Tim Floyd, who was hired as UTEP’s basketball coach in March, secured his first recruiting coup back in late April – he got a verbal from a kid named Michael Haynes, who had gone from being a good recruit (Xavier, Minnesota, South Florida were in pursuit) to being coveted by the heavyweights (Duke, UCLA, Texas). His AAU teammate, Desmond Lee, also decided to play for Floyd and UTEP. How’s Floyd land a stud like Haynes? Well, this could shed some light on his decision – Haynes’ AAU coach, Jason Niblett, became a UTEP assistant coach over the holiday weekend. Wonder if Floyd, fresh off the OJ Mayo debacle, is being closely watched by the NCAA. [Martinsville Bulletin, photo via Getty]