Lobo hoops notebook: Local walk-on added to roster, schedule updates
Aug. 21—The Lobos have added another transfer, this time with some local appeal.
UNM on Monday announced that former Eldorado Eagle forward Deraje Agbaosi, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward who played 33 games over the past two seasons at Division I North Alabama of the Atlantic Sun Conference, will be added to this season's roster as the team's second walk-on, joining recent Del Norte High graduate point guard Shane Douma-Sanchez.
The Union, N.J., native who spent the 2020-21 season at Phoenix Prep school after graduating from Eldorado, is the fifth Division I transfer added to the Lobos roster this season.
"We are excited to add Deraje to our basketball program," Lobos third-year head coach Richard Pitino said in a release from the team. "He did some very good things at North Alabama. He spent some time here, playing high school basketball in Albuquerque, so he already has a connection to our community. Deraje is a great kid who will fit well with our team with what he brings to the locker room and to the court."
Agbaosi appeared in 33 games off the bench for North Alabama over the past two seasons, averaging 1.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per game in 9.2 minutes per contest.
Last season, as a sophomore, Agbaosi appeared in 24 games. The Lions played in the postseason CBI tournament.
He was named second-team All-State as a senior at Eldorado in the 2019-20 season when he averaged 16.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
He is expected to add depth to a Lobos frontcourt that has returning center Sebastian Forsling and welcomes three other Division I transfers in Mustapha Amzil (Dayton), Nelly Junior Joseph (Iona) and Isaac Mushila (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi). Former Fresno State guard Jemarl Baker, Jr. is the fifth D-I transfer on this season's Lobos roster.
Schedule notes
Las Vegas, the Nevada variety, will be the Lobos' home away from home this season as the team now has four trips scheduled there to play at least six games in the area.
The hope would be to play as many as eight games in Sin City this season as that would mean a couple of wins in the Mountain West Tournament as well.
Late last week, UNM confirmed previous reports of scheduling a game Dec. 9 in Henderson, Nev., against Santa Clara as part of a triple-header of games in the Jack Jones Classic. UNM's game will start at 3 p.m. (2 p.m. PT local tip time).
The game will be the fourth that UNM plays in the Dollar Loan Center, where the NBA's G-League Ignite plays. The Lobos also play three games Nov. 21-24 in the arena as part of the Ball Dawgs Classic against Toledo, Rice and Pepperdine.
UNM will also play a yet-to-be announced conference road game at UNLV in the Thomas & Mack Center. The Mountain West Tournament in early March is also in the Thomas & Mack, where the Lobos would need to win three or four games, depending on their seed, to win the league tournament and earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Way too early...
Though college football season is just now upon us, kicking off this weekend, the buzz and buildup for college basketball gets a gradual rolling start this time of year.
Last month, ESPN's Jeff Borzello listed UNM among the "13 teams that came out ahead" in the transfer portal frenzy of the offseason. The Lobos and perennial national title contender Gonzaga are the only two on the list not playing in Power-6 conferences (there are six "power" conferences in college basketball, not five as in football).
Fellow Mountain West team Nevada was among the "eight teams that took a hit."
More recently, CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein released his offseason Mountain West preseason power rankings with UNM picked second behind reigning champion and national runner-up San Diego State.
Rothstein picked the Lobos' Jamal Mashburn, Jr., not only to his preseason All-Mountain West team, but as the league's preseason Player of the Year.
