With many players abroad, UTEP women's basketball gets going with new staff

This is a busy, interesting and a bit disjointed time for the UTEP women's basketball team.

Summer practice is in its second week and at the moment, the team of 14 players and four coaches is scattered.

On Wednesday new coach Keitha Adams was in Wichita finalizing her move to El Paso with an eye on closing on a house here by the weekend. Assistant Ewa Laskowska doesn't close on her house until next week so she ran the Wednesday practice.

There were eight players at that workout, seven of whom were healthy, so the game was three-on-three. Reinforcements come Monday when the newest signee, freshman Aaliyah Stanton and her 30-point-a-game average for California's Rancho Christian High, arrives, along with an unnamed local walk-on.

The other five players on the roster are in Europe or Africa, serving national team duty for their countries well into August, and won't arrive until the fall semester starts.

"We understand, we've done it every year," Laskowska said of the missing internationals. "It would be nice to have them all so they can start playing with each other, but that's not a disadvantage by any means."

As for what UTEP does have at the moment, "They are doing well," Laskowska said. "The energy is there, the effort is there. Right now that's all we can ask for. It's a little bit hard, we're not able to go with our team stuff since we're missing a few key options, but the kids have great energy and effort. That's all we can ask for."

Life in July is always different for the UTEP women and men because of the preponderance of international players on the women's roster playing for their country around the time America celebrates its birthday.

With a new coaching staff and nine new players (eight scholarship) to mesh in with five returners, the Miners have a lot to do between now and November and that process is already coming along, in the gym and outside it.

"We've been hanging out a lot off the court trying to get to know each other, build chemistry with one another," said junior guard Ivane Tensaie, a transfer from Penn State who two years ago was the NJCAA freshman of the year for North Dakota State School of Science. "I'm really enjoying it, I love it so far.

"It's a little bit (of an adjustment) but I'm beginning to enjoy adapting more to the ball screen, stuff like that. I've been able to get ahead of it at little bit. It's been going well."

Recruiting Tensaie truly was a case of third time is a charm, as Adams and Laskowska recruited her a year ago out of junior college, again for Wichita State when Tensaie entered the transfer portal at last season's end and finally, successfully, for UTEP.

"I was really just looking for the right fit for me," Tensaie said. "I had developed a relationship with coach Adams and coach Ewa when I was at JUCO. When they reached out to me when I was in the portal, it was a match made in heaven. So I'm glad I came here, I trust them a lot, it's been great so far.

"I love the city, I love the people, the community is great. I'm happy to be here."

Mariama Sow, a 6-foot-3 center, is one of two players coming here from New Mexico Junior College, along with guard Delma Zita. Zita is with the Mozambique national team at the moment.

"It's a little bit different here," Sow said. "JUCO was a little easier than here. Here we work hard and go for it. My teammates and coaches are such good people. I'm having fun with them, they're good people."

One of those people is Veonce Powell. The sophomore guard was with the Miners last year but didn't play a game as she rehabbed a knee injury suffered in junior college. She's healthy now and competing along with Tensaie for the starting point guard job that figures to be the one starting spot the Miners need to fill.

"It's going great to be out here practicing with the new team we have, new coaches, all that," Powell said. "I'm blessed to be in this position right now.

"There's going to be a new system so we're all still learning. We're all learning each other, our chemistry is getting better each and every day and it's going to be fun to watch by the time November comes."

As for what UTEP is looking to accomplish with seven, soon to be nine, players this July, Laskowska brought out two goals.

"The biggest thing, obviously, getting in shape," she said. "That's the biggest thing. Two, we spend the summer for skill work, trying to get our players comfortable with any spot on the floor. We always preach about guys being able to do things inside and guys being comfortable outside.

"So we really preach for everybody to have a good skill set. That's what we're focused on."

They have four months to bring that together and the trail to there has begun.

Bret Bloomquist can be reached at 915-546-6359; bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: With many players abroad, UTEP women get going with new staff