STILL GOT GAME
At 35, former Lobo J.R. Giddens looks forward to the bright lights with New Mexico on his jersey
Although Northern New Mexico College women’s basketball coach J.R. Giddens is 35 and has 12 years’ experience playing professional hoops under his belt, he was hard pressed to contain his excitement for his participation in this summer’s annual The Basketball Tournament.
“It’s definitely going to be pretty fun,” said Giddens, a former University of New Mexico standout who was a Boston Celtics first-round draft choice in 2008. “It’s a great opportunity to play basketball at a high level.”
Founded in 2014, TBT is a 24-team, invitation-only event with a guarantee of more than $1 million going to the winning squad.
Since its inception, the tournament has grown in stature, regularly attracting teams whose squads are loaded with former NBA players, as well as pros from across the globe.
Giddens will be playing with a group of former UNM players brought together by ex-Lobos coach Brandon Mason.
“He’s very important,” Mason said of Giddens’ participation. “Especially name recognition for votes to get in the TBT. And professional experience. TBT is based on vets that played at a high level. That’s who he is.”
Teaming up with a bunch of Lobos brethren makes it a particularly intriguing project, Giddens said.
“We get to go out there and represent New Mexico out there with our Lobos brothers,” he said. “We can show our stuff and represent for New Mexico, as well as testing where we’re at right now with basketball.”
A versatile athlete who primarily played the wing while with UNM, Giddens said he has played all over the court during his professional career.
“My game definitely evolved as I got older; that comes with time and playing,” he said. “I’m a lot more well-rounded than I was in college. I played point guard in Mexico and then played the 4 (power forward) in the Dominican Republic. I’ve had the chance to add a lot of different aspects to my game that I didn’t have back in college.”
And despite his success across the globe, Giddens said he still has to show the newer alums a thing or two about what he can do on the court.
“Any time you can go against great players, it’s fun,” he said. “And I’ve got a little chip on my shoulder. I still have some stuff to prove. These young whippersnappers, like Anthony Mathis, think they can come at me, I can show him what’s up and I can have a lot of fun playing with my Lobos brothers. I’ve been doing this a lot longer than they have, and I’m looking forward to competing and showing them that I still have it at 35, 36.”
Although it’s been a while since he actually played, Giddens said he’s quite confident he’ll be able to get back into the swing of things fairly easily.
“I have some time and I’ve stayed in shape,” he said. “I feel good. I’ll be able to perform the way I need to. I still got a few years left in the tank, but I decided to retire at 35 so I could get my second career of coaching going. Twelve years is good enough for me. I had a hell of a run.”
As for his role on the team, Giddens said it’s a bit early for that.
“My role is to be a veteran player however the team needs me,” he said. “Offensively, defensively, cheering on my teammates. I want to go out there and have a great experience. I’ll enjoy lacing them up and playing under those bright lights with New Mexico on my jersey.”
NOTES: Giddens said it’s been some time since he’s seen any of his NNMC players, although, earlier in the lockdown, some would go to his house in Albuquerque, where he has a basketball court, and do some practicing. The relaxation of the health order to allow colleges to practice won’t, however, do anything for the Eagles, he said. So, at this point, he’s been keeping in touch via Zoom and watching a plethora of recruiting videos.
“People have been reaching out to me via Twitter and email, sending me their highlight tapes, so I’ve been watching them. I have a few candidates I like,” he said. “I’ve been keeping up with them. From what I hear, we could have high school basketball in March and I would rather see a kid in person. Everybody looks good on highlights. I’m just anxious to get in a gym and see what New Mexico players have to offer because I really want it to be about New Mexico players.”