C-Daniel Santiago. The most comprehensive coverage of the New Mexico Lobos Men's Basketball on the web with highlights, scores, game summaries, schedule and rosters. [177] In the interim, Snell announced he was declaring for the NBA draft. ", coupled with a hand gesture emulating a wolf. [19][20] The Lobos reached #3 with an 111 record but then lost four straight and fell out of the rankings. UNM played their "home" games at various venues outside of New Mexico due to the restrictions against sports competitions from COVID-19 in New Mexico. [202] Noise levels up to 125 decibels have been measured, close to the pain threshold for the human ear. Fran Fraschilla coached at New Mexico for three seasons, compiling a 5541 (.572) record with three NIT appearances. 197374 Western Athletic Conference season Summary, Johnson had established the school record at 46 points earlier in the season before his 50-point performance, which broke the WAC conference single-game record and earned him the. Here is my list. [41] In late February the Lobos were 213, ranked #15, and leading the WAC, before losing their last two games and finishing second in conference. Phil Abney and Russell Saunders were JC additions; Abney initially backed up Howard but later moved into the starting line-up. [226] In 1999, Roberts was inducted into the University of New Mexico Athletic Hall of Honor by the Alumni Lettermen's Association and received the Distinguished Service Award. King then left to become head coach and Athletics Director at Indiana State University. [72] Top ten-ranked UTEP foiled the Lobos, however, sweeping their regular season match-ups and knocking them out of the WAC tournament. [104] The team had relied heavily on three-point shooting, hoisting over 100 more attempts than in any previous season, making 39%. Whether he's scoring 46 against Colorado State or facing New Mexico State at The Pit, Williams never disappointed Lobo Nation with his exciting style of play. Richard Pitino has been hired as the next head coach of the New Mexico men's basketball program less than 24 hours after Minnesota announced his firing, the program announced on Tuesday. They hosted their first-round game in The Pit but lost to unranked Santa Clara. [154] Under McKay, J.R. Giddens had frequently missed games due to disciplinary problems. [52][53] Further JC transfers Jimmy Allen and Will Smiley completed a strong Lobo front line. [55] The team finally broke through, winning another exciting game at UNLV, beginning a string of nine wins in its last ten games. [74] The Lobos beat a good Arizona team before losing a close game to #1 Georgetown, led by Patrick Ewing, the first time the Lobos had faced a top-ranked opponent. [108] The Lobos started 112, with both losses to New Mexico State in close, exciting games. Media Guide 201213, p.120. The 197677 team still holds the school record for most total rebounds and most blocked shots in a season. The 197980 roster appeared once again loaded with talent, and fan expectations were again high, but disaster struck the program in the early weeks of the season as the "Lobogate" scandal unfolded. Shields again led with 19 points. [55], Before the 197778 season, Ellenberger installed what he called the "Equal Opportunity Motion Offense", a run-and-gun attack emphasizing picks and passing as players rotate through each position, taking advantage of his versatile, athletic lineup. Giddens led the MWC in rebounding and was among the league leaders in numerous other categories. [106], The 199394 Lobos were picked in preseason polls to finish fifth in the WAC after losing their three leading players to graduation. [55][69] Despite the struggles of the team, attendance at The Pit actually improved in Colson's early years, remaining in the top four nationally.[46]. [54] The injection of talent made the Lobos exciting and competitive, but they took time to gel as a team, beginning the season 64 with a couple of disappointing losses. SF-Mike Winters. The Lobos forced a turnover, down 6463, but their set play broke down and Gibson missed an unbalanced, driving shot, ending the Lobo season at 258. 22 San Diego State (22-5, 13-2 . [35], The "Lobogate" scandal involved forged academic transcripts, payments made for bogus Junior College credits, and other devices to attain eligibility for players who lacked academic credentials. [87] In the end, fans wanted more than Colson had managed to achieve, and despite the respect he had earned for rebuilding the program, the disappointment of failing to reach the NCAA tournament fueled support for a change. [67] A highlight of Colson's first season was his fourth game as head coach, hosting an Arizona State team that would reach #3 in the nation led by future NBA players Byron Scott, Fat Lever, Alton Lister, and Sam Williams. Former UNM assistant Brandon Mason announced on Tuesday the return of a Lobo alumni all-star game to be played July 11 in the Pit. [83] Scarborough was named All-WAC and finished his career second (now third) in Lobo history in total assists. Rebecca Lobo is an American television basketball analyst and former women's basketball player in the WNBA from 1997 to 2003. [79] The Lobos scored over eighty points a game and set the team record for most total points in a season. In January 1976, #4 UNLV survived a scare from the underdog Lobos before a Pit-record crowd of 19,452, with fans overflowing onto the concourse and sitting in the stairways,[35][46][47] a game still lauded as one of the greatest and loudest ever in The Pit. [23] He averaged 16 points and five rebounds a game as a Lobo, also leading the team in assists and steals. They then won 11 of 12, taking the WAC lead into the last month of the season. Tributes honoring her memory started forming on social. [116] Smith averaged 19.5 points a game and Shields added 14.5, while Thomas tallied 14.7 points and 7.8 rebounds a game, setting Lobo standards for freshmen. McKay faced a major rebuilding project in 200203 compounded by further dismissals and injuries that cut the team to seven scholarship players. "[198] Many fans were disappointed and outraged when Roberts was dismissed by KKOB in 2008. The Lobos jumped out to a 259 lead before the Wildcats chiseled away at the lead, cutting it to two late in the game. Craig Neal was associate head coach under Alford for three seasons at Iowa and six seasons at UNM before taking the Lobo helm. [12] The Lobos won as many games in his first two seasons as in the previous seven combined and went 11644 (.725) over his first six seasons. [163] In the second round the hobbled Lobos could not keep up with athletic, fast-breaking Washington. Utah would go on to reach the Final Four and lose to Kentucky in the national championship game. Attendance doubled, Johnson Gym was soon selling out, and plans for a larger arena began to be developed. [35] A memorable highlight of the season was the first game in a brief but intense rivalry with UNLV before the teams were in the same conference. (Journal illustration) Rob Robbins'. From 1924 to 1934, his teams posted a 10438 (.732) record. The judge deferred sentence for a year, noting that it was unfair for Ellenberger alone to bear culpability, and all counts were formally dismissed in 1983.[36][60]. The four seasons with Kenny Thomas in the line-up was the best stretch by the Lobos to date. Because his best play is to dribble down the court and shoot it. Olney added 15 a game while shooting a Lobo record .513 from three-point range, as the team set the Lobo record for threes in a season. On March 16, 2021, Richard Pitino was named the 22nd head coach of the Lobos. Harge later had a successful career in the ABA. One former Lobo teammate from the 2017-18 season Troy Simons and another former Lobo who will be a teammate of Furstinger's this summer when the two are both playing for "The. Page was the only consistent offensive threat on the team, averaging 28 points a game, still the Lobo record for best season average. Williams hit a school-record 10 threes and scored 46 points at Colorado State, both MWC records. They lost in the conference tournament but received a berth in the NCAA tournament as a ten-seed facing Virginia. The success of the Lobos under Bob King led to rapidly growing fan interest. Fraschilla had lost the team: nine players had left the program or been dismissed during his tenure. [148] Danridge was named All-MWC, and Alford was tabbed MWC Coach of the Year. The University of New Mexico's 50 greatest Men's Lobo basketball players through 2020 1) Mel Daniels PF 65-67 2) Michael Cooper SG 77-78 3) Kenny Thomas PF 96-99 4) Danny Granger SF 04-05 5) Charles Smith SF 94-97 6) Luc Longley C 88-91 7) Ira Harge C 63-64 8) Marvin Johnson SF 77-78 9) Darington Hobson SF 2010 10) Royce Olney SG 96-99 The Lobos lost three tough road games but beat #4 Utah in The Pit, pushing them to a #9 ranking they went 180 at home for the season. They were ranked for much of the 197374 season, reaching #8, and again in 197778 when they peaked at #5. [55] [217] Human mascots, dubbed "Lobo Louie and Lobo Lucy", members of the cheerleading squad, roam The Pit during games rousing and entertaining fans. The teams were frequently ranked in national polls, giving their games a showdown quality extending beyond local bragging rights to the national stage. This was short lived, however, and the Lobos went 3-11 to finish out the season. Gary Colson rebuilt the Lobo program virtually from scratch after Lobogate, restoring its integrity and eventually its success on the court. [149], McKay continued to attract strong transfer players, but discipline issues persisted in 200506. [158], The 200809 Lobos mixed four veterans with young Alford recruits and were picked in the preseason to finish fifth in the MWC. In his first season, Weir posted a 19-15 record and finished in 3rd place in the Mountain West. Kirk led with 22 points and 12 rebounds, but the team shot poorly and trailed most of the game as the Crimson answered Lobo runs with