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NEW MEXICO:New Mexico's top pass catcher who established himself as one of the best in an outstanding group of wide receivers in the Mountain West Conference...entered the season as one of the top unheralded receivers in the country, but stepped into the spotlight with his play in 2005...a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist who saw his NFL stock soar in his final year...ranked by ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. as the No. 2 senior WR in the country and among the top-25 senior player in the country much of the fall...accepted an invitation to play in the prestigious Senior Bowl college all-star game...flourished as the Lobos' No. 1 target in 2004 and was sensational as a senior in the team's expanded passing attack...2005 team captain...140 receptions for 2,288 yards and 17 TDs, averaged an impressive 16.3 yards per catch in his career...ranks 3rd all-time at UNM in receiving yards, 4th in receptions, and is 2nd in receiving TDs...yards per catch is the third-highest among the Lobos' top-10 reception leaders...9 100-yard receiving games in his career...went over the century mark in 7 of his last 14 games...caught at least one pass in 24-straight games to close his career...25 starts in 43 career games...extremely hard-working athlete and an intense competitor every time he took the field...blocked a punt that was recovered for a TD, made 3 special teams tackles and completed a 46-yard pass during his career...continued to play on the Lobo punt block team, rushing off the edge, as a senior...was a little raw early in his career, but worked to polish his receiver skills over the past three years...said he takes more pride in his blocking ability than anything else...is a big, strong target and has tremendous leaping ability, along with deceptive speed and athleticism...a 7-foot high jumper and standout hurdler in high school...2004 MWC outdoor high jump champion (6-11.00) and a three-time all-conference honoree in the event for head track & field coach Matt Henry...two-time NCAA Midwest Regional qualifier, despite being probably the heaviest elite high jumper in the country...squats 435 pounds and has a max of 315 in the bench, 285 incline and 308 in the power clean...also an outstanding student who was a four-time academic all-MWC honoree and a first team academic all-district selection...graduated in December of '05 with a degree in General Management...played mostly quarterback as a senior at Clovis HS, but also earned all-state honors as a receiver and punter...missed half of 2002 after suffering a frightening spinal concussion during a blocking drill in preseason practice...was taken off the field on a backboard and admitted to University Hospital with minimal movement in his extremities for several hours...made a full recovery from the injury and never missed a game or practice over the final 3 1/2 years of his career...full name is Henry Randall Baskett III.2005 (SENIOR):Established himself as one the nation's top receivers with a sensational senior season...first team all-MWC selection by the league's media and coaches...first Lobo WR named first team all-conference since Pascal Volz in 1997...ranked 13th nationally and third among an outstanding group of Mountain West Conference WRs, averaging 97.4 receiving yards in 11 games...was one of 4 MWC players among the nation's top-25 in receiving yards/game...went over 100 yards receiving in 5 games, including and 3 times in the final 6 weeks...1,071 total receiving yards was the 6th-best ever at UNM...career-high 67 receptions tied for sixth on the UNM single-season list...6.1 catches/game was 3rd in the MWC and 30th nationally...one of 6 MWC players that ranked among the nation's top-50 in receptions/game...16.0 yards per catch was easily the best among the league's top-5 reception leaders...9 TD catches were 6 more than he had all of last year and tied for 4th on the UNM single-season list...defenders were flagged for pass interference 11 times while trying to cover him during the year...he still caught 3 passes for 103 yards on plays where he was hit before the ball arrived...due to injuries on the team, he played the last 2 games and 10 quarters in the final 5 games with the Lobos' second or third string quarterback throwing the ball...averaged 114.5 yards and 6.9 receptions in the 8 games starting QB Kole McKamey has been healthy, but just 51.7 yards and 4 receptions in the 3 games McKamey missed some or all of due to