Knudson: How Good Can the UNM Programs Become?

By Mark Knudson, The Mtn. Insider
July 27, 2011

They call it the Land of Enchantment, and if you’ve visited there, you’ll agree you’d be hard pressed to find a more pleasant place to be. It’s not the desert, but it’s warm and dry. It’s not the mountains, but they're nearby. And it’s not the heartland, but it’s not far away, either.

New Mexico is a pretty special place.

Which begs the question: With no professional teams – except for a triple A baseball team – to compete with, what’s stopping the New Mexico athletic programs from all becoming powerhouses like many other schools in similar situations? When you’re essentially the only game in town like many of the schools in, say, the Southeastern Conference, you have the unencumbered ability to rally your supporters and unify your fan base. That’s the first step toward athletic dominance.

The Lobos aren’t there yet, but could they get there?

Yes, the Lobo football program is struggling mightily right now, seemingly anchored at the bottom of the Conference. It’s possible another bad year could mean the end of the Mike Locksley era at UNM, but what are the long term possibilities? Could another coach come to Albuquerque and make the Lobos a big winner?

Before we go there, it’s still too early to cast aside Locksley. The struggles on the field are there on tape. Still, make no mistake - the man can recruit. Think back to National Letter of Intent Day this past February. One of the nation’s most highly coveted prospects, offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjijo from renowned DeMatha Catholic High School in Maryland, had narrowed his choices to Auburn, Alabama and New Mexico.

Cyrus ultimately chose Alabama, but one person who follows the New Mexico program closely told me that the kid really wanted to come to Albuquerque, and if academics had been the deciding issue, he’d be a Lobo right now. He really liked Locksley. There had to be three or four dozen other big time programs that wanted Cyrus and Locksley was in the final three along with the last two national champions. Something was drawing this blue chipper to the Land of Enchantment. There’s a clue in this somewhere, isn’t there?

Locksley was a great recruiter as an assistant before getting the head job at UNM. Who knows, in a year or two maybe the talent he’s brought in starts to pay dividends in Albuquerque. What Lobo fans can feel good about is that a solid core of players is beginning to develop.

Coaches want to work at UNM. Head basketball coach Steve Alford left the Big Ten to take the job in Albuquerque. Alford’s mentor, legendary Bobby Knight, was known to like New Mexico and had the job been open when Knight was looking for work, he may have very well ended up in Albuquerque instead of Lubbock, Texas.

The success and history of the Lobo hoops teams is no secret. They've been great in the not too distant past. Alford’s 2011-12 team could be his best yet and could give the Mountain West is best chance to keep a team in the Top Ten. Ray Birmingham’s baseball team is the defending Conference tournament champions and has been to the NCAA tournament two straight seasons. The baseball Lobos figure to remain a fixture in the post season for several years to come.

So overall, these and the rest of the Lobo athletic programs all have these same advantages of operating in this terrific sports environment. Only time will tell if New Mexico does indeed become the next powerhouse athletic department in the evolving Mountain West.