The summer heat wasn't enough to keep Lobo fans away from The Pit on Wednesday.

Despite temperatures pushing into the 90s and the season still months away, hundreds of fans packed UNM's iconic arena for an open practice and their first glimpse of Eric Olen's 2026-27 roster.

The Lobos are nearly a month into summer workouts, but several key pieces remain in transition. German big man Fynn Lastring is still awaiting visa clearance, Chris Howell missed practice after getting married this week, and transfers Rytis Petraitis and Imran Suljanovic remain limited as they recover from injuries. Italian forward Federico Grani, meanwhile, arrived in Albuquerque just last week.

With the roster still coming together, Wednesday's open practice focused more on teaching than competition, featuring shooting drills, defensive rotations and offensive concepts as Olen continues laying the foundation for his second season at UNM.

The Pit Press caught up with Hudson Mayes, Dax Hall, Tunde Vahlberg-Fasasi and Imran Suljanovic before practice to discuss summer workouts, adjusting to Albuquerque and learning Olen's system.

Hudson Mayes, 6-foot-5 guard

How is the Transition from UC San Diego to Coach Olen’s system?

“At this point its just about executing what I have to do, the small things I do have to learn. In terms of the system and kind of like the playstyle that I know working in Coach Allard’s system, it’s been a pretty good transition. I haven’t had too many bumps so far.

Who can jump higher: Hudson Mayes or Uriah Tenette?

“Uriah, by far.”

How do you embrace of the role of rebounding as a guard?

“I enjoy doing it, so I think that a big part of rebounding is just getting after it. I think its going to make a big difference. Obviously me playing a guard position, being guarded by guards and guarding guards smaller than me, it’s going to be a bid addition for me to just go get on the boards. I expect to be averaging one of the most boards on the team this year as well. It’s a strength of mine, I think I’m pretty good at it. I’m going to continue to do it. I think it’s going to help the team a lot.”

Describe your excitement on playing in the Pit.

“I’m super excited. I’ve heard a whole bunch. I’ve heard a lot. Everytime I talk to someone. Every time I talk to a coach or talk to someone, you know, welcoming me to Albuquerque. They’re just telling me about the fans and the Pit. How electric it gets how loud it gets. How everyone comes to support every night. Even in smaller games twelve-thousand (12,000), eleven-thousand (11,000) fans. Its something I’m not really used to but its something that kind of fuels me while I play so I feed off it. I think I’m going to kind of a bigger fan base really well.

I’m super excited about it. I’m thinking about it every day.

Dax Hall, 6-foot-1 guard

How has pre-season been going for you?

“Pre-season workouts have been going great. Finally adjusting to altitude. Just getting adjusted to Coach Olen’s system and college basketball as it is, so its been going great.

How much has your brother Jake helped you early on as you learn the new system?

“He’s helped me a ton. I think me being around Coach Olen’s teams at UCSD and last year at New Mexico helped me a lot. I understood what he was trying to accomplish on offense and defense. I think I brought that over and have been a very quick learner. Jake’s helped me out a ton. Whatever questions I have, he’s always willing to answer.

How do you feel about the transition to Division I basketball?

I think the transition has been going great. Its obviously a completely new game. The speed of the game, the physicality of the game, but I think that’s two things that I was above in San Diego basketball. I think I was one of the more physical players out there. I think my quickness has translated over. I think I’ve been translating great. Obviously there’s learning curves to everything. You know I’m taking those and learning lessons but I think its been great.

How does your skill set fit into Coach Olen’s system?

“I think it translates great. There’s a lot of ball-screens. A lot of opportunity to get down hill, touch the paint and kick it to shooters. I think my game really centers around winning and that’s what Coach Olen is here to do. When I’m on the court I’m doing whatever it takes to win.”

Dax Hall on Adjusting to Weather in Albuquerque

“It’s been good. I’m in the gym so much and in the house so much. I don’t feel the heat so much. It’s definitely an adjustment. You know I’m used to the 75 degrees it always is. Walk outside it’s a little hotter. But you know I’m in the gym so much it hasn’t affected me.”
Tunde Vahlberg-Fasasi, 6-foot-7 forward

How have off-season workouts been going?

“It’s been great. Really fun just getting to know everyone. The beginning of just building a team, I think its fun. It’s exciting.”

How have you adjusted to elevation?

“The elevation is different. I’ve adjusted to that. I like the weather a lot. It’s warmer than on the east coast.”

What sold you on Eric Olen’s system?

“I saw a lot of similarities in the… systems I’ve played in before. That I’ve done good in before. Seemed like a very unselfish type of basketball. That’s something that excites me.”

What about Tunde’s game transitions to Eric Olen’s system

“I’m a good shooter. I’m good at moving without the ball. Those are things that I think translate well into his system. And also just like versatility. I’m able to do a little bit of everything…”

Defensive Versatility.

He feels comfortable guarding positions 2-4

How is the team chemistry coming together early on?

“I think we’ve all bonded very well. Everyone’s getting along on the team. We’re having fun together. We’re doing stuff off the court too which I think is important when building a team. I think it’s been good.

What’s the hardest thing about learning Coach Olen’s system?

“So far its been, probably getting to your spot at the right time. Some timing things that I think gets easier the more you do it.”

How much film do you guys watch per week?

“We started recently because we haven’t been doing 5-on-5 a lot. We’re starting to get more film out so we’re watching more and more film as we go.”

Fanbase at William & Mary and Excitement to Play in the Pit

“The crowd was decent. It was good. I think the community was very engaged with the team.”

Excitement to Play in the Pit

“I’ve seen the videos. I’ve heard the stories, so I’m excited for it.”

Imran Suljanovic, 6-foot-8 forward

How have offseason workouts being going for you?

“They’ve been great so far. They’ve been very intense. We’ve been going for about a month now. Maybe a little bit less than a month. They’ve been great. They’ve been very challenging but its been fun.”

What sold you on Coach Olen’s system?

“It’s just the culture that they have here. It’s a very friendly environment. They care a lot about their players. I’ve known them for a long time. They’ve recruited me to come play even when they were at UC San Diego. Once I entered the portal, it was a pretty easy decision to come here.”

What can you tell Lobo fans to expect about your game?

“They can expect a versatile player. I think I can bring a lot to the team. I can bring a lot of scoring and shooting and just overall versatility also on the defensive side….”

How has your recovery from injury been?

“It’s fully healed. I’m not fully cleared yet because its still early in the summer so there’s no rush in getting back. I’ll be fully cleared in about a month.

What was it like playing for Rick Pitino?

“He’s pretty intense. A lot of people see him in a different way but he’s a very good guy and off the court he cares a lot about his players. The practices and the workouts are very intense but he cares a lot about his players and getting them to the next level.”

What excites you the most in playing in front of the Pit Crowd?

“Probably just what I’ve heard about the fans. How crazy they are and how many people show up for the team. And yeah just getting out there. Looking forward to the first game and playing in front of the fans.”