There is a lot that makes the University of New Mexico Women’s Basketball program special. A rich tradition, a top-notch fan base and a family-like culture are the foundation that UNM has to work with. So it should come as no surprise that these Lobos have a hard time leaving the pack.
Jourdan Erskine, a member of last season’s senior class, spent less than six month away from the Lobos before returning to the Cherry & Silver. Erskine has been named the team’s new video coordinator. She replaces another former Lobo, Amy Beggin, who was promoted to Director of Operations after the retirement of Dave Shoemate. The transition becomes official beginning September 1.
"I’m excited for the opportunity Coach Sanchez has given me to join her staff. I can’t wait to be back in basketball in my new role. I am most excited to be part of the Lobo family again. I feel like I grew up in it, and now I’m a more permanent part of it," Erskine said.
As another Lobo rejoins the pack, she will have her predecessor on the other side of the office from her in Amy Beggin. The two were teammates in the 2009-10 season when Beggin was a senior and Erskine a freshman.
"It will be a lot of fun to share an office with my ex-teammate Jourdan. I will try to mentor her with the transition the way Coach Shoemate was a mentor to me. It’s always fun to be around someone you played with," Beggin noted.
It will also make for some playful office hijinks. A few light-hearted jokes from the former point guard to her one-time teammate.
"I’ll probably tease her about how she never shot the ball as a freshman," Beggin continued. "Then after the season was over, we went to the Johnson Center during the summer, and she still wouldn’t shoot the ball. Who doesn’t shoot during pickup at Johnson?"
But the two will also have plenty of serious conversations and exchanges of ideas. The two have a lot in common and Beggin hopes to mentor Erskine as Shoemate mentored her over the past two seasons.
Part of the transition will also be Erskine adjusting to coming down the ramp in The Pit without a New Mexico jersey.
"Those first games and practices will be very interesting and shocking at first for me. I will want to just go get out on the floor, but now I know that my job on the team will be in a chair. It will be a fun, new experience for me walking down the ramp in The Pit in my new role," admitted Erksine.
At the end of the day, Jourdan Erskine gets to be part of the Lobo family again after a short hiatus. It’s being part of something that’s more than just a basketball program.
As Amy Beggin put it, "It’s pretty neat to see former players coming back to the program like this. It really shows just how special the New Mexico Women’s Basketball is. You come here, play for four years, and it’s still not enough."
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