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.

San Jose State tops LA TECH 64-62

The play-in game is a done deal but not without its share of excitement. Here's what we wrote about it for another site:

Oh my, if you didn't have a heart condition before this game, you probably do now.

San Jose State led 64-62 with 21.8 seconds remaining after Justin Graham hit just one of two free throws. The Bulldogs brought the ball down but couldn't get a good look and the Spartans fouled with 5.2 seconds on the clock. It was an intentional foul in the sense that SJSU still had fouls to give before LTU would enter the bonus.

Tech then called timeout and on the in-bounds play, Dwayne Lathen missed inside and a Bulldog tip also was errant. San Jose rebounded and that was it. SJSU played zone almost the entire game but went man-to-man at the very end.

DaShawn Wright led with 17 points (8-11 shooting) and six rebounds, followed by Tim Pierce with 16. C.J. Webster added 13 and Chris Oakes 11.

The score was 54-54 at the 6:51 mark. The Techsters jumped ahead by four, 54-50, but San Jose State scored the next eight points. LTU then fought back and went ahead but a Webster bucket made it 60-60 with 2:55 remaining.

A Wright 12-footer in the lane gave the Spartan a 62-60 lead but Drew Washington's layup tied the score yet again.

Pierce made one of two free throws and JC Clark missed on a scoop shot leading to the aforementioned foul that put Justin Graham on the foul line with 21.8 ticks left.

The first half ended with the Spartans ahead by four points, 31-27. Tim Pierce led all scorers after 20 minutes with 13 points. Shooting-wise, SJSU went 12-29 overall, 1-5 on treys and 6-8 from the foul line. The Bulldogs numbers: 10-25 from the floor, 4-12 from long distance and 3-3 on free throws. San Jose State grabbed 19 rebounds, seven offensively, to 14 for LA TECH. LTU committed eight turnovers, the Spartans six.

For the game, San Jose State out-rebounded the Techsters 38-25. Pierce grabbed nine while Webster and Oakes nabbed seven apiece.

Clark was the en fuego Bulldog from long distance tonight, nailing 5-7 three-point attempts leading to his 17 points -- this from a player shooting 31% on treys coming into the game. As a team, LTU was shooting 32% from three-point range coming into tonight's game but concluded this one 12-26, taking close to half its 55 shots from long range. LA TECH's season leading scorer Kyle Gibson had 14, a couple below his average and dramatic improvement over the 25 and 28 point totals he had managed against SJSU earlier this season. Both Gibson and Clark played the entire 40 minutes.

Last Saturday, the Bulldogs went 23-31 from the foul line, getting dribble-drive penetration far too often. Tonight they went 4-4. Yes, you read that correctly.

Overall, San Jose State went 26-55 from the floor, 11-15 from the foul line and 1-9 on threes.

The All-WAC teams are announced

Unfortunately, no All--Freshman team was selected -- that would have been very interesting and probably would have created many arguments.

These selections are per the league coaches:

2007-08 WAC Men's Basketball Postseason Award Winners

First Team

Reggie Larry, Boise State, F, 6-6, 222, Sr.
Kevin Bell, Fresno State, G, 5-10, 165, Sr.
Marcelus Kemp, Nevada, G, 6-5, 210, Sr.
Justin Hawkins, New Mexico State, F, 6-7, 205 Sr.
Jaycee Carroll, Utah State, G, 6-2, 175, Sr.

(OUR EDITORIAL: No argument here, these are the top five WAC players and producers game-in and game-out)

Second Team

Matt Nelson, Boise State, F, 6-9, 233, Sr.
Matt Gibson, Hawai`i, G, 6-5, 180, Sr.
Jordan Brooks, Idaho, F, 6-3, 195, Jr.
JaVale McGee, Nevada, F, 6-11, 235, So.
Gary Wilkinson, Utah State, F, 6-9, 240, Jr.

