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Men's Basketball: Lobos-EA Sports All Stars, Take Two
Complete Release in PDF Format LOBOS-EA SPORTS ALL-STARS, TAKE TWO The 100th season of men's basketball at the University of New Mexico continues Friday when the Lobos host the EA Sports Southwest All-Stars. Tipoff is 7:05 p.m. from The Pit/Bob King Court. This is the second and final exhibition game for the Lobos. UNM toppled the EA Sports West All-Stars 97-86, on Nov. 1. New Mexico opens the regular season at home against California on Saturday, Nov. 23 followed two days later by a visit from Northwestern (La.) State. The All-Stars are currently 1-5 after Sunday’s 102-88 loss at Texas. The All-Stars play at Arizona, Arizona State and Oregon (on Thursday) before coming to The Pit on Friday, their fourth game in as many days. 100TH SEASON; ONLINE VOTING CONTINUES The year-long celebration of the 100th season of men’s basketball - sponsored by Sandia Casino - got underway in earnest on Sept. 13, 2002, when more than 60 former players and coaches attended the Lobo Legend Gala at The Pit. Additional highlights through March include: •online voting for 10 members of the All-Time Team, the All-Time Coach and the Top Moments in Lobo basketball history runs through Dec. 31 at www.golobos.com. The presentation of the team and coach will be made on March 1, 2003 when the Lobos host Utah •A commemorative poster will be created to recognize the top moments in school history; trading cards of past and current players, special theme nights and much more TICKETS Season tickets are still available at the athletics ticket office at The Pit. Single-game tickets are available online at tickets.com, or by calling (800) 905-3315 or 851-5050. Ticket outlets include the athletics ticket office at The Pit, the ticket office at the UNM Bookstore on main campus, and Raley's and Western Wearhouse locations in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Rio Rancho. Ticket office hours at The Pit are 8:30-5:30 Monday through Friday. Call (505) 925-5626 for more information. EXHIBITION No. 1 RECAP The Lobos took to the floor for the first time under new head coach Ritchie McKay on Nov. 1 and came away with a 97-86 triumph over the EASports West All-Stars. Senior G Senque Carey led four Lobos in double figures with 24 points. JC newcomer Javin Tindall added 21 on 7 of 10 FGs, including 5 of 8 from 3-point. Sophomore F Jamaal Williams came off the bench to score 20 points and grab a game-high 12 rebounds. Senior G Ruben Douglas chipped in with 18 points. New Mexico was 13 of 28 from 3-point, which is more treys made and attempted than in any game since the 1998-99 season. UNM made 9 of 13 3s in the second half when it increased a 44-43 halftime lead to 80-65 following a Tindall jumper with 5:17 left. Despite being shorter than the All-Stars, the Lobos held a 42-30 edge on the boards. During a 2-minute stretch in the first half, the Lobos played with four freshmen (David Chiotti, Jeff Hart, Mikal Monette, Mark Walters) and a junior college transfer (Tindall). Including in that group is three former Albuquerque high school stars, two of them walk-ons (Hart and Monette). LOBO HISTORY This is the 100th season, but not the 100th year of Lobo hoops. The first game was played on Feb. 2, 1900, however, the school did not field teams in 1900-01, 1903-04, 1917-18 and 1920-21. The Lobos have an all-time record of 1,182-928 (.560). The first game was played on Feb. 2, 1900, an 8-6 victory over the Albuquerque Guards. UNM has been on the hardwood continuously since the 1921-22 season. New Mexico was 418-495 (.458) from 1900-62, but has compiled a 764-433 (.638) ledger since 1962-63, an average of more than 19 wins a year. The past 40 years, the Lobos have won five league titles, captured a pair of conference tournament crowns and advanced to postseason on 26 occasions, 10 NCAA tournaments and 16 appearances in the NIT. UNM