For Lobos, conditioning makes all the difference
UNM is surprise team in MWC as it prepares to host Colorado State
Anyone who has held a ticket to a men’s basketball game in The Pit knows there are 45 rows of seats under the corrugated roof that is the home of The University of New Mexico hoops program.
Row 1 is at the very top, bordering the ground-level concourse that encircles the entire arena. Row 45 ends at the hardwood floor, its glossy boards serving as some of the most cherished real estate in New Mexico.
Ever since Paul Weir took over as head coach of the Lobos in April, the Lobos have ended most practices by running up one aisle to the concourse and back down the next. They do it over and over until they’ve cut a path up and down every step in the building.
They were at it again Monday, just two days after suffocating San Diego State in the second half of a 79-75 win that left them alone in third place in the Mountain West Conference and had point guard Antino Jackson earn player of the week honors for leading UNM to a sweep of games against UNLV and the Aztecs.
It’s all that conditioning, Jackson said, that makes all the difference in the world. With just eight scholarship players available, the Lobos have to rely on physical stamina to outlast opponents while maintaining the pressure from start to finish.
“We been going two-a-days, I can’t even tell y’all,” Jackson said. “It’s big time, you know? We just know that people’s going to wear down. … I just think at the end of games, we push through because of what all we do during the week.”
A senior transfer from Akron, Ohio, Jackson is making the most of his one-and-done year with the Lobos. He has averaged 15.8 points and 5.4 assists the last five games, leading UNM to a 4-1 record in that span.
His 24 points against SDSU were a career high. He hit the tiebreaking shot with 22.6 seconds left to put UNM up 77-75 and, more importantly, didn’t have a single turnover in 28 minutes of playing time.
The fact that Weir put the ball in his hands for the deciding shot was of little surprise. In the win over UNLV, Jackson had the option to shoot or pass as the clock wound down, and he deferred to Anthony Mathis for the gamewinning 3-pointer.
“All my guys accept me getting the ball at the last second because they know I’m going to make a good play,” Jackson said. “It’s pretty much trust. I think they all trust me and I trust them. If anybody was open, I would pass them the ball and they would make the play.”
Weir’s commitment to a strong work ethic hasn’t always made for a smooth relationship with his players. As they were absorbing their win over San Diego State, the coach delivered the least surprising news of the day.
“The only bad news from this game is we’re going right back to work [Sunday] morning,” Weir said in his postgame media session on Saturday.
“That’s how we got here, just outworking and giving it everything we’ve got.”
He said winning makes all the work seem worth it. Without the occasional bit of good news, it might leave some players questioning one another, their coach and the philosophy of the program.
“When you’re losing and you’re grinding them into the ground, regardless of them buying in and being appreciative of me and what we’re doing, there’s got to be some stuff in the back of your head like, ‘coach, why am I doing this, we’re still 19-, 20-year old kids,’” Weir said. “Give them some wins and let them know that work ethic still means something in today’s day and age, and wanting it more than somebody else and fighting — it still matters, man, and I’m really glad they’re learning that lesson.”
UNM heads into next weekend’s home game against Colorado State as the surprise team in the MWC.
Picked ninth in the 11-team league, the Lobos have done what no one thought was possible, and that’s remain competitive despite the comical lack of depth and glaring lack of quality experience.
For Jackson, it really boils down to one simple thing: His relationship with Weir. Ridden hard early in the season for being a turnover-free player who commits to defense while holding his emotions in check, Jackson has taken the tough love and made it work for him.
“I just had to fight through those times and we kind of understand each other,” Jackson said. “All I know is, he don’t want me turning over the ball.”
With the regular season in the home stretch, Jackson is emerging as one of the outspoken leaders of a team that is only now starting to operate on the same wavelength as its coach.
On Monday as he took the last few strides up to row 45 to end his meandering run around The Pit, it was Weir who was the first to greet Jackson and have him lead his team back to the locker room.