UTEP snags the highly touted big man

    For a good chunk of the off-season, we all expected UTEP to use their final scholarship on a college transfer, whether it was a guard or a big man. However, former DePaul signee Babacar Mbengue announced his commitment to the Miners yesterday. The 3-star center from Olympus Prep Academy in New Jersey is a top 200 recruit and is UTEP's 6th highest-rated commit in school history. 

   Mbengue will become the first seven-footer of the Joe Golding era at UTEP, but having a big-man of that size is something Golding himself is familiar with. Kolton Kohl was an instrumental piece on the Abilene Christian team that beat Texas in 2021. Kohl, a 7-foot center, averaged 12 PPG on that team. 

   As for Mbengue, his game projects him as a polished defender with a developing offensive game. His natural athleticism and size is what makes him such an intriguing prospect, and with Jeremy Cox being a proven developer of big-men, Mbengue could be a force for the Miners in the future. However, sources confirmed to MinerStrikes that the plan is to redshirt Mbengue this upcoming season and have him develop with the team this season. 

   The Dakar, Senegal, native held offers from multiple high-major teams prior to committing to DePaul, such as USC, Utah, Kansas State, SMU, Temple, and Mississippi State among others. As I previously mentioned, Mbengue will become the 6th highest-rated recruit in UTEP history, which places him above names like Paul Thomas and Lee Moore.