has posted 20-win seasons in 13 of the past 16 years. New Mexico has averaged 22.4 victories over the past seven seasons, 21.9 the past 10 seasons and 21.8 the last 16. The Lobos have had just three losing seasons in the past 40 years, most recently 1982-83 (14-15). The current streak of 19 straight non-losing seasons ranks fifth behind UCLA, Syracuse, Indiana and Oklahoma. POSTSEASON PERENNIALS UNM has advanced to postseason play seven straight years and 18 times in the last 19 seasons, dating back to 1983-84. The Lobos have participated in the NIT in each of the last three years, advancing to the second round in 2000 and the quarterfinals in 2001. The Lobos have also made seven NCAA Tournament appearances since 1991, including four straight (1996-99), in which they advanced to the second round each time. Before last year's first-round exit in the NIT, UNM had been one of just eight schools in the nation to win at least one postseason game (NCAA or NIT) from 1996-2001: Connecticut, Cincinnati, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, Purdue, Stanford and New Mexico. HEAD COACH RITCHIE McKAY Ritchie McKay (Seattle Pacific ‘87) begins his first season at the University of New Mexico. Son of the late Joe McKay, who was a three-year letterman at UNM from 1961-63, Ritchie McKay was named the 18th head coach on March 28, 2002. He replaced Fran Fraschilla, who was 55-41 in three seasons, from 1999-2002. McKay is on his fourth tour of duty as a collegiate head coach, with previous stops at Portland State (1996-98), Colorado State (1998-2000) and Oregon State (2000-02). He has a career record of 83-89, including 22-37 at OSU. While at Mountain West Conference member CSU, McKay led the Rams to the 1999 NIT. Ritchie McKay has not beaten Cal in six tries. He was 0-1 while at Portland State and at Colorado State and 0-4 during his two seasons at Oregon State. DEBUTS OF LOBO HEAD COACHES How the past 10 Lobo head coaches have fared in their opening games:
Other first-year coaches with a winning record include Ralph Hutchinson (4-1 in 1910-11), Tom Churchill (9-7 in 1930-31), George White (11-2 in 1943-44), Bob King (16-9 in 1962-63), Norm Ellenberger (21-6 in 1972-73) and Fran Fraschilla (18-14) in 1999-2000. EXHIBITION HISTORY The Lobos have been playing exhibition games since 1972. UNM has a 41-5 all-time record, 40-5 in The Pit. Last year, UNM beat the EA Sports Central All-Stars 77-71, but fell to the EA Sports Southwest All-Stars 87-71. Average attendance for 45 exhibition home games is 15,532. 2002 EA Sports SOUTHWEST All-Stars Schedule Nov. 1UtahW, 92-86 Nov. 2Utah StateL, 106-97 Nov. 4Weber StateL, 115-92 Nov. 5BYUL, 89-84 Nov. 7Texas TechL, 92-81 Nov. 10TexasL, 102-88 Nov. 12Arizona Nov. 13Arizona State Nov. 14Oregon Nov. 15New Mexico Nov. 16Wyoming Nov. 17Colorado Nov. 18UTEP Nov. 19Texas A&M Nov. 20SMU PERSONNEL PICTURE UNM returns just five of 12 letterwinners from a year ago, however, among those back for another season are the leading scorer (Ruben Douglas) and the leading assist man (Senque Carey). UNM adds seven newcomers, and the mix combines to form somewhat of an inexperienced Lobo team. The five returnees account for just seven years of playing experience at UNM, compared to 14 years heading into the 2001-02 season. The team is comprised of eight scholarship players, a former walk--on - Ryan Ashcraft - who was placed on aid before the 2002 fall semester, and three additional walk-ons. New Mexico returns 47% of its scoring, 42% of the rebounding, 41% of the assists and 47% of the minutes from last year. EARLY SIGNING PERIOD The national letter of intent early signing period is Nov. 13-20. UNM will announce signees once the official papers have been received. SEASON/HOME OPENERS New Mexico is 71-28 in season openers, but 35-5 since the 1962-63 season. UNM lost last year's lid-lifter to No. 13 Stanford, 81-66. The Lobos are 71-24 in home openers and have won 38 of their last 41. LOBO LEADERS A look at UNM's returning statistical leaders for 2002-03 (number in parentheses indicates overall ranking on team from last year):
