Despite loss of Thomas, Lobos still sport strong lineup

Victoria Sun

Wednesday, Nov. 17, 1999 | 11:54 a.m.

Lobo Facts

Coach: Fran Fraschilla

Coach's record at school: First year

Coach's overall record: 120-59 (6 years)

Returning starters: 4

Player to watch: Lamont Long

Player they'll miss: Kenny Thomas

Key newcomer: Wayland White

Marquee game: At Arizona, Dec. 21

Media poll projection: 2nd

The Kenny Thomas Era officially ended at New Mexico when the former Lobo became the 22nd player picked (Houston Rockets) in this year's NBA Draft.

The All-America center helped lead Dave Bliss-coached teams to four consecutive NCAA appearances and finished second on the school's career scoring list with 1,931 points.

But now that he's gone, don't think the Lobos are going to drop off the college basketball map.

The return of senior shooting guard Lamont Long and the addition of new head coach Fran Fraschilla give instant credibility to a team Fraschilla calls "in transition."

Long, a pre-season All-America candidate, is a scoring machine.

He averaged 16.8 points while sharing the ball with Thomas. With Thomas gone, Long will be the team's first option.

After his junior season last year, Long made himself eligible for the NBA draft. But he decided to return to finish out his collegiate career, which is a good thing for the Lobos.

Though Long will be the main option, he won't be the only one.

Kevin Henry and John Robinson II both averaged more than 10 points a game last season. They, along with forward Damion Walker, will join Long in the starting lineup.

The strength of the Lobos clearly rests in the backcourt with Long, Henry and Robinson allowing the team to run an up-tempo style of game that Fraschilla likes.

But without Thomas, the leading rebounder in school history, Fraschilla has a huge hole to fill.

Freshman Rafael Berumen and R.T. Guinn are the only two players taller than 6-foot-8, so Fraschilla will demand his team rebound by committee.

"We're not a physical team yet," Fraschilla said. "We're trying to instill a blue collar approach to the season.

"I want our philosophy to be the same on defense and rebounding as it is on offense. If we're going to run, we must do it on both ends."

Fraschilla led a turnaround at Manhattan when he was the head coach from 1992-96, leading the team to two NCAA tournaments. He then was hired to coach St. John's for two years and led the Red Storm to the 1998 tournament before being fired.

While Fraschilla has been known for some unorthodox coaching techniques that eventually led to his dismissal from St. John's, two things are certain:

He is a hard-working coach who demands nothing less of his players and he is a talented recruiter.

"The main difference since coach has been here is that everything is more intense," Long said. "We really know the feeling of hard work.

"Coach Fraschilla makes us a better team."

In time, Fraschilla will be able to make the team better not by diagramming X's and O's, but by tapping into the recruiting pipeline that produced blue-chippers such as Felipe Lopez, now with the Vancouver Grizzlies, Ron Artest of the Chicago Bulls and Erick Barkley at St. John's.