New Mexico returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2024, their first since the 2014 season. If you could bet on their moneyline college basketball odds last season, you would’ve won more than any other year except their previous most recent tournament appearance. They went 26-10 during the 2023-24 season, their best mark since they went 27-7 in the 2013-14 campaign.
Now, you can bet on their basketball odds at the BetMGM online sportsbook.
Below, I’ll list the five best Lobos players ever.
Who Are the Best New Mexico Lobos Basketball Players?
| Rank | Player | Position | New Mexico Years |
| 1 | Mel Daniels | C | 1964-1967 |
| 2 | Danny Granger | F | 2003-2005 |
| 3 | Michael Cooper | F | 1976-1978 |
| 4 | Kenny Thomas | F | 1995-1999 |
| 5 | Luc Longley | C | 1987-1991 |
1. Mel Daniels
Daniels played center for New Mexico from 1964 to 1967 and was a consensus second-team All-American and two-time first-team All-WAC.
He recorded 853 rebounds (third in program history) and averaged 20 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.
What makes his stats even more impressive is that, during the 1956-66 season, he put his arm through a glass door, required 352 stitches, and almost never played again.
2. Danny Granger
Granger played two seasons in New Mexico after transferring from Bradley.
While with New Mexico, he averaged 19.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game.
He also had a 51% field goal percentage over those two seasons.
He recorded 63 steals during the 2004–05 campaign, which is the tenth most in a single season in program history.
Granger was a two-time first-team All-MWC.
3. Michael Cooper
Cooper played at New Mexico for two seasons (1976 to 1978), averaging 15.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. He averaged nearly two steals per game as a senior.
While Cooper doesn’t hold any records statistically, he was known as a stalwart on defence. It’s hard to denote that on a stat sheet, but his offense, coupled with his phenomenal defence, led to him being a third-round pick by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Cooper was a first-team All-American and two-time first-team All-WAC.
4. Kenny Thomas
Thomas logged four campaigns with New Mexico from 1995 to 1999, averaging 15.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game.
In all, Thomas scored 1,931 points (second), 1,032 rebounds (first), and 239 blocks (second).
He was second-team All-American, third-team All-American, and three-time first-team All-WAC.
5. Luc Longley
Listed at 7-foot-2, Longley was New Mexico’s big man from 1987 to 1991, logging 1,769 points (seventh), 922 rebounds (second), and 336 blocks (first).
Longley blocked 117 shots in the 1989-90 season, the most in a single season.
He was a two-time first-team All-WAC.
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