UTAH STATE
Yes, the Aggies will be Jared Quayle-less but four starters return so no pity party is on tap in Logan. Next year, "The Four" -- Tai Wesley, Nate Bendall, Tyler Newbold and Pooh Williams -- depart en masse but that's getting ahead of ourselves.
Quayle moved right in when Jaycee Carroll graduated and quickly proceeded to become a top WAC player in his own right -- can junior college transfer Brockeith Pane do the same? That's really the only positional question in the USU starting five.
Smalls
Norvell Arnold 6-foot-5 G/F junior Southeastern Iowa JC
He'll redshirt this season.
Antonio Bumpus 6-foot-3 G junior Harcum JC PA
He'll redshirt this season.
Brian Green 6-foot-1 G senior
A catch-and-shoot backcourter extraordinare and a glue-type player who plays to his strengths and minimizes his shortcomings. There's talk of him playing the point at times but our sense is that's a backup, we-have-no-alternative plan.
E.J. Farris 6-foot-2 G sophomore (walk-on)
We just don't see any opportunity for this walk-on.
Preston Medlin 6-foot-4 G sophomore
He's a shooter who posted decent to good percentages, especially for a frosh (41%, 38%, 93%) -- his keys are can he develop creating skills and/or also become more of a factor as a defender?
Tyler Newbold 6-foot-4 G senior
He is what he is as for some time we thought he would develop into an elite WAC backcourter -- our projection was in error but that's no denigration. Newbold remains a generally solid distance shooter who takes what comes to him and doesn't require a certain amount of touches or shots per game. He is dependable and careful as a ballhandler and also a defender who will always give the effort at that end of the floor.
Brockeith Pane 6-foot-2 G junior Midland JC TX
He is a good shooter with a nice all-around game and the expectation is he will earn the starting point job since he has the most experience at that position.
James Walker 6-foot-2 G freshman CA HS
It will be interesting what role he moves into -- more as a point or a two guard? He's a good athlete who is very competitive.
Pooh Williams 6-foot-3 G/F senior
A superb defender who seems to always force his opponent into an off-shooting game, Williams also pops enough from outside and scores on dribble-drives to the hoop to make his offensive output a nuisance.
Bigs
Nate Bendall 6-foot-9 F senior
Bendall doesn't do anything spectacular but he produces game after game -- something indicative of his taking advantage of the opportunities Stew Morrill's offensive sets present. More an opportunity scorer, putbacks and face-the-basket open shots seem to be his point-scoring proclivities.
Brad Brown 6-foot-6 F freshman
He redshirted in 2007-2008 and then went off on a two-year LDS mission so some major rust must have accumulated.
Ben Clifford 6-foot-8 F freshman UT HS
We'll see how much opportunity awaits him as a frosh but he appears to be one of those plug-'em-in types the Aggies seem to specialize in producing. Not a wow player but a steady producer, let's see how quickly he adapts to the college game.
Matt Formisano 6-foot-8 F senior
Formisano plays within himself -- seemingly never doing anything that 'hurts' his team.
Morgan Grim 6-foot-8 F junior
It didn't work out at Utah for him so he headed over to Logan. He has more potential than Formisano but what is his ceiling needs determining.
Brady Jardine 6-foot-7 F junior
No doubt about it, take Jardine in any athletic skills competition. However, he is still harnessing his basketball skills and needs to move beyond the occasional spectacular play to a steady stream of solid ones. Better dribble-drive ability and the addition of a mid-range jumper would open up his offensive game.
Leland Miller 7-foot-2 C sophomore
He's a project but one who should help his teammates in preparing for going up against taller opponents.
Tai Wesley 6-foot-7 F senior
This guy is the one who will be very difficult to replace but that a year away concern. He plays big, is extremely physical, makes it impossible to swipe the ball from him once in the paint, passes well and won't back down from any challenge. What will be fascinating is where he finishes in the WAC MVP race because he won't average 20 points per game yet his overall contributions positions him right up there.
Stew Morrill's starting five
* Nate Bendall
* Tai Wesley
* Pooh Williams
* Tyler Newbold
* Brockeith Pane
We can't wait to see what BillS will concoct for the game when Boise State comes to town for the last time. Speaking of Sir William of Sproat, here's hoping he is hale and hearty and back soon in his grass skirt and coconut cups.
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4 comments:
No doubt the Utags will be a great team, again. But will they be tough and talented enough to beat NMSU in March when the Southern Ags will again be at their best? Tai Wesley was punished by Troy Gillenwater last year in Reno and that was Troy's 10th game of the year. Stew will get them to the post season though.
It's pretty easy to punish someone when you break their nose in the first 5 minutes of the game. Maybe NMSU should worry about their team in December and January for a change instead of waiting until a 3 day tournement in March.
Great preview. Thanks for the good reading.
Haha Gillenwater punished Wesley? I guess if you count breaking his nose and repeatedly hitting him in the face throughout the game? I'm guessing that if Tai had broken Gillenwater's nose Tai would have punished Troy too. Chill Newmag fans. You're getting way ahead of yourselves. The conference belongs to Utah State for a fourth year in a row.
Gillenwater is head and shoulders above Tai Wesley and NMSU is a TOUGHER program them pretty little USU. Texas A&M made USU look like a JUCO team while NMSU was one possession away from beating Michigan St who went to the final four. Like I said, USU will be good again but they lack big time players in big time situations.
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