New Mexico Basketball: 2020-21 season preview for the Lobos

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 22: Head coach Paul Weir of the New Mexico Lobos reacts during his team's game against the UNLV Rebels at the Thomas & Mack Center on January 22, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Rebels defeated the Lobos 74-58. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 15: New Mexico Lobos mascot Lobo Louie interacts (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Getty Images) /

New Mexico Basketball fell apart last season, and are yet again staring at a roster with a ton of new faces and question marks.

In 2019, New Mexico Basketball fans were drooling over the potential of an absolute star-studded roster. The talent was there for a run at the Mountain West title, and potentially even an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.

Remember when the Lobos beat the eventual Big 10 Champions on a neutral court? I do. However, once the season got underway, things quickly and dramatically began to unravel for Paul Weir and his talented Lobos.

Tons of off-the-court drama occurred, engulfing the team and resulting in the dismissal of star players Carlton Bragg and JJ Caldwell. There continued to be several distractions on and off the court, throughout the duration of the season.

New Mexico went on to post a 19-14 record (7-11 in Mountain West play), earning the 7 seed in the Mountain West Tournament, and falling to eventual Mountain West Tournament victor Utah State, in a close loss. This loss brought the Lobos’ season to an end only days before the NCAA saw a complete cancellation of the postseason due to the ongoing pandemic.

The months after season’s end was none kinder to New Mexico: The roster has seen a complete overhaul, and much of the star power is gone – JaQuan Lyle and Corey Manigault exhausted their eligibility, while Vance Jackson (Arkansas), Zane Martin (Towson), Vanté Hendrix (CSUN), and Tavian Percy (Weber State) opted to transfer out of the program. Promising guard Drue Drinnon left the team early in the season due to personal matters.

The Lobos do have a solid group of recruits incoming, and have rebuilt the roster via the JUCO transfer market – But there are so many questions surrounding this team… How does a proud program that has been through so much in such a short amount of time bounce back? Is this the season for that to happen? How does this team look, and what is its ceiling? Let’s take a closer look, starting with a roster full of new and unproven faces.