Uriah Tenette Returns, Jake Hall Teases as UNM Clears Day 1 of Transfer Portal
UNM men’s basketball coach Eric Olen instructs freshman guard Uriah Tenette during UNM’s Mountain West Conference Tournamnet Semi-Final loss to San Deigo State on Mar. 13, 2026. Photo: UNM Athletics
If the first day of the transfer portal was a weather report, it was mostly sunshine, slight showers and just enough clear skies ahead to keep UNM men’s basketball fans hopeful.
What we know for sure is that standout freshman guard Uriah Tenette will return to UNM next season.
He averaged 10.6 points, 2.9 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game in 2025-26 for the Lobos. The Prescott High School graduate was a 6th man off the bench for the Lobos for most of the season, but started the final six games beginning in Mountain West Conference tournament play after head coach Eric Olen said that Antonio Chol asked to be replaced in the starting lineup.
Tenette delivered several highlight-worthy moments for UNM as a freshman, beginning with an intriguing performance at the Lobo Howl, where he showcased his leaping ability with a series of slam dunks to win the dunk contest.
He also made to the SportsCenter Top 10 highlights with an alley-oop slam dunk out of a base out of bounds play drawn up by UNM Assistant Coach Tom Tankelewicz against FGCU on Dec. 14.
As the season progressed, Tenette started to find his grove in Olen’s offense while adjusting to the speed and size of Division I basketball in the Mountain West. He took the third most shots on the team behind Jake Hall and Tomislav Buljan, and shot 40% from the field on the season while shooting 32% from the 3-point line.
Some of Tenette’s lower shooting percentages could be attributed to a shooting slump he experienced towards the end of Mountain West play. During a 6-game stretch before the regular season finale against Utah State, he shot 25% from the field (11-of-43) and 21% from the 3-point line (4-of-19).
But Tenette regained his form in the regular-season finale at Utah State, recording 14 points and 7 assists. He then played arguably his best basketball in the final 7 games as he distributed 34 assists while only committing 4 turnovers.
“He’s such a natural scorer, but his playmaking showing up I think is a real sign of his comfort level and the way he’s seeing the game...,” Olen said after Tenette had 15 points, six assists and zero turnovers in a win over George Washington in the second round of the NIT.
Now, he will have the keys to the car to run Olen’s offense, as the Lobos will look to find another quick athletic guard who can attack the basket and prevent defenses from keying in on Tenette.
Timéo Pons
Freshman Timéo Pons is a man of few words. His post on Instagram indicates the freshman forward from France is headed to the transfer portal.
Pons was never able to crack Olen’s rotation, appearing in only 12 games and averaging 2.6 points. He scored a season high 11 points vs. Division II New Mexico Highlands, going 3-of-7 from deep.
Pons’ played his only meaningful minutes of the season in the NIT second round game against George Washington, scoring 5 points to along with three rebounds and one block. It is believed that he has three years of eligibility remaining.
Jake Hall’s Hopeful Return
Gen Z kids are not always an open book. But Mountain West Freshman of the Year Jake Hall posted an encouraging series of 10 photographs of his season with UNM with a one-word caption that said “Intro.”
It should be noted that Tenette and Jake Hall’s younger brother Dax Hall both commented on the post, with Dax Hall writing “More Coming.”
Hall arguably has the highest NIL value of any player from UNM’s roster last year, but during media availability on March 30, spoke highly of his close relationship with Eric Olen.
“Me and Olen went golfing at the beginning of the year,” Hall said. I don’t think that’s something that every head coach is doing with their players.”
Hall’s return while not official seems more than likely to be announced soon.
Transfer Portal Targets
The Lobos have work to do with losing four players to graduation and 3 more to the transfer portal as of Tuesday evening. There is no question UNM needs a post-player, and UC San Diego big-man Bol Dengdit could be a piece to the puzzle.
Dengdit did not sign with UCSD until May 12, 2025, long after Olen had departed but Olen may have had a hand in recruiting him. Dengdit averaged 10.2 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting 29% from the 3-point line last season for UCSD. Before that, he spent his first two seasons at Portland where he averaged 6.9 points and 4.4 rebounds. He looks like a rim runner who can knock down the occasional 3-point shot, defend the post and rebound which is what UNM needs.
Graduate Transfer guard Ethan Duncan was rumored by the Portal Report to be a target for UNM.
Duncan averaged 10.1 points per game at Lipscomb, a D-1 school in the A-SUN Conference. He shot 41% from the 3-point line during A-SUN Conference play. Duncan is listed at 6-feet and only 170 lbs, but would add more shooting to a UNM team that outside of Halls’ 43% from deep, was only a 33% 3-point shooting team.