timely three-pointers to seal the upset. Like King, Ellenberger got off to a fast start in his first two seasons. [105] He was named MWC Player of the Year and finished his career as the fifth leading scorer in Lobo history. [23] Brown also won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, given to the nation's top senior under six feet tall and gained an All-American Honorable Mention. While Ellenberger was visiting this booster, in November 1979, he took a call on the tapped phone from assistant coach Manny Goldstein. Coach King died on December10, 2004. The Lobos slumped to a 4236 record over the next three seasons. His cause of death has not been revealed but Scarborough . [35][87], Dave Bliss recorded the most wins as head coach in Lobo history, compiling a 246108 (.695) record, with seven NCAA tournament appearances and three trips to the NIT. [2][3][4] The Pit opened in 1966 and the Lobos have been dominant playing there, winning over 80 percent of their games, while regularly placing among national leaders in attendance. [105] A pair of upset losses prevented them from catching the #9 Utes and #21 Cougars, who were tied atop the league at 141 late in the season. They entered the tournament 233 and ranked #6. They began the season 71, losing only at #14 Arizona while sweeping ranked New Mexico State. Daniels averaged over 17 points and 11 rebounds a game, providing the fast-growing Lobo fan base a preview of things to come. [37][64] He then became the lead assistant for Bobby Knight at Indiana for ten seasons, from 1990 to 2000,[34] and later coached in the NBA and WNBA. [23], The 199697 Lobos returned all their principal players, while adding freshman Lamont Long, who would become a starter by mid-season. The current head coach is Richard Pitino Both men's and women's teams play in The Pit, formally known as Dreamstyle Arena, built in 1966. [119] Against five-seed Syracuse, however, the depleted Lobos shot under 26% and lost to finish the season 248. Former WNBA basketball player and olympian Rebecca Lobo is seen analyzing the game between UConn and UCLA in a semifinal for the Albany Regional of the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship at the Times Union Center on Friday, March 29, 2019 in Albany, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union) Lori Van Buren / Albany Times Union Show More Show Less 3 of 10 [2][46] The Lobos finished in the top five nationally in attendance 16 times in their first 20 years at The Pit, reaching second five times, and they were in the top ten all but one season through 2002. Forward Johnny Brown turned in an All-WAC performance, but the other inside players were young, and the loss of Greene left a hole in the backcourt. PG- Greg Brown. [8] Johnson set about building collegiate-level athletics facilities, performing some of the hard labor with his own hands. Greene returned to average 21 points and six rebounds a game, while Scarborough added 19 points and six assists. [55] The team frequently slowed their games to a crawl, with several league games ending with both teams scoring under 50 points, such as a win at Wyoming, 4038. The Lobos stood at 72 after losing to #10 Syracuse, then rattled off 14 straight wins, including a home-and-away sweep of #9 UNLV, pushing them into the national rankings and eventually into the top ten. The Lobos climbed to #16 with a 120 start, with a win over #19 Connecticut, before losing to NCAA tournament-bound South Dakota State; they won at #8 Cincinnati then lost at St Louis, which later reached #13. Greene completed his career as the only Lobo ever to surpass 1,500 points, 600 rebounds, 300 assists, and 200 steals, averaging 16 points and six rebounds a game as a Lobo. The Lobos began the season 101, but youth caught up to them in league play and they went .500 the rest of the way. Road struggles kept the team from gaining momentum, a chronic problem as the Lobos went 843 in away games under McKay. 2-Rob Robbins. William C. Dowling, Confessions of a Spoilsport: My Life and Hard Times Fighting Sports Corruption at an Old Eastern University (2007). The Lobos, Aggies, and Miners played one another twice every season, home-and-away, and a fierce rivalry grew among them. Lobo's senior year saw her secure the Wade trophy, Naismith Award, and several Player of the Year honors all while leading the Huskies to an undefeated season and the 1995 NCAA national championship. [183] Williams averaged 16 points and five assists, and Kirk added 13 points and nine rebounds. That may be the way to rationalize what a lot of Lobo men's basketball fans are feeling now. Carlton Bragg Jr. was accused of sexual assault and later arrested for a DWI in January 2020. The Lobos jumped out to a 120 start with wins over #25 Cal and #16 Texas A&M, vaulting to #12 in the national rankings. Assistant coach Manny Goldstein JC transfers Jimmy Allen and Will Smiley completed a strong Lobo front line close, games... 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