New Mexico adds Chris Howell from transfer portal

Howell started 35 games for UC San Diego during the 2024-25 season

UC San Diego Tritons guard Chris Howell (8). | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

As New Mexico head coach Eric Olen and staff work towards putting together next season’s roster, they have landed a second player to the mix.

Six-foot-six guard Chris Howell announced his commitment to the Lobos on Sunday, finding a home for his final season of collegiate eligibility. Howell spent three seasons at St. Mary’s, redshirting in 2021-22 before going on to play 59 games for the Gaels. He transferred to UC San Diego this past season and started all 35 games for the Tritons on their way to a Big West championship and their first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament.

Howell has made his mark on the defensive end in college, averaging six points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals per game this past season. He was second in the Big West Conference in steals and ranked 15th nationally. He also finished 10th nationally in Defensive Win Shares. Howell also improved his shooting dramatically from his two seasons at St. Mary’s, shooting 33 percent from three-point range for the Tritons this past season. He went 5-8 from deep at UC Irvine, helping UC San Diego to a dominant 85-67 win.

Howell was the 2021 San Diego Section Player of the Year as a senior at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego. He averaged 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals per game while helping the Falcons to the San Diego Section Open Division championship and a 30-1 record.

Three seasons after Howell took home player of the year honors in San Diego, the same award was claimed by Carlsbad’s Jake Hall. Hall, a four-time All-CIF selection in San Diego, became New Mexico’s first commit of the Eric Olen era last week. A previous UC San Diego-signee, Hall backed off his commitment to follow Olen and several of the Tritons’ staff to Albuquerque.

Howell’s connection to the new staff at New Mexico also runs deeper than his one season spent with the Tritons. His older brother Mikey spent five seasons playing for Eric Olen, becoming the all-time assist leader for UC San Diego. Following a graduate season at Bradley, Howell returned to the Tritons joining Olen’s staff. The older Howell was one of three assistant coaches announced as new hires by New Mexico last week.