LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KTSM) – Former New Mexico state basketball coach Neil McCarthy, who led the Aggies to the Sweet 16 in 1992, died on Saturday, the university said on Sunday. He was 81 years old
McCarthy was the head coach of the Aggies from 1985 to 1997 and brought the NMSU to the NCAA tournament for five consecutive seasons from 1989-90 to 1993-94. His best team was the 1992 roster, which went to the Sweet 16 as a 12-person player, pissed DePaul on round one, and then defeated Southwest Louisiana before falling to 1-man UCLA at 85-78 at The Pit in Albuquerque .
Current NMSU head coach Chris Jans took to Twitter on Sunday to mourn the loss of McCarthy and to join Aggie fans around the world.
“Sad news for Aggie fans today with the death of HOF coach Neil McCarthy,” wrote Jans. “Although I never met Coach McCarthy, I enjoyed hearing the stories and, most importantly, people’s preference for his tough teams. RIP coach. “
These NCAA tournament wins and appearances were all later vacated due to NCAA violations during McCarthy’s tenure at NMSU.
McCarthy was inducted into the NMSU Athletic Hall of Fame in March 2021, shortly before his death. In 23 seasons as head coach at both NMSU and Weber State (1974-1985), McCarthy racked an overall record of 419-209, a win rate of 0.667.
As a die-hard, die-hard coach, McCarthy instilled the same spirit into his teams, which included eventual NBA champ Randy Brown and current Las Cruces High School basketball coach William Benjamin.
“My entire college experience has been everything I’ve dreamed of, and he took a risk on a stubborn 17, 18-year-old boy,” said Benjamin. “We had a lot of run-ins just because I was trying to mature and figure the whole thing out. One thing was Neil for me, he stayed with me. He never gave up on me. “
Sad news for Aggie fans today with the death of HOF Coach Neil McCarthy. Although I never met Coach McCarthy, I enjoyed hearing the stories and most importantly, people’s preference for his tough teams. RIP coach. pic.twitter.com/2MxEk7UPbc
– Chris Jans (@coachchrisjans) September 20, 2021
As five-time coach of the year at the Big Sky and Big West Conferences, McCarthy’s teams at NMSU and Weber State won a total of seven league titles in the regular season and six conference tournament championships with McCarthy at the helm.
His time at NMSU was not without controversy. Academic scandals resulted in the 1992, 1993, and 1994 seasons victories being evacuated, in addition to a three-year NCAA probationary period. McCarthy was fired from the NMSU shortly before the 1997–98 season due to the controversy.
His legacy as a winner lives on in the minds of Aggie fans, however, and his wins in the NCAA tournament – cleared as they may be – are now believed to be the last time the NMSU won big dance.
“We still have to acknowledge that he gave people opportunities that they would not have had before,” said Benjamin. “When we talk about basketball in the state of New Mexico and we win, you have to mention its name. Also remember when everyone (NCAA sanctions) is pending. “
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