UTEP men’s basketball picks up Tarleton State transfer Devon Barnes

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — UTEP men’s basketball has picked up the talents of guard Devon Barnes for the 2024-25 college basketball season.

Barnes announced his commitment to UTEP earlier this month.

UTEP head coach Joe Golding made it official with an announcement on Thursday.

Barnes comes to UTEP after he spent the last season playing at Tarleton State in the Western Athletic Conference.

The product out of Hinesville, Ga. started 34 of the Texans’ 35 games last season. Barnes was the team’s second leading scorer as he averaged 13.0 points per game, the 14th best in the WAC. Barnes recorded 25 double-digit scoring contests and placed seventh in the WAC with seven 20-point outings. Barnes shot 43.2% from the floor and 39.7% from three-point range last season with the Texans. Barnes also averaged 2.2 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game.

“I could not be any more excited to announce Devon Barnes’s signing as a UTEP Miner! Devon is someone we identified almost immediately as a player that we needed to have in order to accomplish the goals we have set for the 2024-25 season,” UTEP head coach Joe Golding said. “We feel that he is the perfect fit to come in and be an immediate impact guy with his ability to elevate players on the court around him. He is a dynamic playmaker, a natural leader on the court, and what we love most about him is his track record of winning at every level. Beyond his athletic abilities, he and his family spent time during his childhood here in El Paso when his father was stationed at Ft. Bliss. He cherishes what it means to be a UTEP Miner and grew up watching some of the great Miner teams. It was obvious what putting on the UTEP jersey means to him, and I couldn’t be happier for him to fulfill that life-long dream!”

Barnes will have two years of eligibility with the Miners, who are coming off a run to the CUSA Championship contest for the first time since 2011.

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