2016–17 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team

The 2016–17 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team represented the University of New Mexico during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as a member of the Mountain West Conference. They played their home games at The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Lobos were led by fourth-year head coach Craig Neal. They 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.

2016–17 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball
ConferenceMountain West Conference
2016–17 record17–14 (10–8 MW)
Head coachCraig Neal (4th season)
Assistant coaches
Home arenaThe Pit
2016–17 Mountain West Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
Nevada144 .778  287  .800
Colorado State135 .722  2412  .667
Boise State126 .667  2012  .625
Fresno State117 .611  2013  .606
New Mexico108 .556  1714  .548
San Diego State99 .500  1914  .576
Wyoming810 .444  2315  .605
San Jose State711 .389  1416  .467
Utah State711 .389  1417  .452
Air Force414 .222  1221  .364
UNLV414 .222  1121  .344
2017 MW Tournament winner

On March 31, 2017, head coach Craig Neal was fired after 4 seasons with the Lobos,[1] 3 weeks after New Mexico Athletic Director Paul Krebs had stated that Neal would return next season.[2] The school then hired Paul Weir from their in-state rival New Mexico State as the new head coach on April 11.[3]

Previous season

The Lobos finished the 2015–16 season 17–15, 10–8 in Mountain West play to finish in a tie for fourth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament to Nevada.

Offseason

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
J. J. N'Ganga0F6'10"240SeniorAubervilliers, FranceGraduate transferred to Mercer
Cullen Neal1G6'5"195RS SophomoreAlbuquerque, NMGraduated. Transferred to Ole Miss
Devon Williams12G/F6'8"210RS JuniorDallas, TXCareer ending spinal injury. Became a graduate assistant
Tim Jacobs25G6'0"200SeniorLas Cruces, NMGraduated
Nikola Scekic33C7'1"255FreshmanBelgrade, SerbiaTransferred to Hutchinson CC
Michael Nesbitt34F6'7"220RS SeniorEvansville, INGraduated. Became graduate assistant.

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Connor MacDougall55F6'9"240JuniorPhoenix, AZJunior college transferred from South Mountain Community College

2016 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Damien Jefferson
#40 SF
East Chicago, IN East Chicago Central High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sep 19, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 76
Jalen Harris
PG
Wilson, NC Word of God Christian Academy 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Apr 10, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Aher Uguak
SF
Edmonton, AB Harry Ainlay High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) N/A Oct 21, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
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:

  • "2016 New Mexico Basketball Commits". ESPN.com.

    Roster

    2016–17 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    G/F 1 Aher Uguak 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)206 lb (93 kg) FrHarry Ainlay High School Edmonton, Canada
    G 3 Jordan Hunter 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)180 lb (82 kg) SoClifton J. Ozen High School Beaumont, Texas
    G 4 Elijah Brown 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)200 lb (91 kg) RS JrButler Orange County, California
    G 5 Jalen Harris 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)156 lb (71 kg) FrWord of God Christian Academy Wilson, North Carolina
    C 11 Obij Aget 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)220 lb (100 kg) SrLa Lumiere School Juba, South Sudan
    G/F 14 Dane Kuiper 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)200 lb (91 kg) SoCorona del Sol High School Wasilla, Alaska
    G/F 20 Sam Logwood 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)210 lb (95 kg) JrLa Lumiere School Indianapolis, Indiana
    G 21 Xavier Adams 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)205 lb (93 kg) JrEdward S. Marcus High School Flower Mound, Texas
    F 22 Holt Shelley (W) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)221 lb (100 kg) FrCliff High School Cliff, New Mexico
    F 23 Joe Furstinger 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)215 lb (98 kg) JrSanta Margarita Catholic High School Rancho Santa Margarita, California
    G/F 24 Damien Jefferson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)190 lb (86 kg) FrCentral High School East Chicago, Indiana
    G 30 Adam Cumber (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)185 lb (84 kg) RS SoSandia High School Albuquerque, New Mexico
    G 31 Anthony Mathis 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)170 lb (77 kg) SoWest Linn High School West Linn, Oregon
    F 32 Tim Williams 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)240 lb (109 kg) RS SrSamford Flossmoor, Illinois
    F 55 Connor MacDougall 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)235 lb (107 kg) RS SoSouth Mountain Community College Tempe, Arizona
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)