(OUR EDITORIAL: Even this second quintet is hard to rebut. The selection of Matt Gibson is probably the only one to challenge -- at least to a degree -- but he did have a marvelous season. LT's Kyle Gibson and Boise's Tyler Tiedeman would be his closest competitors)

Player of the Year: Jaycee Carroll, Utah State

(OUR EDITORIAL) No argument here. He produced every game and opposing coaches had to devise defensive plans around him)

Freshman of the Year: Armon Johnson, Nevada, G, 6-3, 190, Reno, Nev. (Hug HS)

(OUR EDITORIAL) His stats and production are unbeatable. 61 assists to 31 turnovers as Nevada's nominal point AND as a freshman is tremendous. Add 11.4 ppg. and 4.1 rpg. and he simply had the best season of any of the frosh)

Don Haskins Coach of the Year: Greg Graham, Boise State

(OUR EDITORIAL: If this competition was between Stew Morrill, Mark Fox, Marvin Menzies and Graham, then it's clearcut in our minds that Graham was the correct choice -- he got the most out of his set of players)

All-Newcomer Team

Jordan Brooks, Idaho, F, 6-3, 195, Jr.
Armon Johnson, Nevada, G, 6-3, 190, Fr.
Herb Pope, New Mexico State, F, 6-8, 235, Fr.
C.J. Webster, San Jose State, C, 6-8, 255, So.
Gary Wilkinson, Utah State, F, 6-9, 240, Jr.

(OUR EDITORIAL: Herb Pope is a major talent and will have his shot in the NBA but he averaged 23.7 minutes in 12 conference games, scoring 10.3 ppg. on .437% shooting. He also nabbed 6.5 rpg. and notched 24 assists. But as weird as it sounds, Wendell McKines may deserve a spot on this team, even in place of Pope. McKines scoring and rebounding were less -- 5.9 ppg. and 5.2 rpg. respectively but he outshot Pope from the floor, .611% to .422%. Pope played 23.7 mpg. to 16.6 for McKines. At the very least, it's an interesting argument but realistically it looks like the coaches were correct. But do keep in mind that SJSU's Justin Graham averaged 10.9 ppg. while shooting .519% from the floor but missed some games due to injury)

All-Defensive Team

Matt Bauscher, Boise State, G, 6-3, 205, Sr., Caldwell, Idaho (Spokane CC)
Matt Gibson, Hawai`i, G, 6-5, 180, Sr., Oklahoma City, Okla. (Three Rivers CC)
Lyndale Burelson, Nevada, G, 6-3, 190, Jr., Seattle, Wash. (Franklin HS)
JaVale McGee, Nevada, F, 6-11, 235, So., Flint, Mich. (Hales Franciscan HS)
Fred Peete, New Mexico State, G, 6-4, 200, Sr., Memphis, Tenn. (Kansas State)


(No argument here but it's interesting that no forwards made the team)

The seeds are set

Courtesy of the official WAC site:

The seeds are set in the 2008 WAC Men's Basketball Tournament. Despite a historic four-way tie for first place on the men's, Utah State claimed tWhe top seed in the tournament, followed by second-seeded Nevada. Host New Mexico State is the third seed with Boise State earning the fourth seed. On the women's side, Fresno State earned its first ever No. 1 seed. Co-regular season champion Boise State is the second seed. The WAC Tournament will begin with two games on Tuesday, March 11.

For the first-time ever, there was a four-way tie for the regular season crown between Utah State, Nevada, New Mexico State and Boise State. Utah State won the tiebreaker and earned its first ever No. 1 seed in a WAC Tournament. Last season's top seed Nevada is the second seed and will take on seventh-seeded Fresno State. Host and defending WAC Tournament Champion New Mexico State will be the third seed and will take on sixth-seeded Idaho.

Fourth-seeded Boise State will face fifth-seeded Hawai‘i. To start the tournament, eighth-seeded San Jose State will face ninth-seeded Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs won their final two regular season games.

There has never been a four-way tie for the regular season title. During the 1982-83 and 1985-86 seasons there was a three-way tie for first place. This is the first share of the WAC title for Boise State, New Mexico State and Utah State.

