It looks like the New Mexico women's basketball team won't be having a formal media day this year.
The men had their media day Monday, which led to a handful of stories and TV footage on the team. During the event, all players and coaches were available for interviews and talked about the upcoming season. Nothing too fancy usually comes of this, but it does help local media outlets bank up a lot of interviews with players who are becoming less and less accessible.
The women will have an open practice this week, so it should help generate more local, pre-season coverage. The team also will have another free scrimmage Saturday at 5 p.m. in The Pit.

Posted by ilimon at 01:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's my ballot for the pre-season all Mountain West Conference team.
Look at the next blog entry to my team picks.

ILIANA'S ALL-MWC TEAM
Kim Smith, Utah
Shona Thorburn, Utah
Dionne Marsh, New Mexico
Sheena Moore, UNLV
Katie Montgomery, New Mexico
Top Returning Player
Shona Thorburn, Utah
Top Newcomer
Brittany Purdum, TCU

THE FINAL ALL-MWC TEAM
Kim Smith, Utah
Shona Thorburn, Utah
Sheena Moore, UNLV
Dionne Marsh, New Mexico
Melissa Dennett, CSU
Top Returing Player: Kim Smith
Top Newcomer: Faye Mueller, UNLV

I have the sense that New Mexico will outperform CSU and Katie Montgomery will have a greater impact on the conference race than Melissa Dennett. Of course, Katie isn't coming off a banner season because it will be her first full year at point replacing Mandi Moore. Dennett is a senior who has put in considerable time and always is a force for the Rams. I just think Katie is coming off a better year in the sense that she played a big roll for the Lobos as a versatile guard with the best outside shot in clutch situations. She aptly filled in when Mandi suffered her eye injury, while Dennett's team was crippled by controversy and internal strife.
The rest of the individual honors ballot seems like a no-brainer to me.
Kim Smith and Shona Thorburn are really strong players and last season's Co-MVPs. No one could stop Dionne Marsh last season and that isn't likely to change. Sheena Moore was unbelievable in helping UNLV come oh-so-close to knocking off the Lobos. She is a dynamic playmaker who deserves first-team honors.
I think Shona Thorburn should have trumped Kim Smith for all conference honors because she never wavered last season for the Utes. Smith disappeared in games, especially against the Lobos, while Thorburn was steady and a dominant force on both sides of the ball for the Utes. She's scrappy and smooth at the same time, never giving up on a play. She carried her team and showed me more than Smith did last season.
The top newcomer award is always just a guess. No one saw Dionne's break-out year coming, and it's hard to predict who will make the most impact. It easily could be a Lobo again this year with the holes New Mexico needs to fill both inside and on the perimeter.

Posted by ilimon at 03:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's my pre-season Mountain West Conference Team Ballot. This entry is so long, I'm listing the individual awards separately.
The team and individual rankings were voted on by coaches and select members of the media covering the conference. This differs from the awards handed out at the end of the year, which are solely decided by the coaches.

ILIANA'S TEAM RANKINGS
1. Utah
2. Lobos
3. UNLV
4. TCU
5. Wyoming
6. CSU
7. BYU
8. Air Force
9. San Diego State

The final tally from all coaches and media who voted in the pre-season poll.
1. Utah
2. Lobos
3. TCU
4. UNLV
5. CSU
6. BYU
7. Wyoming
8. San Diego State
9. Air Force

No, it's not blasphemy to pick the Utes over the Lobos even though New Mexico swept Utah in three meetings last season. Kim Smith and Shona Thorburn have paid their dues and will be a tough tandem to deal with again this year. They make their team better and give Utah the biggest advantage in conference play.
New Mexico is a close second, but the Lobos have a lot of gaps to fill and questions to answer. I have no doubt Katie Montgomery and Abbie Letz can aptly fill the leadership gap left by Mandi Moore. Yes, Mandi was about as amazing a competitor as I have ever seen, but Katie and Abbie are strong enough to help the Lobos bridge some of what they lost with Mandi graduating.
The bigger question, as already debated far and wide among fans, is how to replace Lindsey Arndt. She was a steady force on offense and helped bring up the ball when the Lobos were in trouble. Above all, she was a defensive enforcer. She was robbed for the Defensive Player of the Year Award last year. She had Dionne Marsh's back and easily checked the best players in the conference, frustrating Kim Smith in every matchup. Katie Kern was the last Lobo to be such an aggressive and imposing force inside. The Lobos' thinner, less aggressive lineup inside could be a problem this season.
TCU is sort of a wild card. They will be a strong, athletic team, but they suffered a huge loss with the graduation of Sandora Irvin. She scored tons more than her teammates and was an amazing shot blocker. I don't doubt the Horned Frogs could make some noise, they just haven't proven enough to me yet.
UNLV will be a force this year, with forward/center Sherry McCracklin back for her senior season after sitting out last year with injuries and dynamic point guard Sheena Moore running the the Rebels' offense. They are explosive and talented, but they don't rank higher because they haven't shown the killer instinct in clutch situations. McCracklin, like Lindsey Arndt, is one of those players who was aggressive on defense and made others like RanDee Henry on her team so much better. She was sorely missed last year and could have a big impact this season.
And finally, I don't think people can automatically pencil Air Force in as a last place team anymore. They're getting more talent every year and have a very strong coach. I think Don Flanagan thinks highly of Ardie McInelly because she's disciplined and is slowly developing her program in a way Flanagan really respects. The Falcons are going to steal some more wins this season and don't deserve to automatically be ranked No. 9.

Posted by ilimon at 02:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A lot people have been asking what's up with Ryan Cook and his two wild snaps the past two games.
Cook, who usually is automatic at center, has had to pick up a slightly heavier load with some younger guys on the offensive line next to him. Without Claude Terrell, there's a lot more pressure on him to protect Kole McKamey and DonTrell Moore in the backfield.
Rocky Long said with a lot of centers, snapping becomes so automatic that guys don't necessarily concentrate on it in the heat of a game. And that is precisely when guys slip up and make a bad snap.
He said people are questioning Cook a lot more because the bad snap is so much more dramatic out of the shotgun formation and ends up being a 20-yard loss when it flies over Kole's head. The coach also said Cook probably had just as many bad snaps when the team was hiking the ball under center, but few people complained because the Lobos usually recovered for a three to eight yard loss.
He stands by Cook and said no one feels worse than the senior about the mishaps.

Posted by ilimon at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)