"We've stolen from all kinds of people": New Mexico head coach Eric Olen speaks out on his coaching style mirroring other coaches
Eric Olen, a two-time Big West Coach of the Year, became the head coach of the New Mexico Lobos in April. He spent over a decade building the University of California, San Diego, before accepting the job at New Mexico.
On Tuesday, Olen discussed his move to Albuquerque with CBS Sports insider Jon Rothstein. Rothstein asked Olsen about the mentors or styles he had mirrored in his team while crafting his coaching style.
"I think that we've stolen from all kinds of people, and I think that's like everybody does that," Olen said (Timestamp: 26:36). "I think that we've done a pretty good job of stealing the things that we felt would really help us and apply specifically to us. And so, there's like iterations of it, right? It's constantly evolving.
"We're constantly changing it and stealing from other people and looking for different ideas and you have turnover on your staff and people bring different ideas. And I think the key to all that is just trying to be flexible and adaptable year to year and not just get stuck on any one specific thing."
Eric Olsen mentioned that his staff tailored the game plan at UC San Diego to their best players. He said that when building a team, they would always start with their highest-usage players and figure out how to set them up for success.
The Tritons finished the 2024-25 season with a 30-5 record, winning the Big West regular season and tournament titles. However, they were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Michigan.
Eric Olen adds five transfers in his first season as New Mexico's coach
When Eric Olen was hired in April to replace Richard Pitino as the New Mexico coach, he said that he wanted to add players who would be excited to play for the Lobos.
"No one will ever have higher expectations for our team and this program than me," Eric Olen said at the press conference. "We will recruit players who have a chip on their shoulder. I gravitate toward players with something to prove."
He has added five transfers for the upcoming season — JT Rock, Kevin Patton Jr, Tajavis Miller, Chris Howell and Deyton Albury, per 247Sports. Meanwhile, twelve players from last year’s roster have departed via the portal.