Basketball

Sports

Being a Lobo: Top five basketball alumni

Liam Cary-Eaves | July 20

Dating back to 1956, the University of New Mexico has helped guide a multitude of players into the NBA. New Mexico fans have witnessed many dominant players blossom right before them. Ranking the top five Lobo basketball players of all time is a difficult task; accounting for individual careers in Cherry and Silver followed by life after UNM, I have taken on the task of ranking the best to ever wear a Lobo uniform.

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Sports

Basketball: Lobos howl above the rest

July 13

New Mexico fans turn out for their Lobos. For the 16th consecutive year, New Mexico fans have topped the Mountain West for attendance in both men and women’s basketball. It is the 49th straight year that UNM’s fan base scaled the top-25 plateau for attendance at men’s basketball games. “I’m not surprised at all,” New Mexico Vice President for Athletics Paul Krebs said. “I truly believe we have the best fans in the country.”

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Sports

Men's Basketball: New assistant coach announced

Liam Cary-Eaves | July 6

Head coach Craig Neal’s journey to court his team and staff for the 2015-2016 season has come to a close. Terrence Rencher was named the latest addition among New Mexico’s men’s basketball coaches after garnering an assistant coach position on Neal’s staff. “I know what this program stands for and I know the passion behind it,” Rencher said. “I know the expectations that come with it and I’m up for that challenge.”

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Sports

Basketball: Old lobos, new tricks

Thomas Romero-Salas | June 29

The atmosphere of The Pit doesn’t disappear — not even for an All-Star game. The inaugural Lobo All-Star game on Sunday saw 9,497 fans watch some of the greatest UNM players in the history of the program face off against one another in a Cherry vs. Silver match. The Cherry team narrowly beat the Silver team 127-124. Drew Gordon hadn’t played a game at The Pit since the 2011-12 season, and yet he had to remind himself that he was playing in an exhibition game.

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Sports

Kirk eager for return to The Pit

Liam Cary-Eaves | June 27

Alex Kirk’s return to Wise Pies Arena will be anything but a business trip for the seven-footer in Sunday night’s Lobo All-Star game. The former New Mexico Center said he is looking forward to seeing some familiar faces after forgoing his senior season to join the NBA. “We don’t get to see each other that much,” Kirk said.

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Sports

Women's basketball: Four more years for Coach Sanchez

Liam Cary-Eaves | June 22

The ‘i’s have been dotted and the ‘t’s crossed for months now, but the paperwork has finally become official on head coach Yvonne Sanchez’s four-year contract extension through May of 2019. The deal, signed by Sanchez and UNM Athletics Director Paul Krebs back in April, will net the New Mexico women’s basketball coach an annual salary of more than $266,000 for each of the four years. “It’s been done for a couple of months now,” Sanchez said. “It definitely feels good to be here longer.”

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Sports

Basketball: NCAA changes may improve games' flow

Thomas Romero-Salas | June 15

The flow of the game has always seemed to be an issue in college basketball, and the NCAA has taken some steps to rectify that. In an attempt to fix the pacing of the game, the NCAA approved a change from two 20-minute halves to four 10-minute quarters starting this upcoming season for the women. “They’ve been debating them for a couple of years now, so I knew something was going to change,” UNM head coach Yvonne Sanchez said. “I really like it. It gets us more toward more global basketball. In FIBA rules (for international play), it’s four quarters.”

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Sports

Lobos hire Harriman as men's basketball associate head coach

Thomas Romero-Salas | April 24

Chris Harriman isn’t new to New Mexico and its men’s basketball program. In 2011, Harriman came to The Pit and got his first taste of UNM as a member of the Saint Louis coaching staff.

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Sports

Men's basketball: Goodman goes home

Thomas Romero-Salas | April 23

New Mexico men’s basketball coach Craig Neal announced on Wednesday that forward Jordan Goodman will transfer from the program to be closer to his hometown of Temple Hills, Maryland. Neal said Goodman told him that he wanted to transfer during the team’s end-of-season meeting. “We talked to him about it. He’s concerned about the health of his dad and it just didn’t work out here,” Neal said. “It’s his decision and he’s going to transfer. I’ve given him his release and we wish him the best. It just didn’t work out.”

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Sports

Lobos' run in postseason play comes to an close

Liam Cary-Eaves | March 24

Poor shooting from the field and the free throw line ends the Lobos’ season in a 63-60 loss to Oral Roberts in the second round of the Women’s Basketball Invitational. Despite a late push, New Mexico couldn’t overcome a 20 of 70 shooting performance from the field to advance to the WBI semifinals. Head coach Yvonne Sanchez said her squad came out of the gates without a lot of confidence, which cost the Lobos another home win in postseason play.

