Lobos open season with high expectations

No more warmups. No more talk.

Richard Pitino and the Lobos know there are an awful lot of eyeballs and curious onlookers — both those who will be in the Pit for Monday night’s season opener against Texas Southern as well as some around the country — who expect this season’s UNM men’s basketball team to be, well, pretty good.

And why not?

The Lobos are the only team in the Mountain West with two preseason All-Mountain West selections in dynamic guards Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr.. Add to that arguably the league’s best sophomore in Donovan Dent, the league’s highest-rated freshman recruiting class with guard Tru Washington and forward JT Toppin and add four Division I transfers who were all major contributors for their previous team, and the expectations aren’t lacking.

“What I told (the team) is this is going to be a very challenging year for everybody because I don’t know where the minutes are always going to go,” Pitino said. “But at the end of the day, it’s going to be about winning. Always. It’s going to be about winning. And you’re gonna have to push each other in practice every single day. When you’re put in the game, you’re gonna have to perform.”

To be clear, none of Pitino’s peers feel particularly sorry for the third-year Lobos coach about the challenge of having a roster full of depth, talent and experience.

It is true, however, the start of the season may be a bit choppy as chemistry was clearly lacking in two preseason exhibition games.

The team was so injured in October that it cancelled its annual preseason Lobo Howl fan event because it didn’t have enough bodies to scrimmage. Also, Iona transfer Nelly Junior Joseph, the team’s starting center, has not yet been in the United States two weeks after a student-visa delay kept him in his native Nigeria until Oct. 24 and away from his first-ever practice with his Lobo teammates until Oct. 25.

“We kind of had to hit reset with Nelly getting here and seeing what we have with him, as well as all the injuries,” Pitino said. “But we’ve got to be ready because it’s a big week ahead of us.”

TWO NUMBERS TO KNOW: The Lobos roster boasts 649 Division I games played and 375 Division I starts.

HOW HEALTHY IS HEALTHY? While Pitino said on Sunday the Lobos are at “full strength” for Monday’s game, three key players — House, Jemarl Baker Jr. and Isaac Mushila — didn’t play in last week’s exhibition win over New Mexico Highlands. Two of those three who were out injured — House (leg) and Mushilla (broken hand) — missed pretty much the entire month of October.

So, what does healthy really mean?

“I always tell Ben Felz (the team’s athletic trainer) I don’t do the whole minute-limitation thing. We’re not the NBA,” Pitino said. “That’s ridiculous. Either they’re cleared to play or they’re not. And my assumption would be I believe all three (players) will be clear.”

LET’S PLAY TWO: Ticket holders for either Monday’s 5 p.m. women’s game or the 7:30 p.m. men’s game can attend both games, but may not be able to sit in the seat they purchased for both games.

UNM’s spirit squad will be at every entrance with open tickets available for both games. Fans must show the ticket they purchased and can then get a paper ticket for the other game.

Fans cannot pick their seat to the free game. Those wishing to do so will have to buy a ticket for both games. Between games, any women’s game ticket holder who is in a seat purchased for the men’s game will have to move to the designated seat on their complimentary ticket. Men’s ticket holders who come early can’t sit in their designated seats until after the women’s game.

Gates open at 4 p.m. for both games.