DonTrell Moore will sign a free-agent contract tonight with the New York Jets, while Hank Baskett will sign a free-agent contract with Minnesota and join teammate Ryan Cook at the Vikings' mini-camp in two weeks.
Check back for more updates on other Lobos hunting for teams ...

Posted by ilimon at 04:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Two of the Lobos' highest-profile players tumbled out of the draft but still should be able to lock in free-agent contracts.
It's gotta burn seeing a lot of Mountain West Conference guys drafted when teams passed on Moore and Baskett.
Colorado State's David Anderson, TCU's Cory Rodgers, BYU's Todd Watkins and San Diego State's Jeff Webb all were wide receivers behind Baskett on the all-conference list drafted on second day of the draft.
Fewer running backs got drafted, but it was surprising to see Utah's Quinton Ganther get drafted in the seventh round ahead of Moore, a four-time first team all conference player and league offensive player of the year.
Check back for more updates as the wheeling and dealing continues despite the end of the draft.

Posted by ilimon at 04:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Offensive tackle Terrance Pennington was just drafted by Buffalo, ending a long day two draft drought for the Lobos.
The Bills took Pennington with the 216th overall pick and eighth pick of the seventh round.
It's getting to the point where DonTrell Moore and Hank Baskett, the other two Lobos who were represented at the combine, may be able to negotiate better deals as free agents than they would going in the seventh round. This is a pretty big surprise, especially with Baskett falling behind numerous other Mountain West Conference receivers already drafted.
Let's see what happens at the end of this round ....

Posted by ilimon at 02:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This should be a very interesting day, with picks every five minutes and a lot of Lobos looking for news homes.
While the former UNM standouts wait for news, ex-teammate Ryan Cook took off for Minnesota this morning. W'ell have full coverage in Monday's Tribune and blog updates all day.

Posted by ilimon at 09:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Day one is done and center Ryan Cook, who was the drafted No. 51 overall and 19th in the second round by Minnesota, was the only Lobo picked in the first three rounds.
It isn't especially surprising. Hank Baskett and DonTrell Moore were expected to go somewhere between the third and seventh rounds.
The only other Mountain West Conference player picked on day one was San Diego State's inside linebacker Freddie Keiaho, a guy who was everywhere when the Aztecs played the Lobos. Indianapolis picked him with the 30th selection of the third round and 94th spot overall in the draft.
Here is an interesting story I stumbled across on the Deadspin sports blog, pointing out how unpredictable the draft is and calling all the mock drafts are meaningless. Interesting stuff.
Check back for more marathon draft coverage tomorrow.
I'm off to enjoy my oh-so-brief break from Chris Berman.

Posted by ilimon at 07:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Minnesota picked former Lobo Ryan Cook with the 51st overall pick and 19th of the second round.
The Vikings traded with Miami to secure the pick.
Cook, a Cibola High grad, walked on and worked his way up to become an all-conference star for the Lobos.
He was expected to be the highest drafted Lobo, but most people were talking about him as third-round guy. A lot of draft analysts on ESPN and elsewhere said they are confused by this pick and didn't think Cook was a good value this early. I'd argue he's pretty versatile, a really big guy capable of playing a few o-line positions where size obviously matters and a hard worker. He's also well-behaved, which is important for a Minnesota team still trying to shake off the stink of the imfamous boat party sex scandal from last season.

