Las Vegas, New Mexico - The Cowboys will open Coach
Scott Waterman's first season at home with the Cowboys hosting The South-Central Regional Crossover and will face the instate rivals Western and Eastern New Mexico.
COACH WATERMAN:
Coach Waterman enters his first years as the helm of the Cowboys Program Waterman arrives in Las Vegas after spending the 2025-26 season as Special Assistant to the Head Coach Eric Olen at University of New Mexico, helping guide the Lobos to a 26-win season, a trip to the NIT semifinals, and a school-record 3,004 points scored.
Waterman spent six seasons as head coach at Academy of Art University, where he became the program's all-time winningest coach and transformed the Urban Knights into one of the top NCAA Division II programs in the West Region.
During his tenure, Waterman compiled a 96-71 overall record and led Academy of Art to four consecutive seasons of at least 20 victories. The Urban Knights captured the 2022 Pacific West Conference Tournament Championship, earned the program's first two NCAA Division II Tournament appearances, and claimed the 2024 Pacific West Conference regular season championship. For his efforts during the 2023-24 campaign, Waterman was named the Pacific West Conference Coach of the Year.
Under Waterman's leadership, Academy of Art established numerous program records, including wins in a season, scoring average, steals, rebounds, and scoring margin. His teams became known for their fast-paced style of play and defensive intensity, consistently ranking among the conference leaders in scoring and steals.
RMAC COACHES POLL:
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) released the 2026-27 Preseason Coaches' Poll. New Mexico Highlands received 90 points and a 10th place finish, in the voting by the conference's 15 coaches.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION:
Eastern New Mexico:
The Cowboys will play their first matchup with the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds. The Greyhounds 2025-26 Eastern New Mexico finished with a 26-6 overall record, tying the program record for wins in a single season. They posted a 17-3 mark in conference play, finishing tied for second in the LSC regular-season standings and earning its second consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament appearance.
Eastern's second-place preseason selection marks a significant jump from last season, when the Greyhounds were projected to finish tied for sixth in the 17-team conference. Under head coach Daven Võ, who is in his second season at the helm of the program. The Greyhounds open the season ranked 16
th in the nation.
Eastern New Mexico, junior guard Mo Austin was named to the Lone Star Conference Preseason Players to Watch list. Austin returns to the Greyhounds following an impressive sophomore campaign in which he started all 32 games, totaling 465 points, 143 assists and 88 steals.
Western New Mexico:
Western New Mexico University men's basketball enters the 2026-27 season ranked fifth in the Lone Star Conference (LSC) Preseason Poll. The Mustangs recorded their best start in 2025-26 season putting a six-game winning streak together including a win over and ranked team, their team was ranked fourth in the South-Central Regional rankings for the first time. The Mustangs are also coming off a win against RMAC Adams State. Head Coach Mark Bunker is in his fourth season at the helm of the Mustangs program.
Andre Harris was named to the Lone Star Conference players to watch list after finishing last season with starting all 30 games while averaging 12.4 points, a team-leading 6.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Harris finished the year with 372 points, 197 rebounds, 108 assists and 35 blocks while shooting 46.7% from the field. Harris' consistent production on both ends of the floor earned him All-LSC First Team honors.
Roster Breakdown:
Coach Waterman's first team also is his first recruiting class and includes mostly upperclassmen and college experience 13 players being recruited via the transfer portal including two players from The Land of Enchantment one returning home and one staying home.
By Class:
Freshman: 1
Sophomore: 0
Junior: 6
Senior: 7
By Home State/Country:
Texas: 3
Canada: 2
California: 2
New Mexico: 2
Florida: 2
North Carolina: 1
Washington: 1
Hati: 1
ON THE AIR: The 2026 South Central Regional Crossover will be broadcast on the
RMAC Network.
GET YOUR TICKETS
Season and single-game tickets for both New Mexico Highlands basketball programs are available for purchase online at
NMHUAthletics.com/Tickets.
Gameday Reminders:
NMHU is a cashless campus; all purchases must be made using Debit, Credit, or Mobile
NMHU has implemented a strict
Clear Bag Policy for all on-campus events.
No outside food or drink is permitted at The Wilson Center.
No pets are allowed at The Wilson Center.
