UTEP strikes gold with commitment from Oklahoma transfer Jamal Bienemy
EL PASO, Texas - In a time where patience has proved fundamental, it has paid off for Rodney Terry and the UTEP men's basketball team in the biggest way way possible.
The Miners struck gold Thursday when Oklahoma transfer guard Jamal Bienemy chose the Miners as his new home, per a report from Stadium's Jeff Goodman.
Bienemy is scheduled to sit out the 2020-21 season and have two years of eligibilty with UTEP, but will certainly apply for a waiver to allow him to take the floor right away. The NCAA has stated they will take the coronavirus pandemic into account when. making those decisions.
In Bienemy, UTEP is getting a 6"5 true point guard who has cut his teeth in one of college's basketball's toughest conferences.
It came as a shock to many around the college basketball realm when Bienemy entered the transfer portal on April 10th, considering he was at one time thought to be future star in the Big-12.
Bienemy started 47 games over two seasons with the Sooners, including 30 of 31 games last season as Oklahoma's primary ball-handler and best perimeter defender.
As a true freshman in 2018-19, Bienemy shot 40% from the 3-point line and started 17 games for an Oklahoma team that was in and out of the Top 25 all season.
“Jamal's like the poster boy for a young Big 12 player who you're looking at and saying, ‘This kid's got a chance to be a star some day,'” ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla told The Oklahoman in 2019.
However, Bienemy's numbers fell off in his sophomore campaign, averaging just 5.2 points per game and shooting just 25% from the 3-point line.
Regardless, a player of Bienemy's potential and experience is a major boon for Rodney Terry's backcourt that saw a constant shuffle at the point guard position.
Both Jordan Lathon (UW-Milwaukee) and Nigel Hawkins (Stephen F. Austin) transferred out of the program after the season, but neither player showed consistency as the primary balhandler.
Souley Boum saw action at the point guard spot and was second on the team in scoring (12.9 ppg), but Bienemy's addition would allow him to move to an off-ball role when he is most comfortable.
With a long 6"5 frame to to apply defensive pressure and security handling the basketball, Bienemy on paper is everything Rodney Terry is looking for in a point guard, regardless of when he becomes eligbile.
Bienemy was a 4-star recruit of Tompkins High School (Katy, TX) and is the nephew of Eric Bienemy, offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
UTEP went 17-15 last season. their first time over .500 since 2015-16.
