Joe Golding - UTEP Men`s Basketball - UTEP Defense

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Joe Golding, who led Abilene Christian to the NCAA Tournament in two of his final three seasons with the program and an upset win over third-seed Texas in the 2021 "Big Dance" was appointed the 20th head coach in UTEP men’s basketball history on April 13, 2021.

He will carry a career record of 210-192 (13 years) into the 2024-25 season, including a mark of 52-48 (three years) with UTEP.

He has enjoyed two winning seasons in three years at the helm of the Miners, including guiding UTEP to 18 victories and runner-up honors at the 2024 CUSA Championships. It marked the Orange and Blue’s first appearance in the championship contest of the league tournament since 2011. The run to the finals was unprecedented for the program for multiple reasons. UTEP’s No. 5 seed was the lowest in the 13 appearances that it has now made in a conference tournament championship game. The Miners took out the No. 1 seed, Sam Houston, 65-63, in the semifinals, their first win against a top seed at the league tournament since the 1993 WAC Championships. Furthermore, they became the first squad in school history to come back from double-digit deficits to win consecutive contests at the league tournament.

Some other notables for 2023-24 included helping UTEP lead the country in both steals per game (11.4) and turnovers forced per game (18.7). The Miners shattered the prior standard (280, 2002-023 and 2022-23) with their 389 total thefts, which also rates second all-time in CUSA History. That trailed only the 395 by UAB in 2002-03. UTEP also broke the program mark for turnovers forced in a season with 636. The Miners showed grit, winning a game at the league tournament by two points or less for the first time since 1992 after they ousted top seed Sam Houston.

Golding’s first coaching job was as a varsity assistant at South Garland High School, where he helped the team to back-to-back Class 5A playoff appearances. He spent the 2001-02 season as an assistant coach at Seminole Junior College before taking the head coaching job at Sachse High School. During the program’s first years at the 5A level, Golding led the team to a 15-14 record in 2002-03 and an 18-10 mark in 2003-04. Golding spent the 2004-05 season as an assistant coach at Collin County Community College, and the next three seasons (2005-08) as the top assistant to head coach Jason Copeland at ACU before joining head coach Steve Shields’ staff at Arkansas Little Rock.  His three years at UALR (2008-11) produced a Sun Belt Conference title and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Golding was a four-year letter winner at ACU from 1994-98, playing in all 108 games, and was given the Teague Point Guard Award as a senior. He shot 46 percent from the floor over his four-year career, and averaged 4.2 assists per game. He graduated from ACU with a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport science in May of 1999.

Golding and his wife, Amanda, have two sons, Cason and Chase