PORTALES, N.M. – The 2024-25 men's basketball season is upon us. Eastern New Mexico travels to Durango, Colo. for two games versus RMAC (Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) programs. Before the Greyhounds take the court, please take a look at the Starting Five:

1.) Exhibition Experience: The Greyhounds played two exhibitions in preparation for the 2024-25 campaign. ENMU began the year facing No. 10 Arizona in Tucson before heading to (RV) Grand Canyon. One of the players to watch for Eastern based on the first two results is Cougar Downing. The senior guard came to Portales after a season with Arkansas-Little Rock. Downing scored 11 points in both matchups. The Atchison, Kan. native played his first two collegiate seasons with Barton County Community College where he finished with the program's sixth most points ever. Last season with Little Rock, he averaged 6.0 points per game playing in 27 total contests.

2.) Defense on the Mind: Eastern New Mexico posted 12 steals versus the Wildcats and nine over the Lopes. Cooper Jackson had two steals in both contests. Jackson is a former teammate of Downing. The defensive-minded player finished his junior college career with 215 total steals, marking the second most all-time by any player from Barton County Community College. He is a two-time KJCCC defensive player of the year. Jackson can also create pressure offensively as he was Eastern's leading scorer (13 points) versus Grand Canyon.

3.) More Murillo: Jose Murillo is back for his junior season with Eastern New Mexico. The Chihuahua, Mexico native is a two-year starter and has guided ENMU to a 37-22 record. He has 484 career points, 301 career rebounds, and 82 career blocks. Murillo's career-high is 28 points in a home win over Navajo Tech during the 2023-24 season. His best game in terms of shot blocking was a road victory over UT Tyler in December 2023. He swatted six shots, which set a program record at the time. One week later, his former teammate Conrad Luczynski set a new shot blocking record with seven versus Northern New Mexico.

4.) Skyhawks Challenging: No. 22 Fort Lewis hosts Eastern New Mexico Friday, November 8. The Skyhawks come into the matchup after dropping two games to open the year at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. They fell to (RV) Point Loma (80-69) and (RV) Carson-Newman (94-75). After the two contests, FLC is averaging 72.0 points, 9.0 assists, and 9.5 steals per game. They return three players from last season's RMAC championship squad – Stewart Erhart, Luke Hotto, and Nathan Penney. The program has four DI transfers joining the Skyhawks. They include Chuol Deng, Biko Johnson, Tristan Moore, and Keither Florence. Deng is posting a double-double early in the season going for 19.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per contest. One area of struggle for FLC is foul trouble with 19.0 fouls per outing. Fort Lewis has a new head coach this season. Jordan Mast is in charge in Durango, Colo. after five seasons at the University of Antelope Valley. This season, FLC was selected ninth in the RMAC preseason poll. The Skyhawks lead the overall series versus the Greyhounds, 16-12. The last win over ENMU for Fort Lewis came in Durango in 2023 with the Skyhawks sinking a last second layup to deny the upset-minded Hounds.

5.) In-State Showdown: New Mexico Highlands and Eastern New Mexico meet for the 112th time in program history. ENMU leads the overall series, 71-40, including a 102-75 season opening win from a year ago. Last year, NMHU went 10-17 with seven wins coming in conference play. They bring back two all-RMAC honorable mention guards. Kenard Richardson averaged 12.5 points and Kyrie Thomas posted 11.4 points a contest. The program is led by fifth-year head coach Mike Dominguez who has helped the Cowboys win ten games every season he has been in charge. NMHU is like ENMU and has only played in exhibition contests so far. New Mexico Highlands lost to New Mexico State Monday night, 93-57. They forced the Aggies to commit 25 total turnovers. New Mexico Highlands opens the season versus Angelo State Friday before meeting the Greyhounds on Saturday afternoon.