injury...vs. Air Force...Was double-teamed on every play and only thrown to 6 times...finished with a season-low 2 catches for 8 yards and drew a pass interference penalty...saw only 2 passes come his way after starting QB Chris Nelson was knocked out of the game in the 3rd quarter...at Utah...Tremendous game, carrying a Lobo offense that was playing with a new starting QB for the first time in 16 games...caught 8 passes for 135 yards, including a 50-yard TD to help lead UNM to a pivotal road win...won the battle in his match-up against reigning MWC Defensive Player of the Week Eric Weddle, who had limited Wyoming star WR Jovon Bouknight to 4 receptions for 43 yards the previous week...exploded for 80 yards on three 2nd half catches as UNM rallied from an 8-point halftime deficit...forced Weddle into 2 pass interference penalties, including one which he caught anyway for a 27-yard gain...his 50-yard TD came two plays later on 3rd-and-5 play in the 3rd quarter...he caught the pass in double coverage down the sideline, brushed off a hit by the Utah safety, and ran roughly 25 yards for the score...vs. Colorado State...Just missed another 100-yard game, finishing with 91 yards on 5 receptions...brushed off a big hit by 2 defenders, turning an 8-yard grab into a gain of 16 on his first reception...later pulled in a season-long 51-yard TD as he was falling backward into the end zone...also had 3 knockdowns blocking downfield for the running game...at San Diego State...Bounced back in a big way with a healthy QB Kole McKamey in the lineup...finished with 141 yards on 7 catches and 2 TDs, all of which came in the first 3 quarters before UNM ran the ball almost exclusively in the 4th quarter to secure the victory...4 of his receptions went for 20 yards or more and 2 were good for 1st downs on 3rd-and-long plays...had a 24-yard catch-and-run through 2 defenders on a 3rd-and-9 screen play that led to his first TD in the 2nd quarter...later got UNM out of a big hole on its own 11...made an over-the-shoulder 39-yard grab on the first play following the Aztecs' blocked punt return for a TD in the 3rd quarter...catch eventually led to his second score...notched his second multiple TD game of the season...at Wyoming...Caught just 2 passes for 12 yards, but was only thrown to 6 times (no drops) as the Lobos had 66 rushing attempts...caught a 9-yard pass in tight coverage on a 3rd-and-8 play in the 3rd quarter...UNM scored a game-tying TD 3 plays later...vs. BYU...Turned in a tremendous, gutty performance...caught a career-high 11 balls for 141 yards and forced the Cougar DBs into a season-high 3 pass interference penalties against him...had just 1 catch for 3 yards in the first quarter, but grabbed 10 for 138 over the next 3 periods...pulled in a long pass of 43 yards on a play where QB Kole McKamey escaped a pair of defenders in the backfield...notched his second straight 100-yard game against BYU...at TCU...Tallied 7 more catches for 78 yards...went high over the CB on a jump-ball to snare the Lobos' first TD of the night...scored was the 13th of his career, tying Pascal Volz for sixth on the UNM all-time list... also drew 2 more pass interference penalties, including one which he caught anyway for a 28-yard gain down the sideline...at UTEP...Worked hard to get his 6 catches for 66 yards...took a screen pass 30 yards on the second play of the game and made a high-flying 19-yard catch in the 2nd quarter...had a tremendous 24-yard grab down the sideline wiped out by an encroachment penalty in the 3rd quarter...catch would have gotten UNM out of a hole near its own end zone, instead UTEP scored on a blocked punt 3 plays later...vs. New Mexico State...Was double-covered virtually the entire night, but still got free for 3 catches for 58 yards in three quarters of play...turned a 5-yard screen pass into a 46-yard gain in the 3rd quarter...juked the first defender, cut across the field and might have scored with one more block downfield...raced downfield to serve as Kole McKamey's personal blocking escort during the final half of McKamey's 71-yard TD run...finished with 3 knockdown blocks on the night...at Missouri...Turned in one of the best receiving performances in New Mexico history, recording career-highs of 10 receptions for 209 yards and 3 TDs...became the third Lobo ever to tally 200 yards receiving in a game and the first since Terance Mathis (252) did it against Utah in 1989...his 3 TDs tied a UNM single-game record held by five others, most recently Pascal Volz against TCU in 1997...it