With basketball season just around the corner and football on a bye week, we feel like now is a perfect time to start our preview of the 2015-16 New Mexico Lobos Men’s Basketball team. Today, we’ll get to know the guards and wings on the team, with the posts and walk-ons coming tomorrow. In this preview, we’ll have an overview of each player, along with some things that we expect to see, some things we hope to see, and their stats from the last season they played in D-1. Putting this together, it’s clear that this is a team with a lot of talent and a lot of potential, so it’s a good thing that the season starts next week because I’m not sure I could wait much longer.
#21 Xavier Adams
Guard, 6’4”, 205 lbs., Sophomore
Xavier Adams is one of those guys who was committed to the Lobos for so long, it’s easy to forget that he’s only been playing for one season. The Texan found his way into the starting lineup after Cullen’s ankle injury and remained a fixture in the rotation for much of the season even once Sam overtook him for the starting spot. This season, he is one of the several players vying for a spot on the starting lineup and seems to be the best defensive option among the candidates. His playing time will most likely be dictated by the needs of the team each game, as if the Lobos need scorers, there are a couple of better options on the team, but if they need defense, he will likely get the call.
What we expect to see: The thing that kept getting Xavier playing time was his abilities on the defensive side of the ball. Defense takes effort and that never seemed to be something that Xavier lacked. His size, quickness, and his long arms didn’t hurt either. Xavier was the best shot-blocker among the guards, ranking only behind Obij, Devon, and Joe in terms of Block %. If he keeps developing on that end of the court, he could end up being the best perimeter defender on the team this season.
What we hope to see: It came out this summer that Xavier played most of last season with an injury to his right elbow, which at the very least affected his shooting. Xavier ended up shooting 30% from three-point range and 50% from the free throw line, both of which will need to improve if Xavier is going to be more than a role player. Luckily, that injury has healed, so a jump in offensive performance wouldn’t be shocking. That said, he did improve his offensive efficiency in the conference season, so if he can combine that improvement in offense with his ability on defense, he will be tough to keep off of the court.
2014-15 Stats: 20.8 mpg, 3.3 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.3 spg, 0.3 bpg, 45.5% FG, 30.0% 3P, 50.0% FT
#4 Elijah Brown
Guard, 6’4”, 200 lbs., Redshirt Sophomore
After sitting the required year out after his transfer from Butler, Elijah finally gets to suit up in the Cherry and Silver. A well-regarded recruit out of high school, Elijah saw a good amount of playing time for the Bulldogs his freshman season and ended up as their fourth highest scorer. Despite that, he still decided to transfer and when he did, it wasn’t much of a surprise that he ended up at UNM because of his relationship with the Neals. Now that he’s here and available to play, Elijah will be asked to play a key part on this Lobo team. He brings good athleticism and basketball IQ to the team and, like any good coach’s son, he has a nice shot. He’ll have some stiff competition for minutes at the shooting guard position, but based on his ability and experience he has a good chance of carving out plenty of minutes for himself.
What we expect to see: Although his freshman numbers don’t necessarily reflect it, watching Elijah makes it clear that he is a very good three point shooter and his percentage this year will probably be much higher. We’ll also see him and Cullen fight over who gets to take any technical free throws this season.
What we hope to see: Elijah will need to show that he can play strong defense to be the primary shooting guard, otherwise the perimeter defense for the team would be a major weakness. He certainly has the physical tools to be a good defender, so I don’t see any reason why he couldn’t be a plus defender.
2013-14 Stats (Butler): 18.6 mpg, 6.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.4 spg, 0.1 bpg, 33.7% FG, 27.8% 3P, 85.4% FT
#3 Jordan Hunter
Guard, 5’11”, 180 lbs., Freshman
Jordan is a point guard from Beaumont, TX, where he made a name for himself as one of the best guards in the Houston area. He is a short guard who relies on his quickness to be effective on both offense and defense. With the way that perimeter defense has been officiated recently, being a quick guard can be a huge advantage, so it’s good to see the Lobos bring in a guy like that. Even though he isn’t tall, he still has a strong build, which will help prevent him being bullied on defense by larger guards. He has a good outside shot, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him be most successful driving and either dishing or getting to the rim. Because it is his freshman season, we’ll probably see him improve as the season goes on and his minutes should reflect that improvement.
