Snow to return to Lobos men’s basketball staff
Former NMHU coach was at UNM from 2011-14
Craig Snow is coming back to the University of New Mexico men’s basketball program, this time as special assistant to the head coach.
Snow returns to UNM from NCAA Division II New Mexico Highlands, where he has spent five years as basketball coach and, most recently, as athletic director.
“Craig’s previous successes with the Lobo basketball program and his passion for the university and state provided an amazing opportunity for our program,” UNM coach Paul Weir said in a statement prepared by the school. “I am incredibly thankful to Craig for joining us and continuing the journey of taking this program back to some of the great heights that he himself has enjoyed here.”
The Journal has learned that Snow’s newly created position will not involve recruiting, but perhaps 70 percent coaching and 30 percent administrative duties.
Snow was at UNM during the height of the Steve Alford/Craig Neal era, an 84-20 win-loss mark over three seasons (2011-2014). The first two, Snow was the director of basketball operations. Under Neal in 2013-14, he was an assistant coach for a team that was ranked as high as No. 17 nationally.
“I am very excited to return to UNM under the leadership of coach Paul Weir,” Snow said in the statement. “He has a tremendous vision for Lobo basketball and I am looking forward to being a part of the program’s future success.”
Snow left UNM for Highlands to become its head basketball coach, a job he held through this past spring. The last two, he served the dual role of interim athletic director and coach. After last season, when he led the Cowboys to 22 wins and the school’s second NCAA Tournament appearance, he was named full-time AD.
No contract terms were released, but the Journal has learned that the money for Snow’s position is being created in part by savings in men’s basketball that resulted in replacements being hired at lower salaries than those who left.
Snow played collegiately at Evansville, ending his career with 1,530 points. He played professionally in Luxembourg and Austria and first came to New Mexico to work at Bosque School, where he was boys basketball coach and AD.
Snow’s wife, Jessica — a faculty member in the NMHU Department of Biology — will also be leaving to work at UNM.
“Losing both athletic director Craig Snow and professor Jessica Snow are great losses to HU,” NMHU President Sam Minner said. “But I thank both of them so very much for their high efforts at Highlands and their commitment to our mission. I know both of these individuals will succeed at high levels in their next positions and I wish them all the best in the next stage of their lives.”
Minner said he’ll name an interim director of athletics before conducting a national search for Snow’s replacement.