SUMMERTIME MADNESS: Olen ends 2025 offseason session, looks towards the schedule
UNM head men’s basketball coach Eric Olen speaks to the media after UNM finished summer workout sessions on Friday. Olen discussed the team chemistry and some non-conference games already scheduled for the Lobos. Nick Nunez/The Pit Press
The UNM Men’s Basketball team completed summer workout sessions earlier on Thursday.
If you want to know who the starting five will be come November, or who the team’s leading scorer will be… don’t hold your breath.
“We haven’t had any of those conversations at this stage,” UNM head men’s basketball coach Eric Olen said. “Role allocation, minutes, all that stuff will come much later in the fall.”
All fourteen players are on campus and with the team. Freshman Timéo Pons arrived last week but was unable to participate in any summer workout sessions.
UNM was limited in the amount of on-court time it had this summer. NCAA bylaws limit all teams to 8 hours of skill-related instruction per week, which averages out to less than 1.5 hours per day of actual practice time.
With the limited practice time, Olen and his staff focused on evaluating ways to teach his offensive and defensive systems to a roster full of brand-new players.
“Not everybody processes information at the same rate,” Olen said. “Sometimes guys do better with film or on the court…It all just takes time and reps.”
UNM will hold no team activities for the next couple of weeks until classes start in mid-August.
What about the players?
Olen did not provide specifics about individual players, given that he and his staff had limited time this summer to fully evaluate the team.
Still, some guys stand out more than others based on their past experience and success before transferring to UNM.
Utah State transfer Deyton Albury, North Dakota State transfer Tajavis Miller and Point Loma transfer Luke Haupt have a combined ten years of college basketball experience.
“Those guys are older and have played a lot of basketball,” Olen said. “That gives them a little bit of an advantage over some of the less experienced guys, but in terms of roles, that’s all TBD.”
There is no update on whether freshman Uriah Tenette, Jake Hall, Sir Marius Jones or Pons will redshirt this upcoming season. Olen spoke highly of Tenette’s approach to off-season workouts.
“Uriah is a fun player,” Olen said. “He’s learning quickly… coming in and getting extra shots. He’s doing the things he needs to do to give himself an opportunity.”
Olen is also confident with the work that Tomislav Buljan put in over the summer, given his late arrival in early July.
Tomisalv Buljan goes up for a dunk during summer workouts with UNM. Photo courtesy of UNM Athletics.
“Tomislav did a great job of coming in as everyone else had been here a few weeks, it would have been easy for him to fall behind,” Olen said. “He was able to pretty seamlessly jump in and keep things moving. He brings great energy, a motor, and physicality every day.”
As for the other post, 7-foot-1 center JT Rock has also impressed Olen.
“JT’s been continuously getting better,” Olen said. “Been impressed with his touch and his overall talent, especially on the offensive side.”
The Ramp Challenge
Olen admitted he has not been able to conquer The Pit ramp just yet.
“I’ve tried it a bunch of times,” Olen said. “I have not been close, and I don’t feel like I am threatening it anytime soon.”
So far, there is video evidence of two Lobos who have conquered the ramp.
The Schedule
UNM has announced parts of its 2025-26 schedule:
Nov. 5—@ The Pit vs. East Texas A&M
Nov. 20—Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City vs. Nebraska
Nov. 21—Hall of Fame Classic vs. either Kansas State or Mississippi State
Nov. 26—@ The Pit vs. Alabama State
Dec. 10—@ VCU
“VCU is a great opportunity for us,” Olen said. “That’s a fantastic program. We’re excited about that challenge and opportunity that has a chance to be helpful in terms of our metrics and strength of schedule.
UNM hopes to finalize its non-conference schedule within the next two weeks.
Olen joined Andy Katz on the National Association of Basketball Coaches earlier this week and talked about his approach to scheduling when the give Mountain West departing schools leave after the 2025-26 season.
“One of our goals will be to be extremely aggressive in the non-conference in the future,” Olen said. “We will certainly take into account the changes to the league and what it looks like to our strength of schedule and try to adjust accordingly.”