was the 6th 100-yard receiving game of his career and third straight...tied with Eric Morgan (1989-90) and Mike Henderson (1987-90) for 7th on the UNM all-time list with his 12th TD catch...performance earned him MWC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career and a spot on the CollegeFootballNews.com national "Who's Hot" list for week 2...had 4 catches for 52 yards, including a 25-yard TD, in the first half, then exploded for 157 yards on 6 second half receptions...skied between 2 Tiger DBs to pull in a 25-yard halfback pass from DonTrell Moore at the MU 16, then turned up field and dragged 2 more defenders with him across the goal line to knot the game at 28 at the end of the 3rd quarter...had catches of 47 and 22 yards, and drew a pass interference penalty in the 4th quarter...sealed the Lobos' upset win with a 9-yard TD with 2:01 remaining, out-jumping the Mizzou defensive back once again in the back corner of the end zone...vs. UNLV...Opened the year with a bang in the ESPN2-televised opener...caught four balls for 75 yards in the first quarter, including a 47-yard TD, and finished with 6 catches for 132 yards (22 per catch)...notched the 5th 100-yard game of his career in his best performance since the 2004 season-opener vs. Washington State...also drew two pass interference penalties, including one in which he caught the ball anyway for a 48-yard gain to set up the Lobos' go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter.2004 (JUNIOR):Established himself as one of the top receivers in the MWC in his first year as a starter (12 starts in 12 games)...Honorable Mention all-MWC selection who was voted Offensive MVP by his teammates...led the team with 54 receptions (10th MWC), which is the most by a Lobo player in 5 years...caught at least 2 balls in every game during the year...908 receiving yards (75.7 per game) was 7th in the MWC and No. 9 on the UNM single-season list...yards were also the most by a Lobo since 1997 when All-American Pascal Volz had 1,229...16.8-yard avg. was 3rd among the league reception leaders...4 of his catches went for over 50 yards...4 100-yard games this year and a 99-yard effort vs. Texas Tech...accounted for 64% of the Lobos' receiving yardage and almost half (47%) the team's receptions during the season...continued to find ways to get open despite being the focus of coverage schemes...also displayed real toughness, playing through several painful injuries late in the regular season...had 15 knockdown blocks...Emerald Bowl (vs. Navy)...Notched his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season, finishing with a game-high 115 yards on five catches....long catch-and-run of 53 yards on the Lobos' second TD drive...also had a 23-yard reception on the third UNM TD drive...at BYU...Had all of his skills on display en route to a 4-catch, 125-yard day...ignited the offense with a 47-yard over the shoulder grab in the 1st quarter to set up the first UNM score of the day...on the next possession, made a high-flying 29-yard TD catch in traffic...spectacular one-handed catch for a 26-yard gain in the 3rd quarter got the Lobos out of 1st-and-15 hole...pulled in a 23-yard reception on 3rd-and-3 later on the same drive, to set up the game-winning TD...also tallied 2 more KD blocks...at Colorado State...Turned in a courageous performance...was severely limited by a deep bone bruise on his left knee, but still managed to make one of the biggest plays of the game early in the 4th quarter with UNM holding a shaky 16-14 lead...pulled in a 17-yard pass across the middle in front of three Ram DBs, but then gave ground, side-stepped a diving defender and accelerated up the sideline...raced 69 yards, dragging his left leg behind him as he crossed the goal line, for the longest reception of his career and the longest pass play of the year for UNM...finished with 3 catches for 88 yards, along with 2 knockdown blocks in a season-low 26 plays...at Air Force...Posted his second 100-yard receiving game of the year, finishing with 107 yards on 5 catches (21.4 avg.)