Talking Grammer

In Episode 126 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I post some excerpts for a Zoom call local media had with UNM Lobos guard and Mountain West Freshman of the Year Jake Hall about his decision to return to play for Eric Olen and the Lobos next season as well as his opportunity now to play with his brother, and recent UNM signee, Dax Hall.

In Episode 125 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I caught up with UNM Lobos 7-foot-1 center JT Rock, the transfer from Iowa State who has developed this season into a dangerous weapon for head coach Eric Olen's crew. We cover the bases from his recruitment to Iowa State out of high school to his addiction to shoes to why he goest by JT instead of what those initials stand for. (Hint, I'm not at all...

In Episode 124 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I caught up with Scott Waterman, the Special Assistant to the Head Coach on the UNM Lobo men's basketball team. We talk his unique path to Albuquerque, including having been the six-year head coach at Division II Academy of Art university in San Francisco before that school discontinued is sports programs this past offseason. We also talk his taking f...

In Episode 123 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I caught up with Wyoming Cowboys coach Sundance Wicks who has the Pokes at 9-2 in nonconference play and in the top 60 of the NCAA's NET rankings, arguably completing the most impressive, if not unexpected, nonconference slate in the Mountain West. Wicks talks about his name, his energy, his fondness of laughter and 1990s movies and for coaching in th...

In Episode 122 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I caught up with Lobo freshman guard Jake Hall, the 3,000 point high school scorer who is now one of three UNM freshman averaging double digit points this season. We also get a very entertaining scouting report on Jake from UNM assistant coach Tom Tankelewicz and Jake's younger brother, Dax. That scouting report includes talk of Jake being a competiti...

In Episode 121 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I talked with 2025 NCAA Division I Cross Country champion Habtom Samuel, the third-year UNM Lobo star who helped lead the men's team to a second place finish at the race Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in Columbia, Missouri. Samuel had been runner up the past two years. I also have interviews from the race with UNM head coach Darren Gauson and UNM Athletic D...

In Episode 120 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I give my annual team-by-team breakdown of the Mountain West conference season ahead with audio from head coaches of all 12 teams. Here's a time breakdown for each team if you'd like to jump ahead (and not hear me talk so much): Air Force, 8:30; Boise State, 12:07; Colorado State, 16:05; Fresno State, 20:00; Grand Canyon, 24:05; Nevada 29:34; New Mexi...

In Episode 119 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I catch up with Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez at the 2025-26 men's basketball media day event in Las Vegas, Nevada. We talk about the state of the league, both football and basketball, but primarily give the commissioner an opportunity to discuss ongoing litigation about exit fees and poaching penalties with five schools departing the leag...

In Episode 118 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I catch up with new UNM Lobos guard Luke Haupt. The sixth-year senior transfer from Division II Point Loma Nazarene in San Diego is the son of one of the winningest active coaches in California High School basketball, Mike Haupt. We talk taking the D-II route, his love of big dogs, whether he's got a chip on his shoulder to prove he can play at the DI...

In Episode 117 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I catch up with new UNM Lobos point guard Deyton Albury, a native of the Bahamas. The senior transfer from Utah State is going to be relied on heavily to lead the new-look Lobos in the first year under head coach Eric Olen. We talk basketball in the Bahamas, compare New Mexican and Bahamian food, he gives three bold basketball predictions, and explain...

In Episode 116 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I catch up with Kimberly Eck, the wife of new UNM Lobo football coach Jason Eck trying to get a glimpse of the coach we won't see just watching him on game day. She talks about how they met, how he dances, their family's love of Bluey, and the strains of the coach's wife life, including how their five children were born in five different states as Jas...

In Episode 115 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I catch up with new UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball coach Josh Pastner, who despite never having had a sip of coffee in his life, brought enough energy to light up the Vegas strip. We talk coaching influences, hand writing more than 1,000 letters to college coaches to try and get recruited, playing for and coaching with Lute Olson, Bill Walton, A.J. Br...