The Bears won the 1975 Lobo Invitational, defeating Wichita State (75-68) and West Virginia (82-68). New Mexico is 109-137 against current members of the Pac-10. Most of those games - 208 of the 246 in fact - have been played against Arizona and Arizona State. UNM has won six of its last seven home games against Pac-10 schools since the 1991-92 season. CAL NOTES The Bears were 22-8 last year and 12-6 in the Pac-10, tying for second place. Cal lost to Pittsburgh (63-50) - in Pittsburgh - in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Bears return seven lettermen, including two starters. Senior forward Joe Shipp averaged 14.8 and 4.7 rebounds last year while senior swingman Brian Wethers averaged 10.3 points and 4.2 boards a game. Ben Braun (Wisconsin ?75) is 450-304 as he starts his 26th season as a collegiate head coach. He is 112-69 after six years in Berkeley. Braun is 1-0 in his career against New Mexico. UNM assistant coach Brad Soucie played his first two years (1986-88) for Braun at Eastern Michigan. The Eagles won the Mid-American Conference regular-season and postseason tournament titles in 1988 to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Soucie set an NCAA Tournament first-round record by making eight 3-pointers in a loss to Pittsburgh. Braun was named interim coach at EMU on Jan. 15, 1986, and was the head coach through 1995-96. UNM VS. NORTHWESTERN STATE It's the first meeting between the Lobos and Demons. Head Mike McConathy (Louisiana Tech ?77) is 49-44 after three years at the school. The Demons lost all five starters and return just three lettermen from last year's squad that finished 13-18. Northwestern was 9-11 in the Southland Conference, tying for seventh place. New Mexico is 10-1 against current members of the Southland Conference. The loss was dealt by Lamar in the first round of the 1983 NIT in The Pit. Northwestern opens the season on Nov. 17 against Arkansas-Monticello. 2001-02 RECAP The Lobos ended the 2001-02 season with a record of 16-14, 6-8 in the Mountain West Conference. The Lobos were eliminated in the first round of the MWC Tournament, 120-117 (double overtime) to UNLV, and in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament, 96-62 at Minnesota. MWC PROGNOSTICATIONS The Lobos are picked to finish seventh by the media in the 2002-03 Mountain West Conference race. That?s the lowest predicted finish for a UNM team since preseason polls were found:
Douglas ended last season on fire and ran away with the 2001-02 conference scoring title as a result. The Altadena, Calif., native averaged 18.1 ppg in 30 games, outdistancing UNLV?s Dalron Johnson, who was second at 17.4 ppg. Douglas became the second Lobo in three years to lead the league in scoring, joining Lamont Long, who did so with 18.7 ppg in 1999-2000. Douglas scored 20 or more points 13 times and became the first player in MWC history to record four 30-point games. In just 58 games at New Mexico, Douglas ranks 3rd in career 3-point percentage (42.8), 4th in career free-throw percentage (81.9) and he?s tied for 10th in career 3-pointers made (124). THE MAGIC OF THE PIT One of the great homecourt advantages in all of college basketball, The Pit begins its 37th year as the home of the Lobos. UNM has an all-time mark of 512-121 (81%) in the building that resides 37 feet below street level. The Lobos have had a winning record in The Pit in 35 of their 36 years as tenants and tore off a school-record 41-game home winning streak from 1996-98. Since the beginning of the 1995-96 season, the Lobos are 113-19 (86%) at home. TRYING TO REVERSE A TREND UNM has endured two straight sub-.500 seasons in the Mountain West Conference, finishing 6-8 in both 2000-01 and 2001-02. New Mexico had not had a losing record in league play since 1983, and