What will be different about Lobo basketball this season?

Sep. 24—It’s not exactly a changing of the guard(s).

All-Mountain West-caliber Donovan Dent is back in the saddle, of course, and leading this season’s UNM Lobo men’s basketball team.

But when two three-year starting, all-conference Lobo guards in Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr. — each of whom scored more than 1,000 points in their UNM playing careers — are no longer the figureheads of the program, the question is obvious.

What exactly will the Lobo team be this season?

“Obviously bigger,” UNM coach Richard Pitino said.

The fourth-year Lobos coach addressed local media Tuesday as official team practices began this week at UNM and around the country — nearly six weeks from the Nov. 4 season opener.

“We made the decision to play three guards (last season), and obviously, none of them are very tall by any means. But they won us 26 games. They took us to an NCAA tournament and a championship. So, obviously they did a lot right,” Pitino said. “So I just think you’ll see a little bit more length in the perimeter. …

“We definitely set out to get a little bit taller, but we’ll play the five best guys and make it work.”

House, the graduated 6-foot dynamo who is now pursuing his professional career, and Mashburn, the 6-2 shooting guard who transferred to Temple, were the on-court identity of the program for three years.

But Pitino never shied away from dubbing the 6-2 Dent the future of the program since he was signed out of a California high school in 2022.

And that future is now.

“I mean, just more of a leadership role for sure,” Dent, last year a second team all-conference guard, said of his new role. “Body wise, I’ve definitely added a couple of pounds … just playing more confidently.”

Dent never lacked for confidence, but did at times have a noticeably hard time deferring to the two veteran guards while also being the natural floor general he has been most of his playing career.

“Those two guys on the team took a lot of pressure off me, of course, because a lot of focus was…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/different-lobo-basketball-season-030100467.html

Author : Albuquerque Journal, N.M.

Publish date : 2024-09-25 03:01:00

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