2017–18 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team

The 2017–18 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team represented the University of New Mexico during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Lobos were led by first-year head coach Paul Weir. They played their home games at Dreamstyle Arena, more commonly known as The Pit, in Albuquerque, New Mexico as members of the Mountain West Conference. They finished the season 19–15, 12–6 in Mountain West play to finish in third place. They defeated Wyoming and Utah State to advance to the championship game of the Mountain West Tournament where they lost to San Diego State.

2017–18 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball
ConferenceMountain West Conference
2017–18 record19–15 (12–6 MW)
Head coachPaul Weir (1st season)
Assistant coaches
  • Chris Harriman
  • Brandon Mason
  • Jerome Robinson
Home arenaDreamstyle Arena
2017–18 Mountain West Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
No. 24 Nevada153 .833  298  .784
Boise State135 .722  239  .719
New Mexico126 .667  1915  .559
Fresno State117 .611  2111  .656
San Diego State117 .611  2211  .667
Wyoming108 .556  2013  .606
UNLV810 .444  2013  .606
Utah State810 .444  1717  .500
Air Force612 .333  1219  .387
Colorado State414 .222  1121  .344
San Jose State117 .056  426  .133
2018 MW Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

Previous season

The Lobos finished the season 17–14, 10–8 in Mountain West play to finish in fifth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament to Fresno State. On March 31, head coach Craig Neal was fired from the program.[1]

Offseason

Departures

Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Adam Cumber G 6'2" 185 RS So. Albuquerque, NM Walk-on; Left team.
Aher Uguak G/F 6'7" 206 Fr. Edmonton, Alberta Transferred to Loyola–Chicago
Damien Jefferson G/F 6'5" 190 Fr. East Chicago, Indiana Transferred to Creighton.[2]
Elijah Brown G 6'4" 200 RS Jr. Orange County, California Graduated; Transferred to Oregon.[3]
Holt Shelley F 6'9" 221 Fr. Cliff, New Mexico Walk-on; left team due to personal reasons.
Jalen Harris G 6'2" 156 Fr. Wilson, North Carolina Transferred to Arkansas.
Jordan Hunter G 5'11" 180 So. Beaumont, Texas Transferred to Lamar.
Obij Aget C 7'1" 220 Sr. Juba, South Sudan Graduated.
Tim Williams F 6'8" 240 RS Sr. Flossmoor, Illinois Graduated.
Xavier Adams G 6'4" 205 Jr. Flower Mound, Texas Transferred to Pittsburg State.

Incoming transfers

Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Antino Jackson G 6'0" 170 Sr. Houston, TX Graduate transfer from Akron. Will be eligible to play immediately.[4]
Chris McNeal G 6'1" 185 Jr. Jackson, TN Junior college transfer from Indian Hills Community College. McNeal is eligible to play immediately.[5]
Jachai Simmons F 6'8" 190 Jr. Plainfield, NJ Junior college transfer from Midland College. Simmons is eligible to play immediately.[6]
JaQuan Lyle G 6'5" 210 Jr. Evansville, IN Transfer from Ohio State. Will have to redshirt for the 2017–18 season due to NCAA transfer rules, with 2 years of remaining eligibility.[7]
Troy Simons G 6'3" 195 Jr. Pittsburgh, PA Junior college transfer from Polk State College. Simons is eligible to play immediately.[8]
Vance Jackson F 6'9" 235 So. Los Angeles, CA Transfer from Connecticut. Will have to redshirt for the 2017–18 season due to NCAA transfer rules, with 3 years of remaining eligibility.[9]

2017 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Makuach Maluach
F
Sydney, Australia Newington College 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jul 20, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Vladimir Pinchuk
F
Hagen, Germany Phoenix Hagen 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Aug 11, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2017 New Mexico Basketball Commits". ESPN.com.

    2018 Recruiting class

    US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
    Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
    Drue Drinnon
    PG
    Mableton, GA University School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Oct 29, 2017 
    Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 82
    Overall recruiting rankings:
    • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
    • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

    Sources:

      Preseason

      In a vote by conference media at the Mountain West media day, the Lobos were picked to finish in ninth place in the Mountain West.[10]

