Eastern New Mexico University's men's basketball team is set to begin its season with a home opener against Fort Lewis. The Greyhounds, under head coach Daven Võ, finished last season with an 18-11 record overall and 13-9 in the Lone Star Conference (LSC). The team led the conference in several statistical categories, including fastbreak points, field goal percentage, rebounds, and scoring. Eastern New Mexico qualified for its third consecutive LSC tournament but missed out on a spot in the NCAA tournament.
Senior forward Jose Murillo returns as one of the team's key players. Over three seasons, Murillo has started 85 of 90 games and achieved double-digit scoring for the first time last season with an average of 13.2 points per game. He led the conference with 43 blocks and a shooting percentage of 64.5%. Murillo holds the school record for career blocks at 125 and was recognized as a second team all-conference player and named to the all-LSC defensive team.
Four out of six Greyhounds who received all-Lone Star Conference honors last year are returning this season. Alongside Murillo's accolades, Treyvon Byrd was named to the third team after averaging 11.7 points per game in 28 appearances. Cooper Jackson earned honorable mention status and made the all-defense team by leading the league in steals per game. Mo Austin joined the all-freshman team after starting in 20 games during his debut season.
The upcoming weekend will see Eastern New Mexico facing two teams from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). On Friday night, they play Fort Lewis at Steve Loy Family Foundation Arena. Fort Lewis enters with new additions including Jude Tapia—last year's RMAC scoring leader—and Division I transfers Jaxon Smith and Massal Diouf. The Skyhawks are coached by Jordan Mast in his second year.
On Saturday, Eastern New Mexico will compete against New Mexico Highlands, which features an entirely new roster under first-year head coach Zach Setembre due to no returning players with previous playing time for NMHU. The Cowboys have lost their first three regular-season games this year and struggled defensively last season.
Steve Loy Family Foundation Arena will host both games as part of a two-day event involving Western New Mexico, New Mexico Highlands, Fort Lewis, and Eastern New Mexico University teams. Friday’s basketball game will include a food drive supporting Support Senate and ENMU Student Pantry; fans can gain entry by donating non-perishable food items. On Saturday, attendees holding tickets to ENMU’s football game against Texas A&M-Kingsville can also attend that evening’s basketball matchup through a special promotion.
Both nights’ events start at 5 p.m., allowing fans to watch two collegiate games each evening.