...first catch went for 57 yards, leaping over a Falcon defender, after UNM had handed the ball off on 15 of its first 17 plays...also pulled in a 23-yard pass on a 3rd-and-14 play...vs. Utah...Made 4 catches for 75 yards, including a long gain of 31...attempted a pair of passes off reverse plays...just missed wide open QB Kole McKamey down the sideline in the second quarter on a play that likely would have tied the game at 14 if completed...two knockdown blocks as well...vs. Texas Tech...Another tremendous effort, finishing with 99 yards on 6 catches and a TD...pulled in 3 balls for 58 yards in the 2nd quarter alone...made a leaping 35-yard grab in front of two Tech defenders on 3rd-and-6...four plays later, out-jumped the CB for a 7-yard TD on a 4th-and-3 play...five of his six catches went for either a 1st down or TD...vs. Washington State...Breakout performance in front of a national TV audience in the season-opener...career and game-high 9 catches for 165 yards...did his damage on every area of the field...jump-started the offense early in the second half with a 64-yard gain on a screen play to set up the game-tying TD...also picked up 45 yards across the middle on a post pattern to set up a 3rd quarter FG.2003 (SOPHOMORE):Emerged as a dependable member of the WR corps in his first full season...finished 3rd on the team with 17 catches for 288 yards (16.9 avg.) in 13 games...tied for second on the squad with 3 TDs...had a season-long catch of 42 yards...3 tackles and a blocked punt on special teams as well...also served as the Lobos' backup punter...Las Vegas Bowl (vs. Oregon State)...Lone catch was good for a 27-yard TD on a play-action pass in the 1st quarter...also threw a 46-yard bomb to Dwight Counter off a WR reverse to set up the Lobos' final TD...vs. Air Force...Only reception was a 42-yard catch-and-run to set up a UNM field goal...vs. UNLV...Notched 2 receptions for a 48 yards...39-yard catch-and-run on a 3rd-and-11 play from the UNM 11-yard line to help set up the Lobos' first scoring drive of the night...at Utah...Finished with 3 catches for 22 yards...all 3 came in the final 2 minutes of the first half as the Lobos drove to take the lead for good...terrific 6-yard grab on 3rd-and-6 to keep the pivotal drive alive...also made a leaping catch for a two-point conversion and snared the Utes' late onside kick attempt...at San Diego State...Tremendous all-around game...2 catches for 41 yards, including a 28-yard gain...made the momentum-changing play of the game when he laid out and made a textbook block of an Aztec punt...teammate Billy Strother recovered the ball and scored from 14 yards out to give UNM a 14-0 lead late in the 2nd quarter...vs. New Mexico State...Lone reception was a sensational 7-yard left-handed TD catch from Kole McKamey, which proved to be the Lobos' game-winning score early in the fourth quarter...the Aggie defender was whistled for pass interference, as he held down Baskett's right arm on the play...vs. Texas State...Two catches for 31 yards vs. Texas State...scored on a 20-yard fade pass from Tali Ena.2002 (REDSHIRT FRESHMAN):Sat idle for nearly 2 months after suffering a spinal concussion during practice (Aug. 14)...was cleared for contact on Oct. 6 and made his collegiate debut at Utah State (Oct. 19)...made tremendous progress throughout the year...saw a significant amount of time late in the season on special teams, where he had three tackles...at Utah State...First 2 career catches (9 & 12 yards) were both for touchdowns...second TD appeared to send the game into a second OT period before UNM failed on the PAT attempt...just missed hauling in a third TD reception from 13 yards out at the end of the 1st half.HIGH SCHOOL:A 2001 graduate of Clovis (N.M.) HS...extremely versatile and bright student-athlete who competed in football, basketball and track, and also had a 4.0 GPA...played in six games at quarterback and four at receiver for coach Eric Roanhaus...second team all-state punter and receiver as a senior...punted all three years...one of the nation's top schoolboy high jumpers with a state-record leap of 7-0 at the 2000 state track meet in Albuquerque...also won the title as a senior at 6-11...jumped 7-00.25 at a meet in May...averaged 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Wildcats' basketball team...a second team all-state selection on the court as a junior...not surprising, he was the Wildcats' athlete of the year as a junior.PERSONAL:Born Sept. 4, 1982, in Clovis...age is 22...full name is Henry Randall Baskett III...son of Henry Jr., and Judy...father spent 30 years in the Air Force and now serves as director of a four-county program for abused children...older brother Randy Curtis is in the Army, serving in Korea...major is General Management.CAREER HIGHS:Receptions: 11, vs. BYU (10/8/05).Receiving Yards: 209 at Missouri (9/10/05). Receiving TDs: 3, at Missouri (9/10/05). Longest Catch: 69 yards, at Colorado State (10/30/04). |
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