Steve Escajeda

El Paso Inc. sports reporter, 600 ESPN Football Friday Night radio broadcaster, retired EPCC Mass Communication Manager, and most important of all ... Grandpa.

[Steve Escajeda @SteveEscajeda]

QB EJ Colson throws a TD pass in the back of the end zone during this morning’s spring game at the Sun Bowl.

[Adrian Broaddus @AdrianBroaddus]

UTEP Director of Athletics Jim Senter sent an email to fans today with the subject line “Future of UTEP Athletics.”

“Dear Miner Nation:

With our 2025-26 basketball seasons completed, I wanted to take a minute to update you on the current state of UTEP Athletics.

The win-loss records in football, men’s and women’s basketball are nowhere near where we want them to be, nor are they what our fans expect and deserve. We believe in our head coaches, who have all been highly successful in the past. But we understand that we need to provide them with the tools to be successful. I believe we have a resource challenge, not a head coaching issue. Let me explain.

College athletics has undergone widespread, unprecedented change in recent years. Student-athletes can now transfer liberally and become eligible the next year. They are also able to earn compensation by monetizing their Name, Image & Likeness (NIL), or entering into Revenue Sharing (Rev Share) agreements and being paid directly by their school.

Currently, NCAA Division I institutions such as UTEP can provide student-athletes with up to $20.5 million annually. The reality is, few schools at our level come close to matching that number. Still, it’s an “arms race,” and the schools with the most money are most likely to entice the most talented student-athletes to join their program and give them the best chance of enjoying success.

Last year, our fundraising efforts produced $1.1 million which we could allocate to Rev Share for recruiting and retaining football and basketball student-athletes. We anticipate having $3.45 million for Rev Share during the 2026-27 athletic year – a sizeable jump, but this number still needs to grow to keep up with our Mountain West (MW) peers.

We are grateful for our donors who contributed a record $12 million in fiscal year 2025. You may be wondering why more of this total wasn't allocated to Rev Share. Of the $12 million raised, $8 million was dedicated to our Climb Higher initiative which helped UTEP cover the exit fees and forfeiture of revenue associated with departing Conference USA. Essentially, our donors helped us keep the lights on the past two years! Now that we are in a more stable financial position entering the MW, we are able to allocate over $2.3 million from our budget to Rev Share which will supplement donor contributions, giving us the aforementioned $3.45 million budget.

You may have also read that UTEP has one of the top budgets for men’s basketball in CUSA. This is also accurate, but these monies are utilized solely for general operating expenses. The costs of team travel and recruiting are higher here due to our isolated location and factor into our basketball budget.

All told, it is an exciting time for UTEP Athletics as we officially join the MW on July 1. We have a tremendous opportunity as a fan base and community to bring UTEP back to national prominence, but we can't continue on our current path and expect different results. What is needed now is a unified Miner Nation and a collective investment from campus, students, alumni, donors and the El Paso community to ensure competitive success in our new home.

If you’re asking, “How can I help?,” the answer is simple. Get involved! Buy season tickets, join the Miner Athletic Club for as little as $9.15 per month, and contribute to our competitive excellence funds in support of the team(s) of your choice. If you’re a business owner, become a corporate partner and/or buy a group experience for your employees.

As we look to the future of UTEP Athletics, it will take all of us to “Reach the Peak” in the MW. I urge each of you to share this with your friends, family and UTEP fans far and wide, and ask them to join us in our fight. Help us to elevate our competitive success, pursue championships relentlessly, and “Climb Higher” as an athletic department and El Paso community.

Thank you and Go Miners!

Jim Senter 
Vice President and Director of Athletics”

[Steve Escajeda @SteveEscajeda]

Here’s a March Madness stat for you.
There’s no doubt that the U of Houston is the king of Texas college basketball.
Well, in the 2000’s, UTEP has played the Houston Cougars 25 times.
And the Miners hold a 14-11 advantage.

What the heck has happened?

[SamraAi @samra_Ai]

Which car should go first ??