Posted by ilimon at 04:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A few surprises here and there, but nothing directly involving the Lobos.
The only problem I see brewing is so many teams skipping the highest-profile wide receivers early in the draft. It could bump the Lobos' Hank Baskett further down, although teams like the Eagles who came out to New Mexico to watch him workout might want him no matter who else is out there in the third round.
In non-New Mexico news, a bigger stink is developing around No. 2 draft pick Reggie Bush. The Associated Press has more shady developments that raise serious questions whether Bush's parents took money from agents while Bush was still at USC. The L.A. Times' Bill Plaschke, one of my favorite writers out there, eloquently buries Bush. Both stories are interesting reading while waiting for the draft to speed up in the next few rounds.
One other draft note. I gotta think the NFL tells ESPN who will be drafted moments before the commissioner steps up so they can flash the nifty nametag across the bottom of the TV screen in unison with the big announcement. Obviously someone whispers it in Chris Berman's ear. Berman uses this for fake, oh-so-insightful this guy's probably gonna get picked next drama. Berman and company stumble around for 10 minutes making wild guesses and talking about guys' pro potential, then Berman brilliantly says seconds before the commissioner hits the podium I bet it'll be this guy ... and of course he's right thanks to insider info. Lame, lame, lame.

Posted by ilimon at 03:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's astounding how the first two rounds of the NFL take soooo long and how quickly the other -- and arguably more important -- rounds go. In the meantime, we get to hear Chris Berman and Mel Kiper ramble about guys' versatility and potential. Matt Leinart is quickly becoming this year's Aaron Rodgers, the highest-profile guy still awkwardly sitting in the green room waiting to get picked.
So how are the Lobos with a shot being drafted today spending their time?
DonTrell Moore, along with close friends and family, planned on renting a hotel suite in Roswell and watching the draft.
Hank Baskett said he'd be hanging out with friends and family in Clovis, possibly playing a softball game (a family favorite sport) or just watching TV. He said he barely found out Thursday what time the draft was on because he didn't want to get to fixated on watching it.
Ryan Cook said he will be at home with friends and family. His parents took the week off of work to relax during draft week.
I wrote two stories on Lobos hoping to get picked in the draft. The first was on the longshot guys who are hoping for late round or free agent spots. The other was on the big three New Mexico natives.
Check back for more updates as the draft crawls along.

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

Here's the last story I wrote wrapping up spring football.
For some reason, a box I did on depth chart changes didn't get posted on our Web site, so here it is for you loyal Web readers:
DEPTH CHART SHUFFLE
Although coaches said several major positions won't be settled until the fall, here's a look at some of the promotions or position changes guys earned coming out of spring football:
Patrick Hodges, starting right guard; Glover Quinn, starting right cornerback; Tyler Donaldson, starting nose tackle; and Quincy Black and Major Mosley, starters at the Lobo position.
The last practice was a bit of a dud, with a lot of guys pretty distracted. Coach Rocky Long said that's why you always make the spring game your last workout, but he said the guys didn't pretty for two of the three practices afterward. He said he was happy with the effort and energy throughout the spring.
This is a natural time to make predictions about next year's team, but I have no idea how they'll fare. I want to see the team workout in fall camp to get a better sense of how so much raw potential has been refined during the summer. I'm also pretty gun-shy after the Lobos' recent performances. Two years ago, I thought they would struggle and they still made it to a bowl game. Last year, I thought they should have won the conference title and they struggled to 6-5.
What do you think? Now that spring ball is over, how do you think the Lobos will fare next season?

Posted by ilimon at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I know, I laughed too when I first heard about it.
First an NFL team, then an NBA team, then a bowl game.
But the NCAA approved the New Mexico Bowl in Orlando today, certifying it as one of 31 bowl games to played during the 2006 season.
The Associated Press issued the first official word from the NCAA, although the Lobo football complex was buzzing with the good news by early afternoon.
The New Mexico Sports Authority and major bowl supporters have a press conference scheduled for Monday morning once it's proud contingent returns from Orlando.
The game will be played on Dec. 23 in University Stadium, pitting a Mountain West Conference team against a Western Athletic Conference team. The Lobos can only appear once every three years thanks to their homefield advantage. Before you get too upset about that, remember the Lobos probably don't want to keep appearing in their hometown bowl likely awarded to the league's fourth-place team. It's just plain sad when Boise State trounces second rate competition on its blue field year after year.
Check out tomorrow's Tribune for more New Mexico Bowl details.
While you're waiting, let me know what you think of the new bowl game.
Is it good for New Mexico?
Does the college football landscape need 31 bowl games?
Sound off in the comments section ....

