[155][156] Six other players averaged between seven and ten points as balanced scoring became a hallmark of Lobo squads under Alford. 25The Sweet 16 thus far remains elusive to Lobo basketball. The Lobos added transfer Ruben Douglas from Arizona before the 200001 season, but other key recruits were sidelined by injury and disciplinary problems. [229], Conference Season Championships (11: 5 WAC, 4 MWC, 2 Border), Conference Tournament Championships (6: 4 MWC, 2 WAC), NCAA Tournament Appearances (15: 816 record), Individual and team records are published in detail in the 201314 Lobo Media Guide.[230]. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) - Major League baseball righted a wrong this year. [116] The WAC had expanded to 16 teams in the off-season, and eight WAC teams won at least 20 games. They then lost five of six to finish in a tie for third. March 1, 2003. Elliott had an opportunity to put Arizona in the lead with a three-pointer with seconds remaining, but Greene blocked the shot to seal the win, the only time the Lobos have beaten a #1-ranked opponent. Harge later had a successful career in the ABA. Media Guide 201314, pp.65,116. UNM left the Border Conference in 1951 to join the Mountain States Conference, then known as the Skyline Eight. [117] The Lobos were swept by #7 Utah, dropping to 174, but they won their last seven games to finish second in conference. [151] The 200607 team featured talented Kansas transfer J. R. Giddens, who led the team with 16 points a game, but discipline problems limited his playing time. After the 197172 season, assistant coach Norm Ellenberger was elevated to head coach, and King served as Assistant Athletics Director the next season. They went 7414 (.841) from 1967 to 1970, including a 273 season in 196970 in which they were ranked in the top five most of the year, culminating in a Final Four appearance. Scott is the Lobo career leader in FG percentage, at .622 (198285). They beat Texas A&M in the NIT before losing at Fresno State to finish the season 1913. McAfee signed with Weatherford College in Texas before transferring for one year with the University of Louisiana Rajun Cajuns in the 2020-2021 season. [115] The young Lobo squad jumped out to a 100 start and a #25 ranking before losing a pair of league road games. [87] In the end, fans wanted more than Colson had managed to achieve, and despite the respect he had earned for rebuilding the program, the disappointment of failing to reach the NCAA tournament fueled support for a change. Starting center Greg "Stretch" Howard was ineligible due to an NCAA rule disallowing transfers to play in postseason games; without his 14 points and 10 rebounds a game, the Lobos' balanced attack withered, and Nelson was their only consistent offense. Facing Butler in the first round, the Lobos were already without an injured Olney when Gibson suffered a concussion and broken finger; Thomas again spent the game in foul trouble. He remains the Lobo career leader in blocks and blocks per game; second in career field goals made; and the only Lobo to record a triple-double, doing so twice. [94] Thomas finished his career with over 1,000 points and 500 rebounds, one of two Lobos to accomplish that in just two seasons.[95]. No players found. Media Guide 201314, p.79. [26] New Mexico State hired Lou Henson as head coach in 1966, and like the Lobos under King, in his second season the Aggies began achieving national rankings and post-season tournament appearances. There were a multitude of reasons for this. In 1920 a head coach would be hired, Roy W. Johnson. On March 16, 2021, Richard Pitino was named the 22nd head coach of the Lobos. [8] Johnson set about building collegiate-level athletics facilities, performing some of the hard labor with his own hands. Fan criticism had reached a crescendo and attendance at The Pit had been dropping significantly. They then won 12 of 13, including a win over #6 San Diego State to knot the MWC race, but they lost the title showdown at SDSU after squandering a large lead. Johnson stepped down as head basketball coach after the 193940 season. [79] The Lobos scored over eighty points a game and set the team record for most total points in a season. The team tallied early wins over UCLA, Ohio State, and at Texas before hosting #1 Arizona, led by All-Americans Sean Elliott and Steve Kerr. He had been a collegiate coach for 16 seasons, the previous eight at Iowa, amassing over 300 career wins. [138][142] His father played at UNM for Bob King, but McKay had only coached for brief stints at Portland State, Colorado State, and Oregon State, with an 8389 career record. In the 2018-2019 season, Weir was reliant on four transfers from both Division 1 programs or junior college transfers, as well as returning senior Anthony Mathis. [116] They later lost at #5 Arizona but beat undefeated, #3 Utah as Olney hit two three-pointers in the final moments, including the game winner at the buzzer. Smith led in scoring for the third straight season, averaging 17.5 a game, while Shields scored 15.5, and Thomas added 14 points and seven rebounds a game. [90] Knight recommended Bliss, who had been his assistant at Army and Indiana before serving as head coach at Oklahoma and SMU. They received a seven-seed in the NCAA tournament, facing Stanford. Like King, Ellenberger got off to a fast start in his first two seasons. Ellenberger began relying heavily on