The NCAA transfer portal dealt another blow to the UNM men’s basketball team on Thursday.
Josiah Allick, the 6-foot-8 power forward who transferred from Missouri-Kansas City last offseason and started all 34 games for the Lobos in 2022-23, officially entered his name in the transfer portal, announcing to coaches across the country his intent to move on from the Lobos for his final season of college basketball.
The Lincoln, Nebraska native did not post any comment about the decision on social media and did not return messages left by the Journal to talk about his decision or time at UNM.
But while his entering the portal had begun to make the rounds in recent days among many around the program, it certainly seemed to take many Lobo fans by surprise when the recruiting website Verbal Commits first posted the news on Twitter at 11:13 a.m. Thursday.
Aside from being an every-game starter for the Lobos this season, the long-haired Allick had grown to be a fan favorite — good for diving on the court for something at least a couple times every game and staying after every win or loss to sign autographs or take pictures with fans. It was a tradition grew into a good 30 minutes or so at times by season’s end as fans began to catch on to his willingness to accommodate their requests.
Allick averaged 31.9 minutes per game, 8.4 points and 7.3 rebounds. Though it was noted by his coach, Richard Pitino, and others throughout the season that he assumed various roles on the court that couldn’t adequately be measured by a traditional stat sheet, Allick’s top statistical game of the season may been either his 18-point, 9-rebound, 3-assist game in UNM’s win at SMU on Nov. 15. Or it might have been his 15-point, 13-rebound, 4-assist game in UNM’s Jan. 9 win over Oral Roberts, a team in the Summit League that Allick was familiar with from his previous two seasons at UMKC.
UNM, which went a 22-12 this past season for its first 20-win season and first postseason appearance of any kind since 2014 (it lost in the first round of the NIT), has now had three seniors with a year of eligibility remaining to the transfer portal since season’s end: guards K.J. Jenkins and Emmanuel Kuac and the forward, Allick.
As this week, or every other offseason of the past decade or so, has shown, roster change in college basketball is constant.
So, with only the guarantee that this is accurate as of this writing, here on this page is what the always-fluid 2023-24 Lobos roster looks like, including next season’s classification for each player, and with the assumption (until he says otherwise) that fifth-year senior Jaelen House uses his COVID year and returns.
Lobo basketball roster: As of Thursday
SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS (NCAA ALLOWS 13)
PG Jaelen House 6-foot (5th year senior)
PG Donovan Dent 6-2 (sophomore)
G Jamal Mashburn, Jr. 6-2 (senior)
G/F Javonte Johnson 6-6 (senior)
G Braden Appelhans 6-7 (sophomore)
C Sebastian Forsling 7-0 (junior)
F Birima Seck 6-11, (junior)
G/F Quinton Webb 6-6 (redshirt freshman)
WALK-ONS
G Safi Fino-A-Laself 5-11 (5th year senior)
F Mac Manzanares 6-5 (sophomore)
