Weir has time — and players — to coach this offseason
ALBUQUERQUE — The mercury may have threatened triple digits Wednesday, but inside the state’s most famous building came the familiar sounds of squeaking rubber soles and the pounding of basketballs on the hardwood floor.
The University of New Mexico, still a solid five months away from the start of the 2018-19 college basketball season, was in The Pit for an offseason summer workout with head coach Paul Weir and his staff.
The hourlong practice brought together all but two of the players slated to make up next season’s roster and, by Weir’s account, it’s a welcome change from this time last year.
“To be honest with you, last summer there was so much going on that by time we got to the practice court, there wasn’t a ton of time to even get into it,” Weir said. “We were short staffed, we were short players, you were trying to figure out what this person was doing. There was so much going on that literally getting to the court was a relief last summer. It was like, man, cool. [We] can finally go to the court and I can forget about all this stuff and just go have some fun.”
The Lobos won 19 games and finished a surprising third in the Mountain West Conference in Weir’s first season. He did it with a patchwork roster that
included two major college transfers to serve as the cornerstones of this season’s team.
Finally eligible after sitting out a full year, Vance Jackson (UConn) and JaQuan Lyle (Ohio State) are veterans in every sense except getting playing time in a Lobos uniform.
“I feel like I’m a leader, so I’ll take that role,” Jackson said after Wednesday’s workout.
A 6-foot-8 junior, he would have likely been the team’s most dominant big man had he played last season. As of this week, he’s penciled in as a small forward/ shooting guard combo. Weir has him playing at the 3, making him one of those players who can shoot from the arc or get time in the paint.
At 6-5 and about 15 pounds lighter than he was a year ago, Lyle is big enough to be a shooting guard but instead is the de facto point guard until junior college transfer Keith McGee arrives later this summer.
“Obviously, JaQuan and Vance are tentatively going to be a very big part of what we do,” Weir said. “They’ve made drastic changes to their bodies. Vance is a completely different athlete than he was when he got here and JaQuan actually is, as well.”
Not so clear is the role of incoming big man Carlton Bragg, a 6-9 power forward and former high school All-American who started his college career at Kansas before transferring to Arizona State. He still needs to get cleared by the NCAA, and it’s not certain if he’ll be eligible by the season opener or will be a midyear addition in December.
What’s more, he clearly has issues beyond the NCAA. Weir said he still hasn’t met the program’s expectations that include his private life, including training habits, academics and social issues.
“He has a lot of standards he has to meet, and until he meets all those, I just personally don’t see the benefit of having him out in front of the media and talking to people consistently,” Weir said.
Bragg was at practice Wednesday and was easily the most effective big man. He often went headto-head against 6-8 sophomore power forward Corey Manigault, one of more than half a dozen new players.
Asked if he’s ever dealt with a player as talented as Bragg, Manigault offered this: “Not before, but he definitely is strong. He’s something different. … When it comes to the games, I’m pretty sure there’s not that many people as big as him, strong as him.”
All things considered, Weir was just happy to have so many people on hand for a change. After struggling to put things together a year ago, it’s all hands on deck for a team with expectations of a postseason run ahead of it.
LOBO NOTES
The Lobos have offered a scholarship to Fedonta “J.B.” White, a 6-6 wing/power forward who will be entering his sophomore year at Santa Fe High this fall. Per NCAA rules, UNM cannot comment about the status of players who have not yet signed a national letter of intent, but it’s clear the Lobo coaching staff is high on White. Already several inches taller than most players his age, he clearly has the game to back it up. He’ll be in Albuquerque on Thursday night for a team camp hosted by the Lobos, giving him a chance to get some playing time in front of his future coaches.