Nov. 12, 2008
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The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team opens its 106th season Friday, hosting Southeast Missouri State. Tip-off is 7:05 p.m., from the The Pit/Bob King Court in Albuquerque.
UNM and Southeast Missouri are meeting for the first time. Steve Alford is 1-0 in his career against the Redhawks. His Southwest Missouri State team (now Missouri State) won 67-56 on Dec. 19, 1998.
It’s a busy opening month for the Lobos. Beginning with Friday’s game against Southeast Missouri State, UNM will play seven games in a 17-day span, culminating Nov. 29-30 in Cancun, Mexico.
The Lobos face Creighton in Omaha, Neb., Sunday at 1 p.m. MST.
NEW VIDEO BOARDS ON DISPLAY THIS WEEKEND
Lobo fans will get a glimpse of a new video board for this weekend’s men’s and women’s games.
Texas Star will install and operate a display video board in the southwest corner (Section 16) of the mezzanine level for the Friday men’s game and Saturday’s women’s game. The board will have a 10mm pixel pitch with a height of 10′ and a width of 17.6′, similar dimensions to the one that Texas Star is proposing for each end of the renovated Pit. Not all of the graphics and camera angles will be available.
SEASON NO. 106
The University of New Mexico men’s basketball program begins its 106th season in 2008-09. The Lobos first laced up the hightops on Feb. 2, 1900, when they lost 8-6 to the Albuquerque Guards. While this season is actually the 110th anniversary of that inaugural year, UNM did not field a team for various reasons in 1900-01, 1903-04, 1917-18 and 1920-21.
The Lobos have been playing continuously since the 1921-22 season and have compiled an all-time record of 1,288-1,006 (.561).
New Mexico was 418-495 (.458) from 1900-62, but has gone 870-511 (.630) over the past 46 seasons, an average of nearly 19 wins per year. The Lobos have made 28 trips to the postseason during that span, including 11 appearances in the NCAA Tournament and 17 showings in the NIT.
NO TV FOR CREIGHTON, BUT IT’S AVAILABLE ONLINE
There is no television coverage for Sunday’s game at Creighton, but a live three-camera web cast with replays is available at www.gocreighton.com. The cost is $6.95.
UNM EXHIBITION RECAP
Junior Roman Martinez was a perfect 8-for-8 from the field and scored a game-high 18 points as New Mexico defeated Western New Mexico, 88-59, Saturday in exhibition action at the Pit.
Martinez, who averaged seven points per game last season, was one of five Lobos to score in double figures. Senior Daniel Faris collected 11 points, while Chad Toppert had 13 points coupled with six boards.
New Mexico is now 58-6 in exhibition games since 1972.
UNM pieced together a 17-5 run over seven minutes midway through the first half to take a 30-14 lead with 4:21 remaining. The Lobos capped off the first half with a 3-point basket from Toppert to take a 41-23 advantage heading into halftime.
Western New Mexico narrowed the Lobo lead to 13 in the second half as DJ Nicholas put up six quick points to make the score 45-29. That was the closest the Mustangs would get as UNM used two 6-0 runs over 10 minutes to take a 69-42 lead.
Plenty of fresh faces contributed for the Lobos as Mountain West Conference Preseason Freshman of the Year pick Phillip McDonald put up 11 points, while true-freshman A.J. Hardeman gathered eight rebounds. Martinez and Toppert joined Hardeman in the rebound department with eight boards as UNM out-rebounded WNMU 46-35.
Freshman Nate Garth led the team with five assists and the Lobos recorded 23 assists as a team. The UNM defense had nine blocks and five steals.
SCOUTING SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE
Located in Cape Girardeau, Mo., Southeast Missouri State finished last season 12-19 overall and 7-13 in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Southeast Missouri State interim athletics director Cindy Gannon named Zac Roman acting head coach on Oct. 16. Roman was selected to serve while head men’s basketball coach Scott Edgar was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a hearing by the NCAA Committee on Infractions.
The Redhawks have won both of their exhibition games, taking down Missouri Baptist 81-73 on Nov. 1 in Roman’s debut as acting head coach. Kenard Moore had a game-high 23 points while Jajuan Maxwell registered a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
SEMO blasted MacMurray 109-76 last Saturday. Six Southeast players scored in double figures en route to the 33-point victory. Maxwell and Israel Kirk registered double-doubles in the rout.
Maxwell finished with 16 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Seven of his rebounds were on the offensive end. Kirk scored 13 points and pulled down 11 boards, including eight on offense.
The Redhawks’ head football coach is former New Mexico State head man Tony Samuel. Now in his third season at SEMO, Samuel is currently 3-7.
LOBOS IN SEASON/HOME OPENERS
New Mexico is 76-29 in season openers, but 40-6 since the 1962-63 season. The Lobos are 76-25 in home openers and have won 42 of their last 46.
The last time UNM lost a season opener was Nov. 23, 2002, a 76-68 setback to California in The Pit.
UNM HEAD COACH Steve Alford
Steve Alford, 43, begins his second season in charge of Lobo hoops and his 18th year as a collegiate head coach. He was named UNM’s 19th head coach on March 23, 2007.
Alford, who has never been an assistant coaching is his career, has a 332-192 (63%) career record in 17 seasons as a head coach. His teams have qualified for postseason play 12 times, produced 14 winning seasons and reached 21 wins on nine occasions.
Alford’s maiden voyage at New Mexico was something to behold:
A 24-9 record, tying the school mark for wins during the regular season and a 9-win improvement from the previous year
most wins by a New Mexico head coach in his rookie season
8-6 on the road after an 8-43 mark in five seasons before Alford arrived at UNM
a +7 in conference victories, the 2nd-greatest jump of all-time
Prior to New Mexico, Alford spent eight seasons at the University of Iowa where he compiled a 152-106 record, including a school-record seven consecutive winning seasons and six postseason appearances. The Hawkeyes won two Big Ten Conference tournament titles (2001 and `06).
