Evan Gilyard, Kobe Magee announce they are leaving UTEP
Both Evan Gilyard and Kobe Magee announced Tuesday on Twitter that they will be leaving the UTEP men’s basketball program.
The two guards played extensively for the Miners early in the season, but the emergence of freshmen Jordan Lathon and Nigel Hawkins altered their roles down the stretch.
Gilyard scored 20 or more points in six of the first ten games this season before failing to reach the 20-point mark in his final 13 games.
He nonetheless was still able to average an impressive 13.6 points per game for the Miners while turning in two impressive performances against rival New Mexico State (43 combined points in two games vs. NMSU). Gilyard also poured in a season-best 29 points against Eastern New Mexico in November.
Magee played all 40 minutes in each of UTEP’s first two games of the season, but he saw his minutes reduced as the season wore on. He averaged a little under four points per game in 2018-19 but showed flashes of his scoring ability in multiple games, including when he scored a career-high 16 points against New Mexico in the 2017-18 season.
Neither player indicated where he plans to transfer, but both thanked UTEP fans and the program for their support.
Gilyard is orginally from Chicago, while Magee is a native of San Antonio.
With Gilyard and Magee moving on and senior Paul Thomas graduating, UTEP’s roster next season will be entirely comprised of players recruited by new head coach Rodney Terry.