MEN'S BASKETBALL GAMES (All times Mountain)

Tuesday, March 11 (First Round)

Game 1- #8 San Jose State vs. #9 Louisiana Tech, 7:30

Thursday, March 13 (Quarterfinals)

Game 2- #4 Boise State vs. #5 Hawai‘i , 12:00
Game 3- #1 Utah State vs. Winner Game 1, 2:30
Game 4- #2 Nevada vs. #7 Fresno State, 6:00
Game 5- #3 New Mexico State vs. #6 Idaho, 8:30

Friday, March 14 (Semifinals)

Game 6-Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3, 6:00
Game 7-Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 8:30

Saturday, March 15 (Championship)

Game 8-Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7, 7:00

Around the WAC last night

Wow, what a crowd it is at the top:

Pack basketball: WAC title is fit for four
Steve Sneddon
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
March 9, 2008

FRESNO, Calif. -- The Nevada Wolf Pack was the last team to move into the Western Athletic Conference penthouse, but did it with in style behind Marcelus Kemp's 25 points and a powerful performance by JaVale McGee.

McGee had a double-double with 23 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Wolf Pack to a regular-season ending 76-63 victory over Fresno State and a piece of the four-way WAC title tie with Utah State, New Mexico State and Boise State on Saturday night. It is Nevada's fifth straight regular-season title -- either outright or shared.

"We have not dominated everybody," Nevada coach Mark Fox said. "We have not cracked national rankings like we had done in previous years, but they're going to send us a trophy. I'm extremely proud of these kids for that."

The Pack ran its record to 20-10 overall and 12-4 in the WAC to force the first four-way tie for in conference history.

"This is the fifth year in a row Nevada has won a championship. It's a tradition," the Pack's Brandon Fields said. "That was our goal before the season started. We did it."

It was a low-key celebration for the Pack that included several high fives and a couple of pats on backs...

Go here for the remainder.

OR IF YOU PREFER

Nevada tandem takes it to 'Dogs
Fresno State will see McGee, Kemp as tourney's No. 7 seed.
Gary Estwick
The Fresno Bee
03/09/08

Freshman Nedeljko Golubovic gave Fresno State a glimpse into its future on Saturday, scoring early over Nevada's JaVale McGee, his 7-feet nemesis of the night.

Then McGee showed why Nevada clinched at least a share of its fifth consecutive Western Athletic Conference regular season title, and is a favorite to win next week's conference tournament.

McGee recovered from a shaky defensive start against Golubovic and gave the Wolf Pack enough offensive momentum to ruin Senior Night for six Bulldogs with a 76-63 win at the Save Mart Center.

"He hit shots from everywhere," Fresno State coach Steve Cleveland said.

McGee scored 23 points and keyed a surge early in the second half with consecutive baskets in the post and on the perimeter, stretching a five-point halftime advantage to as much as 20 in the final minutes.

"We knew we had to play harder in the second half," McGee said. "Everything offensively fell into place."

Nevada (20-10 overall, 12-4 WAC) ends the regular season in a four-way tie with Utah State, New Mexico State and Boise State, and will enter the Pan American Center on Thursday as a No. 2 seed.

Their opponent? Fresno State, which dropped to the No. 7 seed.

It's distressing news for the Bulldogs (13-18, 5-11), which have struggled against Nevada during two regular season games. The reason is simple: McGee teamed up with guard Marceleus Kemp, a WAC Player of the Year candidate who on Saturday scored a game-high 25 points. McGee and Kemp were the lone double digit scorers for Nevada, but it was all the Wolf Pack needed...

Go here for the remainder.

AND

Utah State wraps up WAC title, top seed
Shawn Harrison
Logan Herald Journal
March 8, 2008

MOSCOW, Idaho — Utah State finished the job Saturday night.

The Aggies jumped on the Vandals early and never really let the hosts get back into the game, rolling to a 78-58 victory Saturday night at the Cowan Spectrum in the Kibbie Dome. With the win, the USU men’s basketball team climbed atop the standings in the Western Athletic Conference as the regular season came to a close.

The Aggies (23-9, 12-4) will share the regular season title with Boise State, Nevada and New Mexico State, but will enter the conference tournament as the top seed because they hold the tiebreaker.

“I told the kids they can say WAC champs and feel good about it,” USU head coach Stew Morrill said. “They had to go out and earn it on the road.”

Saturday night’s win in front of 1,383 fans was the fifth straight for USU and completed a two-game road sweep. It was just the sixth win away from the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum this season for the Aggies.

