Wednesday's WAC roundup

Gotta give 'em credit -- UH went after a now Pac-12 commit: Blue Zertuche (a Rivals sub is required) reports 6-foot-5 Texas prep forward Fred Richardson was pursued by Kansas State, Marquette, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Baylor, Nebraska, Oregon and Hawaii before going with the Ducks.

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Tony Jones is back, writing that Friday is THE day.

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Teddy Feinberg looks at the various options for New Mexico State athletics.

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Chris Murray has an intriguing column up today questioning the addition of San Jose State University to the Mountain West Conference, with UT San Antonio offered as a more viable alternative.

Big (in more ways than one) New Mexico State recruiting news

Wow.

Head here.

He's not a blue chipper but what potential. New Mexico State has a way with prospects having eligibility concerns.

Wendell McKines will have quite the mate this season.

Tuesday's a.m. WAC compendium

Kurt Kragthorpe is joining the side that wants Utah to face its fellow in-state basketball opponents, USU specifically.

PTW agrees (for what that's worth). But please, no legislation. That's a bridge too far.

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CRAZYTOWN at the Aggie Alert Sports Trough MB offers a link to a video feature on New Mexico State signee Daniel Mullings.

That's it for now.

A New Mexico State coach moving back east

Chris Murray reports that Chris Pompey, a New Mexico State assistant coach, is headed back east:

New Mexico State loses an assistant coach
Chris Murray
Reno Gazette-Journal
4/28/2010

According to the Twitter account of Fox Sports college basketball writer Jeff Goodman, New Mexico State assistant coach Chris Pompey is leaving the Aggies...

Go here for the remainder.

Pompey graduated from Pittsburgh and operated a club basketball team in Washington D.C.

Jason Groves on the "P" word

Jason Groves has a commentary out today on the Aggie men's basketball squad, attaching the "P" word throughout:

COMMENTARY: NMSU men's hoops team has the pieces in place for league championship run
Jason Groves
Las Cruces Sun-News
10/16/2009

Potential is a dangerous word.

Especially when trying to handicap the New Mexico State men's basketball team.

As the first day of practice opens Friday across the nation, the Aggies return the Western Athletic Conference's top scorer (Jahmar Young), rebounder (Wendell McKines) and 3-point shooter (Gordo Castillo). The Aggies return all five starters from a team that finished 12-4 in WAC play, led the league in scoring (76.3 points per game) and peaked in time for a run to the WAC tournament semifinals as a No. 5 seed.

Now, third-year coach Marvin Menzies has to find a way to put all the pieces together.

While the talent is certainly there, the question marks can't be ignored...

Go here for the remainder.

Jason Groves has some NMSU personnel updates

New Mexico State is edging close to being able to have separate five-on-five practices and Jason Groves/Las Cruces Sun News has the latest on some of the newest Aggies.

Go here.

Jason Groves has an Aggie roster update

Jason Groves/Las Cruces Sun-News has a bit more on that ever elusive African big long rumored to be headed to play for Marvin Menzies.

Go here for his complete blog post.

Jahmar Young gets featured

UnderdogAggie at the Scout New Mexico State site basketball message board (say that quickly five times) has a post that contains a link to a video interview with Jahmar Young, other videos and some background on Young.

Go here.

The apparition steps forward?

Per Teddy Feinberg/Las Cruces Sun-News, the long awaited, hoped-for, mentioned, worshipped 'big' from Africa is to become a reality for New Mexico State men's basketball. The arrival date still seems up in the air though.

Go here for the story.

Jason Groves reports on New Mexico State basketball

Jason Groves/Las Cruces Sun-News has some interesting updates on Aggie basketball -- this about possible personnel departures and sidelinings.

Go here (we don't want to give any of the names)

Jason Groves throws a bone to Aggie fans

The New Mexico State coaching brass have done a superb/aggravating (it depends on your vantage point) job at keeping its 'recruiting cards' close to the vest. Actually, inside the vest which is hermetically sealed in a mayonnaise jar and locked away in a secret vault, guarded by a battalion of Brinks guards and trucks, Green Berets and F-15 fighter jets.

