The men’s basketball program dodged a bullet.
Lobo associate head coach Craig Neal did not land the Colorado State head coaching position last week, which means he’ll stay at UNM — for now.
In a sports landscape where superstar athletes are idolized, head coaches revered and everyone else is pushed aside, the people not in the spotlight are often the most important pieces to a successful team.
For every Phil Jackson, there’s a Tex Winter. Winter, a longtime assistant of Jackson, created the triangle offense, which Jackson successfully used in a two-decade span to win 11 NBA championships as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers.
And in the past eight years, Neal has been to Lobo head coach Steve Alford what Winter was to Jackson.
The Indiana native joined longtime friend Alford at Iowa in 2004. As associate head coach, Neal helped the Hawkeyes win 25 games in the 2005-06 season, the second greatest number wins in school history.
Neal, an offensive guru, is also a great recruiter. The year following the 25-win season, Iowa had one of the top recruiting classes in the country. The Alford-Neal tandem combined for a 63-35 record in three seasons, until Alford resigned. The Hawkeyes were just 89-71 in four seasons under Alford, without Neal.
When UNM hired Alford in 2007, Neal was quickly added to the coaching staff and the two haven’t missed a beat.
The Lobos are 126-46 in the five years the two have been at UNM, including the only 30-win season in school history. The Lobos have captured two Mountain West regular season titles and won the conference tournament this past season.
And just like in Iowa, Neal has brought talent to New Mexico and kept the program on top of the MWC consistently.
Alford’s defensive schemes and Neal’s offensive tactics complement each other’s strengths to make a winning basketball program.
The two are also responsible for molding two of the best high school players in the state — their sons.
Neal’s son Cullen and Alford’s son Bryce each led their team to the state championship game in the last month. Cullen’s team, Eldorado, beat Bryce’s, La Cueva, 75-72. Cullen’s 34 points led the Eagles to their first state title since 2005.
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Their sons’ college decisions may provide a glimpse of what the future may hold for the two Lobo coaches.
Bryce committed to UNM to play under his dad and join his brother Kory.
Cullen will head to Saint Mary’s this fall and play for head coach Randy Bennett, partly because the Lobos have a deep roster, but also because Cullen’s dad will probably be a head coach elsewhere soon.
Neal has been a top candidate for head coaching positions across the country in the last couple of years. It’s no longer a matter of if, but when Neal will land a head coaching job where he can earn the kind of recognition he’s been helping Alford get the past eight years.
