Lobos get commitment from Class of 2024 Texas combo guard Kayde Dotson

Official practices for the 2023-24 college basketball season start next week.

The UNM Lobos on Wednesday already started making headway on the 2024-25 season.

Kayde Dotson, a 6-foot-2 senior combo guard at Beaumont (Texas) United High School announced at a ceremony in his home town on Wednesday night that he has committed to play for head coach Richard Pitino and the Lobos, becoming the first player in the Class of 2024 committed to UNM.

“I like the program that they have, playing in the Pit is a once in a lifetime opportunity plus coach Pitino and the progress that they’ve made since he’s been there — I just really bonded with the team and the staff when I was out there,” Dotson told the Journal.

Dotson made an official recruiting visit to Albuquerque on the weekend of Sept. 9.

After helping lead his high school team to a state title game last season averaging 11.9 points to go along with 1.6 steals per game and team-highs in assists (2.4) and 3-point shooting (37.0%), Dotson saw his recruiting stock rise even more playing for the JL3 club team based out of Houston.

At the prestigious Nike EYBL Peach Jam even in early July, with every major college program in the country on hand recruiting, Dotson finished top 10 in scoring, averaging 18.0 points to go along with 3.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 41% 3-point shooting.

Listed as a 3-star recruit by 247Sports.com, Dotson was invited to play in the late June NBPA Top 100 camp in Orlando, Fla.

While he had more than 20 Division I scholarship offers, his final three schools included Sothern Methodist in Dallas and Stephen F. Austin, which is just two hours from his home.

Dotson said he loves the freedom Pitino lets his guards play with, and also is well aware this year’s UNM roster has three starting guards who are seniors in Jaelen House, Jamal Mashburn Jr., and Jemarl Baker Jr. (Mashburn has a COVID makeup season in 2024-25, if he chooses to take it).

“I know I’ll have an opportunity to make an immediate impact, and that was big,” Dotson said.

Dotson said he’s known former Lobo point guard Jordan Hunter his whole life and Hunter, also a Beaumont native, had high praise for his time in Albuquerque.

“He said I would love the fans and just everything about it,” Dotson said.

The scouting report on Dotson says he is a true combo guard — one who played primarily point guard for his high school team last season while teamed with 6-4 shooting guard Wesley Yates, who is now a freshman on the University of Washington roster. But when playing for the John Lucas 3 team on the EYBL circuit, Dotson showed he could also be a lead scoring option.

But stats are just part of what he thinks Lobo fans will see when he gets on the court.

“They’re gonna get a dog that’s gonna go hard every day. They’re going to get a winner. I’ve won at every level, so I don’t plan on losing now,” Dotson said.

UNM coaches aren’t allowed to comment on recruits until a player has signed their National Letter of Intent. The first day for players to sign their NLI for men’s basketball this season is Nov. 8 — the first day of the early signing period.