Nov. 4, 2008
Who: Lobos vs. Western New Mexico (exhibition)
When/Where: 3:07 p.m., Saturday; The Pit
On The Air: KASY My50-TV; 770 AM; Live streaming on All-Access on GoLobos.com
Tickets: www.GoLobos.com; 505-925-LOBO; 1-800-955-HOWL; UNM Ticket Office at The Pit; area Albertsons locations
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
It’s not that there are Ninjas everywhere when Lobo Daniel Faris comes home. Really, there is only one, but it’s a big one: 6-foot-5, 220 pounds and usually looking for a soft target to try out a few new kicks or special punches.
Faris is usually the preferred target.
“Tony is a Ninja,” said Faris referring to senior Tony Danridge, Faris’ University of New Mexico roommate. “That’s just part of him. He is always watching karate movies, watching Ninja stuff on YouTube. He watches that stuff and then he’s always trying out his new moves on me. He tries to surprise me. Sneak up on me.”
“He even used to have a Ninja costume. It was a hand-me-down from Mark Walters (ex-Lobo), an old Halloween costume. I think Tony wore it out. I haven’t seen it lately.”
But good Ninjas aren’t that easy to see. They are sneaky. They blend in to their environment. They are nimble, as elusive as a sneeze.
“It’s not that hard to see Tony,” said Faris. “Tony is just a big kid, just like me. Some things you don’t grow out of; you don’t want to grow out of. Tony is a big, super-hero fan, too.”
Danridge’s love of Ninjas goes back to his childhood. His favorite Ninja was green. A turtle named Michelangelo.
“He had the nunchucks (nunchaku),” said Danridge, explaining why he picked Michelangelo over the other Ninja Turtles: Leonardo, Raphael and Donatello.
Danridge also likes Spider-Man. He said when he would follow his preacher father, Victor Danridge, into gyms across California, he would run around the gym pretending he was Spider-Man.
“Then eventually I picked up a ball,” said Danridge.
Of course, being a Ninja isn’t always as easy as ambushing the 6-9 Faris. Danridge can show you a small, bald spot on the back of his head. The result of a Ninja jump gone bad.
“I watched so many karate movies and so many cartoons that I started to think I could do everything that they did,” said Danridge. “I caused a lot of accidents in my house. Once I did a back flip and I really didn’t know how to flip and I went through a wall in my bedroom. I still can’t grow hair there.”
“I had a plastic sword in my hand that time. I’m not sure what I was thinking. I was just doing some kind of flip. Trying to be a super hero or something.”
Danridge averaged 12.5 points and 2.5 rebounds during the 2006-07 season. He had 24 dunks. He broke his leg prior to the 2007-08 season and never saw the court.
“It was frustrating to sit and watch,” said Danridge. “But I think it was the best thing, not to come back too soon.”
Faris said it would be nice if Danridge “could be our super hero” on the basketball court this season, but that probably won’t be necessary. The Lobos have six returning lettermen (four starters) and six super-talented scholarship freshmen.
The Lobos have the talent-by-committee to replace the scoring punch lost from last season’s leading scorer, J.R. Giddens (16.3 pts/8.8 rebounds). But if Danridge can shake off the rust from a season on the sidelines, he has the skills to be one of several go-to players.
“He is capable of that,” said Steve Alford, UNM’s second-year coach. “We need him to score, but we need him to guard and we need him to rebound. He and Top (Chad Toppert) are both five-year guys that help us with leadership and maturity and we need that especially with all our young players.”
Maturity is a quality that seems more suited to Danridge than hand-me-down Ninja wear from Walters. Danridge looks older than his 23 years. He is manly, strong, usually bearded. He is quiet and calm on the court.
“Tony doesn’t get rattled,” said Faris. “He always seems to have the same demeanor, the same look about him. But every once in a while, he can give you a look that’s really stern. It’s kind of like telling you to get with it.”
Danridge’s best weapon isn’t his stern look or even his nunchucks. It’s a deadly, pull-up jumper or maybe one of his savage, highlight-film dunks.
But is the rust all gone from a year on the bench?
“When I was in the boot (cast on broken left fibula), I was just laying around and eating,” said Danridge. “I ate pretty good. I`m not sure I ate much more than usual, but I wasn`t doing much.”
“When you gain 25 pounds, you just don’t come out and play like you used to. You get a little rusty. I got some work to do. I have to make sure I’m back in shape.”
Editor’s note: Richard Stevens is a former Associate Sports Editor and sports columnist for The Albuquerque Tribune. You can reach him at rstevens50@comcast.net. Previous articles are available at The Richard Stevens Corner.