Lobo men’s hoops team is no longer at home in hotel
Neal frustrated at change, but Krebs doubts it makes impact
They slept in their own beds Monday night. Tuesday, they beat Boise State in the Pit. Ordinarily that might not seem like such big news. But when answering questions from local media Monday after initially saying he couldn’t discuss it, University of New Mexico men’s basketball coach Craig Neal expressed frustration that a longtime home-game routine for his team has been eliminated.
“We’re not staying in hotels the night before games anymore,” Neal said after being pressed to elaborate on what’s different this season and why he felt his team isn’t as sharp in the Pit as it has been in the past.
Neal said administrators made the decision in the offseason to quit sequestering his team, and he noted the UNM football team still is sequestered the night prior to its home games.
“Men’s basketball decided to eliminate this from their budget this year,” UNM athletic director Paul Krebs told the Journal. “I would characterize it as a budgetary measure that was recommended as a potential cost savings by the administration.”
As for the amount of money being saved, UNM has not offered an answer. The Journal has submitted an Inspection of Public Records Act request seeking documents on how much the home-game housing has cost both the football and basketball teams.
The hotel rooms themselves are technically part of a trade-out with local hotels, the Journal has learned. But there are other costs associated with it, including team meals and use of conference rooms for film sessions or meetings.
All such things are now done at UNM practice facilities before players leave for the night. Both now and in the past when staying in hotels, players still are expected to attend class on game day.
UNM’s 78-73 win over Boise State on Tuesday night improved the Lobos’ home record to 10-3 and 4-3 in Mountain West play. But this team has had some forgettable home performances — losses to last-place UNLV, to San Jose State, and the epic overtime defeat to Nevada, in which the Lobos had built a 25-point lead.
No other athletic programs at UNM put up their teams in lodging the night before home games.
Coaches have said that the practice is done for several reasons, none seemingly as necessary as luxurious. Keeping an eye on players the night before a game in one location is a perk. So, too, is the ability to form a seasonlong routine that is the same on the road, at home and for all postseason play. In years past, coaches have found setting such routines helpful when it comes to scheduling team meals, meetings and film sessions in the same settings and times.
Krebs, however, said he isn’t convinced the practice has had an impact on game performance.
“In the last two years, we are 23-9 at home, and this year we are 10-3,” he said. “Considering the injuries we have had to play through recently, I don’t believe it to be a factor.”
Based on Journal calls around the league, UNLV is believed to be the only Mountain West men’s basketball team that regularly does homegame hotel stays. The Las Vegas Review-Journal this week reported that UNLV is facing a nearly $5 million athletic budget deficit.