Dec. 9, 2008
Lobo Basketball
Tonight: Lobos at San Diego
When/Where: 8:05 p.m. (MST), Jenny Craig Pavilion
>b>On the air: KASY My50-TV; 770 KKOB-AM
Up Next: Lobos vs. Ole Miss, 2 p.m. Saturday, The Pit
By Richard Stevens — Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
The Steve Alford Lobos who never played with ex-Lobo J.R. Giddens probably are the Lobos most impacted by the departure of New Mexico’s 2007-08 star.
They are the first-year Lobo pups being asked to step up and replace some of the stats and qualities that Giddens brought to the hardcourt. They have to help out with the 16.3 points per game and the 8.8 rebounds per game that Giddens took with him into pro ball.
But they also have to help replace Giddens’ defensive presence and maybe help out as much as they can with the leadership qualities that Alford is still searching to build within his 2008-09 University of New Mexico Lobos.
“Right or wrong, fair or not fair,” said Alford, “there is more pressure on the freshmen than there was on Dairese (Gary) and Jonathan (Wills) last year. Dairese and Jonathan could have bad game last year and it may or may not have effected us. This year, if we have freshmen who have bad games, it could effect us.
“That might not be a fair thing for them, but that’s kind of the way it is.”
Gary and Wills were Alford’s two freshmen last season who benefited, like most Lobos, under the umbrella of protection raised by Giddens’ production on the court. Giddens did a lot of good things for last year’s Lobos — stats and beyond — and the first-round NBA draft pick has not been replaced in this year’s lineup.
“He was a leader in almost everything,” said Alford. “So guys’ roles last year were vastly different than what they are this year. This team does not have a first-round draft choice.”
The freshmen asked to help fill the gap left by Giddens’ departure are 6-8 A.J. Hardeman, 6-2 Nate Garth, 6-9 Will Brown and 6-5 Phillip McDonald. As far as freshmen go, they haven’t looked too bad in the young 2008-09 season. As far as being the plugs to fill the holes left by Giddens, they are in the same boat as the UNM upperclassmen: they have a ways to go.
“There’s no way we’re satisfied,” Alford said of his coaching staff’s outlook on wins and quality of play so far for the 4-4 Lobos. Said junior Roman Martinez: “We haven’t been playing too good.”
Oddly, some of the Lobos’ best ball might have come in a loss. In the first 30 minutes at Creighton, UNM roared to a 16-point lead before losing 82-75. UNM also showed some fortitude on Saturday in coming back to beat Southern Mississippi 60-58 in The Pit.
The Lobos are at San Diego tonight (Dec.10) for an 8:05 p.m. tip against the Toreros. UNM has dropped three games outside of New Mexico and the Lobos are looking for their first victory away from The Pit.
“We know this is going to be a demanding test for us,” said Alford.
San Diego lost at home 56-52 Monday night to San Jose State and sits 4-5 on the season. The Toreros are having to make adjustments to their team after losing their leading scorer, Brandon Johnson, for the season with an Achilles injury.
Johnson had been scoring 13.5 points per game. San Diego’s go-to scorer now appears to be 6-8 senior center Gyno Pomare, who scored 18 points against San Jose State and is No. 3 on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,408 points.
“We have no idea how they are going to change things (without Johnson),” said Alford. “(Johnson) was a huge part of what they did. I think with Johnson out there will be a heavy emphasis on getting (Pomare) touches inside. That’s a concern. Daniel (Faris) can get into foul trouble and both of the backups are freshmen. Pomare is probably the best big man we’ve faced to date.”
Alford said he was happier with his Lobos’ effort in the come-from-behind win over Southern Miss. “I thought we sustained a high level of energy for 40 minutes and that’s what we have to be able to do,” he said.
Senior Tony Danridge led UNM against Southern Miss with 19 points. He had scored five points in UNM’s two previous games, both losses.
“We’re a better team when Tony is scoring with the basketball,” said Alford. “Once the game starts, the players have to make plays. I think Tony understands we have to have him score.”
The Lobos return to The Pit Saturday for a 2 p.m. tip with Mississippi (Ole Miss) of the Southeastern Conference. Ole Miss beat UNM 85-77 last year in Oxford, Miss.
Lobo Notes: Four of Alford’s true freshmen are on schedule to letter this season: Will Brown, Nate Garth, A.J. Hardeman and Phillip McDonald. The last time four true freshmen lettered at UNM was in 1983-84 when five Lobos — Paul Connery, Hunter Greene, Larry Markland, Kelvin Scarborough and Mike Winters — lettered for coach Gary Colson.
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.