Alford Works Magic

Five games into the season, it's nothing new to see the University of New Mexico men's basketball team with an unblemished record. There's also nothing new about Lobo zealots talking about conference titles and Sweet 16s. But here's something new. This year, those fans might truly have reason to get excited. A Mountain West Conference crown and an NCAA Tournament appearance - much less a Sweet 16 - are still a long, long way from being in the picture. But right now, Steve Alford's Lobos look like they might just have the frame in place. Who knows what routs of UC Riverside, Nicholls State and Miami (Ohio) really mean? Yeah, yeah, Miami nearly beat Kentucky. But the 1-4 RedHawks also lost to Towson. What does mean something, is the way the Lobos romped over an extremely athletic Louisiana Tech squad (81-52), and the way they beat New Mexico State (97-87) in Las Cruces. In addition, UNM has outscored its five opponents by an average of 21 points a game. The most impressive part of the start, is the way Alford has quickly molded his youthful squad. The Lobos are clicking offensively and are absolutely tenacious on defense. They make few fundamental miscues and even fewer mental errors. The way they block out for rebounds on both ends of the floor is a thing of beauty, and the offensive communication and shot selections have been brilliant. "I'm pleasantly surprised by what we've been able to do through five games," Alford said. "I think our guys are getting better. Our young guys are fearless. They're not uptight, they haven't been nervous. "We haven't had a real tight game yet, so time will tell on that. But to have five games with the caliber of teams we've played - one of which was on the road - and to have double-digit wins speaks volumes." It speaks loudest to coaching. This young bunch wasn't supposed to look this smooth this quickly. Most of that credit has to go to Alford and his staff. About the only weakness Alford has shown on the sidelines thus far, was one that popped up from time to time each of the last two seasons. On Saturday he got into another one of his infamous heated banters with an opposing player, this time Louisiana Tech guard Jamel Guyton. But, while Alford must make sure he never goes Woody Hayes on an opponent - or Bobby Knight on one of his own guys - that hammer-the-enemy attitude has to instill some extra fire in his troops. Which, after blowing all of a 19-point second-half lead on Tuesday in Las Cruces, was one of the biggest things Alford tried to stress during the weekend. "It's definitely (developing)," the team's only senior, Roman Martinez said of a killer instinct. "I think we've got to get a little more intense on the defensive end. If we do that, I think we can separate ourselves enough to get an even bigger cushion in the second half so we don't have to deal with even big comebacks." As expected, Martinez has been steady and heady all season. But the Lobos are also showing great depth, and could have various stars on a given night. Over the weekend, the biggest star was junior college transfer Darington Hobson, who was named Most Valuable Player of the World Vision Classic. Hobson had a combined 55 points, 20 rebounds and seven assists in New Mexico's three wins. On Saturday, during a hard-fought first half against Louisiana Tech, Hobson took over and finished with 30 points. With the Lobos rolling for the outset on Sunday against Miami, Hobson just stayed in the flow and had 11 points, six boards and five assists. "(Saturday), my team needed me to step up a little bit more," Hobson said. "(Sunday), we showed we're so deep that on nights like this when we're up by 30, you don't need me to score 30 points. You need me more to facilitate, grab rebounds and do the little things. When my team and coaches are calling on me to make plays, that's when I'm going to be more aggressive and attack more. When we're up big, I'm just going to let the game come to me." HOBSON HONOR: Besides being named World Vision Classic MVP on Sunday, Hobson's big weekend was also good enough to land him MWC Player of the Week honors. Including the Lobos' victory against the Aggies, the 6-foot, 7-inch wing out of Las Vegas, Nev., had 72 points, 27 rebounds and 12 assists in the Lobos' four most recent victories.