But Jason Groves has somehow entered the sanctuary and offers a couple of recruiting possibilities today: B.J. West and Deshawn Gomez. Here's where you need to go to read about the pair.

After attempting to google B.J. West and coming up empty we are tempted to think Marvin Menzies is going after the basketball version of Sidd Finch. ;-)

It's New Mexico State and Boise State in the finals

New Mexico State dominated the boards against Nevada -- simply owning the Wolf Pack -- that being the primary difference in the Aggie victory. On the flip side of the semifinals, the Boise State Broncos keep proving us wrong.

Aggies blast past Pack, headed to finals
Jason Groves
Las Cruces Sun-News
3/15/2008

LAS CRUCES - They say it's hard to beat a team three times in a season.

That theory was proven true in each of Friday's Western Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals.

After watching Boise State break through against Utah State in the early game, No. 3 New Mexico State defeated No. 2 Nevada for the first time this season and the second time in WAC play, eliminating the Wolf Pack 83-75 at the Pan Am.

The Aggies look to repeat as WAC Tournament champions when they face Boise State tonight at 7 p.m.

"We are pretty familiar with them (Boise State)," said NMSU first-year coach Marvin Menzies, who improved to 22-10 in his first season as a Division I head coach. "I said coming in that I thought any of the top four seeds were capable of winning. Number one and two are gone, but three and four could have been one and two. Fortunately we came out on the right side of that."

Aggies freshman forward Herb Pope played through an 0-for-12 start to the WAC Tournament to finish with career highs with 18 points and 13 rebounds on Friday. He scored 10 straight points and blocked a Marcelus Kemp shot with 1:26 left to hold off the Wolf Pack.

"I didn't realize it was 10 points, I was just caught up in the moment," Pope said. "The whole game plan was to pound it into our big men and kick it out for 3-pointers..."

Go here for the remainder.

OR

WAC Tournament: Nevada bounced in semis; NCAA bid over
Steve Sneddon
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
March 15, 2008

LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- Although it was an amazing comeback, the Nevada basketball team got buried in an avalanche of New Mexico State rebounds.

The Wolf Pack wiped out a 13-point second-half deficit to tie the game, but couldn't go any further, largely because it couldn't get rebounds when it badly needed them.

Justin Hawkins scored 23 points and Herb Pope had 18 to lead the Aggies to an 83-75 win over Nevada in a semifinal game of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament in front of 9,983 fans at the Pan American Center on Friday night.

After falling behind 57-44 with 8 minutes, 53 seconds left, Brandon Fields scored 10 points on a 17-4 run that enabled the Pack to tie the game at 61-61 with 4:22 left.

Pope broke a 61-61 tie with a tip-in at 3:18 as the Aggies outscored Nevada, 22-14 for the resmainder of the game. Although the Pack was able to mount a comeback, New Mexico State controlled the game on the boards, outrebounding Nevada, 52-25...

Go here for the remainder.

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BSU men will play for the WAC crown Saturday
Nick Jezierny
Idaho Statesman
March 15, 2008

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The Boise State men's basketball team paid one debt Friday night and has a chance to pay another Saturday.

The Broncos dominated Utah State 88-78 in a WAC Tournament semifinal at the Pan American Center, avenging two regular-season losses in a game with so much at stake.

The victory advanced BSU to Saturday night's nationally televised championship game against New Mexico State - another team with two regular-season wins over BSU - and gives the Broncos a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1994.

A loss means BSU will have to wait and see if one of the other postseason tournaments - the NIT or the inaugural College Basketball Invitational - come calling Sunday night.

"All of this means nothing if we don't win (Saturday)," BSU senior Matt Bauscher said. "It's the biggest game of our lives, and we'll see what happens."

New Mexico State beat Nevada 83-75 in Friday's other semifinal, outrebounding the Wolf Pack 52-25 and shooting twice as many free throws on their home floor as the Wolf Pack.

"They're probably the biggest and most athletic team in the conference, and that's where they create problems," BSU coach Greg Graham said.

The Broncos have witnessed those problems before.

BSU (24-8) was swept by NMSU (21-13) this season and has lost six in a row to the Aggies. NMSU won the last meeting 99-80 in Las Cruces and knocked the Broncos out of last year's conference tournament in this same building...