Posted by ilimon at 09:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Former Lobo Jordan Adams was waived by the WNBA's Seattle Storm today.
Adams can't seem to catch a break in the pro ranks.
She was originally drafted in 2003 and played one season with the Minnesota Lynx.
A series of untimely injuries kept from getting a very good shot at the league. She did play in numerous pro leagues overseas, but if you've ever seen the movie Lost in Translation, then you get a tiny sense of how hard it is to thrive in a foreign environment.
Adams always has a backup plan, continuing her high school coaching career in Nevada.
Here's hoping her luck turns around if she decides to keep at it.

Posted by ilimon at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I thought the funniest moment of the Cherry-Silver scrimmage was the over-the-top touchdown celebration by Marcus Smith and Travis Brown.
I wrote about their antics and Smith's newfound confidence in today's Tribune.
I also included a recap of the scrimmage -- the big plays on offense, defense and special teams. I'm not sure why UNM's unofficial stats didn't include an interception by starting quarterback Kole McKamey, although it could have been called back by the refs. In a pretty clear sign of Kole's character, he dove at safety Blake Ligon and tried to unsuccessfully to tackle him and save the touchdown. Quarterbacks don't get hit, and they're certainly not expected to tackle, in spring games.
The offense looked a little sloppy early, but offensive coordinator Bob Toledo chalked some of it up to nerves and a handful of players making mistakes. "You can have one guy make a mistake on defense and recover it if the offense doesn't attack that spot, but your offense doesn't function if one or two guys make mistakes," he said. "It took awhile, but I think our guys calmed down and made some pretty good plays."
Toledo said he is looking forward to using this week to run the offense against more conventional and traditional defenses the Lobos are more apt to face this season.
Both Toledo and head coach Rocky Long said the upside of having three practices left after the Cherry-Silver game is that they have some time to work on mistakes that popped up during the scrimmage.

Posted by ilimon at 01:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of my favorite Seinfeld episodes involved New York Mets star Keith Hernandez, and Jerry's use of the magic loogie defense to argue Hernandez did not imfamously spit on Kramer and Newman following a game.
Hernandez was portrayed as the perfect guy, who Elaine and Jerry fawned over throughout the episode.
It totally made me a Hernandez fan until I read about his comments during a Mets television broadcast that women have no place in the dugout. During the same broadcast, he half-heartedly apologized when he learned the woman whose pressence offended him was on the San Diego Padres' training staff. He refused interviews on the subject but apologized if he offended anyone during the following Mets broadcast.
I know baseball is the one of the last unconquered frontiers for women in sports, but his comments were ridiculous and ignorant at best.
It makes me wonder ... maybe he was responsible for that magic loogie after all.

Posted by ilimon at 01:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I can't figure out how Penn State could make the rare move of fining women's basketball coach Rene Portland $10,000 and requiring her to attend diversity training after a university investigation ruled she had harrassed a former player Portland thought was gay.
If there's enough evidence to impose a hefty fine, Portland should have been fired.
ESPN.com's Graham Hays wrote a great column on the issue.
What do you think?

Posted by ilimon at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The UNM football team's home game against UTEP Sept. 23 and its game at UNLV Oct. 14 will be broadcast on CSTV, according to the fall schedule the network released today.
The UNLV game, which was listed as to be announced Tuesday, is not set for 6 p.m. MST kickoff.
The Lobos also will have nine games broadcast on CSTV's new regional station, The Mountain.
The only matchup on the Lobos 12-game schedule that won't be broadcast on CSTV or the Mountain is its instate showdown at New Mexico State Sept. 9.
For more details on The Mountain, see my previous blog entry.