“It’s our first road sweep and it was timed just right,” Morrill said. “We’re guaranteed postseason with this win. We’ve won 23 for nine years in a row and guaranteed postseason for nine years in row, so that is pretty dang positive.”

By earning the top seed for the upcoming WAC Tournament, USU is guaranteed of at least a bid to the NIT. However, the Aggies are hoping to continue to keep up the momentum when they head to Las Cruces, N.M., and go dancing. USU opens the conference tournament on Thursday at 2:30 p.m., playing the winner of the play-in game between San Jose State and Louisiana Tech.

“We are the No. 1 seed in the tournament and we are going to the postseason,” said USU guard Jaycee Carroll, who scored a game-best 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting. “I’m as happy as can be. It was real team effort tonight.”

The Aggies shot 63.6 percent from the field for the game and made 19-of-22 free throws. USU outrebounded Idaho (8-20, 5-11) 34-19. The Vandals shot 37.7 percent from the field...

Go here for the remainder.

AND

Aggies earn co-championship, will be No. 3 seed in WAC Tourney
Jason Groves
Las Cruces Sun-News
3/09/2008

LAS CRUCES — Justin Hawkins showed why this senior class will be remembered for helping restore a winning tradition at New Mexico State University.

In his last regular season game at the Pan American Center, Hawkins poured in a career high 37 points in a 106-71 victory over Hawaii on Saturday.

Their senior night victory ensured the Aggies of a piece of their first regular season Western Athletic Conference championship. The last time the Aggies won a regular season conference championship was in 2001-02 when they tied for the Sun Belt West division title.

"These five men represent the backbone of our success," said NMSU head coach Marvin Menzies to the 7,296 in attendance following the game.

The WAC regular season ended on Saturday with four teams, NMSU, Boise State, Utah State and Nevada, tied atop the standings at 12-4 in conference play. After league tiebreaking procedures, the Aggies are No. 3 and will play No. 6 Idaho at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday in the last of four quarterfinals. The opponent doesn't seem to matter to the Aggies, who enter the WAC Tournament winners of nine of their last 11. NMSU finished the season 7-1 at the Pan Am.

"It doesn't matter, we're at home," said senior point guard Fred Peete, who flirted with a triple double on Saturday with 16 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. "We have shown this season that we are a team to be reckoned with when it comes to protecting home turf..."

Go here for the remainder.

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N.M. St. rolls by Hawaii, 106-71
Dayton Morinaga
Honolulu Advertiser
March 8, 2008

LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- It was like cramming minutes before for a final exam.

The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team arrived in town less than five hours before tip-off, then tried to take on one of the biggest teams in the Western Athletic Conference without any practice time.

Predictably, the Rainbow Warriors failed their latest road test, this one a 106-71 rout by New Mexico State.

"We're not going to use travel as an excuse, but it was a factor to show up four hours before you play a game and then have to come out and play one of the best teams in the conference," Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash said.

Due to flight problems, the 'Bows were stranded in Dallas on Friday and did not get a chance to practice. They arrived in Las Cruces around 2:15 p.m. (Mountain time) yesterday. The game started at 7:05 p.m.

"Rough," senior point guard Matt Gibson said. "I don't like to make excuses, but if there's a good time for one ... "

Once in the Pan American Center, Hawai'i's lag jet or otherwise was apparent.

The Aggies dominated every phase of the game to avenge a 23-point loss to the 'Bows on Jan. 31 in Honolulu...

Go here for the remainder.

AND

From the official WAC site:

Louisiana Tech 87, San Jose State 83

RUSTON, La. - A career-high 28 points from Kyle Gibson and double-digit efforts from four other players gave Louisiana Tech its second consecutive victory, an 87-83 Senior Night victory over San Jose State at the Thomas Assembly Center on Saturday night.

"Our whole thing was about finishing strong," Tech head coach Kerry Rupp said. "We've always talked about having three seasons. The third season is the WAC Tournament where everybody starts 0-0. Again, I'm proud that our guys never gave up. We got the lead in the first half and they came right back on us. But we had to dig in, fight and battle and find a way to gut it out and win the ball game. We had to put bodies on people and step up, take charges and make them take tough shots."

