Story by
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Lobos hoops launch preseason practices; exhibition opener Oct. 11
- Story byThe Santa Fe New Mexican
- Lobos hoops launch preseason practices; exhibition opener Oct. 11
ALBUQUERQUE — Chris Howell is no stranger to the University of New Mexico men's basketball team.
He was among the first players to announce he'd be joining coach Eric Olen when the latter decided to leave UC San Diego for UNM in the spring of 2025.
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In many ways, Howell feels like a newcomer. Installed as a starter at off-guard, he went down midway through the nonconference schedule with an oblique injury that kept him on the bench the rest of the season.
A year older, Howell is back for one final year with the Lobos. He got married in the offseason and has spent the past few months learning the ins and outs of a UNM roster that looks almost completely different than when he first got here.
"Personally, I'm a lot further along than I have been since I've been in college," Howell said. "Getting a full summer, no injuries, nothing like that keeping me out just naturally felt a lot further along. Physically, probably just the best I've probably ever felt."
The same appears to be true for everyone else on the team, including one of the newcomers who spent plenty of time on the shelf when he first got here. Forward Rytis Petraitis is back to full speed after an injury led to him skipping most of last season at California before transferring to UNM.
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Petraitis joins a crowded group of frontcourt players vying for limited minutes in the post. Lacking a true presence at center, the Lobos will likely employ a four-guard, one-forward lineup all or most of the time.
While Olen said Wednesday that nearly every spot is up for grabs, it's clear Howell and returning veterans Jake Hall and Uriah Tenette will start at guard. Tenette will take over as the primary point guard with Hall returning to his role as shooting guard.
The fourth spot in the backcourt likely goes to UCSD transfer Hudson Mayes, a muscular 6-foot-5 combo guard with a penchant for rebounding, 3-point shooting and absorbing contact on drives to the basket.
That leaves one forward spot for players like Petraitis, Imran Suljanovic, Federico Grani, Benjamin Schuch and Fynn Lastring. Suljanovic has the most hype of that group, having started his college career at St. John's before a leg injury suffered early last year wiped out his entire freshman season.
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At 6-foot-8 and 210 pounds, he's lean and athletic — and exactly the kind of player who fits into Olen's system. Both he and Petraitis were sold on that system during film study as they were being recruited.
Petraitis said he sat down with Olen and compared his film from his time at Cal and Air Force with the style the Lobos played in Olen's first season with New Mexico.
"It was just the system, like this is my kind of basketball," Petaitis said. "I'm not really a one-on-one type player. I'm more of a make my other teammates better player."
Olen's roster really only has one player, the 6-10 Lastring, who looks and moves like a true low-post player. Everyone else has more of an uptempo, face-the-basket approach that should make this year's team an offensive-minded group.
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The Lobos open the season with three exhibition games over consecutive Sundays in October.
Notes
Farewell to Alford: Former Lobos coach Steve Alford announced Thursday he intends to retire after the upcoming season.
His career spans three dozen seasons and includes stops at six programs. He was with UNM from 2006-12, taking the Lobos to three NCAA Tournaments and making them a mainstay in the Top 25.
His 2009-10 team set a school record with 30 wins, and his final season with UNM saw the Lobos earn a No. 3 seed in the Big Dance. He signed a 10-year extension that same season but bolted for UCLA just days after the Lobos were upset by No. 14 Harvard in the tournament's opening round in Salt Lake City.
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He led UCLA to three Sweet 16 appearances but was forced out after five seasons. He took over at Nevada in 2019 and enters his eighth season with the Wolf Pack.
"After 36 years, I feel like this is the right time to step away from the bench," Alford said. "Tanya and I have loved our time in Reno, and have embraced this amazing community and built lifelong friendships."
Alford has made multiple appearances in The Pit since landing at Nevada. Both Alford and his longtime assistant, Craig Neal, had tenures as UNM's head coach, but Alford has long had a reputation of being a respected architect of one of the greatest stretches of Lobos basketball history.
He has 724 career wins, ranking 10th among all active Division I coaches. He ranks third all-time and second among active coaches in career Mountain West victories with 143.
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He is one of only two coaches in NCAA history (along with Rick Pitino) to take six different programs to the NCAA Tournament. One of those was Manchester College, which he led to the Division III tournament before moving on to Southwest Missouri State (now known as Missouri State).
He also coached at Iowa before coming to New Mexico.
Room to grow: The NCAA allows teams to carry 15 scholarship players. Olen has only 13 on the roster and does not plan to add anyone else.