Posted by ilimon at 02:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've got a story in today's Tribune about CSTV's new regional network, The Mountain, which will cater to coverage of all things in the Mountain West Conference.
Nine of the Lobos' 12 football games will be broadcast on The Mountain, referred to in team logos as "The mtn.," but is that such a good thing?
CSTV already faced problems finding a home in all Mountain West Conference media markets, so how will it negotiate adding a second channel to the cable landscape?
What do you think?
Is the Mountain West's deal with CSTV, giving it more leverage on game times and exclusive coverage on this regional network, worth the fans it loses leaving the vast viewership of the ESPN family?

Posted by ilimon at 01:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

CSTV announced a new super-regional network devoted exclusively to Mountain West Conference coverage called The Mountain or mtn. The group also released its list of Mountain West Conference television coverage. Nine of New Mexico's games will be broadcast on the new mtn network.
The national CSTV will be released tomorrow. It could include more Mountain West Conference games.
Here's the full mtn football broadcast schedule:

Saturday, September 2
Utah State @ Wyoming, 4:30 ET/2:30 MT
Weber State @ Colorado State, 5:00 ET/3:00 MT
Portland State @ New Mexico, 8:00 ET/6:00 MT
Idaho State @ UNLV, 10:00 ET/7:00 PT

Saturday, September 9
Tulsa @ BYU, 4:00 ET/2:00 MT
Northern Arizona @ Utah, 8:00 ET/6:00 MT

Saturday, September 16
Boise State @ Wyoming, 3:30 ET/1:30 MT
Missouri @ New Mexico, 8:00 ET/6:00 MT

Saturday, September 23
Utah State @ BYU, 3:00 ET/1:00 MT
Air Force @ Wyoming, 4:30 ET/2:30 MT
Utah @ San Diego State, 8:00 ET/5:00 PT

Saturday, September 30
New Mexico @ Air Force, 2:00 ET/12:00 MT
Boise State @ Utah, 8:00 ET/6:00 MT
Nevada @ UNLV, 10:00 ET/7:00 PT

Saturday, October 7
San Diego State @ BYU, 2:00 ET/12:00 MT
UNLV @ Colorado State, 5:00 ET/3:00 MT
Wyoming @ New Mexico, 8:00 ET/6:00 MT

Saturday, October 14
Utah @ Wyoming, 3:00 ET/1:00 MT

Thursday, October 19
Utah @ New Mexico, 9:00 ET/7:00 MT

Saturday, October 21
UNLV @ BYU, 3:00 ET/1:00 MT
Air Force @ San Diego State, 8:00 ET/5:00 PT

Saturday, October 28
BYU @ Air Force, 2:00 ET/12:00 MT
New Mexico @ Colorado State, 5:30 ET/3:30 MT
Wyoming @ TCU, 7:00 ET/6:00 CT
Cal Poly @ San Diego State, 8:00 ET/5:00 PT

Saturday, November 4
TCU @ UNLV, 3:00 ET/12:00 PT
BYU @ Colorado State, 6:30 ET/4:30 MT

Saturday, November 11
Colorado State @ Utah, 2:00 ET/12:00 MT
TCU @ New Mexico, 5:30 ET/3:30 MT
UNLV @ San Diego State, 8:00 ET/5:00 PT

*Saturday, November 18
Utah @ Air Force, 2:00 ET/12:00 MT
New Mexico @ BYU, 3:00 ET/1:00 MT
Wyoming @ UNLV, 4:00 ET/1:00 PT
San Diego State @ TCU, 7:00 ET/6:00 CT

Saturday, November 25
San Diego State @ New Mexico, 2:30 ET/12:30 MT
TCU @ Colorado State, 6:00 ET/4:00 MT

*Saturday December 2
Air Force @ TCU 4:30 ET/3:30 CT
Colorado State @ San Diego State 8:00 ET/5:00 PT

The dates marked with asterisks note one of the games on the schedule will be picked up on CSTV instead of the mtn regional network.

