In his own words: Jake Hall talks about his decision to run it back with Lobo basketball

Lobo hoops transfer portal tracker The Journal is keeping tabs on all offseason roster moves for the Lobo men’s basketball team — who is leaving, who is returning, who hasn’t decided — on its Transfer Portal Tracker (CLICK HERE). A funny thing happened on the way to the demise of the University of New Mexico basketball program last week. A shaggy blonde-haired teenager from San Diego decided to run it back, saving a proud Lobos fanbase from completely melting down (OK, some had already melted).

Jake Hall, the Mountain West Freshman of the Year and Lobos leading scorer last season, had entered the transfer portal, becoming what most figured would be the latest once-overlooked and under-recruited Lobo star to be plucked by the blue bloods of college basketball. But with his family beside him in their home in San Diego, Hall jumped on a Facetime call with UNM coach Eric Olen, and reversed the narrative. “I was like, man, ‘I’m super excited about the pieces you’re bringing in,’” Hall explained on a conference call with reporters on Monday morning, adding that he informed Olen during that phone call that he was withdrawing his name from the NCAA’s transfer portal to play another season with the Lobos.

“‘I think we could really do something special. And, you know, I don’t want leave New Mexico without a championship. ’ “And so I told him I was coming back.

He was fired up. And, yeah, it was really cool. That’s something I’ll probably never forget.