On March 30, the Greater Albuquerque Chamber and all of Lobo Land were excited to hear University of New Mexico Vice President/Director of Athletics Fernando Lovo announce that Eric Olen had been named the 23rd head coach of Lobo men’s basketball.
Olen comes to New Mexico from UC San Diego, where he transformed the Tritons into a Division II power before transitioning to Division I and reaching the 2025 NCAA Tournament in the team’s first year of eligibility.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Eric Olen as the new head coach of Lobo Men’s Basketball,” Lovo said in a statement. “Eric is a proven winner with an incredible track record. Beyond the accolades and success on the court, he is a values-driven leader who puts student-athletes first. We’re confident he’ll bring tremendous energy and vision to our program. Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Eric, his wife Lauren, and their daughters Avery and Madeline — we’re excited to have them join the Lobo family here in Albuquerque.”
Chamber President and CEO Terri Cole said “we at the Chamber want to congratulate President Garnett Stokes and Athletics Director Fernando Lovo on making such a quick and high-quality hire in new head basketball Coach Eric Olen, who has a proven history of success on the court and with his student athletes. Here’s to another winning Lobos season!”
And Del Esparza, Chamber chairman of the board, added that at U.C. San Diego, Olen “provided both stability and the ability to move the program to the next level. During his 21 years at the school he took the team from Division I to Division II, won the Big West Tournament in their championship debut and made it to March Madness in the school’s first year of eligibility. We’re looking forward to him bringing that leadership to UNM.”
Olen, the all-time winningest coach in UC San Diego history with a 240-119 record, said in a news release he is “honored to be the next head coach of New Mexico men’s basketball. I want to thank President Stokes, Fernando Lovo and the UNM leadership team for this opportunity. This is one of the most special programs in college basketball, and my family and I are thrilled to be a part of Lobo Nation! I can’t wait to get to work and write the next great chapter in New Mexico basketball history.”
Olen is coming off a historic 2024-25 season at UCSD. He was honored as Big West Coach of the Year and the NABC Pacific District Coach of the Year. Prior to becoming head coach at UC San Diego, Olen was an assistant coach at the school for nine seasons. A native of Mobile, Ala., he played collegiately at Spring Hill College in his hometown. He helped the Badgers to three straight appearances to the NAIA National Tournament, including trips to the NAIA Elite Eight in 2000 and 2001.
