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EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Joe Golding has been named the new coach at UTEP after a decade at Abilene Christian that included an upset victory for the Wildcats in the first round of this season’s NCAA Tournament.
Golding replaces Rodney Terry, who left after three seasons to become an assistant at Texas under new Longhorns coach Chris Beard, who left Texas Tech.
No. 14 seed Abilene Christian beat the No. 3 Longhorns, the Big 12 tournament champions, in the NCAA tourney last month.
In a statement from UTEP before his formal introduction Wednesday, Golding said he was honored and humbled to be the new coach of the Miners.
“Growing up in Midland and West Texas, I know all about the storied history and tradition of the Miner program — the 1966 national championship, the NCAA Tournament appearances, the conference titles and all the tremendous head coaches who have come through the Sun City, including the legendary Don Haskins,” Golding said.
The 45-year-old Golding was 158-144 during his 10 seasons as head coach of his alma mater, guiding Abilene Christian’s transition from NCAA Division II to Division I and the last two NCAA tournaments. The Wildcats were 71-23 overall during the past three seasons, including 24-5 this season.
Golding, who played point guard at ACU from 1994-98, took over as the head coach in 2011. The Wildcats began competing at the Division I level during the 2013-14 season and five years later made their first NCAA Tournament appearance.
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