If you ask Steve Alford, it would appear that the men's basketball team has 99 problems.
Thing is, all of them appear to be good problems - or at least problems with viable solutions.
Problem No. 1: finding a defensive specialist to replace J.R. Giddens, who led the Lobos with 47 steals and 39 blocks last season.
"We'd like for Tony (Danridge) to step up into that role," Alford said. "I think Jonathan (Wills) can be somebody who can play that role. Ro (Martinez) is a very good position defender, but that's a concern - having that D-stopper out there that has a lot of experience."
Problem No. 2: compensating for losing three seniors - Giddens, Jamaal Smith and Darren Prentice - not to mention the 48.7 percent 3-point shooting Smith brought and the 16.3 points per game Giddens averaged.
Martinez said Phillip McDonald could fill Giddens' void in the point as well as in the rebounding department.
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"I told him before the season his game reminds me of J.R.'s game - just a younger version," Martinez said. "I told him he has to have a goal of eight rebounds per game."
In their lone exhibition game - an 88-59 win over Western New Mexico - the Lobos had five players in double digits, with
Martinez leading the team with 18 points, including a perfect 8-for-8 from the field.
Alford said the Lobos have offensive firepower.
"We know we have a lot of guys that can score," he said. "We have some good balance."
OK, but Problem No. 3 would be?
"It's just finding the right combination to put out there at the right time (so) that we can do the things we want to do offensively and not lose anything defensively," Alford said.
Problem No. 4: getting Danridge back into the flow of things.
"We missed him on a couple lobs," Alford said. "In half the game, he gets 14 points, 12 shots up. I thought he did some really good things. We need him to rebound. We need him to guard. I thought Tony responded."
Problem No. 5: The Lobos' defensive intensity seemed to taper off after halftime, as UNM allowed only 23 points in the first half but 36 points in the second.
"We don't try to take the foot off the pedal," Martinez said. "Defensively, we have to take big strides in practice to make sure we work on stuff we missed. It starts with us vets. We need to talk more on defense."
Problem No. 6: UNM allowed WNM to take 28 3-point attempts, which could work to its advantage like it did against the Mustangs. But if a team catches fire, it could be the Lobos'
Achilles' heel.
Martinez said he has a simple solution.
"Closing out," he said. "(And if) they drive baseline, we need to be there. We need to be accountable for each other. If one of our teammates gets beat, we need to be there."
Problem No. 7: The Lobos have to deal with the growing pains of six freshman recruits.
"They're young, they're talented and there's just a lot of them," Alford said. "We have to keep our eye on combinations and who's out on the floor at the right time - that's going to take us as coaches."
Problem No. 8: The silk-shredder, McDonald, was only 1-for-4 from downtown and was a bit "trigger-happy," Martinez said, playfully eyeballing McDonald.
"We quick-shot a little bit too much," Alford said.
The Lobos will needed to amend all these problems, if you want to call them that, before opening the season against Southeast Missouri on Friday.
But the Lobos don't have a blemish on their record. In other words, so far a loss isn't one.
"All I see is a W," Martinez said.
