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Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
Lobo recruiting roundup: Busy Monday for UNM basketball
- Story byAlbuquerque Journal, N.M.
- Lobo recruiting roundup: Busy Monday for UNM basketball
Lobo hoops transfer portal tracker
The Journal is keeping tabs on all offseason roster moves for the Lobo men's basketball team — who is leaving, who is returning, who hasn't decided — on its Transfer Portal Tracker (CLICK HERE).
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It was anything but a slow, mid-April day for Lobo basketball.
While an uneasy UNM fanbase awaits any nuggets of roster updates, the Lobo basketball program on Monday had plenty to offer:
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Brandon Mason Jr., a 6-foot-5 shooting guard who plays for Albuquerque's ABC Prep and is the No. 70 high school recruit in the country for the Class of 2027 according to 247Sports.com , completed his official on-campus recruiting visit at UNM;
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Imran Suljanovic, a 6-8 small forward from St. John's by way of Vienna, Austria, committed to play for the Lobos next season;
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Former UNM Lobos backup center JT Rock announced he is transferring to Kansas State and walk-on guard Sir Marius Jones announced he is transferring to Weber State;
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Hudson Mayes, a 6-5 freshman guard who averaged 11.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.0 steal in an All-Big West Honorable Mention season at UC San Diego, completed his official recruiting visit in the Pit.
Familiar face, familiar place
Mason, the son of former New Mexico State Aggies player and UNM Lobos assistant coach Brandon Mason, is one of the highest-ranked national recruits out of Albuquerque. And the Lobos hope he will be the first local player to be on scholarship at UNM as a freshman in more than a decade.
Great visit today with @UNMLoboMBB @CoachEricOlen @CoachMRUNMLOBOS @coachstapes10 @BrooklynEsq @AlbuquerquePrep @AbcSpotlightNM UNM staff is doing a great job with recruiting @BrandonMasonJR1 #NewMexicoStrong pic.twitter.com/3KUUXxXUKu
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— BRANDON MASON (@coach_bmase) April 13, 2026
The former Lobos ball boy seen by thousands of Lobo fans firing up 3-pointers at halftime of games for years while his dad was on coaching staffs of Steve Alford, Craig Neal and Paul Weir, plays at ABC Prep in Albuquerque, a school that competes on a national circuit.
247Sports ranks the younger Mason as a four-star recruit. He has dozens of scholarship offers from the likes of UNM, New Mexico State, Arizona State, Missouri, Washington, Cincinnati, TCU, Boise State, Xavier, UNLV and several others.
The new guy
While the player himself has not confirmed the decision, news of Suljanovic choosing to transfer to UNM broke Monday evening on social media and was confirmed by the Journal.
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Suljanovic, 19, was recruited a year ago by UNM and eventually chose to play for Rick Pitino at St. John's after the Hall of Fame coach flew to Italy, where Suljanovic was playing at the time.
Suljanovic suffered a dislocated knee cap in an October practice and ended up not playing a game for the nationally ranked Johnnies.
"I was watching Imran on film and had to see him in person," Rick Pitino said in a story last April after St. John's signed him. "I traveled outside Bologna, where he impressed me more with his overall game than what I watched on film. He shoots, passes, handles and is extremely agile. (Imran has) great potential. We are very excited to have him join the Johnnies."
Suljanovic averaged 22.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in seven games he played in the FIBA U18 EuroBasket tournament in 2024 and has played on the Austrian Senior National team, same as Benjamin Schuch, the versatile 6-9 wing the Lobos announced last week has signed to play at UNM this coming season.
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Rock rollin' to Manhattan
Rock, the fan-favorite, 7-1 Lobos center who surprised UNM with his decision to transfer, announced via social media on Monday he will be going to Big 12 school Kansas State.
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A post shared by Prodigy Sports Group (@prodigysportsgroup_)
Rock has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
UNM walk-on guard Sir Marius Jones also took to social media on Monday night to announce he has transferred to Weber State. Jones, a 6-foot-5 guard who was two-time Sacramento (California) Player of the Year in high school, didn't suit up for the Lobos and can still play four seasons.
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A post shared by Sir Marius Jones (@jones.boy_5)
Future Lobo?
Mayes, a versatile athlete from Los Angeles, averaged 17.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals over the final 10 games of the season once being moved into the starting lineup (he started 12 games overall) at UC San Diego, Olen's old school.
His official recruiting visit was also on Monday at UNM. He has three years of playing eligibility remaining.
Reach Geoff Grammer at ggrammer@abqjournal.com or follow him on Twitter (X) @GeoffGrammer.