Go here for the remainder.

OR

BSU treys do in Ags
Shawn Harrison
Logan Herald Journal
March 15, 2008

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — Reaching a conference tournament title game in men’s basketball has become almost a regular occurrence at Utah State.

The Aggies had played in the championship contest the last three years and seven of the previous eight seasons with an NCAA Tournament berth on the line. That will not happen this time around.

USU will have to fall back on its automatic berth to the NIT to reach the postseason for the ninth straight year. The Aggies got bucked by Boise State 88-78 Friday night at the Pan American Center in the semifinals of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament.

The Broncos will face tournament host New Mexico State tonight at 7 in the title tilt with an NCAA Tournament berth on the line. The southern Aggies beat Nevada in the second semifinal of the night, 83-75.

The top-seeded Aggies faced a much more determined Bronco bunch than they did a week ago. USU ruined BSU’s Senior Night, 88-69, and the Broncos had that on their minds going into the third meeting between these schools.

“It (last week’s loss to USU) was pretty much the worst basketball moment of my life on Senior Night,” said BSU senior guard Matt Bauscher, who had a game-best 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting, which included 5-of-6 from 3-point land. “They spoiled our Senior Night. ... As a team, we just came out and got after it.”

Boy, did they...

Go here for the remainder.

Yesterday's WAC-iness

Actually all the games were fairly mundane with no upsets, so no real wackiness. Now we still think that some network (hint: Fox, ESPN) is simply blowing it by not televising the Nevada - New Mexico State game today. This one should really be a brawl.

Anyway, on to last night:

Aggies take apart Idaho; Prepare for Wolf Pack
Jason Groves
Las Cruces Sun-News
3/14/2008

LAS CRUCES - With less than five minutes left to play and with victory a forgone conclusion, New Mexico State University students started to chant.

"This is our house."

The sixth-seeded Aggies defeated No. 6 Idaho 73-53 in Thursday's Western Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal at the Pan American Center.

NMSU advanced to tonight's highly-anticipated semifinal against No. 2 Nevada at 8:30 p.m.

In his post game comments, Aggies head coach Marvin Menzies said that in tournament play, coaches don't have a lot of time to enjoy victories before preparing for the next game. In this case, the next game is Nevada.

"It's going to be a hard fought battle," said NMSU senior point guard Fred Peete, who had 12 points, six assists and five rebounds against Idaho. "Defensively, we just have to stay tough on them because they are going to knock down shots."

If there was one thing the Aggies did against Idaho, it was knock down shots. NMSU was 10-for-18 (55.6 percent) from behind the 3-point line. Senior forward Justin Hawkins scored 22 of his 26 points in the first half.

Hawkins was a rebound shy of a double-double in the first half, pulling down nine rebounds. The Aggies out rebounded Idaho 28-14 in the first half and 45-34 for the game...

Go here for the remainder.

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Boise State men overcome sluggish first half to beat Hawaii, advance to WAC semifinals
Nick Jezierny
Idaho Statesman
3-13-08

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - After a horrible first half in Thursday's WAC Tournament quarterfinal against Hawaii, Boise State sophomore point guard Anthony Thomas heard it from his coaches and some of his teammates.

So when Thomas returned to the floor for the second half, he looked in the stands at the Pan American Center and found his father, who had arrived just in time for the noon tipoff.

Thomas walked to the edge of the court and listened to his father's message.

"A family secret," John Thomas said when asked what he told his son. "But I should have talked to him before the first half."

The message worked.

Thomas, who was a first-half liability and a big reason why the BSU men's basketball team trailed by eight points, settled down in the second half. He began to steer the team's offense rather than try to create it, and the Broncos became ultra-efficient and rallied for an 80-74 win. The Broncos (23-8) advanced to a tournament semifinal Friday against Utah State (24-9), which defeated San Jose State 85-65 on Thursday.

Reggie Larry scored 26 points and pulled down nine rebounds to lead the Broncos, but the senior forward said extending the season would not have been possible without Thomas' transformation...

Go here for the remainder.

