Former Runnin' Ute JoJo Zamora has New Mexico State in familiar territory at NCAA Tournament

SALT LAKE CITY — There wasn’t a lot of shock and awe with New Mexico State’s men’s basketball team when it touched down at Salt Lake International Airport ahead of the Aggies’ first-round NCAA Tournament matchup against Auburn.

New Mexico State, after all, plays in the Western Athletic Conference — meaning the Aggies play at least one game every year on the Wasatch Front, flying into Salt Lake City before making the short drive to Utah Valley University in Orem.

They’ve been here before, too.

One player has been here more than the others, though — reserve guard JoJo Zamora transferred to Las Cruces after spending one season at the University of Utah.

Zamora averaged 6.9 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists on 45.5-percent shooting in his lone season with the Runnin’ Utes. But he transferred at the end of that year, with head coach Larry Krystkowiak citing “certain responsibilities and expectations that are critical in being a member of our program” before wishing him well in his future.

And while Zamora is grateful for his time with the Utes, he’s equally grateful for New Mexico State assistant coach David Anwar’s invitation to join the Aggies — and join a program that has won 18 conference championships with 12 NCAA Tournament berths, including eight of the last 10 from the WAC.

“It was a good experience for that year, playing Division I in the Pac 12,” said Zamora, who played two seasons at Yuba College in California prior to his time at Utah. “I think everything I went through up there was worth it, but I made the right decision to come up here.”

New Mexico State is glad he came, too. The Aggies won 30 games in 2018-19, finishing with a 30-4 record and rolling through the WAC for their eighth-straight regular-season or conference tournament title.

New Mexico State will open the NCAA Tournament at 11:30 a.m. Thursday against fifth-seeded Auburn (26-9). The Aggies are a trendy pick in a 12-5 upset in the tournament, with a 30-win team and a squad that rotates heavily to play as many as 13 players on the night.

It kind of reminds Tigers coach Bruce Pearl of his own team.

“They don’t have any weaknesses. They can score inside and out,” Pearl said of the Aggies. “They’ve got some tendencies and we are on those tendencies, but we have been the New Mexico State of the SEC. We play with 10 guys and we fly around and turn you over and shot a lot of threes.

“But we haven’t played against a team like New Mexico State, unless we have won against ourselves. So I would say it’s a tough matchup for us because there’s nobody in the league that plays like them.”

The Tigers finished fourth in the SEC, but are coming in after a run in the conference tournament that includes an 84-64 win over Tennessee in the title game. Like New Mexico State, it took plenty of help to make that run, too.

“They don’t shrink their rotation, so they have 13 or 14 guys that play,” Auburn’s Bryce Brown said. “All of them are capable of going off at any moment in the game.

“They do a good job spreading the floor and things like that, similar to us.”

One of those players capable of going off is Zamora — because he’s done it before, from Salt Lake City to Las Cruces.

“He won a couple of games for us single-handedly this year. He’s capable of that,” said New Mexico State coach Chris Jans of Zamora, who averaged 7.6 points and 1.7 rebounds while starting 16-of-34 games for the Aggies. “As a coach, you want him to be a bit more consistent. It sure is nice bringing someone off the bench that you know can change a game with three or four shots, and he is capable of doing that.”

One of those games came during a 69-63 win over Washington State. Zamora poured in a season-high 28 points, seven assists and four rebounders.

Whenever the Aggies needed a score, the 6-foot-2 guard from Oakland, California was there — including to net the game-winner against the Cougars.

“JoJo’s just a bucket-getter. He gets buckets,” said New Mexico state’s C.J. Bobbitt, who is also Zamora’s roommate. “He hit big shots whenever we needed a big shot to go in (against Wazzu).”

Being back in the NCAA Tournament is an overwhelming feeling for the Aggies this week, especially for a program that is used to the bright lights, the increased media attention, and the exposure of March Madness.

But it’s a little extra special for Zamora, who met up with a few former teammates Tuesday night, wished them well, and gave dining tips to his Aggie friends and teammates. He even told them to watch out for the altitude as they laced up their sneakers for practice Wednesday morning.

His favorite spot in Salt Lake City was the Moose Lounge, but that’s been permanently closed since he left. But there are plenty of other memories to keep him company.

“It brought a lot of memories back when we touched down,” Zamora said. “It’s a beautiful city; I love it out here.”

He’s hoping to add another memory, too: a couple of wins to finish out his college career.

His team, too.

“It’s good to be back,” Jans said of Salt Lake City. “I’ve talked to the team about it. Winning the WAC championship was fun, it was awesome, but it felt different; it wasn’t as euphoric as it was last year, being my first time and my first time at New Mexico State. We have guys that have been with us and coached by us here last year.

“We talked about how different it is. How getting up on this podium and walking out for the open practice and the media interviews and when the ball is tipped — it feels different … You have to go through something to get that experience. Now we have. Hopefully it will help us tomorrow.”

NCAA Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena

Thursday, March 21

New Mexico State vs. Auburn, 11:30 a.m. MDT

Northeastern vs. Kansas, 2:00 p.m. MDT

Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Gonzaga, 5:15 p.m. MDT

Baylor vs. Syracuse, 7:55 p.m. MDT

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