Gibson, the only underclassman among the top 10 scorers in the Western Athletic Conference, played all 40 minutes and burned the nets with his 28 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including a 4-for-7 effort from three-point range. It was the 18th time this season that Gibson led the Bulldogs in scoring. Jonathan "JC" Clark added 16 points and James Loe had 15, while Dwayne Lathan and Orren Tims added 11 apiece off the bench.

J.J. Marshall, the lone senior for Louisiana Tech (6-23, 3-13 WAC), got his first career start and played six minutes, dishing out a career-best three assists.

San Jose State (12-18, 4-12 WAC) was led by C.J. Webster, who had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds on the night. Jamon Hill took top honors for the Spartans with 19 points, while Tim Pierce, Chris Oakes and DeVonte Thomas had 18, 13 and 12, respectively.

The Bulldogs won the game despite being more than doubled up in the rebounding department; the Spartans pulled down 46 boards to Tech's 21. But 51.9-percent shooting - including an amazing 9-of-13 effort from three-point range in the first half - carried the Bulldogs to the victory.

Things couldn't have gone much better for Tech in the first half. Clark and Gibson combined to knock down five 3-pointers, helping the Bulldogs jump out to a lead as big as 13 points with under two minutes to play. A pair of layups wrapped around a Tech free throw would shrink the lead to 10 at the half.

San Jose would come out of the locker room on fire, though. The Spartans would open the second half on a 20-8 run, taking a two-point lead at the 13:46 mark. Almost all of their points during that stretch came on second-chance attempts as the Bulldogs did not pull down a rebound - this one offensive - until the 13:03 mark. By that time, San Jose had a four-point lead.

From that point on, the lead would change hands seven times and there would be six ties as the teams traded baskets over the next eight-plus minutes. A driving layup from Loe with just over four minutes to play would give Tech a 73-71 lead.

Free throws down the stretch would be pivotal as Loe, Lathan and Clark would hit eight of 10 shots in the final 2:30 to preserve the victory.

Tonight's game turned out to be a preview of the opening round of the 2008 WAC Tournament, which begins Tuesday in Las Cruces, N.M. Louisiana Tech and San Jose State will meet for the third time this season on Tuesday night to kick off postseason play.

"You have to bring your best game," Rupp said about the WAC Tournament. "We want to keep moving forward as a team. As long as we have games to play, we can keep moving forward. I think we've made tremendous strides. Everybody has to stay focused and give great energy and enthusiasm."

In praise of New Mexico State University

No this isn't an effort to prove we aren't one-sided, just an acknowledgment of fact:

Since McKinley Boston has taken over as AD at New Mexico State University, the academic progress of the NMSU student-athletes has greatly improved. That is great news and a feather in the respective caps of Boston, the NMSU coaches and the players.

What is McKinley Boston thinking?

We are getting too old to climb on to our high horse that often plus any effect is lost by repeatedly doing so but we just have to mount up yet again after the latest we came across from Dr. McKinley Boston, the Athletics Director for New Mexico State.

His latest actually was the final straw for us, resulting in the lengthy post just prior to this one.

As with that post, we want to stress that nowhere have we claimed that he is guilty of any wrongdoing or infraction. No, it's his laissez faire attitude and delayed-if-any reaction/response to the wrongdoing or charges of such towards others under his command. It's his inertia, his responses.

Now he's entitled to act the way he has, it's a choice -- just as anyone has the right to applaud, ignore or take to task such behavior of someone at an institution of higher learning.

Boston's modus operandi of non-interference -- make that a profound arms-length jurisdiction -- in the affairs of his employees and student-athletes with reference to individual conduct is not worthy of the office and title he holds. In the following, he displays such behavior yet again, with his mealy-mouthed offering regarding a New Mexico State student-athlete charged with separate offenses:

"All of the players have acclimated to the community and each other on the basketball team," New Mexico State Athletics Director McKinley Boston said. "Like most young people, if you give them enough time, things tend to work out."

