New Mexico Hires Eric Olen as Head Basketball Coach After Success at UC San Diego
Eric Olen, Basketball Coach
Eric Olen has been named the 23rd head coach of University of New Mexico men's basketball, bringing an impressive track record of success and program building to the Lobos.
At UC San Diego, Olen amassed a 240-119 record over 12 years as head coach, becoming the program's all-time winningest coach. His most recent achievement was leading the Tritons to the 2025 NCAA Tournament in their first year of Division I eligibility, capturing both the Big West regular season and tournament titles with a 30-5 record.
Under Olen's leadership, the 2024-25 Tritons ranked second nationally in scoring margin (+17.5) and placed in the top 10 for multiple statistical categories, including assist-turnover ratio, scoring defense, and three-pointers made per game. The team achieved the highest KenPom (39) and NET (31) rankings of any non-Power-5 or WCC program.
His success extends to Division II, where he led UC San Diego to five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (2016-2020), including two West Region finals. In their final Division II season, the Tritons went 30-1 and ranked No. 4 nationally.
Prior achievements include:
- Three CCAA regular-season titles
- Four consecutive CCAA tournament championships
- 2017 and 2020 CCAA Coach of the Year honors
- 2019-20 NABC West Region Coach of the Year
- 2024-25 Big West Coach of the Year
- 2024-25 NABC Pacific District Coach of the Year
Olen's proven ability to build successful programs at multiple levels positions him well to lead New Mexico's basketball program into its next chapter. His focus on player development and tactical expertise suggests a promising future for Lobo basketball, as the program seeks its first Sweet 16 appearance since 1974.
The new head coach will be joined in Albuquerque by his wife Lauren and their daughters Avery and Madeline as they begin this new chapter with the Lobo family.