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Hours after Tuesday’s early-morning game, the UNM men’s basketball team boarded a plane for the Virgin Islands. But it’s not a reward for winning the season opener: The Lobos are there to compete.
Play begins today for the Paradise Jam, an eight-team tournament hosted at the University of the Virgin Islands. The Lobos square off in the first round with Illinois-Chicago at 2 p.m. MST. Other teams in the field are Connecticut, George Mason, Iona, Mercer, Quinnipiac, and Wake Forest.
The UNM-UIC game, along with UConn-Wake Forest and each winner’s-bracket contest, will be televised on the CBS Sports Network.
“The first one is always the biggest,” said head coach Steve Alford, who coached Iowa at the Jam before his current tenure at New Mexico. “We’re on national TV and if we win it, the next two will be on national TV. That’s huge for us.”
After the first round, UNM will face either George Mason or Mercer. The final round is Monday. The teams at the Jam have a combined record of 10-2, but no team has played more than two games at this early stage of the season.
UNM (1-0) enters the tournament after an 86-81 victory over Davidson on Tuesday. The Lobos rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit to capture the nationally televised contest.
“It’s huge going into the Virgin Islands tournament,” said redshirt sophomore center Alex Kirk. “We needed a big win here, and I think it’s going to be a fun tournament.”
The tournament isn’t just an opportunity to battle tough teams early in the campaign. The trip should be a bonding experience for UNM, Kirk said.
“That’s going to be a lot of fun because we’re all going to be together,” he said. “We’ll keep working together. We’ll practicing and doing all our events together. I haven’t been to a tournament like this, so I don’t know what to expect. It’s going to be fun.”
New Lobos
Wednesday night, UNM announced the addition of two new players for the 2013-14 season. Prep players Bryce Alford and Tim Myles signed National Letters of Intent to join the Lobos during the early signing period.
Guard Bryce Alford, son of head coach Steve Alford and younger brother of redshirt freshman Kory Alford, led La Cueva High to the New Mexico Class 5A state basketball championship a year ago. He was named the Albuquerque Metro Player of the Year as a junior.
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Forward Tim Myles is a senior transfer at Etiwanda High School in California after playing at Corona Roosevelt a year ago.
Bryce Alford and Myles will join Obij Aget next season. Aget, a center from La Porte, Ind., born in Sudan, signed with the Lobos for the 2012-13 season. He did not join the team this year in order to recover from a torn ACL. Aget does not have to re-sign his letter of intent.
“We are very excited about this 2013 class,” coach Alford said in a statement. “Obij and Tim bring size and athleticism to our front line. Bryce is a very talented guard that understands exactly how we play and will really add to our backcourt.”
Men’s basketball
vs. UIC
2 p.m.
Today
Paradise Jam
CBS Sports Network
DirecTV channel 613,
Comcast channel 274
