HOWL YEAH: Lobo Basketball Prepares to Showcase Team
UNM men’s basketball coach Eric Olen watches his team huddle during practice on Tues., Sept. 30. Photo courtesy of Nick Nunez/The Pit Press
This Saturday at 7 p.m. in The Pit, Lobo Nation will get its first opportunity to see the new look UNM men’s basketball team at The Howl.
“I think it will be a good introduction for the guys to hopefully a lot of fans that want to come and see them,” said Olen during media availability on Tuesday. “This is a little better than a live scrimmage.”
It’s the first Lobo Howl event UNM men’s basketball has put on since 2017. Parking and admission into The Pit will be free. The UNM women’s basketball team will also be participating on Saturday night.
Unlike some traditional Lobo Howls that Lobo fans may be used to, Olen’s team will not be playing 5-on-5. Instead, a skills competition, dunk contest, and 3-point contest are all part of the program for the evening.
“The environment is a little more suited for the program that they have than a live scrimmage. When we try to create competitive environments, we want to make sure that the atmosphere is right, that the focus is there,” Olen said. “Having a lighter environment is appropriate for this kind of event.”
Uriaha Tenette, Dayton Albury, Kevin Patton Jr. and an undisclosed fourth player are expected to compete in the dunk contest. Could it be the high flying forward from Croatia, senior Tomsilav Buljan?
Photo of UNM forward Tomislav Buljan, courtesy of UNM Athletics.
The 3-point contest will be headlined by two freshman Jake Hall and Timéo Pons, the big-man JT Rock, and UCSD transfer Milos Vicentic.
Olen offered a soft prediction on who could be the favorite.
“I would say just based on practice numbers, Jake Hall might be the highest percentage guy so far. I would have JT Rock as my sleeper in that,” Olen said.
Sneak-Peak at Practice
Speaking of practice, Coach Olen allowed the media to observe thirty-minutes of practice on Tuesday.
The team started with working 1 on 1 drives to the basket and finishing through contact. Here, Tomsilav Buljan, Antonio Chol, and JT Rock drive hard left, with Rock capping it off with a drop-step slam.
The team then rotated into a three-man offensive drive and kick drill, where players simulated attacking the paint, and kicking the ball out to the perimeter for a shot or another drive. The drill ends with all three players getting a shot up from the 3-point line. Uriah Tenette and Luke Haupt each knock down a permitter shot in this clip.
UNM then got into 5-out full court offense. Two teams of five got up and down the floor for three possessions at a time, where players simulate passing, cutting, and getting shots up against a ghost defense.
Rather than having a traditional point guard like Albury or Tenette bring up the ball, Pons, Jake Hall, and Patton Jr. are seen initiating the offense for UNM in this clip.
As Olen has said from the beginning, this team will value pushing the ball with multiple different players rather than slowing it down and running set plays.
“We think less about positions and more about skill sets. We might play lineups that don’t have a traditional point guard…We have lots of guys who are capable of getting the defensive rebound and keeping it themselves or a lot of different options from the outlet if its not one of those guys on the glass. That allows us to put pressure on the defense from the start of the possession,” said Olen.
Olen does not know who the starting lineup will be or who will play big minutes. Still, he feels comfortable where the team is right now
“I don’t think anybody is ever where they want to be when the first game comes around. You do need some of those game reps to really get to where you want to be. I like where we are now early in the practice session.”
UNM has 26 practice sessions, including two exhibition games, before it opens up against East Texas A&M in The Pit on Nov. 5.
