NMSU addresses coaching vacancy, Baker declares for draft

weather when most people get dumped they fill that gap with netflix and ice cream. in the world of college sports, there’s no time to mourn. instead, they’re looking for a new head coach right away. director of athletics mario moccia addressing the search for a new men’s basketball coach today. he laid out his list of requirements for whomever takes over the top job when a new coach is named. no official timetable yet for a decision. but the new coach will have to do the following: one of the most important things? beat the lobos. nmsu has struggled the past decade with moccia saying they’re 4 and 16 against their rivals from up north the past ten seasons. continue to dominate the wac – nmsu won four straight wac tourneys before csu bakersfield beat them this year. boost home attendance. moccia wants more fans to show up for home games. one note though – he says previous head coaching experience not a huge factor in the decision. here’s moccia’s message to fans about the search. “i appreciate their support and their patience while we undergo this time. i know there’s a lot of flux. what’s going to happen? and we’re going to move as fast as we can, but we’re not gonna rush it. we’re gonna make sure we get the right individual for the job.” moccia says he’s been contacted by a number of d-1 coaches about the job. one name that’s getting a lot of consideration…nmsu associate head coach paul weir. he’s been with the program almost a decade now…and helped orchestrate top 25 ranked defenses the last two seasons. moccia says weir is most certainly a candidate for this job and would immediately be considered a finalist, if interested. “you know we had a chance t talk yesterday, and i told paul that if he wanted to, he would automatically be in our finalist group and get every consideration. and i think paul and i have a good enough relationship that he knew, you know, that was, you know, an honest assessment of things.” more news for nmsu hoops. guard ian baker with a big announcement today himself. he’s declaring for the nba draft. baker, who hit that memorable buzzer beat against bakersfield, says he’s looking to test the waters. the guard averaged almost 14 a game this past season. he won’t hire an agent meaning he has ten days after the nba combine to come back to nmsu. here’s baker on his thought process behind the decision. “i discussed it with my coaches and my family, and we feel it’s best for me to evaluate myself and put my name out there and try to find out a little bit more about myself and just get some feedback. i don’t plan on hiring an agent. and we just thought it was something smart to do right now.” one of the most important races in