UTEP basketball inks Juco All-American, former 4-star standout Ahamad Bynum

(Courtesy: UTEP Athletics)

EL PASO, Texas - NJCAA Second-Team All-American and former consensus top 100 and four-star prospect Ahamad Bynum (Trinity Valley Community College) has signed a national letter of intent to compete with the UTEP men’s basketball team beginning with the 2024-25 season, head coach Joe Golding announced Wednesday.

He will have two years of eligibility.

This will mark the fourth straight class with a Region XIV signee for Golding, with Bynum set to play alongside ’24-25 seniors Derick Hamilton and Corey Camper Jr. Former Miner Bonke Maring also ventured to the Sun City from Region XIV.

A profile on Bynum and a quote from Golding follows below.

Ahamad Bynum
Guard
6-3, 180
Trinity Valley Community College
Chicago, Ill.

Earned NJCAA Second-Team All-America status after a banner season for perennial power Trinity Valley Community College in 2023-24 … poured in a team-leading 18.3 points per game to go along with 4.4 rebounds per game, 2.1 assists per contest and 1.6 steals per game while starting all 35 tilts … efforts helped TVCC win its second straight Region XIV championship, qualify for the NCJCAA Tournament, post a 27-8 record and earn a national ranking each week of the season … consistent scorer who reached double figures in 31 of 35 contests, including the final 17 games … went off for at least 20 points 15 times, including both contests in the NJCAA Tournament (24.5 ppg) … tallied 13 of the team’s first 17 points, aided by drilling four triples, to help TVCC race to a 17-1 lead in an eventual 61-54 win against Georgia Highlands (3/24/24) to advance to the tournament’s Sweet 16 … erupted for 27 points, including nailing five triples, in the ensuing game vs. Triton College (3/25/25) … recorded a season-high 31 points on 8-16 shooting, aided by filling up 7-14 from distance … burst onto the scene with 28 points (10-16 FG, 5-7 3PFG) in campaign-opening win at Southwestern Christian College (11/1/23) … was 10-20 from the floor, including 6-11 from distance, on the way to a 27-point showing at Angelina College (11/29/23) … surpassed 20 points in four consecutive contests in late January, averaging 25.0 ppg during the hot streak … snagged seven or more rebounds six times … flirted with double-doubles at Pensacola State (nine points, nine rebounds, 11/20/23) and at Grayson College (14 points, eight boards, 11/4/23) … nailed at least five treys in nine contests, including both in the NJCAA Tourney, on the way to finishing 113-291 (38.8 percent) from beyond-the-arc … overall connected on 220-518 (42.5) from the floor and 87-117 (74.4 percent) at the charity stripe … signed with BIG EAST member DePaul out of high school where he played in 11 contests during the 2022-23 season … set DI career high for points with 10 against both Oklahoma State (11/20/22) and Texas A&M (11/25/22) … also had three boards vs. the Aggies … registered eight points and career-best four boards while logging a campaign-most 21 minutes against Duquesne (12/14/22) … connected on a 3-pointer in an appearance off the bench against, incidentally, UTEP (12/10/22) … did not play in 2021-22 … at the prep level was top 100 player nationally (No. 73 by both 247Sports and ESPN, No. 96 by Rivals) who also was rated the 17th-best shooting guard in the country according to ESPN and Rivals … was the No. 3 prospect in Illinois by both ESPN and 247Sports … put up 20.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 3.2 apg to help lead Simeon HS to its 10th Chicago Public League title, a city where the Miners have a historical lineage … Derrick Rose, Jabari Parker and the late Ben Wilson, along with former Miner Evan Gilyard, are among the greats the school has produced … garnered Honorable-Mention Junior All-American honors from MaxPreps … named to the Chicago Sun-Times All City First Team and also to the All-Area team, the lone junior to do so … competed with Mac Irvin Fire on the AAU circuit.

“We are fired up that Ahamad Bynum has chosen to join our UTEP Basketball family and share in the goals we have for this upcoming season. Dating back to Coach Haskins’s earliest teams, this program has thrived on a Chicago pipeline. I couldn’t be any more excited to add to that lineage of talent here at UTEP. He is a dynamic player with a natural gift to score the basketball, and a love for this game that is unmatched. This type of work ethic accompanied with his winning mentality are all reasons he has been a top priority for our staff in the recruiting process. He is coming off a Region XIV Championship and advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament this season at one of the most storied junior colleges in the country in Trinity Valley where he was coached and mentored by Martin Levinson and Guy Furr. We couldn’t be more excited for what he brings to our roster for the 2024-25 season!”

Head coach Joe Golding