Déjà vu all over again? Olen, UNM talking future as coach-poaching rumors begin

Just a couple of years removed from an agonizing decade-long drought between NCAA Tournaments, Lobo basketball fans are gearing up for this season's home stretch with their team in the hunt for a possible third consecutive trip to the Big Dance.

But some of those same fans may also be experiencing some moments of déjà vu.

The success of the 20-6 (11-4 Mountain West) Lobos under first-year head coach Eric Olen, who hasn't even been on the job for 11 months yet, has brought back the same rumor-mill dread fans have had to deal with in recent years — both for basketball and football.

Unlike in those situations, however, UNM at the moment has neither a permanent athletics director (Ryan Berryman is the interim after the December departure of Fernando Lovo) nor a long-term president (Garnett S. Stokes is retiring this summer). National searches for both positions are active.

That uncertainty leaves questions about both Olen's thoughts on his future and who at UNM is actually in a position to do anything about trying to retain a coveted coach who happens to be one of New Mexico's highest-profile, and highest-paid (Olen makes $1.2 million this season, the first of a five-year contract), residents?

The Journal asked Stokes' office who, if anyone, was tasked with talking with Olen and his representation, college basketball super agent Bret Just.

"Ryan Berryman is serving as Interim Athletics Director with full operational authority," Ben Cloutier, UNM's executive director of strategic communications, said. "As has always been the case at UNM, the Athletics Director is responsible for leading contract discussions and bringing forward recommendations to the President for final review and approval.

"That process remains in place and unchanged.

"We do not discuss specific contract negotiations publicly, but we are committed to supporting our coaches and positioning Lobo Athletics for sustained success."

There has been an upswing in fundraising for UNM Athletics in recent years, thanks in no small part to the back-to-back NCAA Tournament bids under former coach Richard Pitino and the recent rejuvenation of football under Jason Eck.

In both cases, other schools pursuing coaches made no secret of their interest in the men in charge in Albuquerque. Pitino talked with South Florida after his second season and Louisville after his third before taking the Xavier job this past March. UNM was able to keep the wolves at bay with constant communication and renegotiated contracts those earlier years. Eck's contract was renegotiated in November, even before the regular season was over for Lobo football.

Lovo, who hired both Eck and Olen, is gone. But Olen says his relationship with Berryman, who was the department's basketball administrator even before Lovo left, has been tremendous.

"(Berryman) and I are in regular communication about the future of the program and how we want to move forward," Olen told the Journal. "There's a good relationship there. There's transparent communication, and I think we're aligned on a lot of our vision for how we want to move forward."

Berryman, the former Lobo basketball manager who later became a staff member before moving to the administration side of the department, echoed Olen's comments.

"Coach Olen has already had a tremendous impact on Lobo basketball, the university and the greater community," Berryman told the Journal. "He and I engage in regular dialogue on how we can collectively continue to propel Lobo basketball forward, and I feel strongly that we are aligned in our priorities for the program."

The matters being addressed include not only Olen's compensation but also his coaching staff's compensation and investment in revenue sharing to help retain and recruit players.

As for the realities that Stokes won't be leading the university much longer and it's possible Berryman won't be retained as the permanent AD, Olen acknowledged it isn't an ideal scenario, but also not one consuming him at a time he's focused on trying to get the Lobos playing their best basketball.

"I don't want to speculate about the future," Olen said. "There's obviously some uncertainty here, but I would just say that and I have a really good relationship with RB. I have a lot of confidence in him, and, you know, we're in regular communication."

Olen's name was in the rumor mill for months last season, too. Leading UC San Diego, he was considered one of the hottest coaching prospects, but was in a much smaller profile league and job than he is now. 

This season, having proven he can succeed in a much better league and with the uniquely challenging roster turnover — no player or coach returned for the 2025-26 season from the year before — Olen may be a more coveted candidate this year, even with a contract that would call for a $2.7 million buyout if he left before March 31. 

His name has been published in articles regarding the now-open Kansas State job in the Big 12, as well as his being predicted by well-known college basketball analyst and content creator Ryan Hammer in an Instagram video as the next Arizona State head coach, despite Bobby Hurley still being employed there.

"Anyone can write anything on the internet," Olen said. "I'm focused on the most important thing — we're committed to what we're doing here and trying to do a great job here. The reality is, our expectation is to have a lot of success. Our job is to win games here. A place like New Mexico, if you have success, and we saw it on the football side, then people write stuff on the internet. The alternative is worse."

Reach Geoff Grammer at ggrammer@abqjournal.com or follow him on Twitter (X) @GeoffGrammer.