Here's our Utah State early preview

2008-2009 will be Coach Stew Morrill's most challenging season in some time. Of course, 'challenging' can be quite the relative term seeing as how successful the Aggies have been for the last decade or so. Put another way, there is no longer Jaycee Carroll and his marvelous shooting range, quick release and point production available nightly so Morrill is going to have to rely on more of a team effort but will still need a player or two to 'step-up' at the end of games. It will be interesting to see who emerges.

THE DEARLY DEPARTED

High scorer Jaycee Carroll, point Kris Clark and underrated frontcourter Stephen DuCharme have completed their eligibility, leaving three very big holes and roles to fill.

DeUndrae Spraggins and Desmond Stephens were junior college backcourt transfers from last year and neither worked out quite as expected in 2007-2008 -- both are now elsewhere.

Here's the current Utah State roster:

RETURNEES TO LOGAN

Brad Brown 6-6 195 sophomore walkon forward -- unconfirmed word is that Brown is heading out on his church mission in August
Pooh Williams 6-3 200 sophomore guard/forward -- a fine athlete, known as a shooter in high school who displayed defensive prowess last season
Tyler Newbold 6-4 190 sophomore guard -- our choice for the player to step up the most in the coming season
Jaxon Myaer 5-9 150 redshirt freshman guard -- a redshirt last season who is a candidate for time at the point
Tai Wesley 6-6 230 sophomore forward -- probably the most pleasant Aggie surprise last season
Matt Formisano 6-8 220 sophomore walkon forward -- an effort kid who is a fill-in here and there type of player
Gary Wilkinson 6-9 240 senior center -- enjoyed a fine season but Morrill needs consistent production from him in the coming go-around
Modou Niang 6-9 240 sophomore center -- getting by right now on his marvelous athleticism rather than actual basketball skills


NEW TO USU

Jared Quayle 6-2 180 junior -- from a junior college in Wyoming, known primarily as a longrange shooter
Stavon Williams 6-3 185 junior -- a transfer from a Texas junior college also with a reputation as a shooter
Rich Sirju 6-2 190 junior -- hailing from a Florida junior college, he is another shooter/scorer type
Deremy Geiger 5-10 165 freshman -- he's a point out of Las Vegas who may redshirt depending on the advancement of others
Jordan Stone 6-11 240 freshman -- a center who will first complete his two-year church mission
Brady Jardine 6-6 200 freshman -- he is supposedly arriving in Logan come August after completing his church mission


FULL USU ROSTER BY POSITION

Center

Gary Wilkinson 6-9 240 senior -- Wilkinson had periods of inconsistency but still an overall successful transition from the junior college ranks. A second team All-WAC selection, a major portion of the Aggie success in 2008-2009 will be dependent upon Wilkinson's improvement. His 13.3 ppg. and 7.0 rpg. averages will get better -- maybe averaging a double-double? -- but what Morrill would like to see the most from his big man is a constant physical presence exhibited in the paint.

Modou Niang 6-9 240 sophomore -- Just like no decent bottle of wine can be rushed, this physically blessed kid will need rep after rep and greater experience before being able to be counted on as a steady contributor. He averaged just over five minutes a game and a sign of his improvement and readiness will be a doubling of that playing time in 2008-2009. Look for him to be the top Aggie shotblocker next season, having swatted away an opponent's scoring attempt every nine minutes last go-around.

Strong Forward

Tai Wesley 6-6 230 sophomore forward -- We see Wesley as a future All-WAC pick but are not so sure this will come to fruition next season. He plays a physical style and just may have to spend some time in the middle due to no one else on the roster ready to provide Wilkinson substantial relief in the paint. One area in need of improvement is the number of personal fouls Wesley commits as he was whistled 42 more times than Wilkinson.

Matt Formisano 6-8 220 sophomore walkon forward -- This guy is a 'try-hard' frontcourter who can help maintain the status quo of a game for a short stretch of minutes. It will be a sign of trouble in Logan if Formisano is playing double figure minutes next season.

Wing/Shooting guard

We always find it difficult to discern who will play the two guard versus the wing so we have combined the candidates.

Pooh Williams 6-3 200 sophomore guard/forward -- He became recognized for his defensive effort last season after redshirting his first year in Logan. Defensive effort will always earn someone playing time but let's see if Williams begins to shoot as expected.

Tyler Newbold 6-4 190 sophomore guard -- He shot marvelously last season -- .547% overall, .515% on treys, 839% from the foul line -- but the key for him is can he become a go-to scorer and a dribble-drive creator? Newbold shot just 31 free throws in 35 games -- one every 24+ minutes -- scorers typically get to the line much more. We certainly see promise in him.

Brady Jardine 6-6 200 freshman -- Call this guy the joker in the Aggie deck. He might also be in competition for minutes at the strong forward spot but will certainly need more strength in order to do so or he may redshirt, depending on both how quickly he adapts to playing basketball again after a two year church mission and the needs of the team. Jardine's a quick-jumping, very athletic player with nice shooting range. A ready-to-play Jardine would be a nice boost to the Aggies chances in the WAC. Out of Idaho, it's unusual that Greg Graham let this kid get away but one never knows what were the actual factors involved.

Stavon Williams 6-3 185 junior -- Williams led the Minneapolis prep ranks in scoring as both a junior and senior and cemented his shooting/scoring reputation in the Texas junior college ranks the past two seasons. Known for being a better than average athlete, his expected contribution will appear on the offensive end.

Rich Sirju 6-2 190 junior -- He's been a shooter/scorer the last two seasons in the Florida junior college ranks just as he was in the Sunshine State prep ranks. He looks to have some creative ability with the ball, having led his team in free throws this past season.

Point

Kris Clark produced 224 assists last season -- the following three players will not cumulatively reach that total in 2008-2009 nor have Clark's generally stellar assist-to-turnover ratio. However, the collective shooting percentage from the point will be better.

Jaxon Myaer 5-9 150 redshirt freshman guard -- We're not sure if Myaer is on scholarship for this coming season or not but he'll be in the mix at the point. The slightness of his size and resulting problems with matchups dictates his court time be as a role player at this time.

Jared Quayle 6-2 180 junior -- This kid is best known for his shooting range and scoring ability but he did play at the point in high school and will more than likely be looked at there first since such is the weakest/most unknown position right now for the Aggies.

Deremy Geiger 5-10 165 freshman -- Geiger may be redshirted next season depending upon where he ranks at the point after a few amount of practices. Both he and Myaer need to maximize their strength potential in order to get on the court.


OVERALL

The site known as the Dee Glenn Smith Spectrum remains an ace in the hole for Morrill as it's usually full and loaded with noisy USU students. In 2007-2008, the Aggies cleaned up at home to the tune of a 17-0 record. They won't be undefeated there in 2008-2009 though.

The apparent loss of 6-9 recruit Bruce Webster definitly hurts. He would have satisfactorily filled in as Wilkinson's backup next season but his loss of desire to play ball any longer superseded this plan.

Morrill has definitely brought in backcourt/wing point producers in Stavon Williams, Rich Sirju and Jared Quayle, knowing that no one recruit could replace the departed Jaycee Carroll. Getting them to produce and quickly will be another key component to the Aggies success or failure in the upcoming season.

A nucleus of Wilkinson, Wesley and Newbold is a fine set of building blocks. But after those three, it's anyone's guess at this point as to who steps forward from the returnees and who is ready to contribute among the newcomers.

Combining Morrill's Big Three with half the games being at home makes Utah State a still formidable foe but not an unbeatable one.