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Bulldogs show fight before falling to Nevada
Gary Estwick
The Fresno Bee
3/13/08

LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- Alex Blair jumped and stretched his arms high, too high for JaVale McGee to reach. He ended the play by hanging atop the rim, while McGee fell back to the Pan American Center court.

Blair scored again on Fresno State's next possession, and the senior forward was nearly halfway through his career-best performance.

McGee then vented his frustration on the Bulldogs, a continuing assault of dunks and jump shots that ended a season of disappointments and setbacks for No. 7 seed Fresno State with a 64-57 loss in the quarterfinals of the Western Athletic Conference tournament.

No. 2 seed Nevada advances to play No. 3 seed New Mexico State tonight in the WAC semifinals. By then, the Bulldogs will be back in Fresno, contemplating their final loss of the season, one last example of what happens when they fail to score points in crucial stretches.

"We had plenty of open looks, but you have to hit those shots," said coach Steve Cleveland, whose third season ended with a 13-19 record, his first losing mark in Fresno.

Fresno State shot 33.3% from the field.

Senior Kevin Bell became the school's all-time assists leader with four in the game, but he finished with 11 points on 4-of-16 shooting. Eddie Miller also ended his career with 11 points, as did Hector Hernandez, who scored nine.

Blair scored a career-best 14 points with eight rebounds against Nevada 7-footers McGee and David Ellis and Demarshay Johnson at 6-9. But not even Blair could defend McGee, who six days earlier ruined Senior Night at the Save Mart Center with a 23-point performance...

Go here for the remainder.

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WAC Tournament: Pack pushes into semis
Steve Sneddon
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
March 14, 2008

LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- Tournament host New Mexico State now stands in the path that could lead to Nevada's fifth straight NCAA Tournament berth.

To reach the semifinal game, the Pack had to get past a slippery spot on that path, beating No. 7 Fresno State, 64-57, in a difficult quarterfinal game in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament on Thursday at the Pan American Center.

JaVale McGee helped keep the Pack's season alive, with his 22 points and 10 rebounds. Nevada, the No. 2 seed after sharing the regular-season title with Utah State, New Mexico State and Boise State, opened a 13-point lead early in the second half. But there were anxious moments as the Bulldogs sliced the lead to three points at various points in the second.

"It's a hard-fought victory for us," coach Mark Fox said. "We played very well in the first half to establish a lead. Fresno was much more aggressive in the first 10 minutes of the second half. They whittled a lead down, like a good team will. We were fortunate to hang on and show some poise late again."

Nevada ran its overall record to 21-10 as it prepares to face No. 3-seeded New Mexico State in a semifinal at 7:30 p.m. tonight on KAME 21, after No. 1 Utah State plays No. 4 Boise State in the evening's first game. The Pack won both regular season games against New Mexico State, including an 87-78 victory at the Pan American Center on Jan. 24...

Go here for the remainder.

Last night's WAC happenings

New Mexico State didn't stumble -- heck they did a stomp -- but Boise State let a golden opportunity slip from its grasp and even LA TECH took a win in Thursday night WAC action.

Aggies roll past San Jose State at home
Felix Chavez
Las Cruces Sun-News
3/07/2008

LAS CRUCES — Fred Peete looks pretty comfortable in the point guard spot.

On Thursday night, the senior guard helped the Aggies offense operate in solid fashion in an 88-65 win against San Jose State at the Pan American Center.

Peete finished with a workman-like line of eight points, seven assists, seven boards and just one turnover in 33 minutes. He now has 40 assists and nine turnovers in the team's last six games.

"Fred has done a great job in running the team at the guard spot," forward Justin Hawkins said. "It's a position he likes being in and he's responded with good games."

Added Peete: "The guys have done a great job of finishing. I've been able to take care of the ball and everything has gone well the past few games."

New Mexico State head coach Marvin Menzies said the two have had several meetings recently to talk about his play at the point.

"Fred deserves all the credit for what's he's done," Menzies said. "He's focused, he's conscientious about how many assists and turnovers he has. He's comfortable in what's he's doing and he's getting everyone involved."

Thursday's game was a far cry from the 83-81 win the Aggies had in San Jose last month.

