ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – We are hearing from the University of New Mexico for the first time since a Lobo basketball player sued the university and head coach Richard Pitino. 

Walk-on player Shane Douma-Sanchez claims a teammate assaulted him and another player on a flight to a tournament and later at a hotel.

KOB 4 went to Pitino’s first news conference Thursday morning since the lawsuit was filed. Before things even got started Thursday, a UNM spokesperson said Pitino was not going to address any lawsuit questions, but they would release a statement. 

As for the lawsuit, Douma-Sanchez claims that a teammate harassed him as a walk-on player. According to Douma-Sanchez, the teammate punched him in the face and reinjured his shoulder. He is suing for damages. 

A university spokesperson released a statement Thursday about the lawsuit, saying they are aware of the filing, and it’s under review. 

“While it is our practice not to comment on specific details of ongoing legal matters, we want to assure the public that we have robust policies and procedures in place to address any concerns raised by any member of our community.

The university remains committed to its core values of integrity, respect, and excellence in all aspects of our operations including athletics. we will provide updates as appropriate while respecting the privacy and rights of all individuals involved.”

Pitino didn’t take questions about the lawsuit Thursday morning, but we did ask the coach how the team’s mindset is as all of this goes down.

“I mean, they have been great. They have been locked in on the next opponent and this last road trip was a long one, but their mindset has been phenomenal. They want to win a championship just like everybody else in the league,” said Pitino. 

When it comes to the lawsuit, Douma-Sanchez’s attorneys say UNM failed to implement promised safety policies for at-risk students like Shane.

The lawsuit also says the UNM coaching staff knew or should have known about the assault on Shane, but did nothing to stop it. 

He’s suing for personal injury, disfigurement, loss of future income and other reasons. We don’t know the exact amount, but we do know his attorneys plan on arguing for more than $50,000 once it’s all said and done.