Opinion

Betting the Come On Steve Alford

By Daniel Libit

Having spent much of the last 12 months writing stories that augured Donald Trump’s political annihilation, my predictive abilities leave a little something to be desired. So I’m probably doing myself an added disservice by even bringing up Steve Alford, but I suppose this is my chance at small redemption. Anyway, here goes:

On that fateful day in March 2013, when Alford announced his decision to abandon his contract and his word at New Mexico, for a head-scratching offer from UCLA, it seemed almost too easy to claim this wouldn’t work out in the end. Continue reading “Betting the Come On Steve Alford” →

Noodling

Up in the Air: Lobo hoops edition

By Daniel Libit

Through a public records request, NMFishbowl.com recently obtained the recruiting-related travel expenses for the men’s basketball staff. While most of their destinations are fairly pedestrian — Phoenix, Las Vegas, etc. — a few trips stood out. Last year, for example, Assistant Coach Alan Huss took a jaunt to Greece, while Head Coach Craig Neal and Associated Head Coach Chris Harriman spent over $12,000 to grease the  Australian pipeline — all while the cash-strapped UNM athletics department was insisting that it needed to reign in travel expenses. You can peruse the full list below:

Head coach Craig Neal’s recruiting expenses

Associate head coach Chris Harriman’s recruiting expenses

Assistant Coach Alan Huss’ recruiting expenses

 

(photo credit: aeroprints.com/Wikimedia Commons)

Money Pit

Did UNM Ever Really Believe in WisePies?

Editor’s Note: Welcome to NMFishbowl.com, an independent website dedicated to providing a circumspect look at the University of New Mexico and its athletics department.

By Daniel Libit

On Dec. 1, 2014, the University of New Mexico held a press conference on the floor of The Pit to proudly announce the “largest cash gift in the history of New Mexico athletics.”

WisePies Pizza & Salads, an Albuquerque restaurant company few had heard of, would now hold the naming rights to University Arena, the Lobos’ most lucrative sponsorship asset.

Anticipating some raised eyebrows in the community, UNM officials acknowledged their difficulties in trying to secure a naming-rights partner for The Pit, four years after the completion of its $60 million renovation. Still, they insisted that the $5 million, 10-year agreement with WisePies was rock solid — even though the company was unrecognized and unproven, and the “gift” agreement was almost entirely unenforceable.

“It could not be a better marriage for all of us,” beamed UNM Athletics Director Paul Krebs.

But internal documents and emails obtained by NMFishbowl.com paint a much less optimistic picture about UNM’s trip to the altar. Indeed, they beg the question as to whether the school ever thought it would receive most of the $5 million pledged by WisePies. Continue reading “Did UNM Ever Really Believe in WisePies?” →