It began quietly Thursday afternoon.
A basketball season began, a journey through fall and winter and into spring. There was nothing but the squeak of shoes, the bark of coaches and 12,000 or so empty orange seats to mark the moment, the moment that was the beginning of the 2016-17 UTEP men's basketball season.
The usual buzz words came from Miner coach Tim Floyd. During one defensive drill, Floyd said, "this is not just a drill. this is who we are." And, on another occasion, the four words that have followed UTEP basketball for decades came out: "Move with the ball.