Few followers of Mountain West Conference men’s basketball outside of Albuquerque heard of New Mexico newcomer Darington Hobson heading into league play. Check back in March and expect to see the 6-foot-7 junior on the all-conference honors list.
For the Lobos, it seems like an eternal wait for the highly recruited prospect. He signed three years ago, only to have academic problems force a detour to a junior college. He landed in the remote outpost of Price, Utah.
“We’ve known about him for a long time,” third-year Lobos coach Steve Alford said of the versatile, much-traveled Hobson, who played at three high schools in as many states because of family circumstances.
Although college coaches claim not to pay attention to conference opponents during November and December, some had to wonder about the unfamiliar name dominating the New Mexico box scores. Going into Tuesday’s opener, Hobson had five double-doubles — including a 30-point game against Louisiana Tech and 16 rebounds against Creighton.
“New Mexico added the best pro prospect in the league in Hobson,” San Diego State coach Steve Fisher told reporters Monday on the MWC coaches conference call.
Hobson, a rail-thin guard and forward, is the key reason New Mexico is ranked No. 15 in The Associated Press poll and was the last MWC team to lose in nonconference play, a 75-66 defeat at Oral Roberts.
Picked for a fifth-place finish in the MWC race, pre-Hobson New Mexico had the makings of a nice two-man club in 6-6 senior Roman Martinez and 6-1 junior Dairese Gary.
New Mexico actually fared better than most MWC teams — other than Brigham Young — in terms of returning talent. On the first through third all-MWC teams, there were only two underclassmen, BYU star Jimmer Fredette and teammate Jonathan Tavernari. That led to speculation of an MWC-wide rebuilding season. But so far, that hasn’t been the case.
“Every team has improved its roster as far as depth is concerned,” BYU coach Dave Rose said.
The impressive start with four teams having 12 or more wins doesn’t surprise Rose. “I know the talent these guys are recruiting,” he said.
MWC basketball isn’t quite as top-heavy as MWC football, where three schools dominate. No. 25 BYU (14-1), New Mexico (14-1), UNLV (12-2) and San Diego State (11-3) produced the top results heading into league play.
The scariest team could be Utah, one of three 7-7 clubs in the MWC.
Utah coach Jim Boylen, with Big Ten ties as a former Michigan State assistant, insists on playing one of the MWC’s toughest nonleague schedules. The result: Utah wins over LSU, Michigan and then-No. 21 Illinois.
And basketball doesn’t have to take a back seat to the MWC’s stunning success in football.
“The one thing basketball can do is any number of teams can compete for the national championship,” said the Aztecs’ Fisher, who won a national title as Michigan’s coach in 1989. “In football we can’t do that right now, which is a disgrace. . . . Football better catch up with basketball.”
Natalie Meisler: 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
FIVE MOUNTAIN WEST PLAYERS TO WATCH
G Jimmer Fredette, BYU, 6-feet-2, Jr.: Cougars star coming off national player of the week honors with a school-record 49 points (second best nationally this season) in a 99-69 victory over Arizona.
F Roman Martinez New Mexico, 6-6, Sr.: Leader of the MWC’s surprise team and No. 4 in league scoring average (15.5 points).
G Tre’Von Willis, UNLV, 6-4, Jr.: A 92 percent free-throw shooter, he is the catalyst for the Rebels’ latest surge.
F Billy White, San Diego State, 6-8, Jr.: MWC leader in field-goal shooting (61 percent) and a three-year mainstay.
G Afam Muojeke, Wyoming, 6-7, So.: Last season’s MWC freshman of the year ranks No. 2 in the league in scoring (17.6 average) and is the most athletic member of the Cowboys’ lineup.
FIVE NEWCOMERS TO WATCH
G-F Darington Hobson, New Mexico, 6-7, Jr.: Junior college transfer will put the 15th- ranked Lobos in MWC contention.
G Dorian Green, Colorado State, 6-2, Fr.: Forced into the Rams’ starting lineup early, Green has met most challenges and is the league’s top freshman scorer (13.7 average).
C David Foster, Utah, 7-3, So.: Foster is extending the Utes’ tradition of inside dominance, averaging 4.5 blocked shots.
F Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State, 6-7, Fr.: Part of the Aztecs’ youth movement leads the MWC in rebounding (9.6 average).
F Malcolm Thomas, San Diego State, 6-9, Jr.: Contributes more inside presence. He ranks fourth in the league in rebounding (7.1) and second in blocked shots (1.6).
FIVE KEY GAMES
Saturday: UNLV at New Mexico: The first weekend meeting of ranked teams.
Feb. 13: UNLV at San Diego State: Winner has momentum for the final three weeks.
Feb. 24: San Diego State at BYU: First of critical back-to-back home games for the Cougars, who are tough to beat at home.
Feb. 27: New Mexico at BYU: Likely league title implications in this showdown.
March 3: BYU at Utah: Annual grudge match in Salt Lake City figures to threaten BYU’s repeat title hopes.