[Steve Escajeda @SteveEscajeda]

UTEP men's basketball season is over after a 64-61 last-second loss to Jax St. The Miners (11-20) will not qualify for next week's CUSA Tournament in their final season in the league. @ElPasoInc

[Steve Escajeda @SteveEscajeda]

Final, Jax St. 64, UTEP 61.
Miners finish the season 11-20 and 7-13 in CUSA action. Jamal West led the Miners with 19 pts and 11 rebounds. Caleb Blackwell and LA Hayes added 10 pts apiece. @ElPasoInc

[Steve Escajeda @SteveEscajeda]

Jacksonville State's Mostapha Moutauakkil hits a 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat UTEP 64-61. UTEP's Jamal West hit two FTs with 8 seconds left to tie things at 61-61 before the final shot. With the loss, UTEP is eliminated from the CUSA Tournament. @ElPasoInc

[Steve Escajeda @SteveEscajeda]

UTEP's LA Hayes hits a jumper to cut the Jax St. lead to 60-59 with 20 seconds left in regulation. The Gamecocks will have the ball after the timeout. @ElPasoInc

[Steve Escajeda @SteveEscajeda]

Jax St. leads UTEP 60-57 with 44 seconds left. The Miners will have the ball with 22 seconds left on the shot clock. The Miners have hit 4 of their last 6 shots. @ElPasoInc

[Steve Escajeda @SteveEscajeda]

Jax St. leads UTEP 59-55 with 1:33 left. The Miners will have the ball after the timeout. @ElPasoInc

[Steve Escajeda @SteveEscajeda]

Jax St. leads UTEP 56-53 with 2:20 left in regulation. The Gamecocks have hit just 1 of their last 7 shots. @ElPasoInc

[Steve Escajeda @SteveEscajeda]

After not making a field goal in nearly 10 minutes and falling behind by 12, UTEP has rallied to cut the Jax St. lead to 55-49 with 3:29 left.
Jamal West leads the Miners with 15 pts and 11 rebounds. @ElPasoInc

[Steve Escajeda @SteveEscajeda]

After UTEP led 39-36 with 15:17 left, Jax St. has gone on a 16-1 run to lead the Miners 52-40 with 7:41 remaining. At one point, the Miners hadn't scored a point in 6:28. Two of UTEP's leading scorers, Kaseem Watson and Elijah Jones, have combined for 0 points. @ElPasoInc

[Steve Escajeda @SteveEscajeda]

Jax St. is on an 11-0 run to increase its lead to 47-39 over UTEP with 10:12 left.
Miners have scored 0 points and committed 3 turnovers in the last 5:05. @ElPasoInc

[Steve Escajeda @SteveEscajeda]

Jax St. is on a 7-0 run to take a 43-39 lead over UTEP with 11:09 left in the 2nd half.
After taking a 39-36 lead, Miners haven't scored in 4:08. @ElPasoInc

[Steve Escajeda @SteveEscajeda]

UTEP has outscored Jax St. 8-2 to open the 2nd half, to take a 37-34 lead with 15:43 left. Senior Jamal West is making the most of his final regular-season game, with 13 pts and 9 boards. @ElPasoInc

[Steve Escajeda @SteveEscajeda]

Halftime, Jax St. 32, UTEP 29.
Miners started the game 2-11 from the field, but were 9-16 the rest of the way. @ElPasoInc

[Steve Escajeda @SteveEscajeda]

Halftime, Jax St. 32, UTEP 29.
Jones struggles continues.
Miners leading scorer, Elijah Jones, who scored only 3 pts in the last 2 games combined, didn't score in the first half. @ElPasoInc

[Steve Escajeda @SteveEscajeda]

Jax St. leads UTEP 32-29 at the half.
Jamal West leads the Miners with 9 pts and 6 rebounds. LA Hayes and Caleb Blackwell added 6 apiece. @ElPasoInc

[Steve Escajeda @SteveEscajeda]

Jax St. leads UTEP 30-29 with 27 seconds left in the 1st. Miners have hit 5 of their last 7 shots. @ElPasoInc