by Kristie Boudwin
Daily Lobo
Four years ago a coach from Oregon State and an athletic kid from Highland High School joined the UNM men's basketball program.
Head coach Ritchie McKay said he watched senior and team captain Mark Walters make tremendous strides since they began their careers at UNM.
"I think when he got here he was more of an athlete than a basketball player," McKay said. "He has worked hard to change that and done a ton of individual work to make him have more success."
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During the preseason Walter's work has paid off. In his last game against Seattle Pacific University, Walters posted 17 points. Prior to this season, Walters played in 86 career games with 64 starts and 735 career points.
Walters acknowledged that last year's seniors were a talented class for the team. He said he has big shoes to fill from a leadership standpoint, but he thinks the new members of the team will step up on the court.
"We lost rebounders and guys that scored a lot of points," Walters said. "I know we can do it with new guys and returning players."
McKay said the younger players react well to Walters. He said Walters shows great leadership potential and maturity with his teammates, but has fun as well.
"Mark is well liked partly because of his personality," McKay said. "He likes to clown and is a fun guy. He is also respected by his teammates. Having both of those is quite a compliment."
Walters said he likes to lead by example for the new players.
He said the new guys tend to get frustrated easily, so he tries to pull them aside when they struggle and let them know everything will be all right.
Walters, David Chiotti and Jeff Hart are the first senior class McKay has coached through its entire eligibility. "Mark, David and Jeff are my first four-year seniors," McKay said. "I am not looking forward to senior night this year. They have been the backbone of building a program. I love those three dearly."
Walters said the biggest change McKay has made to the program is the type of players that are recruited.
"When I first got here the players were here because of their talent," Walters said. "But coach McKay looks at more than talent. He looks for character, how players do in school and the all-around person."
