We are still a couple of weeks away from the tip-off of the college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to start preparing for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with UTEP assistant coach Earl Boykins, who talked about beating Duke in the 1996 NCAA tourney and his expectations for this season.
In the 1996 NCAA tourney as a player at Eastern Michigan you scored 23 PTS in a win over Duke: what was it like to face Coach K in the postseason? It was a great experience for both me and my teammates. It was an opportunity to show that we could compete on the national stage against 1 of the elite programs in the country.
You were the leading scorer for team USA at the 1997 World University Games: what did it mean to you to represent your country, and what did it mean to you to win a gold medal? It is a great honor to represent your country. As an athlete you do not realize how great it is until you put on the uniform and are standing on the podium listening to the national anthem.
As a senior in 1998 you were named MAC tourney MVP, were #2 in the nation with 26.8 PPG, and won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award as the nation’s most outstanding senior who is 6’ or shorter: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? You never play basketball to receive honors: the only reason I played was to win as many games as possible. That was my whole focus.
Your 624 career AST remain the most in school history: what is the secret to being a great PG? You need guys who can put the ball in the basket. The tempo we played with was fast-paced and I had great teammates around me.
You remain the 2nd-shortest player in NBA history at 5’5” (behind Muggsy Bogues at 5’3”) but despite weighing 133 pounds you could bench press more than 300 pounds: did you see your size as an advantage or disadvantage on the court? It was definitely an advantage. When you are the smallest guy on the court you never have to adjust the way you play. The only time I had to adjust was when facing Muggsy! From elementary school through the NBA I never changed the way that I played.
Despite being an undrafted free agent you played 12 years in the NBA and your 87.6 career FT% remains top-25 all-time: what is the key to making FTs? Just relaxing. It comes down to fundamentals/form. I never dribbled the ball at the line: it is just about muscle memory.
In 2011 your alma mater retired your #11 jersey: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It was very humbling, especially when you think about all of the players who came out of Eastern Michigan.
Last year you were hired as an assistant at UTEP: why did you take the job, and what was the hardest part of year #1? My goal is to eventually become a head coach and Joe Golding asked me to come join his staff: I am very thankful to him. I get to go out on the road to recruit and keep developing as a coach.
You lost each of your top-5 scorers from last year (Souley Boum/Jamal Bieniemy/Keonte Kennedy/Tydus Verhoeven/Jorell Saterfield): how will you try to replace all of that offense? We have 10 new guys this year and are a much deeper team than last year. We will do it by committee and have some tough guys who will compete night in and night out.
What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? Our goal is to go out and play hard and get better every single game. I expect us to be a hard-nosed team.