Cullen Neal will miss Saturday’s game at San Jose State after sustaining a concussion on the last play against Wyoming, head coach Craig Neal announced Thursday afternoon.
The Lobos' starting point guard is currently going through the University’s concussion protocol, and Craig Neal identified Cullen Neal as day to day in practice. He won’t make the trip to San Jose, California for Saturday’s 2 p.m. MT contest.
Cullen Neal ranks third on the team in scoring with 14.4 points per game, and his 4.2 assists a game is second-best in the Mountain West.
There is no timetable for Cullen Neal’s return and he could miss games beyond Saturday, the coach said, but it does not appear he will be lost for the season. Cullen Neal endured an ankle injury after two games into the 2014-15 season that resulted in a redshirt season for the sophomore.
Craig Neal said the team’s medical staff has been on top of the situation. The doctors picked up on the concussion before Craig Neal knew anything about it, he said.
“I trust those guys and what they do, and our school's got that in place because I think it's a serious issue not only in our sports but other sports," he said.
The absence of Cullen Neal marks the second lineup change for UNM in two games. Starting guard Elijah Brown missed the first 10 minutes in last Saturday’s 70-68 home loss to Wyoming, with Craig Neal citing disciplinary reasons.
Craig Neal on Tuesday did not rule out a lineup change but said the discipline is not yet complete.
Without Neal, the Lobos do have options, Craig Neal said he likes either Jordan Hunter or Tim Jacobs, a preferred walk-on a year ago, will start at the point. Hunter and Jacobs both average roughly 8.5 minutes.
Hunter in particular has a small sample size as a freshman. He shoots at a 48.5 percent clip and sits +1.36 in assist-to-turnover ratio, but he’s taken only 66 field goals and 13 3-pointers.
Jacobs, meanwhile, was needed more with Cullen Neal sidelined and played nearly 21 points with Cullen Neal sidelined, scoring 3.5 points and providing 87 assists. Neal’s return and Brown’s emergence,
As of Thursday, Craig Neal said he did not know if he would start Hunter or Jacobs but both will see time against San Jose State. How much will depend on the flow of the game and how each perform, he said.
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“They're going to have to play because they're the only other point guard that I have and that's how we're going to go,” Craig Neal said.
Four-guard sets could be utilized as well, Neal said, meaning Xavier Adams will be relied upon as well. Adams put forth a solid starting effort against Wyoming, added energy in the second half and scored 13 points against the Pokes.
If someone asked for three players who know his system the most, Craig Neal said two would be Cullen Neal and Devon Williams (whose career ended earlier this year). The third, Craig Neal said, would likely be Adams.
In fact, Craig Neal said he used a one-on-one film session with Adams to talk about how much the Lobos benefit from Adams’ spark.
“I said he has to play with unbelievable energy and attack the rim when he can,” the coach said. “If he's open, shoot his jump shot, but ‘be a really, really good defender.”
Others, like Dane Kuiper and Anthony Mathis, could play into the equation as well, Neal said.
J.R. Oppenheim is the assistant sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers men’s basketball and women’s soccer. Contact him at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @JROppenheim.
