Oct. 31, 2011
New Mexico Lobos Men’s Basketball – at The Pit
Who/When: 7 p.m., Davenport vs. Lobos (Exhibition)
On The Air: KKOB 770-AM; My 50-TV
GoLobos.com: Game Story, Stats, GameTracker
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
The question at this point isn’t if Steve Alford’s Lobos are going to be good. Alford already has established a pattern of excellence with his University of New Mexico men’s program.
The question is will the 2011-12 Lobos be exceptional?
The Lobos’ team picked to run to the 2012 Mountain West title will give Lobo fans a peek at that eventual answer with an exhibition game with Davenport. Typically, an exhibition game in The Pit doesn’t give the Lobos enough of a test to give them a stamp at any level. The Lobos usually romp.
But an exhibition run is still the opportunity to take a glance at the Lobo chemistry and all the parts that Alford will be juggling throughout the season.
His parts look good. The Lobos’ major loss from 2010-11 was all-everything, clutch-time leader and point guard, Dairese Gary. For sure, that loss hurts. However, Alford returns his four other starters and the expected improvement from all returning Lobos plus a solid group of newcomers are two reasons the Lobos are picked to rule the Mountain West.
The Lobos debuted the new-look Pit a year ago against Eastern New Mexico. So, for the 7 p.m., exhibition opener on Tuesday, UNM fans can zero in on all that Lobo talent.
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Lobos 2011-12 Roster |
It looks good. UNM is deep, quick, talented and hungry to live up to preseason hype that named senior Drew Gordon the Preseason Player of The Year and placed him on the Preseason All-MWC team along with sophomore Kendall Williams.
The Lobos’ depth was reflected in the Preseason Freshman of The Year prediction – yet another Lobo, Hugh Greenwood of Australia.
UNM made a run at the school’s attendance mark (14,837) at last year’s exhibition opener when 13,921 showed up for the game with Eastern New Mexico.
Of course, exhibition games aren’t always guaranteed-win nights. UNM lost 81-76 to Eastern NM on Dec. 2, 1991. You can bet that Alford will have his Lobos focused and you can bet that Alford, like Lobo fans, will be looking forward to seeing his talent in action against someone besides themselves.
Alford says there is a big difference in performing in practice sessions and performing live in The Pit – even if that live audition is watching an exhibition.
Here is a thumb nail sketch of Alford’s 2011-12 roster:
Chad Adams: Adams is a talented player on both ends of the court, but his minutes have been hurt by so many other talented Lobos vying for minutes. He also has explosive moments on the court and can be a spark off the bench. His playing time also might be influenced by his defensive play and decision making.
Kory Alford: This could be a good pickup for the Lobos. Alford has a promising 3-point shot and the balance of UNM’s offense plus the penetration potential should create a lot of open looks from the edge. Alford needs to adjust to the speed and physical aspect of the college game, but what better place to learn than against these quick and talented Lobos? And he might get some extra coaching at home!
Cameron Bairstow: Bairstow’s role might be one of the more important ones on the team this season. He will be expected to produced consistent minutes inside the paint as a sub for either Gordon or Hardeman. Bairstow threw out a heads-up freshman year and showed remarkable consistency and decision making for a rookie. He shot 60 percent from the floor – a percentage that was bumped up by not forcing many bad shots. His fundamental soundness helps him with rebounding and defense.
Dominique Dunning: When you call Dunning a “talented freshman,” you summarize two components that will influence his playing time in 2011-12. He is talented. He is a freshman. Dunning is athletic and explosive and should be a solid addition to UNM’s perimeter game and up-tempo look. If he can do some of those other things that Alford likes – defense, taking care of the ball, taking good shots – he could develop into a major player as the season progresses.
Jamal Fenton: At 5-9 (maybe), Fenton’s size can be a factor on the court. But his quickness and tenacity is more of a factor. Fenton came off the bench the last couple of seasons to give the Lobos instant energy with defensive pressure and rocket-like bursts on offense. This season he also should add an element of maturity during key stretches of games and the season.
Drew Gordon: There are obvious reason why Gordon was tabbed as the league’s Preseason Player of The Year. He can score. He can rebound. He is consistent at both. Gordon threw out a double-double in 2010-11 at 13.0 (scoring) and 10.5 (rebounding). Of course, the Lobos are looking for similar numbers and consistency this season. The presence of other threatening Lobo scorers should limit opposing team’s tendencies to double-down on Gordon on defense.
Hugh Greenwood: Greenwood has the skills to make the loss of Gary up front less painful. But can he show that same Gary-leadership down the stretch in clutch situations. Greenwood has been seasoned by international play and won’t really come into the program as an untested freshman. He has the skills to immediately help on the scoreboard, but his decision making/playmaking will be key to his minutes this season.
A.J. Hardeman: Hardeman’s presence inside was effected by the addition of Drew Gordon and Hardeman accepted his role change with a “team-first” attitude. He has moved into more of a power forward slot, which is more suited for his body type. Hardeman can have explosive moments on both ends of the court, but his main calling this season might be rebounding, defense and cleaning up misses from other Lobos.
Alex Kirk: This product of Los Alamos High had back surgery in the off-season and probably won’t take to the practice court until after UNM’s winter break. That makes him a candidate for a redshirt season, which has its plusses with Gordon and Hardeman in their senior seasons. If Kirk stays on the bench, the role of Bairstow is even more critical for success in 2011-12.
Phillip McDonald: If you could add anything to the impressive array of talent that McDonald brings to the court, it might be more toughness. McDonald is no wimp, but when he plays with a high level of tenacity, he can be a beast on the court. This senior is a proven scorer (27 at CSU) and is among the more feared MWC players from the 3-point range. His athletic ability and his timing in rebounding could make him a factor for UNM on the boards.
Chris Perez: Perez had one of the tougher jobs on any team as a walk-on probably destined for his best moments to be played out on the practice floor. Often a walk-on sees the fruits of his labor from the bench since his main role is to make his teammates better.
Tony Snell: Snell also had moments in 2010-11 when his athletic ability astounded you. Like his 19 points vs. Wyoming. He also has the ability to make clutch baskets in clutch games. He is a long, willowy 6-7 and has the quickness and the length to develop into a defensive stopper. His quickness is well suited for UNM’s up-tempo game and any full-court defensive efforts.
Demetrius Walker: Walker transferred in from Arizona State and sat out the 2010-11 season. So, he has a year in Alford’s system, but not in live games. However, he played as a freshman at ASU, so he’s no rookie to D-I basketball. Walker reminds you a bit of Kendall Williams – quick and explosive – but with a little more muscle and a little more physical presence. He should see action at both the point and at the off-guard position.
Kendall Williams: As a freshman, Williams was amazing. The Mountain West obviously fears and respects him by placing him on the Preseason All-MWC team. Williams averaged 11.6 points a year back and has the quickness and the 3-point shot to bump that number up a bit. What’s not to like here. He is quick, smart, aggressive, confident and can also create with penetration and passing.