Roberts and Wilder Join Lobo Basketball Coaching Staff

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – University of New Mexico head coach Eric Olen announced Wednesday two more members of his coaching staff with the additions of assistant coach Mike Roberts and assistant coach Michael Wilder. Roberts comes to UNM after spending last season as an assistant at UTEP, while Wilder arrives after spending the past 11 seasons on the staff at UC Irvine.

Roberts comes to New Mexico after spending last season at UTEP, helping the Miners post an 18-win season. He has previously coached at Cincinnati, Indiana, UNC Greensboro, Rice, Cal and Texas Tech.

Prior to arriving in El Paso, Roberts spent nine years working for Wes Miller, two seasons as an assistant coach at Cincinnati and seven seasons as associate head coach at UNC Greensboro. In his two seasons at UC, the Bearcats won 41 games and reached the quarterfinals of the 2023 NIT. While at UNCG, Roberts helped develop a program from a nine-win season in 2013 to 81 wins over his last three seasons there (25 in 2017, 27 in 2018, 29 in 2019). The Spartans won two SoCon regular season titles and they went to the postseason in each of Roberts’ last three seasons (2018 NCAA Tournament and a No. 1 seed in the both the 2017 and 2019 NIT). In between those two stints, he spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Indiana, his alma mater, as the Hoosiers won 20 games in 2020 and were projected to make the NCAA Tournament, which was canceled due to COVID.

Before joining Miller’s staff at UNCG, Roberts spent six years with Ben Braun, four as an assistant coach at Rice and two at Cal, one as an assistant coach after serving as video coordinator for one season. In his final season at Rice, the Owls won 19 games and reached the quarterfinals of the CIT, as the program posted a postseason win for the first time in two decades. Roberts began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Texas Tech in 2005-06, working for Hall of Famer Bob Knight.

Roberts played collegiately at Indiana, where he graduated in 2005. A team captain as a senior, he helped the Hoosiers to three postseason appearances, including the 2002 NCAA Tournament final as a freshman. He earned his graduate degree from Texas Tech in 2006.

“Mike Roberts brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our program,” said Olen. “He’s a defensive minded coach with a track record of developing players. I’m thrilled to welcome Mike to the Lobo family and I’m confident our players will see the benefit of working with him.”

Wilder comes to UNM after spending the last 11 years on the staff of his alma mater, UC Irvine, the past nine as an assistant coach.

Over the past decade, Wilder has helped the Anteaters to the most successful era in program history. In his 11 years on Russell Turner’s staff, UCI had eight 20-win seasons, including two 30-win seasons. This past year, UC Irvine won a school-record 32 games and reached the championship game of the NIT. UCI won five Big West regular season titles and two conference tournament titles while Wilder was on the staff. In 2019, the Anteaters reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament after upsetting No. 4 seed Kansas State in the opening round.

Wilder was a standout player at UC Irvine, where he was a 1,000 point scorer (1,082) during his career from 2009-13. He still ranks third in program history with 224 career 3-pointers, while also ranking in the top 15 in rebounds and assists. As a junior, he was a second-team All-Big West honoree when he led the Anteaters in scoring at 11.5 ppg.

Following his graduation from UC Irvine in 2013, he played one season professionally in Spain before returning to his alma mater to begin his coaching career.

“Lobo Nation should be excited about the addition of Mike Wilder to our coaching staff,” said Olen. “He’s coming from one of the best defensive programs in the country and will help us be efficient on that side of the ball. Mike’s work ethic and ability to connect with players will allow him to make an immediate impact across the program.”