By Joey McWilliams
UNM men’s basketball is the latest program to take its business outside the state to try to continue to move forward.
On Monday, it was announced that the Lobos’ first two Mountain West series will be hosted by Lubbock Christian University.
The UNM website posted the news with words similar to what have been used in sports releases throughout the state:
“Due to current state regulations regarding COVID-19, the Lobos are not able to start their home season in The Pit and will begin competition in Lubbock, Texas instead. Fans will not be allowed into the venue.”
The state motto seems to be right in this instance. “It grows as it goes.” Organizations are having to go in order to grow. Go outside New Mexico, that is.
The New Mexico State Aggies men’s basketball team set up shop in Arizona in mid-November in order to have a season.
The state’s three Division II athletic programs have been shut down, as well.
ENMU director of athletics Matt Billings said in a release that he felt for the teams affected, but had to make this decision:
“This has been an extremely difficult period of time for our Athletic Department, and we truly feel for our programs. The state of New Mexico has made it clear that intercollegiate athletics competitions are not to occur unless all requirements listed by the COVID-Safe Practices for Intercollegiate Sports document are met, and we simply are unable to meet those requirements.”
Eastern New Mexico and Western New Mexico have both opted out of their respective Lone Star Conference basketball schedules.
WNMU is putting together independent schedules for its basketball teams. So far, the Mustangs have played one doubleheader. Both WBB and MBB played at Texas Permian Basin on Dec. 15. UTPB is a fellow LSC program, but the games were not counted toward the conference standings.
New Mexico Highlands has canceled all competition for men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball and wrestling for the 2020-2021 athletic year.
Athletic director Andrew Ehling said in a release that many committees have been meeting regularly to consider how to have competition:
“In the course of our discussions, it became clear that a number of concerns related to the implementation of recommended NCAA testing protocols for winter sports; state COVID-Safe Practices for Intercollegiate Athletics; restrictions on the size of group gatherings; event management; and contingency planning to provide care for individuals who may test positive or become symptomatic while traveling, present challenges that cannot be resolved in a way that would create an acceptable level of risk for our student-athletes, coaches, officials, staff and others.”
The University of the Southwest may have best exemplified the “It grows as it goes” motto. The entire athletic department of the NAIA school is going. All of them.
USW unveiled its plan to relocate to Tyler, Texas in order to be able to compete in the spring.
Director of Athletics Steve Appel said in a release moving was the only choice they had:
“The decision to relocate to the Tyler, Texas area was not easy. It is not what we anticipated, but unfortunately it is what we have to do in order to allow our student-athletes the opportunity to compete in the spring. New Mexico’s COVID-19 Collegiate Sports guidelines have left us no choice but to relocate to Texas. We have looked in to every possible scenario to satisfy the guidelines, but we just could not meet those due to financial burden they create as well as scenarios we cannot control.”
The state’s other NAIA program canceled play for its fall sports in July and is not competing in winter sports either.
New Mexico’s athletic programs seem to be signaling their affirmation for the state’s 138-year-old motto.
In order to grow, you may have to go.