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Richard Stevens: If someone's to blame, point finger at Davalos

By Richard Stevens
Wednesday, February 28, 2007

So, how do we say goodbye to Ritchie McKay tonight?

Do we stand in unison and shout, "Good riddance?"

Do we turn away at his introduction the way we might avoid eye contact with an ex-friend or a social enemy?

Do we boo? Do we cheer? Do we politely clap, radiant in our inner heart because he finally is going away?

It's not really McKay's fault he went 1-for-5 in his seasons at the University of New Mexico - one season of NCAA success, four seasons of mediocrity.

That was McKay's pattern before he became a Lobo. His failure probably was inevitable. His history spelled that out.

If anger and blame is to be tossed, it should be thrown at Rudy Davalos, the former Lobos AD, who made the inexplicable and maybe unforgivable mistake of hiring McKay.

If Davalos were introduced tonight, we know exactly what The Pit would do.

McKay probably deserves better because even though he failed in building a Lobos program, it wasn't because of lack of love or lack of effort.

McKay worked hard. His heart was Lobo. His intentions were good.

He simply wasn't good enough. He wasn't the complete package.

McKay chased off too many Lobos. He won too few games. He was weak on the road - and lately weak in the Pit.

One of the greater indictments against McKay's program comes tonight when The Pit says goodbye to UNM seniors.

Aaron Johnson is a transfer who played one season in The Pit. Kellen Walter is a former walk-on.

And look at McKay's juniors: Jamaal Smith, J.R. Giddens, and Jeffrey Henfield are transfers.

Amazingly, in his fifth season, McKay has no seniors and only two juniors - Darren Prentice and Tony Danridge - who came to UNM as scholarship freshmen.

It's probably difficult for most Lobos fans to say goodbye to a friend tonight because McKay never let many outsiders into his inner circle of Lobo family.

Instead of embracing us, McKay excluded us. Instead of charming us, McKay distanced us. McKay was team. McKay was church. He was never "us."

Maybe these things aren't a necessity for success in The Pit, but in a community that so yearns to be part of the Lobos family, this was not a smart thing to do.

Maybe that is one reason why attendance at The Pit under McKay has slipped to its lowest average in 38 years.

And if the Lobos lose tonight to the UNLV Rebels, it is fair to say UNM has not had such a miserable league performance in The Pit since the Lobogate season of 1979-80.

These numbers surely will make it easy for most Lobos to say goodbye to McKay, who also leaves with about $600,000 in buyout money.

Basketball has been a sweet ride for McKay and he rode it well, milked it well. He was wise enough to avoid the posses at Colorado State and Oregon State by bolting to new territory.

He made a mistake by sticking around UNM a bit too long, and the new Lobos sheriff - Paul Krebs - lowered the noose.

So, how do we say goodbye to McKay tonight?

Maybe with amazement that this moment arrived, that McKay ever became a Lobo.

Maybe with anger because we are five years deeper in a hole.

And maybe with hope - hope that Krebs will make a hire far superior to the one Davalos made five long and painful years ago.