New Mexico joined the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) as a founding member before King's first season. His first team went 16–9, the best Lobo record in 17 years. The following season, 1963–64, the Lobos won their first WAC championship, led by Ira Harge, who King had recruited from a junior college in Iowa. The team posted wins over Kansas and at Purdue and received a berth in the 1964 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Lobos defeated Drake and NYU before falling to Bradley in the championship game, finishing with a 23–6 record and ranked 16th in the UPI poll. Harge averaged 18.8 points and 11.8 rebounds a game during his two seasons at UNM and was selected in the second round of the 1964 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.