For more details on the new CSTV network and how it could impact coverage of New Mexico, check out Wednesday's Tribune.

Posted by ilimon at 04:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I took a mini vacation from the blog, but I'm back on the football and women's basketball beats this week.
I spent Wednesday through Sunday in Florida attending the Poynter Institute's Sports Writing Summit. There were some pretty heavy hitters there, ranging from the Washington Post's Sally Jenkins to Jason Whitlock of Kansas City Star and ESPN.com fame. I'm getting to work on lots of great ideas I picked up from the summit.
Now on to some football notes.
Aside from watching the players learn the offense, one of the more interesting things has been watching former offensive coordinator Dan Dodd adjust to his new role as the wide receivers coach.
Talk about the most awkward job change in history.
Most people just get fired and move on, but for a variety of reasons Dodd stayed on the staff.
I give him a ton of credit for being aggressive during spring practices and working the receivers just as hard and as vocally as he used to back when he oversaw the entire offense.
New offensive coordinator Bob Toledo doesn't see much of a quarterback battle brewing.
"Kole is the starter and no one has come anywhere close challenging him so far," Toledo said Monday.
An interesting battle, however, has developed between Chris Nelson and Donovan Porterie for the backup job. I missed a few practices for my workshop, but I'd be surprised if Porterie isn't Kole's backup next season.
After talking with several of the coaches, I get the sense they make some minor depth chart adjustments but will be looking at how hard players work during the summer and their play in fall camp before settling on final rotations for next season.
And just a reminder, the Cherry-Silver game is Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at University Stadium Admission costs $2, allowing fans to attend both the football scrimmage and UNM baseball game afterward at Isotopes Park.

Posted by ilimon at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brian Carpentar asked where people in Albuquerque think Hank Baskett is going in the NFL Draft.
It's a great question, and I'll do my best to answer all the questions I've been getting about the Lobos in the draft here.
From everything I've heard, Ryan Cook is the Lobos' top prospect. He probably will go in the third or fourth round of the draft. Although his position is plenty competitive, it's not nearly as hot as the glamour, loaded positions of wide receiver and running back.
Teammates Hank Baskett and DonTrell Moore should get drafted, with both of them going anywhere from the third through sixth rounds. I know that's broad, but I've heard wild variations in the evaluations of these guys.
I get the sense that the remainder of the Lobos will be battling for free-agent contracts. I see Terrance Pennington, Marcus Parker and Gabriel Fulbright as the darkhourses who could get drafted late or end up going the free agent route.
Free agent contracts sometimes can be work well for guys because they can shop for teams they fit in well with and where they could be most productive.
Bottom line, though, nobody knows how this draft will go down.
None of the Lobos are getting rave reviews or a lot of attention from draft analysts, but a lot of them have great agents.
I talked with Lobos coach Rocky Long and a lot of other folks who say this is such a tough process for the guys trying to get recognition from a lesser known school. Long also said it's hard to evaluate these players based solely on the skills tested at the combine. For example, a lot of people are disappointed by Baskett's sprint speed, but Long thinks he'll have a lengthy NFL career.
I know it can be disheartening for Lobos fans who want their guys to get all the attention on draft day, but going in as a lower pick with less pressure on a potentially more competitive team can be a blessing.
As draft day draws closer, check back here for more updates.

Posted by ilimon at 03:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There was a lot of excitment and energy for the opening week of spring football.
Rocky Long and Bob Toledo gave the Lobos high marks for effort but said the team definitely needs more work before coaches can give real grades.
I wrote a story for Saturday's paper about Robert Turner, who is dodging doctors' orders and participating in sping football despite off-season surgery to repair a shattered wrist. The Lobos need this guy to step up in a big way next season. By my count, he's the only four-year starter on the roster and one of only a handful of players who has been in the program five years and seen real playing time. Every bit of learning he can do from the sidelines and during light drills helps.
We also have a Saturday feature called Behind the Bleachers that had some Lobo football flavor this week. I thought quarterbacks Kole McKamey and Chris Nelson did a great job sharing five new things about Bob Toledo's offense.
My favorite quote was from Kole. "No more option, thank God."