      Roster

      2017–18 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team
      PlayersCoaches
      Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
      G 0 Matt Vail (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)145 lb (66 kg) FrGrants HS Grants, New Mexico
      G 1 Chris McNeal 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg) JrIndian Hills C.C. Jackson, Tennessee
      G/F 2 Sam Logwood 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)215 lb (98 kg) SrLa Lumiere School Indianapolis, Indiana
      G 3 Antino Jackson 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)170 lb (77 kg) SrAkron Houston, Texas
      F 5 Joe Furstinger 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)230 lb (104 kg) SrSanta Margarita Catholic HS Rancho Santa Margarita, California
      G/F 10 Makuach Maluach 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)190 lb (86 kg) FrNewington College Sydney, Australia
      G/F 11 Jachai Simmons 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)180 lb (82 kg) JrMidland Plainfield, New Jersey
      G 13 JaQuan Lyle  6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)210 lb (95 kg) JrOhio State Evansville, Indiana
      G/F 14 Dane Kuiper 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)200 lb (91 kg) JrCorona del Sol HS Wasilla, Alaska
      F/C 15 Vladimir Pinchuk 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)230 lb (104 kg) FrPhoenix Hagen Hagen, Germany
      F 22 Vance Jackson  6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)235 lb (107 kg) SoConnecticut Los Angeles, California
      G 31 Troy Simons 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)195 lb (88 kg) JrPolk State Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
      G 32 Anthony Mathis 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)175 lb (79 kg) JrWest Linn High HS West Linn, Oregon
      F 55 Connor MacDougall 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)230 lb (104 kg) RS JrSouth Mountain C.C. Tempe, Arizona
      Head coach
      Assistant coach(es)

      Legend
      • (C) Team captain
      • (S) Suspended
      • (I) Ineligible
      • (W) Walk-on