What we expect to see: Because of his size and athleticism, Jordan seems like the sort of player who is going to be a thorn in the side of his opponents. It will be difficult to stay in front of him and he should have the ability to draw a number of fouls. I’m sure that we’ll see some ups and downs with him, like any freshman, but he should be a really nice player to have in the program.
What we hope to see: Coach Neal has a complicated offense, so it’s not a given that a guy will come in and be able to effectively run it immediately. If he can show that ability, he’ll have a good shot at being the primary backup to Cullen and seeing more minutes.
#25 Tim Jacobs
Guard, 6’0”, 200 lbs., Senior
Tim came into last season as sort of an afterthought, which made complete sense as he was a preferred walk-on. When Cullen went down, his importance on the team immediately became evident. Aside from Hugh Greenwood, Tim was the only other player capable of running the offense and his presence allowed Hugh to play shooting guard and to take the occasional break. This season, Tim will be fighting with Jordan Hunter to be the backup point guard to Cullen and, initially, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him win the job. He works hard on defense (and easily led the team in drawn charges), he knows how to run the offense, and he’s steady with the ball. The two main things that he has going against him are his size and his shooting. His size he can’t do anything about, but hopefully he’s improved his shooting this off season. Tim is certainly a luxury for the team to have as a walk-on and his senior leadership will be really important for a fairly young team.
What we expect to see: Tim showed some ability at getting to the rim last season and should be even better at that this season. When he did that, it also opened up opportunities for assists, which with the improved talent will become even more available. He’ll also look to draw several charges this season, so hopefully the newly expanded restricted circle doesn’t affect that too much.
What we hope to see: Tim knows good and well that if he wants to play in crunch time, he’ll need to be a better free-throw shooter. There’s nothing about his history that makes us think that he is just bad at it, but that ability was just not showing last season. His shooting issues also extended to the three point line, where he only made 2 of his 21 attempts. If he can show improvements in those areas, he’ll find himself in crucial situations this season.
2014-15 Stats: 20.8 mpg, 3.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.0 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.0 bpg, 47.5% FG, 9.5% 3P, 54.8% FT
#14 Dane Kuiper
Guard/Forward, 6’7”, 200 lbs., Freshman
Dane, the Alaskan who played high school ball in Arizona, makes his long-awaited debut for the Lobos this season, and I say long-awaited because I think that he may have committed six or seven years ago. Dane and his parents have been a part of the Lobo family for a long time already and there is plenty of excitement from both the Kuipers and the fans for him finally arriving on campus. Dane is a tall wing who seems to be solid at all aspects of the game. He is bouncy, he has solid fundamentals, and he gives good effort. Because of all that, he seems to be one of the most game-ready freshmen that the Lobos have had in a while. That said, he still hasn’t played a minute in college so he’ll still have to prove his ability on the court, but he seems a good bet to have a great career as a Lobo.
What we expect to see: Dane will likely do a little of everything this season, from playing good defense to hitting the occasional three. He plays a position with some stiff competition, but I think that he does enough things well that Coach Neal will find plenty of uses for him.
What we hope to see: Hopefully, Dane adjusts to the college game quickly and remains a solid all-around player. Like the other freshmen, he’ll likely improve as the season goes on, which will only make the wing positions more competitive for playing time when conference play gets going.
#20 Sam Logwood
Guard/Forward, 6’7”, 210 lbs., Sophomore
Sam was a late commit to the Lobos last summer and I couldn’t be happier that he decided to come here. He is a tremendous athlete with a great leaping ability and who just looks like he was made to play basketball. About halfway through the season, he earned the starting wing position, which he’ll likely keep this season, and became a key player on the team. This year, he seems primed to take a leap forward in his development, showing up looking even stronger and more confident. If he does take that leap forward, not only will he take the bulk of the playing time on the wing, he has a decent shot of making an all-conference team. Based on the fact that he and Cullen were the faces of the program in the preseason media rounds, I have a feeling that I’m not the only one thinking that.
