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Rick Majerus could be more interested in the Lobos' coaching post than he's revealing.

Majerus, the former Utah coach, has been making calls to college basketball middlemen inquiring about the University of New Mexico men's basketball position, according to a source close to the subject.

If the Lobos are looking for a big-name coach with a winning reputation, Majerus carries 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and a NCAA runner-up finish with Utah in 1998. He coached against the Lobos in the Western Athletic Conference and the Mountain West Conference. Majerus quit the Utes in 2004 because of health problems.

Majerus, who turned 59 last month, told The Tribune on Monday he didn't know if he would return to coaching, but he wouldn't talk about coaching jobs in the future.

Sandy Montag, Majerus' agent with IMG sports, said the agency isn't actively pursuing a coaching job for Majerus, currently an ESPN commentator.

Majerus said he's flattered by any interest from New Mexico, a place he affectionately discusses.

"I've been a Lobo fan throughout the years," Majerus said Monday. "I never had anything but kindness from those fans. They know ball. They know the game. Sometimes fans would dress up like me with a big red sweater, but that was part of the deal."

Keating: UCLA men's basketball assistant coach Kerry Keating said he hasn't been contacted by UNM concerning the job opening.

Recent reports say Keating, known as a tireless recruiter, will be interviewed by UNM.

Giddens no winner: Until Friday night, UNM guard J.R. Giddens was left off the All-Mountain West Conference ballot by head coach Ritchie McKay, who once referred to Giddens as a potential NBA lottery pick.

Giddens, the team's leading scorer on the season who struggled through conference play, was glaringly absent from the MWC nominations list that included Lobos guard Tony Danridge, Chad Toppert and Darren Prentice.

UNM has since added Giddens after submitting its list Monday. The all-conference results, voted on by the conference media, will be released next week.

McKay said he didn't initially include Giddens on the ballot because he was told the junior was an unlikely candidate after missing five conference games, two because of a suspension.

"I'm not out to get J.R.," McKay said. "It was just a miscommunication."

Kim Melcher, media relations director with the MWC, said a player has to participate in one or more conference games to be eligible for nomination.

Giddens has struggled at times in his 11 conference games. His 28-point performance Wednesday against UNLV bumped a sagging conference scoring average to 13.7 points per game, barely tops on the team. His average of 6.0 rebounds per game is second on the team, and his season average is 16.1 points per game.

UNM submitted its nominations before the UNLV game, when Giddens was second in scoring behind Danridge (13.0 ppg).

Jay Blackman, media relations director for the team, said the league asks to consider conference play only.