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Benjamin Schuch, a 19-year-old basketball player from Austria, announced last week that he has signed to play with the UNM Lobos.

The 6-foot-9 point forward played this past season for Zentro Basket Madrid, a professional club in Spain. UNM is working under the assumption that Schuch will have three years of eligibility with the school planning to appeal for a fourth season.

Schuch has made appearances for the Austrian senior national team, but really showed versatility and potential when averaging 13.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists while starring for Austria鈥檚 FIBA U20 EuroBasket team last summer.

The Journal reached out to Schuch and asked a few basic introductory questions.

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JOURNAL: First thing's first. What do we call you? Are we going with Benjamin? Benni? Benny?

SCHUCH: You can call me Beni. That鈥檚 what my parents used to call me growing up. It鈥檚 pronounced the same as Benny just has a different writing style which is common in Bosnia/the Balkans in general.

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JOURNAL: What was it about Eric Olen鈥檚 system that made you want to play for the UNM Lobos?

SCHUCH: What stands out to me about Coach Olen鈥檚 system is the focus on ball sharing and unselfish basketball, which I really like because it keeps everyone involved.

I also think the defensive system is very strong, especially with how many screens get switched, which requires a lot of communication, discipline and good rotations.

That type of team defense and ball movement fits my style of play very well.

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JOURNAL: Did you know anything about UNM, the Pit or sa国际传媒官网网页入口 before this process? And how did you and UNM get connected in recruiting?

SCHUCH: Honestly, I didn鈥檛 know too much before this process. I had heard about the Pit and the amazing fanbase, and I knew sa国际传媒官网网页入口 from 鈥淏reaking Bad,鈥� but that was about it.

Coach Tom (Tankelewicz) had been watching me for a while, and we briefly talked after the European Championships I played in. At the end of the summer we started talking more seriously, and throughout the process I really fell in love with UNM basketball 鈥� the way the staff treats you, the excitement they show for the program, and the fans I saw on my visit were amazing.

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JOURNAL: Do you know what a Lobo is?

SCHUCH: Yes, it鈥檚 a Spanish word that means wolf, which fun fact is my favorite animal since I was a kid, and it鈥檚 the nickname for the University of New Mexico athletic teams (UNM Lobos).

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JOURNAL: What鈥檚 one non-basketball thing you really enjoy doing?

SCHUCH: One thing I really enjoy outside of basketball is playing video games. I鈥檝e always liked gaming. But more than anything, I鈥檓 very family-oriented, so spending time with my friends and family is something that means a lot to me and that I always enjoy.

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JOURNAL: What position would you say you play? And what type of player are fans going to see on the court next season?

SCHUCH: I would describe myself as a point forward. I鈥檓 a versatile player, so I will try to do whatever Coach Olen needs from me on the court.

Fans will probably see someone who likes to create opportunities for teammates, shoot threes, and also attack the rim 鈥� so basically I will try to impact the game in multiple ways. But most importantly, I will always give my best and play my heart out every time I step on the court.

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JOURNAL: Who is your favorite player? Is there a professional player you are similar to?

SCHUCH: My favorite player is Luka Don膷i膰. I really like the way he finds his teammates and makes passes that sometimes seem impossible, and also how he can take over a game when needed. His step-backs are also one of a kind.

I don鈥檛 think there is a professional player quite like me, but in some ways I try to play a similar style as Luka, being versatile, creating for others, and impacting the game in different ways.

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JOURNAL: Reports of Imran Suljanovic, also from Austria, committing to UNM came out on Monday night. How well, if at all, do you two know each other?

SCHUCH: We know each other quite well. When we were younger, we used to play for rival teams from U10 up until U16, but we also played together a lot on the national team, so we built a good connection over time.

We had a really good run together with the U18s, finishing second in the European Championship B Division, which was a big achievement for Austria and something we hadn鈥檛 done in many years.

Reach Geoff Grammer at ggrammer@abqjournal.com or follow him on Twitter (X) .