Safi Fino-A-Laself Added to Men’s Basketball Roster

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M – The University of New Mexico announced Wednesday the addition of Safi Fino-A-Laself to the roster. A 5-11 junior guard, Fino-A-Laself joined the program after going through walk-on tryouts last month.

A native of Las Cruces, N.M., Fino-A-Laself played at Weslaco High School in Weslaco, Texas. In 2019, he was the District 31-6A Offensive Player of the Year, the MVP of the Rio Grande Valley Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Game and participated in the Rio Grande Valley Vipers All-Star Game on the home court of the NBA G-League club. During his senior season, he averaged 22.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.

Fino-A-Laself spent the last two years at Southwest Texas Junior College. In 2019-20, he averaged 16.5 points, 5.3 assists and 1.3 rebounds per game during his freshman season. The school’s 2020-21 basketball season was cancelled due to the pandemic.

“During walk-on tryouts, Safi stood out to me and my staff,” said head coach Richard Pitino. “The more we got to know him, the more we felt he would be a valuable addition to our basketball program, both on and off the court. We are excited to see the positive influence he will have on our team.”

The Lobos open the 2021-22 season with an exhibition against New Mexico Highlands on Nov. 5. The regular season begins Nov. 10 against FAU.