Craig Neal needs a leader.
Through both of the team’s preseason exhibition games, the young UNM men’s basketball team showed its immaturity and lack of leadership, the head coach said after his team edged out Rogers State 80-69 Friday night at WisePies Arena, aka The Pit.
The Lobos have just one starting senior in guard Tim Jacobs, a preferred walk-on who joined the team last year and only saw significant minutes with guard Cullen Neal’s injury.
“They don’t understand the seriousness of it, and it’s my responsibility to help them understand that,” Craig Neal said. “So we’ve got a long way to go. We’ve got to get better.”
An example of where the Lobos need to improve is at the 3-point line. UNM addressed its shooting issues with the addition of some threats from range, but only Cullen Neal has connected. Against Rogers State UNM made only six of its 24 attempts, a 25 percent clip.
For the second straight time New Mexico let a Division II team stay in the game. Rogers State hovered around a five-point deficit for portions of the game, and the Hillcats made 40 percent of their field goals, trailing UNM’s shooting average by 3.1 percent.
So far, no one has stepped up to be the sort of leader that UNM had in Hugh Greenwood last year. Craig Neal isn’t just talking about the freshmen, who saw time Friday. He’s referring to the whole team.
Cullen Neal carries the capacity to lead, Craig Neal said, but it can difficult for the sophomore shooter because he’s the coach’s son and he takes a lot of criticism.
“He’s trying to make me happy. He’s trying to make his teammates happy. Who knows who else he’s trying to make happy?” Craig Neal said. “But it’s hard for him to be a leader. We have nobody else to step up and do that. He’s the only one who’s been here longer.”
Cullen Neal acknowledged that his situation is different because of his relationship with the coach, but he has been trying to do what he can in a leadership capacity. He said players have come to him with questions, including freshman center Nikola Scekic staying until 1 a.m. going over plays.
Other players who have been with the team for a while, like forward Devon Williams and center Obij Aget, have yet to step up to fill that leadership role, the coach said.
It’s possible, Craig Neal said, but all the players must be on the same page.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
“You all have to be doing the same thing,” he said. “They have to play selfless basketball, and for them to do that takes a lot. Hopefully they’ll learn that and get better.”
They need a leader who can instill confidence, Cullen Neal said — somebody talkative and supportive of the rest of the cast. Guard Elijah Brown has been demonstrating signs of that, he said.
Cullen Neal came away with 20 points against Rogers State, three days after netting 33 against CSU-Pueblo. He also cut his turnovers in half from the previous exhibition to four.
Forward Tim Williams joined Cullen Neal in double-figure scoring with 13 points and eight rebounds. The first two exhibition games were Williams’ first as a Lobo after missing all of last season due to transfer eligibility requirements. Williams said it’s good to get back out on the hardwood for game action.
“I didn’t get tired sitting on the bench,” he said. “Just getting that wind back and getting back in playing shape will be a big thing for me.”
Brown added 10 for the Lobos. Guard J.C. Hartzler led Rogers State with 17 points, followed by Travis Hester with 15 and Donald Moore with 11.
UNM led the exhibition wire-to-wire, but didn’t build its largest lead until the game had 4:35 minutes remaining (15 points). The Lobo bench scored 33 points.
J.R. Oppenheim is the managing editor for the Daily Lobo. Contact him at managingeditor@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @JROppenheim.