the Lobos will be attempting to avoid three straight losing conference seasons for the first time since 1980-83, when they had four straight. SOPHOMORE SURGE Sophomore forward Jamaal Williams looks to improve upon a terrific freshman season, in which he turned out to be one of the top rookies in the Mountain West Conference. Williams led conference freshmen in rebounding at 5.1 rpg, ahead of Colorado State's Matt Nelson (5.0 rpg). Williams was fifth among the MWC's frosh in scoring at 7.7 ppg (Nelson was first at 14.0 ppg). Williams finished the season with 216 points, which was just seven points shy of cracking the top-10 at UNM for freshman scoring. He would have easily made the top-10, but averaged just 4.8 ppg in his final eight contests, two of which he missed due to a stress fracture in his leg. SCHEDULE NOTES The Lobos will face a total of eight teams that advanced to either the NCAA Tournament or the NIT last season. New Mexico opens the year at home against Cal, which was 22-8 a year ago, and was in the NCAAs. In mid-December, the Lobos head to Lubbock, Texas, to face Texas Tech in the first year of a home-and-home series, and the Red Raiders were 23-8 and in the NCAA Tournament in 2002 as well. New Mexico hosts the 38th Lobo Invitational in December, which includes a Pepperdine squad that went 22-8 a year ago and qualified for the Big Dance, then the Lobos end the non-conference slate with games at Tennessee and in The Pit against Northern Arizona. Mountain West Conference play begins January 13, and five of the Lobos seven league foes made the postseason.
MISCELLANEOUS FROM 2001-02
•New Mexico lost its final four games of the season for the first time since 1979-80 when it dropped five straight to end the year.
•UNM was eliminated from the first round of the league tourney for the second time in three years. Prior to an early exit in 2000, UNM had won eight straight first round games since 1992.
•The Lobos were 1-2 in overtime.
• UNM was 6-7 when Ruben Douglas scored 20 or more points. UNM was 5-2 when he scored 27 or higher.
•Douglas led the Lobos in scoring a team-best 16 times on the season, including the final six games and eight of the last 10.
• Douglas continued his hot ways against Colorado State. He has scored more than 20 points in all five of his career games against the Rams, and is averaging 24.6 ppg vs. CSU in his career. Douglas is shooting 53.3% (40-75) from the floor vs. the Rams and 52.5% (21-40) from three-point range.
•Guard Senque Carey ended up leading the team in assists, with 95 (3.17 apg). He averaged 2.6 apg in the first 17 games while point guard Marlon Parmer was still on the team. Once Parmer quit, Carey improved his average to 4.1 apg.
• The Lobos were outshot by opponents 45.4% - 45.2%. The last time UNM did not outshoot its foes from the field was in 1980-81, when the opposition shot 52.1% to UNM?s 47.4%.
•Foes shot 45.4% from the field, the highest against UNM since 1986-87, when they shot 46.5%.
•New Mexico had more turnovers than assists (391-385) for the second time in three seasons. Prior to 1999-2000, that had not happened since 1982-83.
• New Mexico State was 0-8 from three-point range on Dec. 16, marking the first time in 284 games an opponent had failed to connect from downtown against the Lobo defense. The last team to go ?three-less? against New Mexico was San Diego State on Jan. 17, 1993.
•The Lobos allowed opponents to shoot better than 50% in eight of their 14 losses on the season. New Mexico was 0-8 on the year when foes broke the 50% barrier.
• Freshman Chad Bell finished with a team-high 39 blocks, good for third in the Mountain West. He had 13 multi-block efforts on the year and had the most rejections by a Lobo freshman since Kenny Thomas had 50 in 1995-96.
•The Lobos shot 37.7% from three-point range, their best performance in a single season since 1997-98, when it shot 40.2%.
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