After the end of the 2024-25 season, the University of New Mexico’s men’s basketball team was ravaged by the transfer portal and coaching carousel. With an entirely new roster, Lobo fans are unsure of what to expect from this year’s team. Here’s a breakdown of the new roster that Head Coach Eric Olen assembled.
Deyton Albury
Albury is a 6-2 senior guard and the only player with previous experience playing in the Mountain West. He played last season at Utah State University and averaged 7.8 points per game, and previously played at Queens University of Charlotte, averaging 17.0 PPG.
He’s a well-rounded guard who has some of the most high-level Division I experience on the team. Albury can finish at the rim with efficiency and can make catch-and-shoot threes when open. In addition, he is a solid passer, having averaged 3.7 assists per game last season.
Kevin Patton Jr.
A junior guard who is listed at 6-8, Patton Jr. brings useful length to the Lobo backcourt. He previously played at the University of Southern California. One of his main strengths is his athleticism and ability to move and score away from the ball. He has shown flashes of shooting ability and shot 35.3% from deep last season.
Kallai Patton
The brother of Patton Jr., Kallai Patton, is a 6-4 guard who also spent last season at USC. However, he didn’t appear in a game due to an injury, earning him redshirt status. In high school, he showcased a similar skillset to his brother, though perhaps with more craftiness at the rim, a likely side effect of being the shorter sibling.
Antonio Chol
Coming from Garden City Community College in Kansas, Chol was one of the best Division III players in the nation last year. He’s a 6-9 guard and forward.
He provides excellent spacing as he shot nearly 40% from three last season, being able to shoot off the catch but also create his own shot through stepbacks and midrange pull-ups. He can also finish at the rim, especially after contact. He is going to be one of the most exciting players to watch this season, due to his extensive skill set.
Chris Howell
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As a 6-6 guard, Howell followed Olen to UNM from the University of California, San Diego. He’s also the younger brother of Assistant Coach Mikey Howell. Chris Howell was one of the best defensive players in the nation last year on a UCSD team that made their first NCAA tournament appearance — he averaged 2.17 steals per game. He also earned the Big West Best Hustle Player award last year. He is already appearing as one of the leaders of this new team.
Tomislav Buljan
Buljan is a 6-9 forward and international player from Croatia. He played professionally for Košarkaški klub Cedevita Junior, part of the Premijer liga — Croatia’s highest level basketball league. The 22-year-old averaged 12.5 PPG and 8.8 rebounds per game. He brings experience and much-needed size to this Lobo team.
Tajavis Miller
A 6-4 guard from Lubbock, Texas, Miller is a senior who played his three previous seasons at North Dakota State University. Miller is a three-level scorer — he has shot 37.4% from three over his career, has a nice bag of post-up moves and fadeaways, and can get to the rim and finish off of two feet.
Luke Haupt
Hailing from Point Loma Nazarene University in California, Haupt is a 6-7 guard going into his senior season. He is a solid two-way player able to score with efficiency while also being a top-tier defender. He helped lead PLNU to a 29-6 record last season.
Uriah Tenette
One of the three high school recruits, Tenette, is the shortest player on the team at 5-10, but he still has a highlight tape filled with some of the most impressive and athletic dunks out there. As a three-star recruit, Tenette isn’t just a high-flying dunker, seeing as he’s shot 35% from three. It will be interesting to see how his unique skill set and style transfer to the college level.
Sir Marius Jones
A 6-4 guard coming from Sacramento High School in California, Marius Jones can shoot the three and has decent ball-handling skills, but is still rough around the edges coming right out of high school. He’ll likely be a developmental project for most of the season.
Timéo Pons
Pons is the other international player that Olen recruited. He’s a 6-8 guard from Nanterre, France, and is currently playing in the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, as Pons is the only Lobo not currently in Albuquerque. He’s a decent scorer, averaging 14.5 PPG last season, but he lacks an efficient three-point shot.
Jake Hall
The incoming freshman is a 6-4 guard from Carlsbad High School, California. He averaged 28.5 PPG in his senior season and has two first-team All-state selections. Hall is an aggressive driver with an ability to finish through contact and get to the line and he can shoot at a good clip, though he hasn’t quite developed some of the other necessary parts of his game.
Milos Vicentic
Another player who followed Olen to UNM from UCSD, Vicentic is a 6-7 forward who was injured that season but had averaged 21.5 PPG the year prior at McKendree University in Illinois. He’ll likely be a staple of this Lobo front-court.
JT Rock
Rock is a 7-1 center — the tallest player on the team — who previously played at Iowa State University. While Rock didn’t see much playing time as a Cyclone, he does have some athleticism and can make the occasional three-pointer. He could end up seeing some minutes on the court as a backup this season.
Jaden McKelvey-Francis is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at editorinchief@dailylobo.com or on X @jadenmckelvey
