The Lobos were picked to finish ninth (122 points) in the Mountain West preseason poll, following last year’s 11-19 finish. UNM is looking to build on its 6-12 conference record last season that featured a first-round exit in the Mountain West Tournament.
Media members selected Colorado State to finish first in the MW after receiving 21 first-place votes and 276 points. Boise State was picked to finish second with 241 points and Wyoming was selected to place third with 235 points.
“This is just such a different team than before,” head coach Yvonne Sanchez said. “They are just a really close-knit team. They’ve all bought in and the effort is just tremendous.”
In years past, Sanchez said, individuals have been looking out individually rather than collectively playing as a whole. Entering her fourth season as head coach, Sanchez said the healthy and selfless roster is what she expected when switching from the assistant coach position.
“This is what I envisioned after taking over,” Sanchez said. “I knew not to go away from what I believed in and we’re starting to see the fruits of our labor a little bit.”
Redshirt senior Antiesha Brown has not been able to fully participate in practices following a hand surgery after the team’s summer tournament in Italy. Although the guard said she has not been able to contribute in all of the drills, she is doing everything she can to ensure that she will be ready for the season opener Nov. 14.
“They know I’m here. They know my role on the team,” Brown said. “Because I will be so back in the season, if there is a rift in the chemistry, we will have six months to get it together.”
Brown said the team is not just planning on playing well with the starting five. Getting to know how to play with every member of the squad is something she said the team has been working on early in the preseason.
“We know how to play with each other,” Brown said. “Learning our personnel and having that team chemistry where we want to make good memories with each other helps out a lot.”
UNM’s major inside presence, redshirt senior Ebony Walker, was sidelined the majority of last season after suffering an Achilles tendon injury. The center said she has worked hard all summer in order to get back on the court to help her squad.
Walker said the team has not been focusing on drills in practice, like the team had in previous years. She said the coaching staff is giving more slack to play together and improve as a whole.
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“We’ve all gotten better and you can see it in practice,” Walker said. “They’re allowing us to play more ... We’re getting up and down the court and we’re getting better.”
Although Walker said last year was a learning experience for the whole team, she said this group in particular knows how to play with one another, up and down the entire roster.
“One thing that was missing from the past, was chemistry. Not having it can ruin a season.” Walker said. “From the freshman all the way to the senior class, you can tell that we just mesh well together.”
Walker said getting to know the incoming freshman and building a stronger bond with veterans on the roster has translated to stronger play on the court.
Brown said the team is hungry and has something to prove. The focus this year, Brown said, is going to be on playing selfless basketball to build on a common goal.
“We just have great people on this team,” Brown said. “Everybody is just so focused on winning that we are going to do whatever it takes.”
Liam Cary-Eaves is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Liam_CE.
