The Miners have a significant opening to fill for the starting forward position after Bryson Williams hit the transfer portal following the departure of former head coach Rodney Terry.

First-year head coach Joe Golding took the first step in trying to bolster their options at the forward position with the signing of Georgetown transfer forward Jamari Sibley on Thursday. Sibley will have four years of eligibility to play at UTEP.

"We are very excited that Jamari has chosen to continue his basketball career at UTEP," said Golding in a release. "He's a very talented young man who can change the game on both sides of the floor. He's played on the most competitive stages of basketball since a young age. Jamari's been a winner everywhere he's played including a state championship in high school and an NCAA tournament appearance last year. I know that Miner nation is going to enjoy watching him play over the next four years."

Sibley joins the Miners after his freshman campaign with the Hoyas where he played sparingly in 21 games, totaling 25 points, 19 rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Prior to Georgetown, Sibley was a 4-star prospect out of Oak Hill Academy (Virginia) and was ranked the No. 8 prospect out of the state and No. 20 power forward in the country, per 247 Sports. He was rated a top-100 recruit by ESPN (No. 86) and by Rivals (No. 87). He earned Division I offers from various Power-5 schools, including Minnesota, Arizona State, Clemson, Florida, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Iowa State, Texas A&M, among others.

As it stands, the starting forward spot alongside Tydus Verhoeven will be a competition between Sibley, Bonke Maring and Ze'Rik Onyema. The Miners hope to continue to add depth to the forward position with two scholarships remaining, per sources.

He is a 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward that possesses two-way abilities. Sibley can be a natural scorer, which he proved at the high school level (19.1 points per game on 59% shooting). Moreover, he is someone that has won a state title at the high school level and has competed in an NCAA Tournament game with Georgetown.

This marks the fourth signee in the inaugural recruiting class for Golding. The Miners previously added a pair of JUCO players to their 2021-22 roster in Maring (Blinn College) and guard Jorell Saterfield (Ranger College), along with French point guard Kezza Giffa. 

Check out the highlights from Sibley:

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