Yes, all is just Shangri-la down in Las Cruces -- except maybe for the pizza deliverer who was hit and then robbed by one of Boston's former basketball players. A hoops star who entered a not guilty plea, who proclaimed his innocence for a year and who eventually admitted his guilt to avoid the possibility of jail time. A hoops star who Boston went to court with after the guilty plea and stated to the judge that it was in the best interests of his student-athlete to be allowed to continue to play basketball at NMSU. A hoops star who was allowed to continue playing during the season in which he was charged because it would have been 'unlike him to break the law' even though after the initial robbery charge, he was also affixed with a bribery offense -- offering money and drugs -- after attempting to get a neighbor to take the fall for him.

Oh yes, and except maybe for the young lady who was the alleged recipient of another of Boston's basketballers untowards behavior.

Young's court dates delayed
Jason Groves
Las Cruces Sun-News
2/28/2008

LAS CRUCES - New Mexico State University freshman guard Jahmar Young had a pair of court dates in Doña Ana County Magistrate Court pushed back.

Young is facing misdemenor charges of indecent exposure and resisting arrest. Both were scheduled for a pre-trial hearing today. The resisting arrest charge was rescheduled for a pre-trial conference on April 3. The indecent exposure case had yet to be rescheduled as of Wednesday.

Young was charged with resisting arrest on Jan. 8 when he turned himself in for a warrant issued after failing to appear for a indecent exposure that allegedly occurred on campus in September 2007.

Young was with the Aggies as the team arrived in Nevada on Wednesday for tonight's Western Athletic Conference game against the Wolfpack. NMSU head coach Marvin Menzies declined to comment as the Aggies prepare for tonight's 8 p.m. game.

"All of the players have acclimated to the community and each other on the basketball team," New Mexico State Athletics Director McKinley Boston said. "Like most young people, if you give them enough time, things tend to work out."

Young has appeared in 14 games for the Aggies this season, starting five. He is one of six NMSU players averaging in double figures with 10.3 points per game. He scored 33 points in a 76-73 victory at Boise State on Jan. 10.

Young missed the first 12 games of the season waiting for academic clearance by the NCAA. His first game was against the University of New Mexico on Dec. 19. He was suspended for one game, the Aggies' 94-71 loss at Hawaii on Jan. 31, after leaving the bench during the Aggies' 100-70 victory over Utah State on Jan. 26.

McKinley Boston -- a college athlete's best friend?

We have hesitated for some time to present the following, primarily because it is too easy to go after people nowadays but ultimately it seemed appropriate to blog the following:

To paraphrase Robert MacNeil, formerly an anchor on the PBS show "The News Hour" -- "The easiest thing to create is heat. The hardest thing is light."

Our desire here is to do the latter.

We come not to bury New Mexico State Athletics Director Dr. McKinley Boston, nor to praise him -- simply to present moments of his decision-making through the years while he has been employed in various positions in higher education. And yes, we absolutely understand and accept that we don't even register on any scale of any magnitude with any authority of any sorts but we still feel compelled to present the following information.

We do wish to stress that our compilation is not meant to even hint at character assassination of Mr. Boston -- it is simply a laying out of factual information. The genesis for this is the pattern that has formed involving the legal infractions connected with a number of NMSU student-athletes the past two years. Upon doing some background investigation, this template extends to another university that employed Mr. Boston in the 1990s.

Some articles below are presented in their entirety, an elemental no-no when quoting other sources. However, many of the article are from some time ago and needed a complete presentation in order to fully shed light so our apology is issued to these sources beforehand.

So let us begin in Minnesota in the 1990s.

Report Says Haskins Knew Of Academic Misconduct
New York Times
November 20, 1999

Clem Haskins, the former Minnesota coach, lied to investigators about ''widespread academic misconduct'' in his men's basketball program and also told his players to lie, a report concluded today.

Two of the university's top athletics officials resigned hours before the release of the report, which sharply criticized the athletic department, academic counseling supervisors and faculty members for failing to detect the improper assistance to players.

The scandal began in March when Jan Gangelhoff, a former tutor, said that she had done more than 400 papers for as many as 20 basketball players from 1993 to 1998. The report, prepared for the university by an outside law firm, substantiated most of Gangelhoff's claims.

As the report was released, Mark Yudof, the university president, announced the resignations of McKinley Boston, vice president for student development and athletics, and Mark Dienhart, the men's athletic director...

...While Yudof said he felt Boston and Dienhart were good men who simply managed badly, he had sharp words when asked about Haskins.

