El Paso Times feature on the Warriors staying in El Paso

EPT = El Paso Times

About having them stay in El Paso between the Utah State and NMSU games, Mac said:
"I lived out in Lubbock for a few years (as an assistant coach at Texas Tech), and I feel very comfortable here. We thought this would be a good place because of the weather, and (UTEP coach) Mike Price is a great friend. This saves us a lot of time traveling." (EPT)

About their stay in El Paso, Mac said:
"This is a business trip. We brought tutors with us. (The players) meet with tutors two times a day to work on studies, we have meetings and practice - it fills up the time. We aren't on vacation. This is business." (EPT)

EPT Note: "The Rainbow Warriors opted not to practice at the Sun Bowl because they wanted to be on grass, though they are using UTEP's weight room. They are being secretive about where they hold their closed practices, but they were at El Paso High on Tuesday and Parkland on Wednesday."

About staying in El Paso for a week, Ikaika Malloe (who coached at UTEP for 4 years before taking the UH job) said:
"I'm pretty excited, especially with coach Price allowing us to use these facilities. I've been looking forward to coming back and seeing my friends, all the coaches. I always loved El Paso. It kind of has a similar culture. I'm overwhelmed to be back right now." (EPT)

Happy that the Warriors are staying in El Paso, Brian Kennedy, head of the El Paso Sports Commission, said that the Warriors will bring a lot of money to El Paso:
"We look at a figure somewhere around $20,000. With food, rooms and some entertainment stuff. That's usually what we figure when a team comes in and spends a week like that." (EPT)

About why staying in El Paso makes financial sense for teams, Kennedy said:
"Staying in El Paso is really reasonable. When you're looking at a full week like these guys, it could run you all the way up to $40 or $50,000. It's reasonable to spend a night in a hotel here. We're probably a lot more prone to have someone do that than some other places. If it's San Diego, you're not spending the week there. Right now, it's very reasonable to stay here. And UTEP is real good about that too. (Athletic director) Bob Stull and his team are excellent about letting people know they can spend more time in El Paso at a reasonable rate. That's why we as a sports commission are always trying to look for tournaments of any kind. And we don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. If they (Hawaii) would like, we'd let them stay another week after the game." (EPT)