The Aggies controlled the action for the most part, outrebounding, outshooting and outworking the Spartans in improving to 18-13 overall and 11-4 in the Western Athletic Conference. San Jose State slips to 12-17 and 4-11...

Go here for the remainder.

AND

The Broncos had the stars and planets aligned but fell to USU:

'Sad, sad night' for Boise State men in loss to Utah State
Nick Jezierny
Idaho Statesman
March 07, 2008

The Boise State men's basketball team couldn't win an outright WAC championship Thursday night because the Broncos couldn't make enough shots from behind the 3-point line or the foul line.

Utah State took advantage of BSU's shooting woes and put on an offensive clinic of its own in steamrolling the Broncos 88-69 in front of a season-high crowd of 10,352 at Taco Bell Arena.

"It's just a sad, sad night," said Bronco senior Reggie Larry, who went over the 1,000-point barrier in his career by scoring a team-high 23 points, pulling down nine rebounds and blocking four shots.

The loss by the Broncos (22-8 overall, 12-4 WAC) likely relegates them to co-, tri- or quad-champions of the WAC. A victory against Utah State (22-9, 11-4) would have given BSU the outright championship. The Broncos still could be the outright champs if Nevada, New Mexico State and Utah State lose theirfinal conference games Saturday.

"We had a chance to end it here at home and we kind of let it slip away," point guard Anthony Thomas said. "It hurts a little bit."

After Thomas started the game with a made 3-pointer, but the Broncos missed their next 13 shots from behind the arc. They finished 2-of-17 from 3-point range. The two 3-pointers were a season-low total for the Broncos. The 11.8 percent was the worst of the season. The 69 points also were the fewest scored by BSU this season.

"We've always had good balance," BSU coach Greg Graham said. "When we got the ball inside, we hurt them. We didn't have enough firepower from the outside."

And the Broncos certainly didn't help themselves at the free-throw line. They made just 21-of-33, including 9-of-17 in the first half, when the Aggies took a 44-30 lead that never dipped below nine points the rest of the way.

"They pulled away because we couldn't make free throws," Graham said. "I thought that was the key to the game - that and the rebounds."

Utah State owned a 38-22 advantage on the boards, including 12 on the offensive end. Aggie post players Stephen DuCharme, Tai Wesley and Gary Wilkinson combined for 42 points and 19 rebounds. Jaycee Carroll scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half and had nine rebounds...

Go here for the remainder.

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Matt Gibson foul trouble provided the opening for LA TECH to edge past Hawaii and nab a win.

LaTech ambushes Warriors, 69-62
Chris Weego
Special to The Honolulu Advertiser
March 7, 2008

RUSTON, La. — One streak had to be broken. Heading into the matchup, Hawai'i held a four-game losing streak while Louisiana Tech had dropped five straight.

The ball bounced the Bulldogs' way as UH fell, 69-62, at the Thomas Assembly Center last night.

"For some reason, we haven't been able to take care of the ball," said Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash. "Louisiana Tech really wanted to get the win and they worked really hard. They forced us into 20 turnovers and out-rebounded us."

The Rainbow Warriors (11-17, 7-8 WAC) could not keep the Bulldogs (5-23, 2-13 WAC) off the boards as Louisiana Tech held a 35-28 rebounding advantage and scored 18 second-chance points.

The Bulldogs also took advantage of the charity stripe as they hit 30 of 35 free-throw attempts to help seal their second conference win of the season.

"They shot 35 free throws and when you give a team that shoots 76 percent from the free-throw line, that's a lot of points," Nash said. "When you give a team that many shots, you're not going to win many games."

Hawai'i led through most of the first half, building as large as a seven-point lead before Louisiana Tech closed to 25-24 at halftime.

The teams battled back and forth in the second half until senior guard Matt Gibson, who led the Warriors with 22 points, picked up his fourth foul with 10:59 to play...

Go here for the remainder.

It still looks like New Mexico State is the ... 550 pound gorilla

Steve Sneddon has made it to my Christmas card list what with another fine column today -- this one on how New Mexico State is the top team to fear in the WAC. But we'll say the Aggies aren't quite yet at the level of the 800 pound gorilla. NMSU certainly has the best components of all the teams in the WAC but such is not a guarantee of finishing at the top. Let's see what happens on Saturday in Reno. The following contains some good quotes from both Marvin Menzies and Mark Fox:

Pack basketball: Nevada faces sharper Aggies team in Round 2
Steve Sneddon
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
February 27, 2008

Like any complicated puzzle, it took awhile to put this one together.

