In today's game of college basketball, incoming freshmen are seldom called upon to play quality minutes.
For head coach Ritchie McKay and his UNM men's basketball team, that adage can be tossed straight out the window.
After a turbulent and distressing off-season, the Lobos will begin their 2003-04 campaign with a fresh attitude and new faces.
Saturday, the Lobos had their first official team practice and debuted three of McKay's freshman recruits - Justin Benson, Lenny Miles and Ryan Wall. This freshman trio will be called upon early and often to contribute to a team desolated with off-season injuries and misfortunes to the backcourt and the frontcourt.
Sophomore Mark Walters and senior Ryan Ashcraft, both experienced guards, were hobbled this summer after undergoing surgery to mend leg injuries. Both are expected to be ready by the start of the regular season.
Troy DeVries, the transfer shooting guard from Portland State and projected Lobo starter, will not join the team until second semester because of NCAA transfer rules. For similar reasons, junior forward Danny Granger cannot join the team until the midway point of the season.
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Benson, Wall and Miles are part of the freshman class that will be expected to step on Division I hardwood and leave high school egos in the locker room.
"These guys can play ball, that's why they are here," senior guard Javin Tindall said. "One thing about these guys is they are really unselfish and they play team ball. They made it here for a reason."
These three players each have storied high school careers and possess the talent to succeed at the college level. In the meantime, they are experiencing the differences between the two levels of play.
"I think the freshmen will get just as much playing time as everyone else," sophomore guard Jeff Hart said. "They have shown they can play at this level. In terms of experience, I don't know if they are ready, but I'm sure they will get it. The freshmen will contribute."
Benson, who was rated the 46th best prep player in the country by RivalsHoops.com, will add much-needed size and power to UNM's inside game. Listed at 6-feet-8 and 250 lbs., Benson resembles the frame of Lobo great, Kenny Thomas. Attending Gulf Shores Academy in Houston his senior year, Benson averaged 21 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks a game.
He will be expected to contribute to an inside game that lost Chad Bell and Michael McCowan, who transfered during the off-season. The team's inside presence also suffered a major blow with the death of big man Billy Feeney in August.
Miles, 6-feet-2, 185 lbs., is a shooting guard who possesses tremendous quickness and leaping ability. He has a 42-inch vertical leap, and was a two-sport athlete in high school, but chose to pursue basketball instead of football for "the love of the game."
As a senior, Miles averaged 14 points and six rebounds a game for Adams City High in Commerce, Colo.
"I like to play open and run the court," Miles said. "This program fits perfect for what I like to do."
Wall hails from Coppell High School in Coppell, Texas - the top-ranked prep team in the Lone Star State. The point guard posted impressive numbers in high school where he started on the varsity squad since his freshman season. His senior year, Wall averaged 14 points and 5.5 assists a game. Wall has displayed great passing, with the ability to score. He seems to see the floor well and has the ability to control tempo.
"Ryan is a great team player and doesn't worry about points much," Hart said. "He dishes the ball extremely well. He came in and the first day he scrimmaged with the team, he played like he had been here for months."
It is never easy for freshmen to adjust to university life. These three freshmen will likely get their orientation in early November, when they suit up in front of 18,000 fans in what could be a trial by fire.
