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Monday, O c tober 17, 2016 | Vo l u m e 1 2 1 | I s s u e 1 8
Lobo Howl sees drop in attendance By Isabel Gonzalez @cisabelg
Friday’s Lobo Howl was a friendly reminder that college basketball season is just around the corner. But it was also a reminder that it’s time to get to work. The UNM men’s and women’s basketball teams made its first 2016-2017 season appearance in front of 5,463 fans on Friday. The men stepped on the court at 8 p.m., introducing five newcomers and 10 returning players. Among the veterans were Elijah Brown and Tim Williams, both of whom were All-Mountain West last year, and the only two returning players in the conference who averaged 16 points per game last season. Another thing they have in common: the duo made it onto the 2016 preseason AllMountain West team. Brown, who averaged 21.7 points per game last season, was also named the conference’s preseason Player of the Year. Although a crowd favorite, fans didn’t get to see much of the 6-foot-4-inch guard during the Howl. Brown sat out most of the drills to nurse a hamstring injury. Head coach Craig Neal said Brown’s limited action was just a precaution. The show still went on as planned, and other Lobos stepped up to entertain the spectators. Sophomore guard Anthony Mathis won the three-point contest for the second year in a row. Later, junior guard/forward Sam Logwood took over the night’s dunk contest, throwing down a crowd-pleasing 360 slam. Logwood is no stranger to fancy tricks, as he also won the dunk contest his freshman year in 2014. Unfortunately, he wasn’t available to discuss his dunking skills after the Howl was over. In fact, none of the players or members of the coaching staff were made available to the media Friday night. A statement was released via the team’s Twitter account. In the video, which is just over
a minute long, Neal begins by thanking all of those who came out to support the teams. “Lobo fans, just finished my 10th Howl and it couldn’t have been more exciting for me,” he says in the video. “Really enjoyed the fans that showed up tonight.” “Hopefully you guys will be excited about our team and rally around this group,” Neal goes on to say. “They are an exciting group of young men who play extremely hard and they are great people.” WisePies Arena aka The Pit has been known to be an exciting venue to play in when filled with fans, and Neal seemed to be trying to keep it that way. However, the number of fans who attended the Howl this year was significantly lower than those in previous years. Attendance has fallen each year — from 10,158 fans in 2013, to 7,213 in 2014 and 6,676 last year. The decline coincides with the team’s level of success in specific years. The UNM men’s basketball team won the Mountain West Tournament in 2012, 2013 and 2014, becoming the first team to win it three years in a row. But in the 2014-2015 season, the Lobos went 15-16 overall, 7-11 in conference. The following season saw improvements, but the Lobos finished 17-15, 10-8 MW and missed the NCAA Tournament both years. During this year’s preseason press conference, Neal said he is aware that his team didn’t met the expectations of the fans and the program in the past two seasons, but the Lobos are working hard to change that. New Mexico was picked to finish third in the MW preseason poll. The Lobos received three first-place votes and had a total of 249 points. San Diego State and Nevada were projected to finish one-two in the same poll. The Lobos are scheduled to have their first exhibition match on Wednesday, Nov. 2 against Western New Mexico. Isabel Gonzalez is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. She mainly covers men’s soccer and basketball. She can be reached at sports @dailylobo.com or on Twitter @cisabelg.
Daniel Ward / Daily Lobo / @DailyLobo
Freshman guard Jalen Harris attempts a dunk from the free throw line on Friday, Oct. 14, 2016 at WisePies Arena. Both UNM basketball teams showed off their skills at the 2016 Lobo Howl that consisted of a dunk competition, a three-point shooting and an autograph signing.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Team welcomes brand new head coach By Robert Maler @robert_maler The annual Lobo Howl marked the unofficial start of New Mexico basketball Friday night — the women’s team hit the floor first, showing off the group’s talent and its fun side as well. The lights dimmed as each player charged onto the court after being introduced to the Lobo faithful. They ran drills, interacted with fans and even put on a choreographed dance routine. Energy was high and the experience was new for several of the members on the team. First-year head coach Mike Bradbury said the team had a lot of fun Friday and enjoyed being in front of the Lobo fanbase. He said that the energetic environment is one of the things that brought him to Albuquerque.
Daniel Ward / Daily Lobo / @DailyLobo
Fans gather to get autographs from UNM basketball players at the 2016 Lobo Howl on Friday, Oct. 14, 2016.
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“It was amazing, you know, I thought it was great,” he said. “For women’s basketball to get that kind of support...that doesn’t happen very many places.” Freshman guard Mykiel Burleson is another newcomer to the team. She said she knew the Howl was something New Mexico was known for, and had been looking forward to Friday night for a long time. “It was just a great experience to be a part of it, especially for the first time,” she said. Burleson, a Texas native, joined the Lobos after she ended her high school career playing in the Nike Championships. She said the teams were so tough on that stage, but she enjoyed the high level of competition and the experience. The guard said her favorite part of the night was the dancing, as the team was able to show a different side of the team to fans that they might not otherwise see,
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