T-Bird (MBB) Starts 2024-25 Season in Colorado

The NMJC men's basketball team tips off the season in La Junta, Colo. this weekend with games against Otero College and Trinidad State.

The T-Birds begin the season at 7 p.m. MDT on Friday, Nov. 1 against the Otero College Rattlers on their home floor.

The second game of the weekend will be played on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 3 p.m. MDT against the Trinidad State Trojans.

"We have Otero on their home court. That's always going to be hard to beat somebody on their home court, so that'll be a tough one and really competitive," NMJC men's basketball head coach Luke Mackay said. "Then, Trinidad has made the national tournament if I'm not mistaken three years in a row and they return an All-American and the Player of the Year in their league from last year. So, they're going to be really tough and difficult to beat." 

The Thunderbirds return nearly an entirely new team to the court this year with only one player on the active roster coming back in guard Deuce Benjamin. Benjamin averaged 11.3 PPG on 38.8% from 3-point land while making 64 threes in 2023-24.

The T-Birds also have a trio of redshirt players from last year's squad that will see action for the first time this season with Hobbs, NM local guard Michael Mackey, guard Victor Ezeh, and forward Marquan Harris.

"I think for those guys coming back, the biggest thing that they've been able to show our guys is how competitive and how hard it is to win out here, and how you have to compete every day," Coach Mackay said. 

"Deuce obviously is a high energy guy who competes at everything. But then so is Mike Mackey. He's a big time competitor, really, really tough and every day he has the same amount of energy and same amount of effort when he's on the court for practice. Consequently, he played really well in the jamboree." 

"And same with Marquan and Victor. They've been through it, and they've seen the level of competition, how intense it can get. So, they understand you can't take days off or plays off at this level."

The Thunderbirds bring in a bunch of new talent to the court with 11 new faces in redshirt freshman guard Garrison Phelps, redshirt sophomore wing Isaiah Alexander, redshirt freshman guard Rodrigo Farias, sophomore guard Jannoy Thomas, redshirt sophomore guard Amhad Jarrard, sophomore guard Jayden Spearman, redshirt sophomore guard Armon Jarrard, redshirt sophomore forward Melian Martinez, freshman guard Wilmer De Jesús Aquino, sophomore forward Seydou Tamboura, and freshman forward Francois Nkoy-Eale.  

So far in recruiting and on the floor, there have been a couple players that have caught the eyes of four-year coaches across the country. It's a testament to the type of squad Coach Mackay and assistant Jordan Burton have brought in as the duo enters their third year with the program.

"The easiest answer, most obvious answer, is Melian Martinez. He's seven foot and really, really athletic. So, he's high on a lot of people's recruiting boards, and a lot of people really like him," Coach Mackay said. 

"But then on top of that, we got a lot of perimeter guys who have a chance to be really good this year and have different strengths and weaknesses. Whether it's Rodrigo Farias from Iona, the twins (Armon Jarrard & Amhad Jarrard) from IUPUI who had great freshman years there and we can keep going down the list. Garrison Phelps, a Utah State transfer, comes from a really, really successful and winning program. Isaiah Alexander from Loyola. He's one of those guys that I kind of talked about that maybe doesn't necessarily score a ton of points, but just really, really impacts winning and changes the game on both ends of the floor because of his toughness." 

Coach Mackay has said that this year's team will be close to what style of offense was run last year, but he does expect a lot more points from beyond the arc with the improved shooters on the team. 

"This team will be similar to last year's team in that we're probably going to score a lot of points and play really fast and up tempo, but different in that we're maybe are not quite as athletic as we were last year, but definitely have a lot of skill to go with it," Coach Mackay said. 

"We averaged 89 points a game last year, but we were not very good shooters. So, with these guys, their ability to space the floor and make the three hopefully, fingers crossed, we score a lot of points. It may be less in terms of finishing at the rim and dunking and more in terms of making outside shots."

The WJCAC is as strong as coaches have seen it headed into this season. In the Preseason NJCAA Rankings, the WJCAC had South Plains No. 1, Howard College No. 8, Odessa College No. 13, and NMJC receiving votes.

"Every year it's kind of like an arms race in the WJCAC," Coach Mackay said. "Somebody upgrades their roster, so everybody else has to upgrade their roster and keep getting better and better, which is great for the league. It's great for the fans. They get to see high level basketball guys that next year will be playing on ESPN, and they'll be able to turn on the TV and say they saw them play in junior college."

"Our league is so good right now. In terms of just one through nine I've never seen anything like it, everybody's good." 

The T-Birds win total improved by 11 games last season as they finished the year with a 23-9 (9-7) record in Coach Mackay's second year at NMJC.   

The Thunderbirds look to go deep into the postseason in Year 3 for Coach Mackay. The T-Birds reached the semifinals of the Region V Championship last season where they fell to Clarendon College in 2OT. 

"The goal is the same," Coach Mackay said. "We want to compete for that top four spot in our conference, which will be no small feat. When the JUCO Advocate media polls came out it had five teams from our league in the top 13, which just speaks to how talented it is." 

"So, one of those teams is not going to make it to the postseason because we only take four to the tournament. So that's our goal, to make the regional tournament, go get these guys graduated, get them moved on to four-year school schools, and make sure they leave here better players and better men."

The T-Birds take to the floor to start the 2024-25 season Friday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. MDT against the Otero College and will finish the weekend on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 3 p.m. MDT against the Trinidad State. You can find the livestream of the game by clicking here.