Saturday's WAC items

Here is a David McCollum editorial from the Las Cruces Bulletin in the Aggies late-season emergence.

New Mexico State Associate Athletic Director has quite the column today at BleedCrimson.net. It will certainly get readers thinking.

Our unasked-for take: Coaches receive too much credit and also too much blame during the good and the lean times respectively. Those message board posters who accused Marvin Menzies of being in over his head and not knowing how to coach -- whatever that means -- were simply but unknowingly and quite tellingly describing themselves. Has Coach Menzies grown in his capacity during his head coaching tenure in Las Cruces? Absolutely. That's human nature in any occupation except for the empty suits in our workforce too scared or too rigid to learn, adapt and advance.

We will reserve a degree of criticism for the administrative leniency displayed at times in Las Cruces for certain player behavior and academic inattention. That's fair.

All New Mexico State basketball fans should be reveling in the success of the 2009-2010 season, no ifs, ands or buts. However, the ones who also offer that they hope acceptable grade point levels and student-athlete academic advancement are par for the course from here on out are not to be summarily dismissed. The recent past should not be forgotten amidst the rightful joy of this season's tremendous achievement.

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It's Rice the coach, now known as the Boise treat. (yes, we really labored on that one so no minus points if you don't get it)

Nick Jezierny offers a human interest-type feature on Leon Rice, who will receive a greater salary, plus improvements in the recruiting budget and the amount he can offer assistants.

Nick also has another Rice article here.

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Jeff Portnoy offers another column, one with a John Calipari sighting.