Prior to Iowa, Alford posted a 78-29 record in four seasons (1992-95) at NCAA Division III Manchester (Ind.) College and a four-year (1996-99) record of 78-48 at Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State). The Bears defeated Wisconsin and Tennessee to advance to the Sweet 16 of the 1999 NCAA Tournament before losing to top-ranked Duke in the regional semifinals. In 1997 Alford led the Bears to a 24-9 record (second in the Missouri Valley Conference) and a trip to the National Invitation Tournament.
Manchester advanced to the 1995 NCAA Division III championship game before suffering its first defeat in 32 games to place second in the nation. Alford was named Indiana Collegiate Conference coach of the year in 1993, 1994 and 1995 and his record was 74-13 over his final three seasons.
LOOKING AHEAD TO SUNDAY’S GAME AT CREIGHTON
New Mexico has a 2-0 series advantage over the Creighton Bluejays. The last meeting was 41 years ago when UNM took an 82-67 decision in The Pit. The first game between the two schools was in Omaha on Dec. 21, 1966. Led by Mel Daniels, the Lobos were ranked No. 6 in the country and came away with a 79-68 victory.
Creighton is scheduled to play UNM in The Pit next season.
Steve Alford and Creighton head coach Dana Altman have faced each other 13 times with Alford holding a slight 7-6 advantage. In Alford’s four seasons at Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State) between 1996-99, the Bears won 6 of 11 meetings against the Bluejays. Alford, however, is just 1-4 against Creighton in games played in Omaha, 1-3 while at Missouri State and 0-1 when he was at Iowa.
Alford’s last game against the Bluejays was March 15, 2001, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Uniondale, N.Y. His Iowa team won 69-56.
Creighton was 22-11 last season and 10-8 in the Missouri Valley Conference, which was good for 4th place. The Bluejays lost to Florida in the second round of the NIT.
Three starters return led by 6-1 senior point guard Josh Dotzler (11.3 ppg) and 2007-08 MVC Newcomer of the Year P’Allen Stinnett, a 6-foot guard who averaged a team-high 12.6 points as a freshman a year ago.
Creighton’s Dana Altman – a 1980 graduate of Eastern New Mexico in Portales – is 365-219 entering his 20th season as a head coach. He is 282-152 in 14 seasons with the Bluejays, recording 11 consecutive postseason appearances (7 NCAA and 4 NIT) and 10 straight 20-win seasons.
Creighton finished 15th in the nation in attendance last year, averaging 15,333 fans a game. New Mexico was 18th at 14,361.
The Bluejays won their lone exhibition game last Sunday, beating Central Missouri 78-65. A crowd of 15,048 – the largest ever for a Creighton exhibition game – witnessed the win.
Kenny Lawson Jr. had 16 points to lead four Jays in double-figures. In addition, Booker Woodfox (15 points), Kenton Walker (14 points) and P’Allen Stinnett (10 points) scored in double figures. CU narrowly won the rebound battle, 39-38, paced by eight boards off the bench from Walker.
Central Missouri made just one of its first 21 three-pointers before hitting one in the final seconds. UCM shot 23-of-62 (37.1 percent) from the field.
UNM PREDICTED FOR 5TH IN MOUNTAIN WEST
New Mexico was picked to finish fifth in the 2008-09 Mountain West Conference race during the league’s preseason media gathering in Denver on October 14. Voters were a combination of head coaches and media.
PERSONNEL PICTURE
The Lobos return six lettermen, including four starters, from last year’s team that posted a 24-9 overall record and finished third in the MWC with an 11-5 mark in league play. UNM returns 51% of its scoring, 47% of its rebounding and 53% of its minutes from last year.
Returning starters include senior Daniel Faris, junior Roman Martinez and sophomores Dairese Gary and Jonathan Wills. Back for his senior season is Tony Danridge, who took a redshirt season last year after suffering a broken leg in October of 2007. Danridge has played in 95 career games and was a two-year starter from 2005-07. He averaged 12.5 points and 2.5 rebounds during the 2006-07 season.
Four of the team’s top-six scorers from last year are back. Although he started only 13 games last year, Toppert is the Lobos’ leading returning scorer. He averaged 10.3 ppg and finished 2nd in the nation in 3-point accuracy at 48%. Faris started all 33 games and averaged 9.2 points and 4.5 boards. Gary started 28 times as a true freshman point guard, averaging 7.8 points, a team-best 3.2 assists and 44 steals. Martinez logged 7 points a game and numerous floor burns in his 24 starts. Wills averaged 3.4 points in 32 games and 17 starts as a true freshman.
New Mexico’s biggest departure is J.R. Giddens, who was selected by the World Champion Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft. Giddens was the co-MWC Player of the Year and an honorable mention All-American after averaging 16.3 points and a league-high 8.8 rebounds a game.
Despite playing on the perimeter, Giddens became the first guard to lead the MWC in rebounding. He was also the only player in the conference to rank in the top-10 in the MWC in scoring, rebounding, FG percentage, assists, steals and blocks.
Also not returning are junior post players Johnnie Harris (2.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg) and Monquel Pegues (1.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg).
2008-09 FRESHMAN CLASS LARGEST IN 24 YEARS
The five scholarship newcomers – Will Brown, Curtis Dennis, Nate Garth, A.J. Hardeman and Phillip McDonald – brought in by the Lobos’ coaching staff is UNM’s largest freshmen contingent in 24 years.
Back in 1984-85, head coach Gary Colson signed Bob Arnold, Shawn Brooks, Paul Lawson, Rob Loeffel and Randal Moos.