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Sports

Lobos fall short in MW title game

Thomas Romero-Salas | March 13

After a 1-7 start to the season, there wasn’t many who thought that the Lobos would be in a position to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Reaching the Mountain West Basketball Championship game put UNM in a position to earn an automatic bid to NCAAs, but UNM missed that chance following 66-60 defeat to Boise State in the Friday’s title bout.

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News

Lobo women reach Mountain West title game

March 12

LAS VEGAS – It’s been a few years, but the New Mexico women’s basketball team climbed its way back into the Mountain West Basketball Championships. The Lobos knocked off the defending tournament champion in the process. Senior guard Antiesha Brown scored a game-high 18 points Wednesday night and did not miss from the free throw line, leading the Lobos to the championship game following a 64-53 victory over last year’s title winner Fresno State.

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Sports

Lobos survive, advance in MW women's quarterfinals

J.R. Oppenheim | March 10

LAS VEGAS -- Yvonne Sanchez found it difficult to compare this UNM women’s basketball team to others she has been around. There are similarities, the Lobo coach said, like the team’s length and athleticism, or its inside presence.

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Sports

Women's basketball: Win at Wyoming would lock second place for UNM

Liam Cary-Eaves | March 6

New Mexico controls its destiny for the number-two spot in the conference, but a share of the Mountain West title is not out of the question. A win tonight in Laramie, Wyoming guarantees the Lobos can do no worse than second in the conference. “We just have to focus on how we can get a win in Wyoming,” head coach Yvonne Sanchez said. “We’ll focus on that first, and then we will know by Friday night where we finish.”

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Sports

Men's basketball: Rough season doesn't tarnish Greenwood's legacy, coach says

Kyle Tomasi | March 6

New Mexico senior guard Hugh Greenwood will play his final home game in Cherry and Silver while trying to avoid the Lobos’ first losing season in his tenure at UNM. Greenwood’s legacy will not be defined by this season’s struggles, head coach Craig Neal said at a press conference on Thursday. When asked what Greenwood’s legacy would be, Neal gave a definitive answer: “Winner.” Greenwood will have one more chance to go out a winner on the WisePies Arena floor when UNM hosts Wyoming in both teams’ regular season finale on Saturday.

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Sports

Column: Yvonne Sanchez deserves new deal

Liam Cary-Eaves | March 4

In a season swimming in a whirlpool of doubt, head coach Yvonne Sanchez stood tall in the final year of her contract and produced one of the best women’s basketball teams to come out of the New Mexico program. Sanchez is deserving of a short-term deal to retain her position as head coach for UNM. The first three years were rough, which is why a long-term deal is not likely. However, the head coach should be allowed to prove this season was no fluke.

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Sports

Season may end on nine-game losing streak

Kyle Tomasi | March 4

New Mexico players and fans have grown accustomed to 20 or more wins from the men’s basketball team, but the 2014-15 season will have a different outcome – including the longest losing streak in more than 50 years. This season, the Lobos got off to a 9-4 start before the turn of the calendar. Since Jan 1, UNM has had a downfall for the ages and it won’t get any easier the remainder of the season.

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Sports

Men's basketball: UNM faces coldest month since 1959

Kyle Tomasi | March 2

he month of February has come to a close, and New Mexico will likely be glad to see the flip of the calendar. UNM concluded a winless month of basketball on Saturday with a 59-55 loss at Fresno State. New Mexico has not won since Jan. 31, marking the team’s longest losing streak since the 1959 season. “It’s one of those things that’s like a broken record,” said head coach Craig Neal in a press release. “It’s frustrating, and nobody feels the pain worse than I do.”

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Sports

Women's basketball: Historic win puts UNM second in MW

Liam Cary-Eaves | March 2

Rewriting the history books was not an easy task for New Mexico during an emotional 63-60 victory over Fresno State on Saturday at WisePies Arena. Once the final buzzer blew, this year’s Lobo squad became the first in program history to collect 13 Mountain West wins. Head coach Yvonne Sanchez, whose contract is up for renewal, said she cannot take sole credit for the team’s success. “I know a lot of times when good things happen, it’s easy to just see this head coach and put a bunch of praise on it,” Sanchez said. “This team has done everything we’ve asked them to do. They want to win and they want to play hard.”

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Sports

Much at stake in season's final home game

Liam Cary-Eaves | February 27

There is a lot on the line in New Mexico’s final home game in addition to the home crowd submitting a goodbye to the two departing seniors on Saturday against Fresno State. In addition to the Lobos gunning for a first-round bye in the Mountain West Tournament, the Bulldogs are the only team in conference the squad has failed to beat this season. UNM also has an opportunity to finish first in conference if Colorado State (21-6, 13-3 Mountain West) does not win out.