What we expect to see: It feels like almost a certainty that Sam is going to have some memorable dunks this season, particularly in transition. I also think that he’ll be a bigger part of the offense in general this season, mostly driving to the basket from the perimeter.
What we hope to see: Sam’s shooting improved as the season went on last season, but it would be good to see him become a consistent threat from the perimeter. He also clearly has the physical tools to be a great, lockdown defender, but the numbers didn’t quite reflect that last season. If he develops on that end of the court, he could be the sort of guy who can guard several positions and just take the other team’s best offensive player.
2014-15 Stats: 20.4 mpg, 6.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.1 apg, 0.3 spg, 0.1 bpg, 39.0% FG, 30.4% 3P, 72.7% FT
#31 Anthony Mathis
Guard, 6’3”, 170 lbs., Freshman
Anthony is a freshman shooting guard from West Linn, OR, where he won back-to-back state championships with his high school. Anthony will stick out in my mind for a long time with his commitment, as he was offered a scholarship one day and committed the next. It was really cool to see a guy wanting to be a Lobo and jumping on the opportunity when it was presented to him. Anyway, Anthony is known for being a sharpshooter and he showed that at the Howl, beating Cullen in the three-point shooting contest and hitting some shots during the 5 on 5 drills. He has tremendous potential on offense and will likely be a good weapon for the team for this season and several to come.
What we expect to see: When he gets in the game, make no mistake about it, Anthony will be looking for his shot. He will likely come in and be running of several screens to get open, like the Lobos used to do with Tony Snell. I also wouldn’t be shocked if he has one game this season where he just lights up the other team.
What we hope to see: Anthony is the lightest player on the team, which does raise some questions as to his ability on defense. If he is going to be more than a specialist this season, he will have to prove that he won’t be a liability on D.
#1 Cullen Neal
Guard, 6’5”, 195 lbs., Redshirt Sophomore
Last year, Cullen was poised to take over as the starting point guard and primary playmaker for an uptempo Lobos offense. That lasted all of two and a half games, as he landed on a Boston College player’s foot after attempting a shot and was sidelined for the rest of the season with an ankle injury. His injury, perhaps more than any other reason, was a key part of why the Lobos had such a down year lost season. After months of rehab, the ankle seems to be better and Cullen is ready to take his place back as the starting point guard. While he was out, Cullen also focused on putting on some weight to help him drive stronger to the basket and to avoid being shoved around on defense. With a healthy ankle, some added strength, and an extra year of seasoning, Cullen could be poised to have a big year.
What we expect to see: Cullen would be the first to tell you that he’s the best shooter on the team, and it would be hard to disagree. He feels comfortable shooting off the dribble and off the pass and he has a quick, compact release to get shots off whenever there’s an opening. He also has really good court awareness and tends to see his teammates getting open before they do, which might lead to a pass or two hitting a guy in the back of the head. That all said, he will most likely be the team’s leader in points, assists, and fan bases hating him.
What we hope to see: Cullen hasn’t exactly been known for his defensive prowess since he came to UNM, so he is certainly going to try to change that perception this year. He made an effort to get bigger and stronger while maintaining his quickness, which should go a long way to help him stay in front of many of the guards that he’ll be matched up against this year. He also spent a year watching Hugh Greenwood play defense, a guy whose defensive success came largely from awareness and positioning, so hopefully some of that rubbed off on him. But, that’s all on paper and he’ll need to show the improvements in the games. If he can be solid on the defensive end, he should be on the shortlist for the all-conference first team.
2013-14 Stats: 19.9 mpg, 7.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.9 apg, 0.4 spg, 0.0 bpg, 37.3% FG, 35.9% 3P, 71.8% FT