Lobos offense will have a whole new look in first Pit game of season

Deyton Albury never saw a stat line quite like the one he produced Saturday night in Pullman, Washington.

Not that he needed to look at the stat sheet to know how he or his UNM Lobo teammates performed, but for the record, it was right there in black and white:

• Albury shot just 1-for-11 (9.1%) from the field

• UNM overall shot just 20-for-75 (26.7%)

• The Lobos lost to the Cougars, 74-66

“I will never shoot like that again in my life,” Albury said on Wednesday. “So, (I have to get) over it, watch the film. We’ll get better from it and ready for (Thursday night).”

The point guard from the Bahamas, who transferred in from Utah State, knows that ensuring the page is turned from Saturday’s exhibition game is vital — not just as a player, but as a veteran leader of a new-look Lobos roster that concludes its exhibition season Thursday night in the Pit against Northern Arizona.

“I’ve played a lot of college basketball,” Albury said. “Being the starting point guard, it is a lot, but it’s something I’m ready for — just preaching my experience and what I’ve learned through the years to all the younger guys and just trying to keep them confident.”

No need to count Eric Olen in the group of people who might need a little reassurances after Saturday’s cold-shooting night.

While the Lobos on Saturday did fire up an uncustomary 44 3-point attempts — they hit 11 (25%) of them — the first-year UNM Lobos coach felt at the time, and reaffirmed after watching game film since, that he could live with most of the looks his team got.

None of that is to say Olen thought every shot his team took Saturday was ideal, but they weren’t exactly forced, or even bad shots.

“I like the profile overall of the shots,” Olen said Wednesday. “I think we were all really excited to play — think our aggression in general is a positive thing. We want them to be really aggressive. But I do think that it takes a little bit of time.

“First game out, new group, there’s probably 20% of our shots where, they were shots that we can make, but relative to where we are in the possession, is that the one we want at 23 on the shot clock? Or do we need to get to another action and try to improve that? ... If we move the ball, we touch the paint a second time, things like that, we could upgrade the value of those shots.”

This looks different

Olen’s response to his team shooting 44 3-pointers highlights the reality check some Lobo fans used to four years of Richard Pitino’s offense may be in for Thursday night if they aren’t familiar with Olen’s general offensive philosophy.

Both coaches looked for efficiency by getting out in transition whenever possible, both emphasized they don’t care if the shot goes in if it was taken within the offense and by the right players, and both liked creating rim pressure.

In general, Pitino’s offense attacked the paint and either finished at the rim or dumped off to a teammate, also near the rim. Olen’s offense, in very oversimplified terms, attacks the paint and either finishes at the rim or kicks back out to a 3-point shooter.

Pitino’s Lobos shot attempts last season:

• 58.2% in the paint

• 10.1% midrange or 2s outside the paint

• 31.7% 3-pointers

Olen’s UCSD shot attempts last season:

• 45.0% in the paint

• 5.5% midrange or 2s outside the paint

• 49.6% 3-pointers

That put the 2024-25 Lobos in the 7th percentile in 3-point shooting rate. The 2024-25 Tritons under Olen were in the 98th percentile in 3-point shooting rate.

Forty-four 3-point attempts is more than in any game last season by Olen’s NCAA Tournament UC San Diego squad against a Division I opponent. The Tritons, even in Olen’s 3-point heavy scheme, averaged 29.6 3-pointers per game (14th most in Division I) and had a season high of 38 attempts.

More surprising?

Albury’s 1-for-11 shooting was bad. So, too, was the team’s best statistical shooter (in offseason practices, anyway), Jake Hall. The sharpshooter was 3-of-13, including 2-of-12 from 3-point range.

Both starting guards missed 10 shots.

So, which was more surprising?

“Jake Hall missed 10 shots (was more surprising),” said Albury, who has been Hall’s hype man in the preseason, predicting the prep star from California will be the Mountain West Freshman of the Year. “He will never shoot like that again. Promise. I know it.”

Olen had a different take.

“Honestly, probably Deyton (missing 10 shots, many near the rim, was more surprising),” Olen said. “I’ll take all 12 of those (3-point attempts) from Jake Hall all over again. I feel great about his shot selection and that volume, that’s exactly what we want from him, and if he gets those same looks consistently, he’ll have some big nights.

“But Deyton’s (shots) at the rim, and I think Deyton’s a really good finisher, and has a body of work as a college player of really finishing at the rim.”