Now that it's complete, it's something to behold. These New Mexico State Aggies have all the pieces any college basketball team would want.

They've won five games in a row and they're a half game out of first place in the Western Athletic Conference. On Thursday at Lawlor Events Center, the Aggies will try to avenge an 87-78 loss to the Wolf Pack at Las Cruces, N.M., on Jan. 24.

"I think our chemistry has improved a great deal, guys getting familiar with each other," Aggies first-year coach Marvin Menzies said. "We finally got all of our players in place. I think the biggest thing for us is having a full complement and having them together for a stretch of seven, eight games.

"Plus, they're sharing the ball. They're looking to make the extra pass. I think guys are understanding that team concepts are really critical when it comes to playing well. It can't be 'me' ball. I think that's one of the biggest concepts we've bought into that has enabled us to play much better offense. Defensively, I think younger guys are understanding defensive schemes..."

Go here for the remainder.

Call it a black WAC Saturday

This was not a good Saturday night for the WAC.

The contest that astounded us the most was Hawaii's 79-62 defeat to UC Riverside. The Highlanders -- at home -- won both 20 minute sessions, 34-20 and 45-42. Matt Gibson was absent for the Rainbow Warriors due to injury and his absence apparently fomented a decline offensively and defensively for Bob Nash's squad.

But Boise State's stinker versus Sienna -- at home -- plus the margin of defeat (93-70), was also an eye-opener. Looking at the split, Sienna outscored the Broncos 45-40 in the first half but put up 48 points to Boise's 30 in the second 20 minutes.

As expected, Fresno State took the measure of visiting Cal Poly 76-70. Also as expected, New Mexico State stomped Long Beach State in Las Cruces 80-48 (we understand the travel and location constraints involved in some of the BrackBuster matchups but there was no reason to even hold this game). In that one, Long Beach missed its first 14 shots and was out-rebounded 55-26.

At home, Irvine beat Idaho 69-55, with the margin somewhat surprising. Samford took overtime to beat Louisiana Tech 73-70 in Ruston.

Utah State topped UC Santa Barbara 72-59 Friday night in Logan.

The following game also really hurts, really making it truly a black Saturday for the WAC. Nevada shocked us with this one:

Pack drubbed by So. Illinois
Steve Sneddon
Reno Gazette-Journal
February 23, 2008

CARBONDALE, Ill. — After the first 14 minutes, the Nevada basketball team wasn’t in the game, nowhere to be seen.

The Wolf Pack was pushed and shoved out of the ESPNU picture by a merciless Southern Illinois defense. Randal Falker scored 17 points and the Saluki defense did the rest with 14 steals in Southern Illinois’ 74-49 BracketBuster win in front of 7,321 fans at SIU Arena on Saturday afternoon,

“We got outplayed. We got outcoached,” Nevada coach Mark Fox said. “We got out every-thinged.”

The 25-point loss was one of the worst for Nevada this season, second only to a 106-70 loss at then-No.1 ranked North Carolina on Dec. 27. It was a season scoring low for the Pack, which previously hadn’t been held to less than 55 points. Nevada also equaled its season high with 21 turnovers.

“We were pretty much careless with the ball and they capitalized on it,” Pack senior Marcelus Kemp said.

Kemp said Southern Illinois was the best defensive team that Nevada has played this season.

“They’re real physical, everybody,” Kemp said. “They get away with a lot of fouls. That’s how this (Missouri Valley) league is. It’s how they play. We weren’t ready for it. The coaches told us, but we weren’t ready for it...”

Go here for the remainder.

Marvin Menzies has a plan

Coach Marvin Menzies has a plan and is utilizing it to what seems like an excellent benefit:

NMSU recruits getting head start
Jason Groves
Las Cruces Sun-News
2/12/2008

LAS CRUCES —Spending time in high major programs has made an impact on New Mexico State University men's basketball coach Marvin Menzies.

