impressive 2012 recruiting class and UTEP’s stock is definitely on the rise.

I just hope the fans can appreciate this team even if the results don’t reflect how hard they are working towards the future.

Now is the perfect time to jump on the bandwagon and be one of the fans that can say “I was there from the beginning” and watch as Coach Floyd brings UTEP back to the Don Haskins-type glory days.

Josh Puga can be reached at show@minerillustrated.com or you can follow him on Twitter at @jpuga1966.