What to expect from Paul Weir at New Mexico

After just one season at New Mexico State, Paul Weir is headed to the Aggies’ in-state rival, New Mexico.

Weir takes over the Lobos after long-time assistant and head coach Craig Neil was relieved of his duties. Weir went 28-6 in his only season as a head coach, and took the Aggies to the NCAA Tournament.

The defensive tenacity the Aggies displayed under Weir will likely be brought to New Mexico. His team was effective defensively on the perimeter, holding teams to just 29 percent three-point shooting, ranking fifth in the nation. They finished the season nationally ranked 19th in rebounding margin, 25th in rebounds per game, and 19th in scoring margin.

From an offensive prospective, Weir prefers a fast pace, pushing the ball in transition on made or missed baskets, searching for early offense. New Mexico State averaged just over five points more per game than New Mexico this past season. In the half-court, generating driving lines through pick-and-rolls might be part of the Lobos’ style in the future. Weir’s Aggies were relentless on the offensive glass as well, averaging 12.8 per contest, for a national ranking of 27th.

The Lobos are getting a coach who teaches his players the value in playing every possession and maximizing their potential. He will hold his players to that standard.

New Mexico has four recent transfers, but Weir has the passion and energy to provide a brand of exciting basketball that could lure other recruits. He brings a culture of winning and an exceptional basketball background that supporters of the Lobos should feel confident about.

In terms of recruiting, Weir brought in the No. 4 mid-major class at New Mexico State, according to our recruiting guru Jordan Burton. New Mexico can expect a diverse and thorough recruiting process, as Weir believes in doing his due diligence. He believes in building unity and relationships throughout the entire program, so it is possible that he could convince some recruits and transfers to stick with the Lobos.

One of the strongest components that Weir brings is his usage of analytics. In an interview on the Mid-Major Madness Podcast, he said:

“You look at all of them, you look for the outliers. We have some stats right now that we struggle in and spent a lot of time on that we’re trying to fix or at least improve. Just ones that are statistically really hurting your chance of winning.”

The attention to detail, time management, and prioritizing meaningful statistical categories can help build the Lobo program back to excellence.

New Mexico will see an excitement and buzz within its basketball culture because Weir is passionate about having a strong program from all facets.