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UNM men's basketball: Impromptu words land guard visit

By Jeremy Fowler
Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Jonathan Wills can thank airport socializing, Arkansas and a plug from his Amateur Athletic Union coach for his official visit to the University of New Mexico.

As long as the three-day trip that ends Wednesday runs smoothly, the 6-foot-5 guard from Mayfair (Calif.) High School says he'll accept his scholarship offer to be a Lobo.

This serves as an insurance plan for 7-footer Beas Hamga, who has reportedly bypassed the Lobos and Kentucky in favor of Mountain West Conference foe UNLV.

"I'll be a lot closer to a decision when I visit and I've made an observation," said Wills, rated as a two-star recruit by Scout.com. "Everything sounds nice. Coach (Steve) Alford is a great coach who's building up his (recruiting) class."

Last month, Wills' AAU team was headed back to the West Coast after playing in a tournament when his coach struck a conversation with UNM associate head coach Craig Neal in a Little Rock airport. A simple endorsement from AAU coach Lionel Benjamin - Check this Wills kid out. He's solid. - prompted Neal to get in touch with Wills about two weeks ago. Wills said the UNM staff members, who started recruiting in late March, told him they didn't recruit him earlier because they didn't know how many scholarships they would have open.

Now, it's either the Lobos or Portland State for Wills, who already has made an official visit to the Oregon school.

After averaging 20.8 points and nine rebounds per game for Mayfair, Wills said he felt overlooked by high-major programs. California and Oregon State recruited him but never offered a scholarship.

"He's been a little under the radar," Mayfair coach Brian Vanderwal said. "He's going to do well at the Division-I level, as long as he works on his strength. He has scoring ability and athleticism."

With the dreams of UNM fans landing a 7-footer now shattered, Wills could be the one to occupy Alford's last scholarship for the 2007 class.

Already signed are two high school guards - 6-7 Darrington Hobson, 6-1 Dairese Gary - and junior college forwards Monquel Pegues (6-10, 256 pounds) and Johnnie Harris (6-8, 250).

Hamga, a top-40 national recruit out of Decatur (Ill.) Christian School, was scheduled to arrive in Albuquerque on Friday for an official visit.

Wills will make any team proud, he says, because of his athleticism and work ethic. He plans to add muscle to his 185-pound frame.

"In college, the game is much different," Wills said. "I need to be prepared for that."

Prepare: The Lobos kick off practices today - in two-a-day fashion, playing twice a day - in preparation for the Bahamas trip May 25-June 1.

UNM will play Bahamian club teams during a trip that will feature nine Lobos, possibly eight because of the status of guard J.R. Giddens.

The senior-to-be reportedly is having academic problems.