Craig Neal, the head coach at New Mexico, caused a storm on social media Tuesday night when he blamed his senior walk ons for allowing an excess number of points in closing time against San Diego State. Yes, Neal blamed his walk on seniors for causing New Mexico to lose by more than 20 points.
The only problem with Craig Neal’s comments, however, is that New Mexico was already trailing by more than 20 points when he inserted his walk ons into the game in the final minutes. Again, the Lobos were out of the game for much of the game, especially when the players that the head coach wanted to blame entered the game.
I understand that losing by 27 points on senior night is not what a head coach prepares for going into an evening. I understand that this season has been especially trying for head coach Neal based on his team’s inconsistent performances. However, wrongly throwing anyone under the bus, especially senior walk ons, is about the worst look possible for a head coach. It’s embarrassing for a program that deserves better.
Now, knowing Neal like I do, he is one of the good guys in college hoops. Many credited him for so much of former head coach, Steve Alford, having so much success. But his short time in Albuquerque as the head man hasn’t gone smoothly–not to mention, Alford’s run at UCLA–and questions are starting to be asked about whether Neal deserves another shot at righting the ship. There is no mid-major program with more passionate fans than New Mexico, which means the pressure for Neal to figure things out is more intense than most around the country could imagine.
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