Menzies was hired as a first-time Division I coach in large part due to a successful career recruiting, which he has proven in his short time in Las Cruces.

Menzies, like those that he has worked under, likes to get the most out of his talent.

"I like the idea of bringing in recruits and them not playing for a year so they can understand what college life is like," Menzies said. "Utilizing the Doña Ana Community College, we have been able to bring in some kids who weren't initial qualifiers out of high school."

With current redshirts Troy Gillenwater, Hamidu Rahman and Robert Lumpkins already at the branch campus, Menzies added two more guards in the last month. Terrance Joyner (Genesis One in Missisippi) and Faisal Aden (God's Academy in Dallas) are the latest two additions.

Joyner and Aden came to Las Cruces for the spring semester, where they have had an opportunity to improve academically after leaving prep schools, which have come under more scrutiny from the NCAA...

Go here for the remainder.

Herb Pope can now play

The bells you hear ringing throughout Las Cruces are due to the NCAA finally determining that freshman Herb Pope is eligible to play D-1 basketball this season.

This is from the NMSU web site:

NCAA Clears Herb Pope to Join Aggies
Courtesy: New Mexico State University
1/11/2008

Las Cruces, N.M. - New Mexico State Athletics Director Dr. McKinley Boston and head men’s basketball coach Marvin Menzies announced Friday, Jan. 11, that freshman forward Herb Pope has been cleared for competition by the NCAA after an approval of an initial eligibility waiver was granted. Pope can begin competition immediately.

Menzies also announced that he will hand down a one-game suspension to Pope after violating team rules. The NMSU Student-Athlete Code of Conduct states that punishment for all non-felony crimes is left to the discretion of the head coach.

“We are pleased that Herb has been cleared by the NCAA,” Boston said. “We are disappointed that the process has taken this long but felt all along that he would be cleared to play. At the same time I am also supportive of coach Menzies’ decision on a one-game suspension for Herb after a violation of team rules.”

“I’m excited and happy to finally move on and start my college career,” Pope said. “I want to thank the University and everyone that has helped me for all their hard work. I want to apologize to the University, coaches, fans and all the supporters of New Mexico State athletics for my off-the-court actions. I look forward to putting everything behind me and playing basketball.”

We now also know how NMSU has decided to handle Pope's recent arrest. We are not surprised.

Will NMSU whiff on the latest?

It's difficult to sum up the various legal transgressions surrounding the New Mexico State men's basketball squad with some all-encompassing framework but were going to try anyway.

It begins last season with Tyrone Nelson being charged in August 2006 with robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery (he also struck a pizza deliverer) and later on also being indicted for bribery (trying to get someone else to admit to the charges). Nelson eventually pleaded guilty in July 2007.

Neither the New Mexico State school administration, the NMSU Athletic Director, nor the coach at the time chose to impose any sort of penalty on Nelson -- stating he was innocent until proven guilty -- until a final outcome took place with the legal system. Let's just say that this is not the usual policy for an NCAA institution for such serious charges.

Some say other team members were aware of Nelson's guilt from the get-go. Others say he was somehow covering for his brother. The truth is known only to a few people and they aren't talking.

However, McKinley Boston, the NMSU Athletic Director, testified in court as a character witness for Nelson and offered this proposal: a provisional discharge for Nelson which would have allowed him to continue playing basketball at NMSU under a behavior contract.

Boston offered that being able to continue playing basketball would have provided motivation for Nelson to continue in school and graduate.

While never being the eye-for-eye type and quite open to second chances in the appropriate circumstances, Nelson admitted he chose to strike someone and then steal from that person. Hey, we didn't just fall off the turnip truck. If banishment from being an Aggie basketball player reduced or eliminated his motivation to continue in school, well, we're not hauling out the tissue to dab our eyes or his.

Plus, it's scarlet-colored embarrassing for a school administrator to offer such a weak proposition. It might be different if Nelson had immediately copped to his actions but, again, he chose not to do so, wishing to play out the string so he could stay on the basketball court for his junior season.

We wish him no harm nor ill will but his actions eliminated his opportunities to represent a state educational institution. Additionally, nowhere in all of the various media reports is any apology to the person he harmed.


