One year ago, a roster full of Lobo men's basketball players nobody in Albuquerque knew much about — including a 5-foot-10 true freshman in the dunk contest and a 6-4 former surfer from San Diego in the 3-point contest — put on quite a show for fans in the Pit.
Friday night, now very much known commodities, Uriah Tenette — the 5-10 guard who wowed fans by winning a highly-entertaining dunk contest — and Jake Hall, who hit the fourth-most 3-pointers of any freshman in NCAA Division I history, look to put on a show again at this year's Lobo Howl on Friday at the Pit.
Asked if he planned to enter the dunk contest again to defend his crown, Tenette on Wednesday in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Mountain West Basketball Media Day conference had a quick, but confident answer.
"That's the plan," he said.
But he said it won't be a one-man show.
"There's challengers, though. Hudson (Mayes, a new Lobo guard) can really dunk," Tenette said. "I've seen his in practice ... yeah, he's good."
But does Mayes, jaw-dropping at the rim in transition and in traffic, have enough open court tricks up his sleeve to beat Tenette, who last year leapt over teammate Chris Howell for one dunk and did a back flip before catching a ball thrown from the stands by his dad and dunking it for another?
"I guess we'll see," Tenette said, sly smile indicating he wasn't really wondering the answer at all.
And to Tenette's right, as the dunk contest conversation was being held, sat Hall, who last year capped one of the best single-season 3-point shooting displays in UNM, or really collegiate history.
"You plan on defending your 3-point contest crown, Jake?" a reporter asked.
The face of the player who that morning had been officially voted the Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year was already scrunched in anger as he shook his head long before the question was even fully asked.
You see, the sharpshooter has no crown to defend because, while he won the men's team title last year, Kaia Foster of the women's team beat him in the Howl's overall head-to-head, women's champion vs. men's champion contest.
"I'm going to try my best (to win this year)," he said as diplomatically as possible, before not being able to help himself by adding, "I mean, I wasn't really a fan of the format last year."
Yes, after everything Hall did last year with the Lobos, one of the first receipts he kept from his historic 2025-26 season was one from last year's Howl when Foster beat him for a title she now can't defend as she is recovering from a broken foot.
As for the format, Hall noted that he's already not a particular fan of this year's format, either.
"They cut out corner-3s, which I really like corner-3s," Hall said. "That's my shot."
Laughing at Hall's clear frustration with the topic, UNM coach Eric Olen acknowledged that the two players sitting with him at an interview table should be the favorites in the Howl's two premiere contests on Friday, but maybe not by as much as some fans might think.
"Uriah is a bigger favorite in the dunk contest than Jake is in the 3-point contest," Olen said. "But there's some players that will have a little more to say about it this year."
The Howl, which is free to fans — parking and getting in the Pit —starts at 7 p.m. Friday with gates open at 6 p.m.
In addition to the 3-point contest, there will also be co-ed, cross-team skill challenges – students (non-players) in attendance have opportunities to make half court shots for gear from the Lobo Den. New historical graphics and imagery in the spirit of the season-long Pit 60th Anniversary celebration are up in the concourse and there will be post-event autographs with players and coaches.
Game time, already?
The Lobos hit the road Saturday for the first of three high-profile exhibition games, this one at Oklahoma State.
The game will not be televised or have any video available online (such broadcast rights are the responsibility of the home team). But, UNM Play-by-Play broadcaster Robert Portnoy and game analyst Hunter Greene make their first hoops road trip of the year and will have the game on radio for UNM.
The Journal will also have full, in-person coverage including a live pregame show from the arena, available on the Journal's YouTube page.
The Lobos also host exhibition games in the first-ever Power Ford Tip-Off Series against the Pac-12s Washington State (Oct. 18) and the Big 12's Arizona State (Oct. 25).
For tickets and info, visit GoLobos.com/Tickets .
This and that...
*
Former UNM Lobo Donovan Dent had 12 points on 2-of-8 shooting, five rebounds and one assist in 39 minutes for LSU in an exhibition game played Thursday night at McNeese State. In a sign of the modern chaos of college athletics, while Dent and several other players on the LSU roster in the same situation played Thursday, they aren't actually listed on the team's roster because of lack of clarity on their eligibility status as the NCAA continues to fight blanket fifth-year eligibility for Class of 2022 high school graduates.
*
Future UNM opponent Mississippi Valley State, on Thursday, shared on its social media channels a request to sign a Change.org petition to have their power forward, Qingfang Pang, released from ICE custody. The fourth-year player for China was detained earlier this week. The Delta Devils play the Lobos in the Pit on Nov. 25.
Geoff Grammer is the Sports Editor of the Journal, a podcaster, columnist and covers UNM Lobos basketball, among other things. Reach him at ggrammer@abqjournal.com or follow him on Twitter (X) @GeoffGrammer.
