Terry Winn leaves UTEP Basketball but numbers say move isn’t uncommon

On Wednesday, Head Coach Tim Floyd addressed the sudden departure of Terry Winn, who tweeted Saturday he was leaving the team.

“You know, he had quit us twice as a freshman, and at some point you move on and you give the guys that you’ve got in your program that are really quality, good people – not that Terry isn’t, I wish him the best, I wish him well – but we needed to focus on the guys that we have,” said Floyd.

But according to ESPN’s 2016 transfer list, 546 of 633 players transferred to another school to continue playing basketball. 46% of the transfers went to a Division 1 school, while the others typically left for a Division 11 program or an NAIA school.

According to that same report, 269 Division 1 men’s basketball teams had at least one player transfer to a new program for the 2016-2017 season, meaning Winn’s transfer may not be as uncommon as one may think.

Not to mention, two UTEP players in forwards Josh McSwiggan and Brodricks Jones leaving the program back in late April.

But some UTEP fans commend the coach for his actions. Adrian Calvillo, a 7 year UTEP season ticket holder, said Coach Floyd did the right thing.

“I do applaud him for sticking to his guns,” Calvillo said. “He’s not going to be a coach that is going to be crawling back to the player, when it should be vice versa.”

While another former season ticket holder, Eric Huesby, said the transfers seem to happy every season and can’t be help create a winning formula.

“A lot of their better players have transfered,” Huesby said. “Where a lot of times a player transfers to a smaller school for more playing time. I just know as a former season ticket holder the product hadn’t been as exciting, hasn’t gone as deep into the postseason as they used to. And I think it’ll be a struggle to keep marketing that.”

Floyd sent Winn home during the Charleston Classic Tournament approximately two weeks ago. According to Floyd, Winn then did not show up for a practice a few days later.

UTEP then lost a game against Southeastern Louisiana – a game in which Winn did not play.After that game, Floyd said he had not heard from Winn since sending him home from the Charleston Classic.