UNM WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
New-look Lobo women's hoops squad hosts open practice
Norwood, Jordon were standouts for new coach Amy Eagan's UNM team
The University of New Mexico women's basketball team's official 2026-27 trailer dropped Wednesday evening at the Pit.
Several hundred fans turned out to get a first glimpse of the new-look Lobos as coach Amy Eagan and her staff held an hour-long open practice at UNM's home arena. It was an eye-opener both for fans and most of the players as 10 of the 15 Lobos are new to the program.
Eagan was hired in late March and has since revamped UNM's roster and staff. The Lobos began summer workouts last week and are working to acclimate themselves in various ways.
Four players followed Eagan from her previous program, Lindenwood, and are familiar with her system but not with New Mexico. That includes sophomore Valerie Norwood, who was the first non-returning player to sign with UNM after Eagan was hired.
Norwood smiled when asked about the fan turnout for a Wednesday night in June.
"It's great," Norwood said. "I heard a lot about the fans here before I arrived and it's great to see this support. I was talking to (assistant coach Lindsay Ward, who also came to UNM from Lindenwood) and we were saying there were more fans here tonight than at some of our games. I can't wait to see what it's like during the season."
Norwood said she got comfortable playing for Eagan and her staff last season and found their style of basketball to be a good fit. Fans got an early taste of that style Wednesday, as the Lobos worked through drills displaying an aggressive, denial defense and elements of a Princeton-style offense.
Norwood and two other experienced Lindenwood transfers 鈥� Gracie Kelsey and Gracy Wernli 鈥� have an edge in terms of knowing Eagan's coaching style and are doing their best to help teammates learn quickly.
"It's really fast-paced but structured," Norwood said. "It fits me mostly because I love defense, but it's a fun style of basketball. I think fans will really like it."
Five returning Lobos are facing a different learning curve. Drew Jordon, Lila Abdurraqib, Kaia Foster, Leonor Piexinho and Quintilla Hidalgo are familiar with Lobo fans and the Pit, but they're still adapting to a system much different than the one employed by former UNM coach Mike Bradbury.
"It's a lot of change," Jordon said, "but I feel like I've been through lots of that in my basketball career. I think this system will be a good fit for my skill set and the coaches are letting me be me 鈥� be athletic, be aggressive, do what I best."
Jordon, a rising senior, said her advice for the new players coming to UNM this summer is simple.
"I told them you can't be weak playing here, mentally or physically," she said. "We play in a tough conference in the Mountain West and our fans support us, but they also expect us to fight."
Eagan said she likes the early returns barely a week into summer workouts. Junior Katie Duncan arrived in sa国际传媒官网网页入口 from her home in Australia late last week giving the team a full roster. Gracy Wernli, who is recovering from ACL surgery and not yet cleared for contact, was the only Lobo not participating Wednesday.
"I feel really good about what I've seen," Eagan said. "Everyone's taking well to the coaching, even though there's a lot to take in. Sometimes I think players struggle at this time of year because there's so much coaching and so much to learn. But they're doing a good job taking instruction and it will pay off later."
Fans appeared to like what they saw from Wednesday's season trailer, rising for a brief ovation afterward.
"They're ready," Jordon said. "They want to see us play. I can't wait until the season starts and our whole crowd's back together. It's going to be fun."
