NCAA Coaching Carousel: New Mexico Hires UC San Diego Coach Eric Olen
New Mexico has hired UC San Diego head coach Eric Olen to replace Richard Pitino, who left to take the Xavier job.
Olen led UC San Diego to the 2025 NCAA Tournament in its first year of eligibility and posted a 30-5 record, 18-2 in the Big West.
'We're thrilled to welcome Eric Olen as the new head coach of Lobo Men's Basketball,' said New Mexico AD Fernando Lovo in a statement. 'Eric is a proven winner with an incredible track record. Beyond the accolades and success on the court, he is a values-driven leader who puts student-athletes first. We're confident he'll bring tremendous energy and vision to our program. Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Eric, his wife Lauren, and their daughters Avery and Madeline — we're excited to have them join the Lobo family here in Albuquerque.'
The all-time winningest coach in UC San Diego history with a 240-119 record, Olen spent the last 21 years at the school, including the past 12 as head coach. He guided the Tritons during their transition from Division II to Division I, taking the program to new heights at both levels.
'I am honored to be the next Head Coach of New Mexico Men's Basketball,' said Olen. 'I want to thank President Stokes, Fernando Lovo, and the UNM leadership team for this opportunity. This is one of the most special programs in college basketball, and my family and I are thrilled to be a part of Lobo Nation! I can't wait to get to work and write the next great chapter in New Mexico basketball history.'
Olen is coming off a historic 2024-25 season at UCSD, as the Tritons won the Big West regular season and tournament titles and made their March Madness debut in their first year of eligibility. He led the program to a 30-5 record as the Tritons were second in the nation in scoring margin at +17.5 points per game. UCSD went 18-2 in the Big West to win the regular season title before winning the Big West Tournament in their debut in the championship. Olen was honored as Big West Coach of the Year and the NABC Pacific District Coach of the Year.
In 2024-25 the Tritons had a KenPom ranking of 39 and finished 31 in the final NET rankings. Both of those rankings are the highest for any team in college basketball outside of the Power-5 conferences and the WCC. In addition to ranking second in Division I in scoring margin, the Tritons under Olen ranked in the national Top-10 in assist-turnover ratio (fourth at 1.80), scoring defense (sixth at 61.8), winning percentage (seventh at .857), turnovers forced (eighth at 15.91 per game) and three-pointers made per game (ninth at 10.7 per game).
From 2021-24, Olen guided UC San Diego through the Division I transition period, capping the four-year process with a 21-12 record in 2023-24 as he won his first Big West Coach of the Year honor. The Tritons went 15-5 in the Big West that season, finishing runner-up in the regular season, but weren't eligible for the conference tournament. UCSD did earn a berth in the CBI, the school's first Division I postseason appearance.
Olen's first seven seasons as a head coach at UCSD came at the Division II level, as he led the Tritons to five straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2016 to 2020 after the school had just one prior Division II postseason appearance before that span. UCSD reached the NCAA West Region final in 2016 and 2017 and were the No. 1 seed for the 2020 NCAA West Regional before the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. In 2019-20, Olen was named the NABC West Region Coach of the Year, leading the Tritons to a 30-1 record and a No. 4 national ranking in their final season in Division II. Overall, Olen led UCSD to three California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular season titles and four consecutive CCAA tournament crowns as he was the 2017 and 2020 CCAA Coach of the Year.
Prior to elevating to head coach at UC San Diego, Olen was an assistant coach at the school for nine seasons. During his tenure as an assistant, he served as the recruiting coordinator and worked with the program's post players. He was promoted to the top assistant after just one year on the staff.
A native of Mobile, Ala., Olen played collegiately at Spring Hill College in his hometown. He helped the Badgers to three straight appearances to the NAIA National Tournament, including trips to the NAIA Elite Eight in 2000 and 2001.
Olen graduated from Spring Hill in 2004 with a degree in Finance. Olen and his wife, Lauren, have two daughters, Avery and Madeline.
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