Motivation in practice should not be a problem for the Lobos. Last year’s lackluster season left a bad taste in the their mouths.
The 15-16 record from their last campaign will serve to fuel New Mexico, guard/forward Sam Logwood said as the team opened practice Friday. During one stretch of Mountain West play last year, the Lobos lost eight games in a row. They were also bounced in the first round of the conference tournament following back-to-back runs to the title in previous years.
“That’s something we hang on our shoulders, what happened last year. And everyone felt it, even the guys that redshirted, the guys who didn’t play much,” Logwood said. “We all realize that we have a lot of ground to cover and we hang our heads on that so we have to get better and get ready.
The Lobos got off to an early start this year, and head coach Craig Neal plans to take advantage of it.
Practice began 42 days before the first game of the year. Since the team is only allowed to hold 30 practices leading up to the season, Neal said the team will practice three days, then have two rest days before practicing for another three days.
In the third week of October, UNM will resume its regular practice routine with Wednesdays and Sundays away from the practice court. The regular season begins Nov. 13 against Texas Southern.
“It’s good to get started early,” said Neal, entering his third year at the helm. “It’s good for teaching, but you still have to regulate what you do so you don’t wear them our early. That’s what we’ll try to do.”
Depth should not be as big of an issue as it was a year ago for the injury-plagued Lobos, either.
Seventeen players took the floor at the Rudy Davalos Basketball Center to prepare for the 2015-16 season. That depth means the team’s role players should be able to truly be role players, as opposed to guys seeing significant minutes to fill the void for injured players like hot-shooting guard Cullen Neal.
Transfers like guard Elijah Brown from Butler and forward Tim Williams from Samford University help with experience, and the team brought in more shooters in Brown and freshman guard Anthony Mathis. The incoming class also includes 7-foot-1 center Nikola Scekic, who, with the 6-foot-8 Williams, provides low-post presence.
“We have a lot of guys that fit into every position, and I think that’s something we have an advantage of,” Logwood said. “We have a lot of guys that can do a lot of everything, so that’s a plus for us.”
Before taking advantage of those numbers, Craig Neal said he first needs to determine what each player’s role will be.
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“I think there are a lot things up for grabs. There are a lot of positions up for grabs,” Craig Neal said. “There’s nothing that’s kind of created on who’s going to start, who’s going to play, what rotation I’m going to use. I think it’s just going to be on performance in practice.”
Center J.J. N’Ganga missed Friday’s first practice dealing with a lingering Achilles’ issue, Craig Neal said. He did not say when N’Ganga will return to practice.
Logwood participated in practice after having a spur removed from his right ankle, though he did not engage in full-contact drills. He said does not know the timetable for a return to full-contact practice, but added that he feels fine.
Also, Williams practiced with a splint on a finger after a mishap in the weight room broke the tip of the finger roughly three weeks ago. Craig Neal said Williams was a full-go in practice.
J.R. Oppenheim is the managing editor for the Daily Lobo. Contact him at managingeditor@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @JROppenheim.
