Aug. 6—On Nov. 16, 2023, UNM sophomore guard Donovan Dent took a Mustapha Amzil inbounds pass, sprinted coast-to-coast down Bob King Court in under 5 seconds, darted and wove his way through multiple defenders before laying in an off-balanced shot in the lane with 0.5 seconds left on the clock, breaking both an 80-all tie and the hearts of the upset-minded visiting UT-Arlington Mavericks.
It was the first of three coast-to-coast Dent game winners in the closing seconds of games that season, and it helped the Lobos avoid what would have been a huge upset to the 14-point underdogs.
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Dent has since left, so when the Mavericks return to the scene of the crime this season, the Lobos are hopeful there won’t be any need for last-second heroics.
UNM on Wednesday announced the latest in its slow trickle-out of game contracts comprising the 13-game nonconference schedule for the coming season — a Nov. 8 game in the Pit against the WAC’s UT Arlington.
UT-Arlington finished 13-18 overall last season and, at 6-10 in league play, finished seventh in the WAC. The team has four players who previously played at Division I programs, including guard Marcell McCreary, who started his career at Air Force in the Mountain West before playing the past two seasons at Northern Colorado.
It is the third home regular season game the Lobos have announced thus far: Nov. 5 vs. East Texas A&M, Nov. 8 vs. UTA and Nov. 26 vs. Alabama State.
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UNM also has an Oct. 30 home exhibition against Northern Arizona.
On the road, the Lobos know they are playing at Santa Clara for a preseason, closed-door scrimmage, Dec. 10 at VCU and sometime in the first month of the season vs. New Mexico State. They also know that Nov. 20 and 21 they are playing in the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, Missouri — vs. Nebraska on the first day and either Kansas State or Mississippi State the second day.
Welcome home
This week, UNM welcomed home Albuquerque native Matt Villareal as the new Assistant AD for Creative Services and Digital Strategy for men’s and women’s basketball.
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The St. Pius graduate, who spent the past six seasons at Gonzaga, will take the lead in digital storytelling for men’s and women’s basketball at UNM. It’s a newly created position at UNM.
“Matt brings a dynamic blend of creativity, strategy, and passion for storytelling,” said Kasey Byers, Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs. “He has worked at the highest levels of college basketball and knows how to connect with fans, recruits, and the community in authentic, innovative ways. We’re thrilled to welcome him back to Albuquerque and into the Lobo family.”
Prior to Gonzaga, Villareal also picked up experience working at Oklahoma State University with the 2019 CFP National Championship game.
“I’m humbled and excited to join UNM Athletics in this new and innovative role,” Villareal said. “As an Albuquerque native, I know the power, significance, and impact of UNM Athletics and its effect on the great state of New Mexico. I’m fired up to join a vibrant team of leaders and pioneers in not only the creative space, but in the world of college sports administration. It will be an honor to tell our story and cultivate our brand for the world to see!”
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Praise for the young’un
At the summer-practice wrap-up press conference two weeks ago, UNM Lobos coach Eric Olen made it a point not to choose to single any player out because things were still so early in the process and, as he said, no starters have been named or even roles yet fully defined.
But the Journal did push for the coach’s reaction to the seemingly daily highlight reel of dunks from the shortest guy on the team — 5-foot-11 freshman point guard Uriah Tenette from Prescott, Arizona. More specifically, Olen was asked if everyone’s jaw still drops when Tenette makes some of the plays he makes.
“I think Uriah is a fun player,” Olen said. “And I don’t know if everybody’s jaws are dropping the same way, because he kind of does it every day in different ways, or what have you. But yeah, I think he’s good for a highlight here and there, for sure.
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“And he’s doing a really good job. He’s learning quickly. Super coachable, great approach, great work ethic, coming in and getting extra shots. He’s doing the things that he needs to do to give himself an opportunity, for sure.”
