ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico men’s and women’s basketball teams tipped off the 2015-16 season in front of 6,676 fans at the 2015 Lobo Howl on Friday evening.
Both teams went through drills, shooting displays and some dancing as the teams ushered in the new season at WisePies Arena aka The Pit.
“It was a good night,” Lobo men’s coach Craig Neal said. “Just wanted it to be fun for the guys. We had a good crowd.”
The night tipped off with Yvonne Sanchez’ women’s basketball squad, as the Lobos ran through offensive drills that included passing, shooting and some 5-on-5 drills. Following the mini practice, the women went into their annual dance, which included a variety of hip hop songs with a mix of “Cotton Eye Joe” and the “Cha Cha Slide”.
“That was crazy,” freshman Emily Lines said. “I’ve never experienced anything like that before. It was a lot of fun, a really cool experience. It’s a crazy feeling (coming down that ramp), unlike anything else.”
Following the women, the men’s team came onto Bob King Court. Coach Neal came in with a little surprise dance, wearing the Lobo Louie mascot suit.
Fans didn’t quite know it was him until after he bowed to the fans and took off his mask.
“I knew all the dances,” Neal said. “I just didn’t think I could do all of them. We had it to 15 songs, but I figured that was too much. I could only go about 2 minutes in that suit. I just thought it was funny because the guys had no idea. It’s supposed to be entertaining for the fans and we have the best fans in the country.”
The Howl continued with a fan-judged dunk contest. Xavier Adams excited the crowd with a hammering flush, but reigning Lobo Howl Champion Sam Logwood gave Adams a run for his money. Adams executed another impressive slam to take home the 2015 title.
Freshman Anthony Mathis also edged Cullen Neal in the three-point contest, tallying 21 threes to Neal’s 15 in the final round.
Coach Neal capped the night by giving a student a chance to have their books paid for during the spring semester. Neal would pay for the books if either the student or a Lobo could sink a half-court shot.
Stevie Burns, a nursing student who was chosen in a random drawing, picked Cullen Neal to take the shot. Neal came close on all three of his attempts, but that didn’t matter as Coach Neal was generous enough to pay for her books and donate money to the Zimmerman Library.
The two teams will have a couple more weeks of practice before putting their product on the floor against opponents. The men open up with an exhibition game on Nov. 3 against CSU-Pueblo and the women open with an exhibition match up versus Western New Mexico on Nov. 4.