''I am angry,'' Yudof said. ''I feel I was lied to to my face, and that the problem was much deeper, and that this program was corrupt in almost any way one can think about it...''

...The 1,000-page report, with 1,500 more pages of supporting exhibits, was compiled by outside investigators hired by the university...

...Assignments, papers and exams were routinely written for at least 18 players, and academic policies were manipulated to keep players eligible. For five seasons starting in 1994-95, the team played with at least one player who was ineligible because of improper help, the report said.

''We conclude that between 1993 and 1998 there was systematic, widespread academic misconduct in the men's basketball program,'' the report said.

Yudof said, ''While nothing in the report demonstrates either Dr. Boston or Dr. Dienhart knew of the cheating, the facts showed they had strong reason to be suspicious'' of the academic counseling program. He added, ''Plenty of warning signs were sent.''

and

Here is some background to Boston's employment at Minnesota:

Alumnus Gets Post
New York Times
December 18, 1991

McKinley Boston, a University of Minnesota defensive tackle on the Gophers' last Big Ten football champion in 1967, returned to the university yesterday when he was named men's athletic director. He served as athletic director for the last three years at the University of Rhode Island. The Minnesota Board of Regents voted by 12-0 to approve Boston, who becomes the first black athletic director in the Big Ten. He received a five-year contract.

Here is a later entry on Boston's employment history:

After four years as Minnesota AD, [McKinley Boston] became vice president for student development and athletics. Oversees programs that deal with social, recreational, physical and mental needs of students. Before coming to Minnesota, was AD at Rhode Island since 1988. Before that, was AD at Kean College in New Jersey for two years and director of students and assistant head football coach at Montclair State. Played two years with the New York Giants and two in the CFL before retiring in 1971.

Adding to the smoke and fire, one of Boston's hiring decisions while at Minnesota resulted in this article:

Boston created job, hired an ex-colleague
Residence hall employee already had NCAA violations
George Dohrmann
September 24, 1999
St. Paul Pioneer Press

University of Minnesota vice president McKinley Boston created a special position in a residence hall last year and gave it to a former University of Wisconsin NCAA compliance director who resigned after breaking the rules he was supposed to help enforce.

Anthony Adams, who was among the more than a dozen Badgers officials who broke NCAA rules by improperly spending booster-club funds, was hired last October to a 10-month position that paid $35,000. He was given use of an apartment in Wilkins Hall, which houses some of the school's most prominent athletes.

The explanations given for Adams' hiring and his responsibilities while on the job are unclear.

In his first response to written questions submitted by the Pioneer Press, Boston said Adams, who left Wisconsin in 1997, was hired to help him gain "better understanding of the living/learning environment for student-athletes in the residence halls, especially students at risk (academically)."

In answering a second set of written questions, Boston stated that Adams' hiring was prompted by "instances of social misconduct in Wilkins Hall by student-athletes and non student-athletes."

University records indicate that the number of alleged rules violations, ranging from disorderly conduct to smoking, recorded by Wilkins Hall staff and known as "incident reports," more than tripled while Adams lived in the dorm, from 27 the year before he arrived, to 92.

Unlike many other residence halls, where an increase in incidents over the last five years is being blamed partly on the presence of more first-year students, Wilkins Hall, the smallest residential structure on campus, is reserved for juniors, seniors, and graduate students. It houses 126 students, half of whom are athletes, in one- and two-bedroom apartments.

Asked about the increase this week, Boston responded: "I have not attempted to measure or benchmark Mr. Adams' effectiveness based upon an evaluation of incident results."

Boston stated that he has known Adams for 11 years but did not know he had committed two secondary NCAA violations at Wisconsin as part of a scandal that resulted in the Badgers being placed on two years' probation last March for hundreds of booster-club spending violations, including cash payments to coaches.

Boston defended hiring Adams, saying secondary violations are like "parking tickets" and that he couldn't imagine anyone "who would have worked in college athletics for a period of time" not having committed a secondary violation.

Adams' violations consisted of twice using booster-club money to pay for golf outings, at a total cost of $100. Although the violations are considered secondary, the NCAA's Committee on Infractions stated the school received lessened penalties because it had already accepted Adams' resignation.

