Silver City, NM - The 2020-2021 Men's Basketball team is coached by an entirely new staff led, by Head Coach Zane Gibson. Gibson, coaches alongside Jeremy Espinoza, Deshun "Dee" Coleman, and Alex Saindon.

Coach Gibson and Espinoza aren't shy of the Lone Star Conference. Gibson previously Coached at UT Permian Basin (UTPB) as the Associate Head Coach for two years and was at University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (UAFS) for two years as well. Espinoza coached at Texas A&M- International for three seasons (2017-2020).

Originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Gibson helped lead UTPB make two conference tournaments, surpass double digit wins, and placed two on the All-Conference list.

At UAFS, Gibson helped the Lions make back-to-back NCAA Tournaments appearances, win the Heartland Conference regular season championship both seasons he was there, and won the conference tournament in the 2016-2017 season. Shortly after the 2016-2017 season, Gibson was named to the NABC's 30-under-30 list, where it recognizes rising coaches under the age of 30.

Gibson started his coaching career as a graduate assistant, where earned his Masters in Sports Management (2014-2016) at his alma mater, Middle Tennessee State. From 2009-2014, Gibson was a part of the winningest class in program history, with 95 wins. He would also win four conference championships, while setting the school record for wins in 2012-2013 with 27 and the following season with 28.

As a student athlete, Gibson earned his Bachelor's degree in history with a political science minor. The 2012-2013 season sparked the legacy of Middle Tennessee, where they would advance to the NIT quarter-finals. The following season, they won the Sun Belt Regular Season Championship again, but this time received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. In the 2015-2016 campaign, Middle Tennessee won the Conference USA Tournament Championship, before advancing to the NCAA Round of 32, upsetting the No. 2 seed, Michigan State.

Assistant Coach Dee Coleman similarly played his college basketball career at Middle Tennessee State. While a student assistant for the Blue Raiders (2015-2018), Coleman studied Leisure, Sport and Tourism studies all while winning the conference three times and making the NCAA tournament twice and the NIT once. Coleman too, was a part of the 2015-2016 team that upset Michigan State.

As the 2020-2021 season approaches, Gibson says " Jeremy, Dee and Alex have been absolutely phenomenal. I am incredibly lucky to have them on my staff for this crazy 2020 year."

Assistant Coach Jeremy Espinoza adds "Our coaching staff has worked very hard at developing a genuine relationship with every single one of our players. With such a crazy fall, we are very positive with our guys and express they need to trust the process and that some adversity that we will go through will only be temporary."

Native of Uvalde, Texas, Espinoza played his college ball at Newman University (2011-2015) where he was named All-Heartland Conference Honorable Mention in the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 seasons. He would stay with the Jets as graduate assistant for two years.

Praising Gibson's leadership, Espinoza explains, "Coach Gibson has allowed me to coach freely in practices and he wants input from not only me, but from Alex and Dee as well. Not many young coaches like Coach Gibson will do that. He asks for suggestions and is honest with us."

As a graduate assistant at Middle Tennessee State, Coleman got his Masters in Leisure and Sports Management. As a first year coach at WNMU, Coleman has already noticed what will make WNMU Basketball unique from others saying, "WNMU basketball is separated from others by the relentlessness of our leader, in Coach Gibson and  the blue collar mentality of this entire staff."

When Coleman was a student assistant, he coached alongside Coach Gibson when he was a graduate assistant. " I witnessed his strong work ethic at an early stage in my career and that mentality rubbed off on me" said Coleman.

The last coach on the staff is volunteer Alex Saindon. Coming from El Cerrito, California, Saindon was a student manager for UC Santa Barbara (2017-2020). The first year coach is looking forward to an entirely new system and program, where he can grow year in and year out. 

As the 2020-2021 season nears, Coach Gibson explains 2020 is a year like any other. Having a new head coach is one thing but to get a new coach and a pandemic going on is unthinkable. "The different daily requirements these young men have to do are unlike any other year. You don't typically have to wake up and immediately have to answer 10 questions about how you feel, get your temperature taken before entering a building, and have to always wear a mask on and off the floor. All of these new norms were not even a thought a year ago" explains Coach Gibson.

Handling the unimaginable year well, Coach Gibson is preparing his team to win and it starts with his team's culture. "Everyday you must recreate your culture. If we have bad days, it's because we didn't work hard enough on creating that winning culture that day. We have standards that the guys must hold up to but I tell my guys everyday that they are the ones that must create the culture and I will hold them to our standards" Coach Gibson emphasizes.

Espinoza explains this team has a great mix of guys, "We are very young, but also very talented. Coach Gibson did a great job keeping a few of the returning players and those guys are helping build our culture."

With such a hectic fall, every minute matters. "As a staff we challenge our guys daily to improve because it can be taken from us at any moment. Every 'drill' we do has a purpose and translates into live practice and games" says Coleman.

Saindon highlights "As a staff we are transparent with our team with what's going on, we believe we aren't just a team but a family. Therefore keep everything we can out in the open for them." 

Gibson praises his staff saying, "They are all in and set a great example for my guys of truly being about the team. They have impacted us early on by quickly forming great relationships with each guy and really helping me create a family atmosphere."

Very thankful, Espinoza says, "I appreciate Coach Gibson giving me this opportunity to come out to Silver City to help build a championship caliber program."

Saindon adds saying, "Being able to work under Coach Gibson forces you to get better in your craft as a coach. His work ethic is at such a high level that I know I need to be on that same level in order to make an impact within our program."

"I am extremely excited for this season and I believe our team has the opportunity to grow together and shock a lot of people within our conference!" said Coleman.

Coach Gibson concludes saying, "We are just excited to take on whatever challenge comes next during this year. We know there will be ups and downs. We understand that nothing is promised this year and will be ready when opportunities come." Western New Mexico University is a member of the NCAA Division II, and the Lone Star Conference (LSC). For additional information regarding Mustang Athletics, visit www.wnmumustangs.com; visit wnmu.edu for more information about Western New Mexico University. Follow the Mustangs on social media: @WNMUathletics (Twitter & Instagram).