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TAKE A LOOK: City honors UNM men's basketball team at Civic Plaza

Fans of the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team pose for photos with the team during a celebration in Albuquerque on Thursday.

UNM guard Donovan Dent, left, signs an autograph with the help of teammate Mustapha Amzil during a rally at Civic Plaza in Albuquerque on Thursday.

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller honors members of the 2023-24 UNM men’s basketball team

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, left, walks with members of the 2023-24 UNM men’s basketball team, including Mustapha Amzil, right, before the rally

UNM men’s basketball head coach Richard Pitino, left, speaks during a rally at Civic Plaza

UNM guard Shane Douma-Sanchez signs an autograph for his niece Arielle John during a rally at Civic Plaza in Albuquerque on Thursday.

Geoff Grammer Geoff Grammer Geoff Grammer Journal Staff Writer

Published April 11, 2024 - 6:23 p.m. Modified May 17, 2025 - 2:00 a.m.

One final pat on the back.

One final photo op.

One final thank you on Thursday afternoon at Civic Plaza for the UNM Lobos men’s basketball team for its 26-win, Mountain West Tournament championship season that Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said did far more than simply end the program’s decade-long NCAA Tournament drought.

“Most importantly,” Keller said, “and we’ve seen this before for those of us who have been around a long time, that when the Lobos rise, when they win — especially the basketball team — it brings our whole city together like no other.

“I told these guys, they do more for city morale than almost anything we can do.”

Thursday’s “celebration” was put on by the city of Albuquerque — three weeks removed from UNM’s first round NCAA Tournament loss in Memphis and one month removed from the Mountain West Tournament championship run in which the Lobos became the first team in conference history to win four games in four days. It featured most of the Lobo basketball team and coaches, minus departing seniors Jaelen House, Jamal Mashburn Jr., and Isaac Mushila, accompanied by several hundred fans spread around the Downtown plaza.

House and Mushila have graduated and have no eligibility left, as is the case with Jemarl Baker Jr., who was at the event. Mashburn and teammate Sebastian Forsling — who was present Thursday — have entered the NCAA transfer portal and may play at another program.

Several dozen fans posed for a large group photo with the entire team, coaching staff and fans standing on the steps of the plaza’s stage before players signed autographs and posed for photos.

“Three years ago, a couple of us came here for one reason, and one reason only, and that is because we believe we have one of the best fan bases in all of college basketball,” Lobo coach Richard Pitino said. “The coolest part of this whole journey, obviously when you win a championship that’s great, but when you walk into the Pit in Year 1 and to see every game grow and grow and grow (in attendance). …

“You are what drive this program. And we’re not done. We don’t feel like we’ve arrived. This year was a great season — we won the Mountain West Tournament, but now we fight to go win the Mountain West regular season and beyond.”

After the coach’s remarks, and some fans yelling about keeping young stars such as Donovan Dent and JT Toppin in the program, the mayor presented to the team a commemorative basketball for their Mountain West Tournament win and a small brass trophy in the shape of a hand making the school’s well-known “Everyone’s a Lobo” gesture.

Keller also said the city would start hanging all of UNM’s championship banners — starting with the newly printed 2024 Mountain West Tournament Championship banner — at the nearby Albuquerque Convention Center, which doubles as UNM’s indoor track and field facility.

It was unclear if the mayor intended for all past and future banners to hang there.