Posted on: Monday, February 21, 2005

Parting shot for UTEP

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist

Asked if the University of Texas-El Paso men's basketball team would be practicing in the Stan Sheriff Center, Hawai'i coach Riley Wallace quipped: "Don't we have a graduation, or something, that could keep them out?"

He was joking ... we think.

Though given the history involved, including UTEP shutting the 'Bows out of its arena in January, you could hardly blame Wallace for wanting to fire what could be the last salvo in one of the Rainbow Warriors' better series rivalries.

Barring a meeting in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament next month, tonight's 7:05 game will be the 51st — and last — collision between the two schools as WAC members. UTEP, the current senior member of the WAC, bolts to Conference USA on July 1.

UH won't much miss the departures of Southern Methodist or Rice and, only slightly Tulsa, which are also heading to C-USA. But the exit of the Miners will be a major loss. In the 67 seasons UH has been playing college competition, only Utah, with 56 meetings and New Mexico (55), have been more frequent opponents for the 'Bows.

It only seems like the 63-year-old Wallace has been around for all of them. Certainly, he and UTEP legend Don "The Bear" Haskins had some memorable confrontations over the years. And, such has been Wallace's 22-year tour of duty in the conference that fans in El Paso — a couple in particular — know him on a first-name basis. That name, however, can't be printed in this family newspaper.

We've seen it all in this series, UTEP piling it up one year in a game the 'Bows felt helped keep them out of the NCAA Tournament. And, the Miners forced to forfeit a game they'd just won in the WAC Tournament.

So, when the 'Bows got to El Paso last month and the Miners would not make the Haskins Center available over a two-day period, it didn't take Wallace long to suspect something more afoot than last-minute scheduling problems.

"They didn't like that we came in early," said Wallace, who was forced to take his team to a high school and across state lines to New Mexico State to practice.

Last year UTEP refused to accommodate Hawai'i's request to change a game in El Paso that would have lessened post-Bracket Buster travel problems. Instead, UH had less than 48 hours from the end of its Bracket Buster game at Southern Illinois until it tipped off at UTEP.

And, the Miners have apparently been miffed in the past when they were unable to practice in the Sheriff Center, seeing conspiracy in the UH men's volleyball team playing there instead.

So, tonight could be the last UH-UTEP WAC game. Just don't bet on it being an uneventful one.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.