On to Herb Pope. He was arrested in late December and charged with DUI, underage drinking, and reckless endangerment. This after the NCAA still taking its own sweet time in determining if Hope is eligible to play or not this rapidly concluding season. One of the issues here is that Pope's scrape with the law took place with the Tyrone Nelson matter still fairly fresh in people's minds -- rather than an empty vacuum.

The charges aren't ultra-serious although Pope should consider himself blessed for not having killed or injured someone while behind the wheel. Pope was found unconscious in a car sitting in a driving lane -- Business Route 60.

If found guilty (it sure seems like the outcome), he is deserving of a second chance as would anyone in his situation as a first offender. But a second chance based on counseling and some sort of a monetary fine plus a suspension of his driving privilege for a period of time.

Pope has been suspended indefinitely for violation of university and team rules.


Then NMSU starting center Hatila Passos and reserve guard Paris Carter were suspended around December 21, 2007 for violations of undisclosed team rules. Supposedly both these suspensions have to do with academics and not civil/criminal legal infractions so are certainly not in the same league as Nelson's and Pope's circumstances. But they get a similar mention -- right or wrong -- when player woes in Las Cruces are discussed.


Most recently, Aggie players Chris Cole and Jahmar Young were arrested on separate issues.

Cole failed to be at a December 7 court appearance scheduled to determine why he had failed to pay off fines incurred for driving without a license and without headlights -- hence a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. Obviously this is not any sort of a major offense, more thoughtlessness and possibly stuidity on his part. But again, the recent history regarding the negativity that actions of members of the New Mexico State University men's basketball team have cast over the program catches him rightly or wrongly in its clutches.

It is different for Young.

He is accused of exposing himself to a woman in July 2007 and offering a sum of money to her if she would perform a sex act on him. The woman apparently filed the complaint in September but more is not yet known regarding the delay between July and September. Young was give a November 28 court date but failed to appear and then became the subject of a bench warrant.

This is a far, far serious charge than Cole's situation and one that, if convicted, could possibly result with Young having to register as a sex offender. This is also a situation that won't sit well with a number of the members -- faculty and students -- in a college environment as the event is described as having taken place on the NMSU campus.

Here's Coach Marvin Menzies on Young's charge: "...At that point, if it goes further or if it disappears, we will take the next step. If it disappears, I don't have anything to judge J.Y. on. If it becomes a court issue and a social misconduct issue, then there will be some discipline put forth. From talking to J.Y., I'm interested to see where this thing goes."

These players were recruited to the university by former Coach Reggie Theus -- not that this absolves Menzies from his responsibilities in playing a role in determining whatever punishments, if any, are ultimately determined by the school in each player's situation. But there is a question of how much authority Menzies has in these matters.

The one constant in all of these legal cases is McKinley Boston. His behavior in the Tyrone Nelson situation goes beyond the worst in enabling. There is no excuse for his actions there -- they were flat out wrong.

Let's see how he handles the Herb Pope situation, albeit one far less serious than Nelson's.

With Passos and Carter, it is entirely an internal matter and should be included along with the others -- at least with what is currently known.

Cole's situation in and of itself is again not anything serious. That is, unless one looks at a particular pattern forming.

As for Young, obviously the truth needs to be determined. It may be an extremely serious matter , be a 'he said-she said' or be bogus. But an arraignment indicates the district attorney in Las Cruces isn't taking the matter lightly.

What the powers-that-be at New Mexico State University do, or not, if the case is pursued by authorities will be quite telling. If indeed that is the scenario, will it be Tyrone Nelson part deux or an adherence to a greater integrity?

The sun rose in the north this morning...

Yes, the sun rose in the north this morning, I can dunk a basketball without my specially built ladder and Jahmar Young is now eligible to play at New Mexico State University.

Now two of those statements are false but it would be hard convincing Aggie fans of such up until a short while ago.

NMSU's Jahmar Young cleared to play
Las Cruces Sun News
12/14/2007 03:07:29 PM MST

New Mexico State freshmen guard Jahmar Young has been cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse to play basketball for the New Mexico State Aggies.

Go here for the remainder of the article.