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Richard Stevens: Fancy shoes can't save AD, McKay

By Richard Stevens
Thursday, January 25, 2007

UNM guard J.R. Giddens hobbles past head coach Ritchie McKay after injuring his left ankle against BYU. The Lobos lost Giddens in the second half Wednesday night at The Pit when he fell to the floor clutching his left shin. Giddens, who didn't start, played 13 scoreless minutes as the Lobos lost for the sixth time in their last seven games, 70-49.

Photo by Erin FredrichsTribune

Tribune

UNM guard J.R. Giddens hobbles past head coach Ritchie McKay after injuring his left ankle against BYU. The Lobos lost Giddens in the second half Wednesday night at The Pit when he fell to the floor clutching his left shin. Giddens, who didn't start, played 13 scoreless minutes as the Lobos lost for the sixth time in their last seven games, 70-49.

"I wouldn't want to be in Paul Krebs' shoes."

- Quote in The Tribune on Jan. 13 by Jamie Koch, president of UNM Board of Regents, on the UNM athletics director's eventual evaluation of Lobos coach Ritchie McKay's future at UNM.

The shoes shuffled a bit on The Pit's ramp as the man wearing them looked up at the sad scoreboard.

Brigham Young 70, New Mexico 49.

The shoes were expensive looking - two-tone, brown leather with fancy tassels.

"I have nice shoes," said Paul Krebs, the University of New Mexico's first-year director of athletics, looking down at his feet.

Yeah, Krebs' shoes were shiny and polished - unlike the UNM offense; unlike the UNM defense.

You couldn't help but wonder if Krebs' shoes would wander over to where John Whisenant was sitting and maybe ask Whiz, a former UNM assistant and coach of the 2005 WNBA championship Sacramento Monarchs, if he was doing anything the rest of the UNM basketball season.

It just might be time to find out how big Krebs' shoes really are.

It might be time for the man wearing those shiny shoes to make a tough decision.

At some point, you look at Ritchie McKay basketball and a community's dying interest in his program and you blame McKay - or Rudy Davalos, the former UNM AD who hired McKay.

At some point, you look at Krebs.

After losing six of the past seven games, the Ritchie McKay show is beginning to resemble a three-ring circus with no future.

No leadership on the bench.

No leadership on the floor.

No heart down the stretch.

Not enough popcorn and hot dog sales on the concourse level.

And McKay's so-called star, J.R. Giddens, is looking as if he wished he could click the heels of his shoes together and fly back to Kansas.

Giddens did not start Wednesday night against Brigham Young. He did not score.

And shortly after Giddens bricked his fifth shot to go 0-for-5, he crashed to the floor with an ankle injury. He never returned.

Krebs is holding strong to his decision not to evaluate McKay until the season is over.

Actually, the season may have ended Wednesday night. UNM is in the Mountain West cellar at 1-5.

Since Krebs isn't saying much about McKay, it's too bad we can't turn to Krebs' shoes for some answers. We might ask them if they have noticed that McKay not only seems to have lost control of his star, but McKay seems to have lost control of his team.

A team that seemed to quit, along with McKay, with 8:18 to go.

But you have to give Krebs' shoes credit for one thing. They didn't join the parade of shoes that scurried out of The Pit at that 8:18 mark when the Lobos were down 55-39.

Krebs' shoes stuck around to the bitter end and even followed McKay's shoes up the ramp when the BYU beating finally ended.

And the shoes were in the Pete McDavid Lounge when McKay told the media that he wasn't exactly sure what was needed to turn his fading Lobos around.

"I think we're all concerned," Krebs said. "You have to win home games."

McKay especially has to win home games because McKay doesn't win too many games on the road.

The loss to BYU was UNM's second Pit loss in Mountain West Conference play. The Lobos do have an overtime Pit win over Utah.

But will the Lobos win another league game this season on any court?

The Lobos that folded to BYU probably won't. It was a bad team. It was a team that rolled over.

Jamie Koch, president of the UNM Board of regents, told The Trib on Jan. 13 that he wouldn't want to be in Krebs' shoes.

Ah, it could be worse, Jamie.

You could be in Ritchie McKay's shoes.