In Episode 114 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I catch up with new Colorado State Rams head coach Ali Farokhmanesh. We talk his coaching influences, growing up with highly successful college volleyball coaching parents, baggy shorts, big shots and whether CSU and UNM will continue playing basketball when the Rams leave the Mountain West next year.

In Episode 113 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I catch up with Grand Canyon University men's basketball coach Bryce Drew, the newest member of the Mountain West conference. What should the league expect of the Lopes this year? How familiar is he with the league and its venues? And this NMSU grad even gets him to say something nice about NMSU the Aggies.

In Episode 112 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I catch up with new UNM Lobos assistant coach Mikey Howell, a former point guard at UC San Diego who played for new Lobos head coach Eric Olen and for the past three seasons also coached under him at UCSD. It's the fifth and final episode in the five-part series with the new Lobo assistant coaches.

In Episode 111 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I catch up with new UNM Lobos assistant coach Mike Roberts, the former Indiana player whose experience coaching defense and developing big men will be part of his role on this year's staff. It's the fourth in the five-part series with the new Lobo assistant coaches.

In Episode 110 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I catch up with New Mexico State University men's basketball coach Jason Hooten. He enters his third season as coach of a program he took over amid a complete rebuild. How will the Aggies be this season? How does he feel the rebuild is going? And a whole lot more.

In Episode 109 of the Talking Grammer podcast, UNM had its first open summer practice on Tuesday with the entirely new men's hoops roster under first year coach Eric Olen. I give some of my quick, first reaction thoughts on some players, even projecting a way-too-early starting five and we hear audio from Olen and senior guard Chris Howell, one of the players who followed Olen to UNM from UC San D...

In Episode 108 of the Talking Grammer podcast, we get to know new UNM Lobo assistant men's basketball coach Sam Stapleton, one of three assistants who followed head coach Eric Olen from UC San Diego. Sam, a former D-III player, says he knew since 5th grade he wanted to be a basketball coach.

In Episode 107 of the Talking Grammer podcast, as the NBA Finals are upon us this week, I caught up with former New Mexico State and UNLV coach Marvin Menzies, who recruited and coached Pascal Siakam. The former Aggies great was a 2016 first round draft pick of the Toronto Raptors and is now with the Indiana Pacers, who are in the NBA Finals, which start this week. I talk with Menzies, who is now...

In Episode 106 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I talk with one of the new UNM Lobo men's basketball assistant coaches, Michael Wilder. He played at UC Irvine and coached there the past 11 years. We talk about what he learned from successful head coach Russell Turner, which former Lobo great ended his high school career, his role with the Lobos, whether Kobe on his all-time starting 5 and, of cours...

In Episode 105 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I talk with Albuquerque's own Lauren Green, who just completed her first season in the NBA as a sideline reporter and host with the Utah Jazz. The Volcano Vista High School graduate who went on to run track at the University of Nevada and get a graduate degree from Arizona State before returning home to work for KOB, is now in the world professional s...

In Episode 104 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I talk with new UNM Lobo basketball assistant coach Tom Tankelewicz, whose primary role with the team is coordinating the offense under new coach Eric Olen. We discuss style of play, the type of recruit this system is looking for, his playing and coaching history, whether "Coach Tank" could have coached "Player Tank" in college and we even discuss the...

In Episode 103 of the Talking Grammer podcast I talk with UNM Vice President for Athletics Fernando Lovo who in his first 120 days on the job conducted a national search for a new football coach, navigated the 60-day legislative session with intense lobbying efforts to secure money for UNM Athletics, conducted a national search for a new coach of Lobo basketball, put together most of his leadershi...

In Episode 102 of the Talking Grammer podcast I get to know new UNM Lobo men's basketball coach Eric Olen, who has coached at UC San Diego the past 21 years and led he Tritons to a 30-5 record, a Big West championship and the NCAA Tournament this past season in the program's first year eligible for the Big Dance. The 44-year-old is considered a rising star in coaching and we talk offense, defense...