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

    Roster

    Schedule

    Date
    time, TV
    Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Exhibition
    Nov 2*
    7:00 pm
    Western New Mexico W 113–57 
    The Pit (9,587)
    Albuquerque, NM
    Nov 4*
    7:00 pm
    Eastern New Mexico W 88–66 
    The Pit (10,283)
    Albuquerque, NM
    Non-conference regular season
    Nov 11*
    8:00 pm, RTRM
    Idaho State W 81–70  1–0
    The Pit (11,293)
    Albuquerque, NM
    Nov 14*
    7:00 pm, RTRM
    Houston Baptist W 95–79  2–0
    The Pit (11,666)
    Albuquerque, NM
    Nov 18*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    New Mexico State
    Rio Grande Rivalry
    W 72–59  3–0
    The Pit (13,892)
    Albuquerque, NM
    Nov 24*
    2:30 pm, ESPN
    vs. Virginia Tech
    Wooden Legacy quarterfinals
    L 72–92  3–1
    Titan Gym 
    Fullerton, CA
    Nov 25*
    1:00 pm, ESPNU
    vs. Cal State Northridge
    Wooden Legacy 2nd round consolation
    W 105–89  4–1
    Titan Gym 
    Fullerton, CA
    Nov 27*
    12:00 pm, ESPNU
    vs. Dayton
    Wooden Legacy 5th place game
    L 57–64  4–2
    Honda Center 
    Anaheim, CA
    Nov 30*
    7:00 pm, RTRM
    Abilene Christian W 64–55  5–2
    The Pit (11,154)
    Albuquerque, NM
    Dec 3*
    6:00 pm, ESPN3
    at Illinois State
    MWC–MVC Challenge
    L 74–79  5–3
    Redbird Arena (6,056)
    Normal, IL
    Dec 7*
    7:00 pm, RTRM
    UTEP W 78–77  6–3
    The Pit (11,838)
    Albuquerque, NM
    Dec 10*
    7:30 pm, ESPN3
    at New Mexico State
    Rio Grande Rivalry
    L 71–84  6–4
    Pan American Center (6,298)
    Las Cruces, NM
    Dec 17*
    6:00 pm, RTRM
    Arkansas–Pine Bluff W 83–43  7–4
    The Pit (10,404)
    Albuquerque, NM
    Dec 20*
    7:00 pm, P12N
    at No. 18 Arizona L 46–77  7–5
    McKale Center (14,008)
    Tucson, AZ
    Mountain West regular season
    Dec 28
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Fresno State W 78–73  8–5
    (2–0)
    The Pit (11,844)
    Albuquerque, NM
    Jan 1
    3:00 pm, CBSSN
    at San Diego State W 68–62  9–5
    (2–0)
    Viejas Arena (12,414)
    San Diego, CA
    Jan 4
    9:00 pm, ESPNU
    at Utah State L 75–79  9–6
    (2–1)
    Smith Spectrum (3,897)
    Logan, UT
    Jan 7
    9:15 pm, ESPN2
    Nevada L 104–105 OT 9–7
    (2–2)
    The Pit (11,235)
    Albuquerque, NM
    Jan 10
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    UNLV L 66–71  9–8
    (2–3)
    The Pit (11,379)
    Albuquerque, NM
    Jan 14
    12:00 pm, RTRM
    at Colorado State W 84–71  10–8
    (3–3)
    Moby Arena (3,418)
    Fort Collins, CO
    Jan 17
    9:00 pm, ESPNU
    at Boise State W 81–70  11–8
    (4–3)
    Taco Bell Arena (3,752)
    Boise, ID
    Jan 21
    6:00 pm, CBSSN
    Wyoming W 78–71  12–8
    (5–3)
    The Pit (12,501)
    Albuquerque, NM
    Jan 24
    9:00 pm, ESPNU
    Utah State W 74–61  13–8
    (6–3)
    The Pit (10,698)
    Albuquerque, NM
    Jan 28
    2:00 pm, CBSSN
    at Nevada L 65–82  13–9
    (6–4)
    Lawlor Events Center (10,727)
    Reno, NV
    Feb 1
    9:00 pm, CBSSN
    at UNLV W 80–77  14–9
    (7–4)
    Thomas & Mack Center (12,001)
    Paradise, NV
    Feb 4
    4:00 pm, RTRM
    San Jose State L 68–78  14–10
    (7–5)
    The Pit (12,731)
    Albuquerque, NM
    Feb 8
    7:00 pm, RTRM
    at Air Force W 74–67  15–10
    (8–5)
    Clune Arena (2,125)
    Colorado Springs, CO
    Feb 14
    8:00 pm, CBSSN
    Boise State W 78–73  16–10
    (9–5)
    The Pit (11,071)
    Albuquerque, NM
    Feb 18
    4:00 pm, CBSSN
    at Fresno State L 61–71  16–11
    (9–6)
    Save Mart Center (8,807)
    Fresno, CA
    Feb 21
    8:00 pm, CBSSN
    Colorado State L 56–68  16–12
    (9–7)
    The Pit (12,078)
    Albuquerque, NM
    Feb 25
    4:00 pm, CBSSN
    at Wyoming L 71–82  16–13
    (9–8)
    Arena-Auditorium (5,354)
    Laramie, WY
    Mar 4
    8:00 pm, CBSSN
    San Diego State W 64–59  17–13
    (10–8)
    The Pit (13,958)
    Albuquerque, NM
    Mountain West Tournament
    Mar 9
    3:30 pm, CBSSN
    (5) vs. (4) Fresno State
    Quarterfinals
    L 60–65  17–14
    Thomas & Mack Center (5,866)
    Paradise, NV
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Mountain Time.
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    References

    1. "Craig Neal fired as New Mexico men's basketball head coach". ESPN. April 1, 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
    2. Grammer, Geoff (March 10, 2017). "UNM AD: Craig Neal will return to coach Lobos next season". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
    3. Rudi, Mark (April 11, 2017). "Paul Weir hired to coach UNM hoops". Las Cruces Sun-News. New Mexico. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
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