A preview of Utah State men's basketball 2007-2008

Hasn't shooting guard Jaycee Carroll been attached at the hip to Stew Morrill for about a decade now? Seriously, Carroll is 24 but will be entering his final Western Athletic Conference (WAC) go-around in the 2007-2008 season. Look for him to also finally receive the conference most valuable player award.

Carroll was first in the WAC and 10th in the nation scoring with 21.3 ppg., and first in the WAC and 12th in the nation in free throw shooting at 88.8%. He also led the league in three-point shooting at 43%, was fifth in overall shooting at 52%, and was 12th in the league in rebounding with 6.3 boards per game.

But it won't be Carroll and a decent group of role players representing the Aggies in the upcoming season--as it was in 2006-2007. Under-sized Stephen DuCharme, at maybe 6-7, was the man patrolling the middle for Utah State last year and he'll be moving to power forward.

Morrill now will have three large, strong 'bigs' at his disposal in Gary Wilkinson, Brayden Bell and Modu Niang.

Wilkinson is a 6-8 240 stud down low and may very well find himself a first-team All-WAC selection at season's end. He's strong and relentless in the paint and will be at the free throw line 10-12 times a game.The Utah native Bell is a bounceback transfer from Ohio State. At 6-9 240, he's still raw but will be another banger in the paint. Bell also surprisngly displays nice touch and range on his shot but don't expect Morrill to be calling his number for 20-foot jumpers.

Niang is a Senegal native who somehow ended up in Japan for high school. He'll probably be redshirted unless a frontcourt injury bug hits the Aggies.

Granted, the underrated and steady graduated duo of small forward Chaz Spicer and wing Durrall Peterson will be missed but an offense refocused on frontcourt scoring, combined with Carroll's offensive firepower, just needs other role players to step up.

Here's Utah State's roster for next season as returnees and what they offer:

Nick Hammer 6-6 205 guard senior. An effective spot up, catch-and-shoot marksmen.

Kris Clark 6-2 180 guard senior.146 assists last season --- best in the WAC --- versus 66 turnovers, he stumbled a bit at the point early in the season but his scoring and passing picked up as the year progressed.

Jaycee Carroll 6-2 175 guard senior. What more can be said about Carroll?

Brayden Bell 6-9 240 center sophomore. Initially, Bell will probably be Wilkinson's backup.

Stephen DuCharme 6-7 230 forward senior. 10.2 ppg. 5.1 rpg. 54% from the floor last season, he actually has decent range on his shot and should find himself playing out of the paint more than in it.

Here are two signees who just completed their LDS missions and are returning to the team. Both will need to first get their basketball 'legs' back:

Tai Wesley 6-6 230 forward freshman. Back from LDS mission, was Mr. Basketball in Utah two years ago, initially a role player, is smart, tough and tenacious.

Tyler Newbold 6-4 190 shooting guard freshman. Back from LDS mission, he's a very good leaper and outside shooter.

Here's the new Utah State signees:

Gary Wilkinson -- 6-9, 240 center/power forward Salt Lake Community College junior college A well-deserved junior college All-American last season, Wilkinson averaged 18.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, shooting 60% from the field and 74% from the foul line. He ranked third in the Scenic West Athletic Conference (SWAC) and 38th in the nation in scoring, and was first in the conference in rebounding

Deundrae Spraggins -- 6-3, 180 guard/forward Paris Junior College. Possibly a Durrall Peterson look and play-alike, Spraggins averaged 11.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists a contest, shooting 52.8% from the field, 44.4% from three-point range, and 84% from the free throw line -- look for Morrill to turn to Spraggins early on.

Desmond Stephens -- 5-9, 150 guard Southeastern Illinois Junior College. Stephens is an extremely quick, good-shooting backcourter. He averaged 17.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, while shooting 50.5% from the field, 51.6% from three-point range, and 75% from the free throw line Stephens will help when starting point Kris Clark is matched up against a smaller, quicker opponent.

Modu Niang -- 6-9 235 center high school, Japan. Apparently, very few people have actually seen Niang play but he's described as athletic despite his size and bulk.

Pooh Williams -- 6-5 190 wing/shooting guard freshman high school Washington. An excellent shooter, he shot 41% on 3's in high school, 58% overall (but is probably a redshirt candidate.

Jaxon Myaer ---5-9 170 high school, Utah. A tough little guy who will walk-on and probably redshirt his first season.

Morrill has led the Aggies to eight straight 23-win seasons (23-12 last year) and eight straight postseason appearances (5 NCAA, 3 NIT). Don't expect this to change now. Granted, a number of new players need to be worked into the rotation but the backcourt is pretty much set and the frontcourt has very solid candidates who should be able to step in and help out immediately.

As for a starting five, it will be Jaycee Carroll and Kris Clark in the backcourt, Gary Wilkinson in the middle, and probably Stephen DuCharme and newcomer Deundrae Spraggins.

We have to go with the Utah State Aggies as the team to beat in 2007-2008. Morrill played NMSU very close last season and the Logan-ites have amply added talent.