New Mexico State basketball recruiting

With the other WAC team recruiting profiles, we generally re-wrote our earlier take that was posted at SilverandBlueSports.com. But not here, at least not very much.

Why?

Because the following is still spot-on.

Way, way back when, Dustin Hoffman was advised to enter the business of plastics in "The Graduate' so our unsolicited advice to Coach Marvin Menzies is don't stock your roster with an overabundance of players who high schools have the word academy or prep in their titles or descriptions. Not that he needs such counsel but it fits with our look at New Mexico State men's basketball recruiting.

Now it's true that Jarmar Young (Laurinberg Prep) will be in competition for the WAC Player of the Year although he had an early blip with the law. Jonathan Gibson (Calvary Christian Prep) is a solid talent but his missing of practices last season usurped any chance of his playing a leadership role on the team. One key question: will he earn back his teammates respect during his senior go-around?

While a wondrous talent and still with time to turn things around, Troy Gillenwater (Stoneridge Prep) proved to be a handful for Menzies in 2008-2009. It was a continuance of prior behavior and something Gillenwater must shed. His inadequate academic emphasis must also do a 180. Let's hope he has seen the proverbial light and acted upon it.

Terrance Joyner (Genesis One Christian) committed collegiate basketball suicide with his antics at the El Paso Airport last season.

Herb Pope considered transferring from his Pennsylvania high school to various prep schools prior to his junior and senior seasons -- once it went so far as being announced -- and was at a prep school as a freshman.

Granted, not all of these players were Menzies signings but they are indicative of some of the difficulties in recruiting danger-free WAC-competitive talent to come to Las Cruces.

Yes, Menzies is in a tough spot. The Land of Enchantment doesn't produce D-1 calibre players with any regularity. Therefore, he has to bring in kids from outside the state. He also followed Reggie Theus' successful run which calibrated the pressure to succeed even higher than that which generally faces a new head coach.

As for this season's signings, Justin Standley and Da'Shawn Gomez are from traditional high schools and all indications are this pair are both solid young men.

Now we have to be careful with this -- that being B.J. West, the third Menzies signing -- is out of God's Academy although he attended a regular high school prior to that. We know nothing about him personally although it's interesting that the NCAA ruled in 2007 that courses and grades from God's Academy would not be accepted for the purposes of eligibility determination. But academic improvements have apparently been made since then and there's no qualms about God's Academy being loaded with talented players.

Plus with Wendell McKines' academic struggles and the possibility he may be sidelined for part or all of the upcoming season, it's important to note that continuity is the lifeblood of success in most any endeavor. This isn't news to Menzies or any other coach. He is faced with putting out a successful product on the floor but also of maintaining a group of 13 young men who produce in the classroom and in their public/private lives. It's often a delicate balance.

We see the program from Las Cruces as one that has the potential to win the WAC but also the possibility to implode. It will take time but such a highwire act has to end and the only way of doing so is by landing good talent that produces off the court behaviorally and academically as well. Consider this: how well might the Aggies perform -- especially the current set -- if all behavioral and academic distractions disappeared?

Let's just say that the other WAC coaches and teams are glad that such a scenario is still a make believe one.