UTEP men’s basketball began introducing its new recruiting class last week. After suffering important departures after this year’s season, head coach Tim Floyd is hoping forward Paul Thomas will help fill the hole left by all-conference forward Vince Hunter.

“In the preseason, we signed a couple of bigger guys, anticipating Vince Hunter would leave us prematurely,” Floyd said. “Paul is a guy…who can play the small forward (position) and play out on the floor.”

The 6-foot-9-inch Thomas, listed by ESPN as a four-star recruit, led his high school to a 6-A Bi-district championship while earning First Team All-District honors.

In Hunter, who declared for the NBA draft after his sophomore season, UTEP and Floyd lost a versatile athlete who could contribute on both ends of the floor. That might be the exact way to describe Thomas, even if those contributions might come in different ways to those of Hunter.

The comparisons with Hunter did not wait, but even for Thomas, the differences between him and Hunter are significant.

“I think me and Vince are two totally different players,” Thomas said. “He’s a really great player and I’m obviously not there yet.”

Hunter, UTEP’s leading scorer and rebounder last year, was a natural power forward who was almost unstoppable in the paint. Floyd looked to take full advantage of Hunter’s athleticism by playing him over long stretches of time at the small forward position.

Thomas is a more natural small forward, who appears to be more comfortable playing outside of the paint than the man who he will try to help replace.

“My most intriguing skill would be my length and versatility,” Thomas said. “Being able to space the floor out for driving lanes. I’m just a versatile guy, who can put the ball on the floor and create plays.”

Thomas was heavily recruited before ultimately deciding he would wear the orange and blue.

He had offers from programs like the University of Memphis, the University of Houston and Texas Tech. Members of Conference USA like Rice and Western Kentucky were also looking to secure the services of Thomas for the 2015-16 season.

For Thomas, it came down to Coach Floyd and what he can offer his players.

“It came down to the University of Houston, which is my hometown school, Texas Tech, and UTEP,” Thomas said. “It really came down to Coach Floyd. He’s such a well-respected coach.”

Thomas made it clear he is well aware of the tradition he has joined and the responsibility that it represents to play at a school that has close to 20 NCAA tournament appearances, nine conference titles and the only national championship in the state of Texas.

“Being a UTEP Miner means a lot to me, playing for a coach like Coach Floyd and (knowing) there is so much history behind the program,” Thomas said.

His goals as a Miner are clear, Thomas has arrived in El Paso ready to contribute in any way, shape or form to get the program back to the levels it became accustomed to in the ‘80s and early ‘90s.

His hard work, dedication and team-first mentality were some of the qualities the freshman from Humble, Texas., stressed the most.

“(I do) not have too many personal goals, it’s really all about the team,” Thomas said. “I really want to get a chance to play in the NCAA tournament as a freshman. I think the whole team is focused on getting to the tournament and probably winning the Conference USA title.”

The departure of such a promising talent in Hunter left a hunger for UTEP and its fans for someone to be excited about. With even the slightest similarities, the comparisons for Thomas will be almost unavoidable no matter how different they might really be.

Thomas will most likely be an immediate contributor in a rotation that will include Jake Flaggert—coming off a redshirt season—and fellow freshman Josh McSwiggan.  Only time will tell just how much impact he will have on a program aching for success.

Like Hunter, Thomas comes to UTEP with what seems to be incredible potential and the possibility of becoming an important asset for Tim Floyd’s program.

“I think he shoots the ball better than Vince did from the perimeter and passes better,” Floyd said. “I don’t think he can rebound at his level, but he is a really versatile athlete who is going to get better and better and better.”

Luis Gonzalez may be reached at [email protected].