League opener
UNM begins Mountain West play tonight against Fresno State in the Pit
They need each other. It would seem the Lobos basketball team needs its star guard Elijah Brown and coach Craig Neal to get on the same page if they are to make a run at a league title as Mountain West Conference play starts tonight in the Pit against Fresno State.
A tweet posted Sunday night by Brown seemed to finally put out in the open proof of the strained relationship between he and the embattled fourth-year head coach. Brown, the preseason MWC Player of the Year, lost his starting role earlier this month after a game in which Neal called into question the effort and defense of his team.
Brown’s Christmas night tweet, which came after a team practice, read: “I will never give another man the power to take away my passion for the game. I ain’t the one. I got a lot of hoop left in me !!!! #STILL”
Tuesday, Neal was asked about the tweet and whether he felt it was directed at him or the relationship between him and Brown.
“I don’t know what you mean by relationship,” Neal said. “I’m his coach, so I have to make deci-
sions what’s best for the team and what’s best for him. I’ve made some decisions. I think everything is fine. I’m not looking back like anything’s wrong.”
He added he wasn’t going to try and interpret what was meant by the tweet.
“I don’t really worry about that stuff,” Neal said. “I’m just trying to coach my team and do the best I can, have a relationship with my guys — meet with them. I met with all my guys the last two days individually. You’d have to ask Elijah that . ... You’d have to ask him, and you’re more than welcome to ask him.”
After that news conference and before the team’s Tuesday practice, in which Brown was still working with the second unit, the junior guard declined an interview request, according to a team spokesperson.
Neal added that the recent starting lineup changes — Brown didn’t start in a Dec. 17 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff or in the 31-point loss at Arizona on Dec. 20 — aren’t necessarily a sign of anything permanent. He expressed confidence after their
closed door meeting on Monday that big things are ahead for the player who enters league play averaging 16.1 points per game and led the team in scoring in seven of UNM’s 12 non-conference games.
“You say lost his starting job, but I don’t think that’s a long term thing,” Neal said. “... I think he’ll be comfortable in conference. I’m pretty certain he’ll be comfortable. I think he’ll give everything he has for our team. I think he’ll do whatever he has to do to help us win.”
FRESNO STATE: There is still basketball to play, and the defending Mountain West tournament champion Fresno State (8-4) visits the Pit today at 7 p.m.
UNM has won its past five league openers and is 7-0 when opening MWC play at home.
At the start of Tuesday’s practice, the team gathered at the center of Bob King Court, held hands in a circle and Neal addressed the players:
“It’s 0-0 and we’ve got enough talent in this circle right here to win this thing,” Neal said. “I hope you guys know you’ve got a hell of an opportunity.”
The clean slate approach for UNM isn’t new. They had the same high hopes after December closed with a whimper last year and started 3-0 in league play.
“I think they’re ready,” Neal said. “I think they’re energized for it. Anytime you can compete for a regular season championship, it’s always something you look forward to. And I think our guys are ready for it.”
RECRUIT: Quinn Clinton, a 6-foot-3 combo guard from New Zealand, and his parents were seen at the Lobos’ practice on Tuesday.
The Class of 2017 recruit known for his shooting is on an official recruiting visit to Albuquerque for two days, including tonight’s game.
Earlier this month, Clinton hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute and a half for the New Zealand junior national team — the second to give the Junior Tall Blacks the lead for good — in a 57-51 upset win over Australia at the FIBA Under 18 Oceania Championships in Fiji.
He scored a team-high 14 points in the win, which was the first time a New Zealand junior squad had qualified for a FIBA World Championship event.