Abbott headed to Mountain West

When it came down to it, Ty Abbott said his decision to play at New Mexico was based on his relationship with Lobo head coach Ritchie McKay.

Abbott, a 6-foot-3 guard, verbally pledged to New Mexico on Thursday. He also considered Utah. Earlier in the week Abbott said the decision would be difficult because both programs offered similar opportunities.

"When I was at Utah, I enjoyed myself. It was good for the most part. The next thing I wanted to see was how well I got along with the team and I liked the team and their players. So the next thing on my list was the staff and they were great too. But when it came down to the head coach, I felt like I just got along better with coach McKay. That was the biggest thing for me. We had that connection."

The Lobos were the first school to offer Abbott and that longevity made an impression on the Phoenix, Arizona native.

"I got to know coach McKay really well because they started recruiting me when I was a junior," Abbott said.

Abbott was optimistic about taking over the scoring responsibility after J.R. Giddens leaves.

"I feel pretty confident that I can come in there and help and coach McKay is confident too. I think he'll really be able to help me."