Lobo women's hoops notebook: Craig eager to make on-court impact

Clarissa Craig had Sept. 22, 2025 circled on her calendar for quite a while.

The first official day of NCAA women’s basketball practice arrived Monday, and Craig had a wide smile on her face as she tipped off drills with her University of New Mexico teammates. It was a long time coming.

Craig, a 6-foot-3 senior post, spent her first season at UNM on the bench. A transfer from Cincinnati, Craig injured her left shoulder (torn labrum) last August and underwent season-ending surgery in October. It wasn’t the type of arrival she had planned.

“At first it was heartbreaking,” Craig said. “I was crying, doing the usual. It was really tough for me because I always want to help my team win. But as the season went on it got better. My teammates were there for me, encouraging me, reminding me that God has a plan for me. Now it’s my time to step back in and I’m really excited.”

Excitement was the prevailing emotion as the Lobos worked through drills Monday at the Davalos Basketball Center. All 13 players on UNM’s 2025-26 roster — six returnees and seven newcomers — were full participants, and 10th-year coach Mike Bradbury said expectations are higher than usual.

“We’re ready to take the next step,” he said. “We’ve finished in the top four in the Mountain West almost every year I’ve been here and it’s time to challenge ourselves. We want to try to finish on top of the conference, give ourselves a shot at an (NCAA Tournament) at-large berth and see how far we can take things. You never know how a season will play out, but I’m excited about this team.”

Craig figures to play a big role, providing post scoring and rim protection that UNM often lacked last season. She admits watching games from the bench was frustrating.

“It was tough on her and even tougher on us,” Bradbury said with a smile. “But it’s good having her available this year. She looks good, she’s excited and she can be a big contributor for us.”

Craig says her year on the sidelines did provide learning opportunities.

“I think I learned how to be a better leader,” she said. “I wasn’t really an energy person, but being on the bench you learn how to be that spark, provide positive words and find ways to help your teammates.”

Craig plans to incorporate leadership into her role this season, particularly with younger posts Jessie Joaquim (junior), Emma Najjuma (sophomore) and Leonor Peixinho (freshman) on the roster.

“Yeah, I’m a fifth-year now, so I need to lead by example and lead vocally,” Craig said.

While playing in 2025-26 was not in her original plan, Craig believes things could ultimately work out better than expected. Last season’s Lobos finished 18-14 and tied for fourth place in the Mountain West. This year’s group, she believes, can do better.

“I do believe we should finish at the top of the Mountain West,” she said. “I do believe we’re capable of doing that. We just need to work on getting better every day, whether it’s 1% or 2%, just get better every day.”

BRINGING THE HEAT: UNM figures to be considerably more aggressive on defense this season, pressing and trapping on a regular basis.

“We’re bigger and more athletic than we’ve been in the past,” Bradbury said, “and we can go 10, 11 deep. We need to use that to our advantage.”

RED AND WHITE: Numerous rotation spots remain up for grabs as official practice gets started, but seven players sported red (first-rotation) jerseys Monday. Craig and returnees Alyssa Hargrove, Destinee Hooks, Nayli Padilla and newcomers Najjuma, Cacia Antonio and Kaia Foster started the session wearing red. Other players switched to red jerseys at various times during practice.

UNDER PRESSURE: Antonio, who earned WBCA National Junior College Player of the Year honors last season at New Mexico Junior College, looked right at home during her first official Division I practice — until it ended. Antonio, a native of Luanda, Angola, speaks several languages but is still refining her fluency with English. She appeared nervous for an on-camera TV interview but got through it with a bit of moral support. Teammates Hargrove and Joana Magalhães stood by to watch Antonio’s performance and applauded afterward. Antonio grinned and immediately raced out of the Davalos Center when the interview concluded.