UNM LOBOS BASKETBALL
Look who's back: Mountain West Freshman of the Year Jake Hall will return to UNM
Lobos' leading scorer withdraws his name from the NCAA transfer portal
Looks like he got us all to bite on the shot fake this time.
Jake Hall, the Mountain West Freshman of the Year who entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal a week ago, leading Lobo fans to go through all the emotions, will be back in the cherry and silver next season.
The 6-foot-4 guard who led UNM in scoring this past season and became just the third true freshman named to the Mountain West鈥檚 First Team (along with Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Bennett), has taken his name out of the NCAA鈥檚 database meant to inform schools across the country of a player鈥檚 intention to transfer.
Hall received interest from blue-blood programs like Duke, UConn, Kansas and others in the past week, a hot commodity after averaging a team-best 16.4 points per game and hitting 44% of his 3-pointers 鈥 making a program single-season record 117, which is the fourth most ever made by a Division I freshman.
饾摗饾摦饾摢饾摰 饾摓饾摲饾摦. running it BACK馃敊 |
— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB)
Wednesday, Hall鈥檚 younger brother, 6-1 point guard Dax Hall, signed to play for the Lobos next season after winning the CIF San Diego Section Player of the Year one year after Jake Hall did the same a year ago, though at different high schools.
Now, the Pit will have not only one iconic ramp, but two Halls in it next season, as well.
The Hall family has said on many occasions their relationship with and trust in UNM coach Eric Olen, who first started recruiting Jake Hall when the latter was 14 years old, is as high as it could be. Any talk of a transfer was only because the opportunity, and frankly money, being offered was simply too much not to consider.
Terms of whatever revenue share or NIL deals the Halls have to play at UNM next season are not public.
This means the Lobos now have returning starters in Jake Hall, point guard Uriah Tenette (was sixth man until starting final six games of the season) and guard Chris Howell (started first 11 games until a season-ending oblique injury).
UNM has also added true freshmen in Ben Schuch, a 6-9 forward from Austria and Dax Hall and landed transfers Imran Suljanovic, a 6-8 forward from St. Johns and Austria National Team teammate of Schuch, and Hudson Mayes, a 6-5 guard from UC San Diego.
Time to actually meet
In the case of Suljanovic, he and the Lobos may have already said their I do鈥檚, but he didn鈥檛 actually get to the Pit for a recruiting visit until Thursday night.
UNM assistant coach Tom Tankelewicz had a relationship with him, having seen him play overseas in recent years, but was not ever able to land him at UNM until this week.
One for the Tritons (finally)
Forgive those fans around the UC San Diego basketball program for maybe not having the highest of opinions of the UNM Lobos, who in the past 12 months have taken Olen, three assistants and a videographer, two players and two high school recruits from a year ago (those high school recruits turning into rather good ones in Jake Hall and Tenette), and this year having already taken transfer Hudson Mayes out of the transfer portal.
But the one-way street has ended. Well, somewhat.
Former Lobo point guard Kayde Dotson, a freshman on Richard Pitino鈥檚 final roster in 2024-25 before transferring for this past season to Loyola Chicago, announced Thursday he has transferred to UCSD.
Dotson, in 28 games for the Ramblers, averaged 10.5 points and 2.0 assists per game while hitting 38.0% of his 3-pointers.
Reach Geoff Grammer at ggrammer@abqjournal.com or follow him on Twitter (X) .