recruiting Junior College (JC) transfers, a tactic that would lead to his best season as Lobo coach but later to his downfall. William C. Dowling, Confessions of a Spoilsport: My Life and Hard Times Fighting Sports Corruption at an Old Eastern University (2007). King transformed a moribund program into a consistent winner and produced future ABA MVP Mel Daniels. They began their WAC schedule with losses at Utah and BYU but rebounded to win eight of their next nine. [221] The noise level of the boisterous fans, the intimacy created by seating extending to the edge of the court, and the elevation contribute to what Coach Dave Bliss termed "a Pit game. Uguak is a 6-foot-7 starting senior forward . Ellenberger served as interim head coach at UTEP for a period when Haskins was ill. Bobbi Roquemore. [198][199][200] A study of decibel levels at collegiate basketball arenas found that a game at The Pit registered as the loudest at 118 decibels,[201] comparable to a turbo-fan aircraft at takeoff power. Based on this conversation, the FBI launched an investigation that led to a federal indictment of Ellenberger on seven counts of fraud and forgery of academic transcripts, though he was acquitted of those charges at trial. [88] Colson's teams had gone 10762 (.633) in his last five seasons, but his failure to win the conference or to make the NCAA tournament were common criticisms. The judge deferred sentence for a year, noting that it was unfair for Ellenberger alone to bear culpability, and all counts were formally dismissed in 1983.[36][60]. Media Guide 201314, p.91. [25] Don Haskins took over at UTEP in 1961 and led the Miners to a 12832 (.800) record in his first six seasons, including a 281 national championship season in 196566. [203] Contributing to the intimidating environment for visitors is the mile high elevation of The Pit,[199] emphasized to visiting teams with a message along the wall of the tunnel from the locker rooms down to the playing floor saying, "Welcome to the legendary Pit, a mile high and louder than"[204], The Pit has garnered praise as one of the top venues in college basketball from sports reporters, announcers, and opposing coaches. In 1957, while still on faculty, Johnson oversaw construction of the 7,800-seat arena that bears his name, Johnson Gymnasium. Lobo's championship streak with the national team in 1977 included a basketball crown in the Pesta Sukan league in Genting Highlands, Malaysia, as well as the Southeast Asian Games men's title in . [55], Before the 197778 season, Ellenberger installed what he called the "Equal Opportunity Motion Offense", a run-and-gun attack emphasizing picks and passing as players rotate through each position, taking advantage of his versatile, athletic lineup. The 198687 season was the most successful for Colson as Lobo coach. [12][29] Also playing in the first round at The Pit, New Mexico State lost to eventual champion UCLA, then won the consolation game over the Lobos, who finished the season 235. [146], Bradley transfer Danny Granger became eligible during the 200304 season and led the team with 19.5 points a game. [42] Their shooting touch eluded them in the tournament, as several players were suffering from food poisoning before the game. They went on to lose in the first round in the Mountain West Championship against Nevada. Bliss had won 246 games as Lobo head coach and reached the NCAA tournament seven times, both school records. [172] The Lobos' strength of schedule powered them to a #2 RPI ranking, and they won a program-record 15 games away from The Pit. [225] New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson declared May 8, 2008 as "Mike Roberts Appreciation Day" in honor of the sportscaster. [22] Gibson compiled career averages of over 11 points and seven assists per game, still holding UNM records for career assists per game and four other assists categories.[31][32]. [16] They were again invited to the NIT, where they lost to St. John's to finish 198. The Lobos returned to the NIT, losing to eventual champion Virginia Tech and finishing 216. They compiled a 10230 (.772) record while making the NCAA tournament and winning in the first round all four years. Cleveland is as puzzled as anyone that the Cougars haven't won a conference tournament title since 2001. Lobo, at 6'4", played the center position for much of her career. The other team will have numerous other former Lobos and other players from around New Mexico. They nevertheless reached the NIT, losing to Texas and finishing 1714. The UNM gymnasium at the time was a small wooden building where the walls were out-of-bounds markers for basketball games. So all time UNM team with NM players. The highlight of the season was a 85-58 win over No. Virginia scored the last eight points of the game to take the lead, and the Lobos missed three shots at tying the game in the last 12 seconds, finishing the season at 238. In 1992 the basketball court at The Pit was named "Bob King Court" in honor of the coach who made its construction possible. SHARE Why this former BYU coach is dumbfounded by Cougars' lack of success in league tourney. Smith led with 20 points, but the rest of the team shot a combined 29%, including 18% from three-point range. The 199091 Lobos were again led by Longley averaging 19.1 points and 9.2 rebounds a game, with Robbins adding 14 points a game. 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