James Borrego, Albuquerque native and NBA assistant, withdraws from UNM coaching search

Lobo basketball does not yet have its next coach.

But it won't be Albuquerque native and NBA assistant coach James Borrego, who is no longer in the mix to be the next men's basketball coach at the University of New Mexico.

The Journal has confirmed that Borrego, an assistant coach for the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans who lives in Albuquerque, has withdrawn his name from consideration for the job.

Neither Borrego nor UNM Athletic Director Fernando Lovo would comment to the Journal for this article.

Borrego was one of, if not the top target to become the Lobos next coach as of Friday afternoon, though it's unclear if UNM extended an offer.

A source close to the situation told the Journal that Borrego, 47, who was a finalist for the Lobos job 2017, was left impressed with Lovo, the university's new AD running the search, and with the potential of the job and the draw of working in Albuquerque.

Ultimately, though, Borrego decided to stay in the NBA, where he's coached for more than two decades, including stints as the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets and as one of the top assistants under San Antonio Spurs' Gregg Popovich.

Borrego played at Albuquerque Academy, where he now has children attending school. He also played at the University of San Diego and is one of a number of graduates from there who have moved on to become NBA and college coaches.

He was a finalist for more than one open NBA job last offseason and is among the trendy names named in coaching searches.

It's hard to say how close Lovo is to making a call on who will replace Richard Pitino, who left to coach at Xavier University on Tuesday after four seasons as UNM's coach.

Lovo has said he's impressed with the interest in the job, including from current and past head coaches, NBA coaches and top assistants from around the country. He has also said he is not going to put a specific timetable on the search, other than to give a commitment to be thorough yet mindful that the NCAA's transfer portal closes April 22.

The Journal can confirm Lovo has had direct discussions with multiple candidates, not just their representation, over the past 48 hours.