      Roster

      Schedule and results

      Date
      time, TV
      Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
      city, state
      Exhibition
      Oct 27, 2017*
      7:00 pm
      BYU
      Charity Exhibition for Hurricane Victims
      L 73–79 
      Dreamstyle Arena (4,902)
      Albuquerque, NM
      Non-conference regular season
      Nov 11, 2017*
      7:00 pm
      Northern New Mexico W 147–76  1–0
      Dreamstyle Arena (10,695)
      Albuquerque, NM
      Nov 14, 2017*
      7:00 pm
      Omaha
      Emerald Coast Classic campus-site game
      W 103–71  2–0
      Dreamstyle Arena (9,601)
      Albuquerque, NM
      Nov 17, 2017*
      7:00 pm
      at New Mexico State
      Rio Grande Rivalry
      L 56–75  2–1
      Pan American Center (6,839)
      Las Cruces, NM
      Nov 21, 2017*
      7:00 pm
      Tennessee Tech
      Emerald Coast Classic campus-site game
      L 96-104  2–2
      Dreamstyle Arena (9,703)
      Albuquerque, NM
      Nov 24, 2017*
      5:00 pm, CBSSN
      vs. TCU
      Emerald Coast Classic semifinals
      L 67–69  2–3
      The Arena at NWFSC (1,000)
      Niceville, FL
      Nov 25, 2017*
      2:00 pm
      vs. Maryland
      Emerald Coast Classic 3rd place game
      L 65–80  2–4
      The Arena at NWFSC (1,250)
      Niceville, FL
      Nov 29, 2017*
      7:00 pm, ATTSNRM
      Evansville
      MW–MVC Challenge
      W 78–59  3–4
      Dreamstyle Arena (8,943)
      Albuquerque, NM
      Dec 2, 2017*
      7:00 pm
      at UTEP L 76–88  3–5
      Don Haskins Center (6,394)
      El Paso, TX
      Dec 6, 2017*
      7:00 pm, P12N
      at Colorado L 57–75  3–6
      Coors Events Center (6,610)
      Boulder, CO
      Dec 9, 2017*
      7:00 pm, ESPN3
      New Mexico State
      Rio Grande Rivalry
      L 62–65  3–7
      Dreamstyle Arena (12,768)
      Albuquerque, NM
      Dec 16, 2017*
      6:00 pm, CBSSN
      No. 23 Arizona L 73–89  3–8
      Dreamstyle Arena (13,207)
      Albuquerque, NM
      Dec 19, 2017*
      7:30 pm, ATTSNRM
      Rice W 78–69  4–8
      Dreamstyle Arena (9,415)
      Albuquerque, NM
      Dec 22, 2017*
      7:00 pm, ATTSNRM
      Prairie View A&M W 87–78  5–8
      Dreamstyle Arena (9,423)
      Albuquerque, NM
      Mountain West regular season
      Dec 27, 2017
      7:00 pm, ATTSNRM
      Air Force W 87–58  6–8
      (1–0)
      Dreamstyle Arena (10,514)
      Albuquerque, NM
      Dec 30, 2017
      3:00 pm, ATTSNRM
      at Nevada L 74–77  6–9
      (1–1)
      Lawlor Events Center (9,530)
      Reno, NV
      Jan 3, 2018
      7:00 pm, ESPN3
      at Boise State L 62–90  6–10
      (1–2)
      Taco Bell Arena (7,557)
      Boise, ID
      Jan 6, 2018
      7:00 pm
      San Jose State W 80–47  7–10
      (2–2)
      Dreamstyle Arena (10,799)
      Albuquerque, NM
      Jan 10, 2018
      7:00 pm, Stadium
      Wyoming W 75–66  8–10
      (3–2)
      Dreamstyle Arena (9,846)
      Albuquerque, NM
      Jan 13, 2018
      5:00 pm, ESPN3
      at Fresno State L 80–89  8–11
      (3–3)
      Save Mart Center (6,244)
      Fresno, CA
      Jan 17, 2018
      8:00 pm, ESPN3
      at UNLV W 85–81  9–11
      (4–3)
      Thomas & Mack Center (10,546)
      Paradise, NV
      Jan 20, 2018
      5:00 pm, CBSSN
      San Diego State W 79–75  10–11
      (5–3)
      Dreamstyle Arena (11,418)
      Albuquerque, NM
      Jan 27, 2018
      7:00 pm, ESPN3
      Colorado State W 80–65  11–11
      (6–3)
      Dreamstyle Arena (12,438)
      Albuquerque, NM
      Jan 31, 2018
      7:00 pm
      at Utah State L 80–89  11–12
      (6–4)
      Smith Spectrum (6,345)
      Logan, UT
      Feb 3, 2018
      4:00 pm, ATTSNRM
      at San Jose State W 71–68  12–12
      (7–4)
      Event Center Arena (2,151)
      San Jose, CA
      Feb 6, 2018
      8:00 pm, ESPNU
      Boise State L 71–73  12–13
      (7–5)
      Dreamstyle Arena (11,357)
      Albuquerque, NM
      Feb 10, 2018
      2:00 pm, ESPN3
      at Air Force L 92–100  12–14
      (7–6)
      Clune Arena (2,851)
      Colorado Springs, CO
      Feb 14, 2018
      7:00 pm
      Utah State W 78–63  13–14
      (8–6)
      Dreamstyle Arena (9,737)
      Albuquerque, NM
      Feb 21, 2018
      7:00 pm, ATTSNRM
      at Wyoming W 119–114  14–14
      (9–6)
      Arena-Auditorium (4,321)
      Laramie, WY
      Feb 24, 2018
      12:00 pm, CBSSN
      UNLV W 91–90  15–14
      (10–6)
      Dreamstyle Arena (12,080)
      Albuquerque, NM
      Feb 28, 2018
      7:00 pm, ATTSNRM
      at Colorado State W 108–87  16–14
      (11–6)
      Moby Arena (2,917)
      Fort Collins, CO
      Mar 3, 2018
      7:00 pm, ESPN3
      Fresno State W 95–86  17–14
      (12–6)
      Dreamstyle Arena (13,069)
      Albuquerque, NM
      Mountain West Tournament
      Mar 8, 2018
      8:30 pm, CBSSN
      (3) vs. (6) Wyoming
      Quarterfinals
      W 85–75  18–14
      Thomas & Mack Center (6,753)
      Paradise, NV
      Mar 9, 2018
      8:30 pm, CBSSN
      (3) vs. (7) Utah State
      Semifinals
      W 83–68  19–14
      Thomas & Mack Center (8,224)
      Paradise, NV
      Mar 10, 2018
      4:00 pm, CBS
      (3) vs. (5) San Diego State
      Championship Game
      L 75–82  19–15
      Thomas & Mack Center (8,456)
      Paradise, NV
      *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
      All times are in Mountain Time.

      References

      1. "Craig Neal fired as New Mexico head coach after 17-14 season". ESPN. April 1, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
      2. Grammer, Geoff (June 11, 2017). "Damien Jefferson sixth to transfer from Lobo hoops". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
      3. Tate, Van (March 20, 2017). "Elijah Brown to transfer from New Mexico". KRQE. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
      4. Grammer, Geoff (April 26, 2017). "Akron graduate transfer point guard commits to Lobo hoops". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
      5. Grammer, Geoff (May 1, 2017). "Lobo men's hoops signs another point guard". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
      6. Grammer, Geoff (May 6, 2017). "Lobos sign forward who was previously signed with NMSU". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
      7. Chester, Jared (August 4, 2017). "Lobo Basketball picks up another transfer, JaQuan Lyle". KRQE. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
      8. Grammer, Geoff (April 17, 2017). "Lobos sign high-scoring JC guard Simons". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
      9. Grammer, Geoff (June 26, 2017). "UConn transfer Vance Jackson signs with Lobo basketball". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
      10. "Nevada Predicted to Win 2017-18 Mountain West Men's Basketball Regular-Season Title". Mountain West. October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
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