At long last, Eric Olen makes his ‘Sports Den’ debut as he chats with the Santa Fe New Mexican’s Will Webber and James Barron about his first month-and-change in the most high-profile coaching job in the state. The new University of New Mexico men’s basketball coach talks about hitting the ground running to construct a staff and completely retool the roster after the departure of Richard Pitino and the players that led the Lobos to a second-round run in the NCAA Tournament. Olen goes over the players he’s brought in so far and what they bring to the table. The guys talk to Olen about his long stint at the University of California, San Diego and how he was able to take a team that transitioned from Division II to Division I to the NCAA Tournament so quickly. They also ask him about his thoughts on the NIL landscape and how it impacts mid-major conference teams. Olen expresses his excitement about experiencing The Pit and gets questioned about what his wardrobe will be on the sidelines. He said the Lobos job was one he wanted as soon as Pitino left, and he felt he recruited UNM as much as the school recruited him. With his family still in San Diego as he has worked to find a house in Albuquerque, Olen talks about the challenges of filling out a program as he tries to get settled in a new city. After the interview, Will and James discuss what’s to come in the days ahead for the prep spring sports postseason.

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