Lobo Basketball Adds Antonio Chol, Kevin Patton, Jr. and Kallai Patton
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The New Mexico men’s basketball program announced Monday the addition of three transfers to the 2025-26 roster. Junior college All-American Antonio Chol from Garden City Community College and brothers Kevin Patton, Jr. and Kallai Patton, both from USC, have signed with the Lobos.
Chol comes to New Mexico after playing last season at Garden City Community College in Kansas after beginning his career at Rutgers. The 6-9 guard/forward was a second-team NJCAA All-American in 2024-25, averaging 19.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 47.3 percent from the floor, 39.7 percent from behind the arc and 83.0 percent from the free throw line. Chol had 13 20-point games last season, including two 30-point games, highlighted by a season-high 35 points vs. North Platte CC. A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Chol appeared in 11 games at Rutgers, averaging 1.4 points per game.
“We are excited to welcome Antonio Chol to our Lobo family,” said head coach Eric Olen. “He’s a talented scorer who will help us be explosive on offense. His size and length on the wing will be impactful defensively as well. I can’t wait to get to work with Antonio and I know our fans will enjoy watching him compete.”
“I chose New Mexico because of the family environment,” said Chol. “I liked Coach Olen and his staff and felt really welcomed by all the Lobo fans. I got to see a game at The Pit last year and I’m excited to play in that environment.”
Kevin Patton, Jr. comes to UNM after playing one season at USC and one season at San Diego. The 6-8 guard averaged 3.1 points and 1.2 rebounds per game in 28 appearances as a sophomore for the Trojans. He scored in double figures twice, including a season-high 15 points vs. Michigan. As a freshman at San Diego, Patton averaged 9.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, earning WCC All-Freshman Team honors. He was second in the WCC in blocks with 42 and was named the conference’s Freshman of the Week four times. The native of Murrieta, Calif., scored in double figures 14 times, including a career-high 19 points vs. Santa Clara in the WCC Tournament quarterfinals.
“I chose New Mexico because I believe Coach Olen and his staff will help me develop and be the best player I can be,” said Patton. “This is a winning program where we play against great competition and can get to the tournament. I have heard about the fans here and I look forward to playing in this atmosphere.”
Kevin’s younger brother, Kallai, also comes to New Mexico from USC. The 6-4 guard redshirted during his freshman season with the Trojans in 2024-25. A native of Murrieta, Calif., he helped Rancho Christian High School to back-to-back conference titles, including teaming with older brother Kevin as a junior to lead the school to the DII CIF Southern Section title. Kallai averaged 10.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game as a senior as he scored over 1,000 points during his high school career.
“I came to New Mexico because I heard a lot of great things about Coach Olen,” said Patton. “This staff believes in me and took a chance on me. They believe in me as a player and as a person and I can’t wait to get to work and play for a great fan base.”
“Kevin and Kallai are terrific young men and talented basketball players,” said Olen. “They are both just scratching the surface with their best basketball ahead of them. In addition to the highlight plays, the Pattons bring high basketball IQ and a competitive nature that Lobo Nation will love. We are thrilled to add Kevin and Kallai to our program.”