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What Richard Pitino says about the four players being honored before Friday's Senior Night game
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Senior nights are as unique as ever in college basketball this year, the last of players getting the benefit of an extra COVID season.
Tuesday night in Reno, for instance, before the Lobos clinched at least a share of the Mountain West championship in a 71-67 win over Nevada, the Wolf Pack honored six seniors — three players in their first years with Nevada, two fifth-year seniors who utilized the COVID season and a seventh-year player (K.J. Hymes) who had two medical redshirt seasons and a COVID year of eligibility.
UNM will honor four senior players, all of whom transferred into the program.
Nelly Junior Joseph and Mustapha Amzil joined the team ahead of the 2023-24 season, helping the Lobos win two championships (2024 Mountain West Tournament title and this season’s MW regular season title). C.J. Noland and Atiki Ally Atiki are in their first years with the program.
Two managers and a graduate assistant will also be recognized in a pregame ceremony honoring the seniors before Friday’s game against UNLV.
Is Friday's celebration in the Pit also a going-away party for Pitino and Dent?
“Our goal is, obviously always to win, but we hope that we put them in a better position after they’re done than when they got here,” said UNM coach Richard Pitino. “And I truly believe we’ve done that with the four players, the three managers that we’re honoring as well have been terrific and selfless and a huge part of our success.”
THE SENIORS
Nelly Junior Joseph
Size and position: 6-10 center
Games: 66 (66 starts)
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Points: 11.0
Rebounds: 9.4
Blocks: 1.4
Notes: Transferred from Iona ... has had the second most 15-rebound games in UNM history ... ranks in top 15 for career rebounds, blocks and double-doubles ... 14 rebounds away from the top 10 in career rebounds, 59 rebounds shy of the program’s single-season record, which includes postseason ... four-time MW Player of the Week awards this season.
Pitino: “Everybody loves Nelly. I remember we played in the Garden (Madison Square Garden in New York against St. John’s), and my dad’s waiting. And I went to give him a hug and he was like, ‘Get on my way. I need to see Nelly.’
“Nelly is an absolute joy to be around on a daily basis. He’s funny. He’s a great player. Obviously he’s shown that. He’s gotten better. But you know, it’s going to be really hard to say goodbye to Nelly, because he’s a special kid.”
• • •
Mustapha Amzil
Size and position: 6-9 forward
Games: 62 (29 starts)
Points: 8.9
Rebounds: 4.3
Notes: Transferred from Dayton ... voted by teammates as one of three captains... 2024 Mountain West Sixth Man of the Year ... for much of this season was team’s second- or third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder ... career-high 28 points in Nov. 28 loss to Arizona State.
Pitino: “Another guy who’s really, really impacted the program on the court. Sixth Man of the Year last year. ... Made a huge shot to secure a championship last game. Just an immediate impact guy. He’s going to leave here with two rings. Who knows, maybe another Mountain West Tournament (ring). And another guy who, I don’t want to say actively recruited or not, but made the decision to come back (last offseason), and we’re very, very fortunate for it. And another awesome kid.”
• • •
C.J. Noland
Size and position: 6-4 guard
Games: 29 (7 starts)
Points: 8.5
Rebounds: 2.7
Steals: 1.2
Notes: Transfer from North Texas (at Oklahoma before that) ... voted by teammates as one of three captains ... Pitino calls him a sixth starter ... career-high 23 points at Fresno State on Dec. 31 ... had six three-steal games this season... perfect 7-of-7 shooting, including three 3-pointers, with 19 points in Feb. 5 win over Colorado State.
Pitino: “I tell the story all the time with C.J. that we had been tinkering with starting lineups or whatever, and I brought him in to talk to him — ‘Hey, I’m going to bring you off the bench. And you know the reason I’m going to do it...’ And he stopped me and said, I don’t care coach. I just want to win. ...
“Very, very grateful for him and what he’s done for our program as a player. But you know, when scouts call me NBA, G league, overseas, I will just rave about him as human being.”
• • •
Atiki Ally Atiki
Size and position: 6-10 forward/center
Games: 28 games (0 starts)
Points: 2.0
Rebounds: 2.5
Blocks: 0.9
Notes: The BYU transfer was injured when he arrived to UNM and got a late start to the season ... season highs in points (9) and blocks (5) vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Nov. 12 ... season-high 10 rebounds vs. Western New Mexico on Dec. 14 ... outstanding leaper is adept at finishing lobs.
Pitino: “He’s had some really, really good moments. I think the injuries certainly hurt him a little, figuratively (and literally) ... it may have set him back a little bit, but he toughed through it and he’s given us some really good minutes off the bench. And I still believe we’ve got plenty of basketball to play (and) that we can still get a lot more out of him.
“Great kid. ... from Tanzania, and then you come from BYU to here, and he’s been a huge addition to the program.”
• • •
Also being recognized: Graduate assistant Nolan Murphy, manager Logan Russell and manager Nate Castillo.
