UTEP head coach Rodney Terry is set to hire Kenton Paulino as his top assistant coach, a source tells KTSM 9 Sports.
A source has confirmed earlier reports to KTSM that Kenton Paulino is the newest assistant coach at UTEP. Paulino was on staff w/Rodney Terry at Fresno State and spent the last two seasons at Tulsa.
Source said Paulino is already on campus and will be the Miners’ top assistant.— Colin Deaver (@ColinDeaverTV) April 11, 2019
The Tulsa World first reported the hire on Wednesday.
Per @KellyHinesTW, Kenton Paulino, who spent the past two years with the Tulsa, has accepted an assistant job at UTEP to reunite with head coach Rodney Terry. Paulino played for Terry while he was an assistant at Texas and coached under him at Fresno State. #KTSM9Sports— Andy Morgan (@AndyMorganTV) April 11, 2019
Paulino has spent that past two seasons as an assistant coach at Tulsa where the Golden Hurricanes went 37-26, but had two first round exits in the American Athletic Conference Championships.
Paulino coached under Rodney Terry at Fresno State from 2012-2017 and his first job in college basketball was at Lamar from 2011-2012.
Terry’s relationship with Paulino dates back to his playing days at the University of Texas. He is best known for his buzzer-beater in the 2006 NCAA Tournament to beat West Virginia. The game-winner sent the Longhorns to the Elite 8. At the time, Terry was an assistant under Rick Barnes, who is now the head coach at the University of Tennessee.
Paulino also played at Texas, and in 2006, hit this buzzer beater to beat West Virginia in the Sweet 16. Peep a younger Rodney Terry going nuts on the sideline, too (he was a Texas assistant at this time). pic.twitter.com/4fvsbLAMjt— Colin Deaver (@ColinDeaverTV) April 11, 2019
UTEP is expected to make an official announcement in the coming days when Paulino’s paperwork is finalized.
The Miners now turn their attention to hiring one more assistant coach, after Lamont Smith resigned as part of the national college admissions scandal when he was the head coach at the University of San Diego. Brian Burton was not retained by Terry.
