OMAHA - Thanks to lower Division IV revenue streams, and the still-sluggish economy, the Racers had to part ways with four players this week, including new team Hall of Famer Ramon "UTEP" Miner.
Pass-first point guard Miner spent 11 seasons with the team, and is the Racers' all-time leader in assists (with 1607, almost double the #2 player), minutes (8318), steals (311), and free throws (517, at 79.4% career shooting). He's second in points (2573), fourth in field goals (944) and three-pointers (168) and even fifth in rebounds (903).
His contract was purchased for $112,900 by the Clovis Knights
(23771), a team which was also relegated from D-III to D-IV after last season.
In keeping with team tradition, his jersey #22 was retired and joins #1 (Zelezinger), #8 (Bracco), and #30 (Munegato) in the rafters of the Omaha Civic Auditorium. Miner is the first American player to be so honored by the team, and also the first home-grown prospect.
Hopes are that 20-year-old point guards Matt Gifford and Neal Ramzi will be able to staff the position at a lower cost.
Also leaving the Racers were:
Garfield Steen
(13192955), a backup swingman who spent 8 years with the team. He was initially purchased from Indiana All-Stars, the opponent in the Racers' first game
(13053743). He joins Hong Kong team NeverMissAShot, which will now have to change its name.
Gines Pita Canos
(8022393) was a free agent brought in to bolster the small forward position late last season, but missed key games due to injury. Instead of moving down from Division III, he gets to move up to Division II and join GS Warriors.
Second-round draft pick Owen Key
(24734132) has already had a rough career. He was upstaged by third-round pick Jed Ivey, transferred to a bottom-rung Chinese team for the minimum $1,000 fee, and has already been released. The world needs ditch-diggers, son.