Last Friday, many El Pasoans were in shock when they heard that Miner Katia Gallegos had entered the transfer portal. She was the face of the UTEP women's basketball team and a local star who grew up in El Paso. Just four days later, head coach Kevin Baker has reached into the portal to get her replacement.

Roger Steinman/Rick Yeatts Photo
Roger Steinman/Rick Yeatts Photo
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Jazion Jackson has spent much of her three seasons at North Texas as their starting point guard. Now, the Dallas native will have an opportunity to do the same thing for the Miners. Coach Baker gave this scouting report about how Jackson will help his program.

"Jazion is a player that we know very well. We recruited her out of high school and coached against her for three years. We know her game and we know she fits what we do. She has the ability to play on the ball or off, and she can score at all three levels. She can shoot the three, score on mid-range jump shots and she is a solid driver to the rim. Defensively, she will be great because she values getting stops. She will do well in our press and half-court defense. She is a terrific all-around basketball player and she is going to be an awesome addition to our program for the next two years."

Roger Steinman/Rick Yeatts Photo
Roger Steinman/Rick Yeatts Photo
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Last season, she averaged 9.2 points per game, along with 87 assists, and 33 steals. She also averaged just under four rebounds per game for the Mean Green. Jackson broke the news of her mover to UTEP on Twitter yesterday.

https://twitter.com/JazionJackson0/status/1513591600034820101

The Miners still have plenty of holes to fill for next season. Leading scorer Destiny Thurman, Brenda Fontana, and Dagne Apsite are also in the portal. UTEP also lost Teal Battle to graduation. Back in January, Coach Baker announced that Allysa LaFontaine will transfer to UTEP from Colorado. The six-foot guard had been heavily recruited by Power 5 schools while in high school in Fort Worth, but she battled injuries with the Buffaloes.

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