Posted by ilimon at 02:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

First the good news.
The New Mexico women's basketball team and Mountain West Conference were rewarded for a marquee year in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll released this week.
The Lobos were ranked No. 21, BYU was ranked No. 20 and Utah was ranked No. 12 following the Utes' run to the Sweet 16 and near upset of eventual national champ Maryland.
New Mexico ended the year ranked No. 24 in the Associated Press poll, but it was taken at the end of the regular season in March and did not factor in the NCAA Tournament.
The Lobos were ranked in both polls since Nov. 21, the third week of the regular season. The season marked the first time in school history New Mexico was ranked in both polls and its longest run in the Top 25.
Now the bad news, which relax, isn't related to UNM athletics.
As many will hear throughout the day, Army women's basketball coach Maggie Dixon died Thursday night.
She was one of the best stories of the NCAA Tournament, leading Army to its first tournament appearance and really represented what's awesome about March Madness. Yea, her team lost ugly to No. 1 seed Tennessee in the first round, but it was huge for the Black Knights to even take that step. It's a lot like Air Force going from the cellar of the Mountain West to a 20-win season, winning the conference tournament championship and making it to the Big Dance.
Dixon played college ball at the University of San Diego, where UNM has a lot of connections.
I'd imagine this was pretty rough news for assistant coach Yvonne Sanchez, who spent a lot of time in the San Diego area, and former Lobos coach Kathy Marpe, who coached Dixon.
I never met Maggie Dixon, but I know enough to say this is a big loss for women's college basketball. Here's the best column I've seen on the subject so far.

Posted by ilimon at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Utah standouts Shona Thorburn and Kim Smith were selected in the first round of the WNBA Draft, while BYU's Ambrosia Anderson was a second-round pick.
Thorburn was the seventh pick selected by the Minnesota Lynx, while Smith was picked 13th by the Sacramento Monarchs. Anderson was the 17th overall pick and third player selected in the second round. She was drafted by the Detroit Shock but was traded and will join Thorburn in Minnesota.
If Smith stays on the Sacramento roster, she will return to The Pit in May for the Monarchs' exhibition game against Connecticut Sun.
The three Mountain West Conference players snagged three of the 42 available draft spots.
The draft was held today in Boston following the women's NCAA Tournament championship game, which was absolutely amazing.
Maryland's massive comeback and overtime win was hands down the best basketball game I've seen all year. It also was fun to watch because Maryland came through the Albuquerque regional, and the Terrapins were especially nice. Some of the star players with bigger-name programs in the tournament weren't nearly as open or friendly. I really do think the Terps embodied the underdog spirit and should celebrate their impressive victory for a long time.

Posted by ilimon at 02:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's finally here.
Spring football is in bloom and New Mexico fans, jaded at the end of last season, are back in love with their Lobos.
I wrote a story previewing spring football and looking at the first day of practices through the eyes of wide receiver Travis Brown.
Lots of fans showed up for day one and were pretty excited about all the changes afoot.
Most predicted the Lobos will win at least eight games this season.
Some are so wowed by new offensive coordinator Bob Toledo, they predicted a 10-3 record. And that is supposed to include a bowl win. Those are so rare around here, no one on the New Mexico roster was born the last time the Lobos earned a bowl win. Neither was I.
I'm not so sure this year's Lobos are destined to dominate the Mountain West Conference.
This is a young, unproven team with a lot of key vacancies that must be filled. It takes a lot of work to translate excitment in April into wins in August, September, October and November, not to mention December.
But the positive energy certainly is a good place to start.
What do you think?
How many games will the Lobos win this season?
Post your prediction and your reasoning in the comments section.

Posted by ilimon at 01:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)