Lobo basketball: UNM just days away from pulling back curtain on new team

If you don’t know entirely what to expect from Saturday night’s Lobo Howl basketball event in the Pit, you aren’t alone.

Even first-year coach Eric Olen doesn’t entirely know what’s in store — other than he’s looking forward to his team’s first experience with fans in the Pit.

“This will be my first preseason event as a coach,” admitted Olen, who spend the past two decades coaching at UC San Diego before being hired this past offseason at UNM.

Saturday’s free Howl event, which includes both the men’s and women’s basketball teams, won’t include a scrimmage on the men’s side, but will have a dunk contest and a 3-point contest.

Why no scrimmage?

“I think the environment is a little more suited for the program that they have (the dunk contest, 3-point shootout and other events) than a scrimmage,” Olen said. “I think when we try to create competitive environments (for the players), I think we want to make sure that the atmosphere is right, the focus is there. And I think having a little lighter environment (like the Howl) is a little more appropriate for the mindset of this event.

“So I like the structure. I think it’ll be (a) good introduction for the guys (and), hopefully, a lot of fans that want to come out and see them.”

There does remain some relative anonymity about this season’s Lobos team — a squad with a new coaching staff and entirely new roster that hasn’t yet had any player availability for the media. The team’s first open practice this school year was a 30-minute session Tuesday morning. They did mostly shooting drills.

“Hopefully there’s a lot of fans who are interested in coming out and seeing these guys and we have a great atmosphere, and it’s a lot of fun for everybody,” Olen said.

Predictions

Olen spoke to reporters on Tuesday afternoon at the football stadium after football coach Jason Eck held his weekly press conference.

On who the favorite should be in the dunk contest, Olen and UNM Sports Information Director Steve Kirkland could only remember three of the contestants — 5-foot-11 freshman guard Uriah Tenette, 6-2 Utah State transfer Deyton Albury and 6-8 USC transfer Kevin Patton, Jr.

“Whoever that fourth person is, I’m excited to see what they’re gonna do,” Olen joked. “They’ve got some stiff competition with the other three.”

The three-point shooting contestants include 6-4 freshman Jake Hall, 6-8 freshman Timéo Pons, 6-7 UC San Diego Milos Vicentic and 7-1 Iowa State transfer JT Rock.

“I would say, just based on practice numbers, I think Jake Hall might be the highest percentage guy so far,” Olen said. “But I would have JT Rock as my sleeper.”

Starting 5

So, does Olen have an idea yet on his starting five?

“No. None at all,” he said.

He later said he really likes the depth of the team, which makes it harder to decide on for now.

As for rotations, Olen noted that the staff values versatility.

“We want to have interchangeable parts, specifically offensively,” Olen said. “So we think less about positions and more about skill sets. So we might play lineups that don’t have a traditional point guard, but we always want to make sure we have enough ball handling and play making on the floor. It doesn’t have to come from any specific position relative to how we play, because we do want some versatility.”

Football season

Olen grew up a fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide, so he was pretty happy with this past weekend’s win over Georgia.

“Second biggest win of the weekend,” he said, the biggest being that of the UNM Lobos over NM State.