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UNM Men's Basketball: Prominent club coach eyes Lobos' vacancy

Walker could give Lobos leg up in Texas recruiting

By Jeremy Fowler
Tuesday, June 26, 2007

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A well-connected Amateur Athletic Union coach out of Texas could fill the Lobos' last assistant coaching spot.

Chris Walker, coach of the T-Mac (Tracy McGrady) All-Stars team out of Houston, said University of New Mexico men's basketball coaches have approached him about the job vacated by Billy Garrett in May.

Walker said he's interested in the job, which would be his sixth college assistant position. Previous stops for the 37-year-old include Villanova, UMass, Pepperdine, Rhode Island and Loyola-Marymount.

"Albuquerque is a nice place," said Walker, a former Villanova player. "There are plenty of resources, a fan base and a desire to win. There's definitely some interest on my part. It will be interesting to see what happens."

UNM coach Steve Alford recently said the Lobos could hire an assistant as late as August, which Walker said he expected. Walker declined comment on details of his talk with UNM.

Walker will finish the summer AAU season with a T-Mac team that includes five seniors-to-be ranked in the national top-100.

Four of those players Í 6-foot-10 Anthony Jones, 6-9 Will Brown, 6-9 Steve Tchiengang and 6-5 Phillip McDonald Í attended UNM's Lobo Elite Camp in early June and were offered scholarships.

Walker said McDonald (No. 75) and Brown (No. 99) have the most interest in UNM. Both are being recruited by schools in major conferences but like the idea of being centerpieces at a program like UNM instead of just pieces at powerhouses already loaded with talent, Walker said.

T-Mac guard J'Covan Brown, ranked No. 37 in the class of 2008, also is interested in UNM despite not attending the camp, Walker said.

Hiring Walker would improve UNM's ties to Texas, which many Lobos fans feel is vital for the program's success. The next coach will join Alford, associate head coach Craig Neal, assistant Ryan Miller and Silvey Dominguez, director of basketball operations.

"Texas players always saw New Mexico as the state between Texas and Arizona," Walker said. "They didn't know much about New Mexico until they went to the camp. But they left thinking their camp was the best one they've been to. The coaches did a really good job with that camp and impressing the kids."

A coaching staff with NBA pedigree Í notably Alford's four-year NBA career and Neal's experience as a Toronto Raptors scout Í should propel UNM to elite status in the Mountain West Conference, Walker said.

The Lobos have struggled in conference play since the departure of Dave Bliss in 1999, making one NCAA Tournament appearance in eight seasons.

Before he makes any decision about his future, Walker said he would have to guide his AAU players as they go through the recruiting process.

"I can't leave these kids in the middle of the summer," Walker said. "I've had some of these kids for three or four years."