As compliance director at Wisconsin, Adams was responsible for ensuring that Badgers athletes and employees understood and were acting within the NCAA and Big Ten rules and that proper paperwork was filed. But the NCAA report stated that "there was a failure to monitor the athletics program" and that Wisconsin "either did not maintain or could not locate annual certification of compliance forms."

When Adams came to Minnesota, according to Boston, he reported to the academic counseling and student services director, and the department of housing and residential life. He was often seen with students in the Bierman athletic complex, and one employee in Boston's office said he thought Adams worked for the athletic department. His salary came out of the academic counseling budget.

But Adams, reached at Wilkins Hall before his position ended Aug. 31, said he never worked for academic counseling, where he occasionally attended staff meetings, or the men's or women's athletic departments. When asked to give his job title, he said: "I'm sitting at this desk. That's it." He did not return phone messages following that conversation.

Boston did not answer why Adams was paid $35,000 while live-in hall advisers hired for the 1999-2000 school year are paid no more than $30,000. Boston also did not answer a question about whether Adams had the advanced degree in counseling required of hall advisers this year.

In an earlier response, Boston said Adams' job description included these duties:

Encourage student-athlete involvement in campus and residence hall activities.
Encourage student-athletes in their academic and social transition to the resident halls.
Assist with and help Housing and Residential Life's diversity agenda initiatives.
Serve as a point of contact for student-athlete-related misconduct issues as they arise with hall security monitors.
Adams was also required to assist with special projects or complete other duties assigned to him by his superiors, who included Boston. Boston said Adams' input from his 10-month employment would be part of a report "on how to increase the effectiveness of student development programs."

Boston worked with Adams while the two were at the University of Rhode Island a decade ago. Boston, the Rams' athletic director from 1988-91, said "it was that familiarity and his availability that made him an attractive candidate for the position. Thus, I recruited him." Adams' title was "associate program director, student-athlete welfare," Boston said.

Adams' job at Minnesota was not posted to other candidates and no one else was interviewed for the position, Boston said. He added that university guidelines allow individuals to be hired without a search for a limited appointment period.

"I have known Anthony Adams for 11 years, and I have been an active mentor to him during this time," Boston wrote in one of his responses.

"I view mentoring as a professional obligation to get more people of color involved in athletic management and in higher education."

Boston has been under fire since the Pioneer Press in March reported allegations of alleged academic fraud by the men's basketball team. The Gophers face NCAA sanctions after preliminary findings from an internal investigation found "numerous, maybe even massive" amounts of academic fraud, according to President Mark Yudof.

Boston has maintained he was not aware of any wrongdoing...

and

Another perplexing Boston hiring decision also didn't work out so well:

Shocking commentary from McKinley Boston
Doug Grow
Minneapolis Star Tribune
November 06, 1999

McKinley Boston's office is in Morrill Hall, which is in the middle of the University of Minnesota's Minneapolis campus. On a daily basis, then, Boston surely must see hundreds of people rushing about, conducting the business of a major university. So how is it that the university's vice president for student development and athletics can be so isolated from reality?

On Thursday, Boston came out of whatever mist he's been in and appeared before a University of Minnesota faculty committee, which has recommended sweeping leadership changes for the Minnesota athletic department. In addressing the faculty report, which would strip from him control of athletics, Boston read from a seven-page statement. A couple of sentences in one paragraph of the statement revealed how out of touch Boston is.

"Professionally, I'm at a point where I do not view this recommendation as a turf issue for me," Boston said. "But I can assure you the nature of the beast is that wherever it resides there will be three or four issues a year that will become significant and possibly embarrassing to the university. There are roughly 700 men and women student-athletes, over 70 coaches and hundreds of staff whose standard of conduct by working in athletics is held higher by the media than their peers or colleagues. . . ."

Here comes the jaw-dropping part:

"I'll offer you an example. When was the last time you saw a person who was arrested for solicitation on the front page of a major newspaper?" Boston asked, referring to the Star Tribune's coverage of athletic official Rufus Simmons' June arrest on charges of soliciting a prostitute. "That incident and other related stories, reflected the 'lightning rod' that is associated with major college athletics. . . ."

People who know him say Boston is a charming and capable man. Former Gov. Arne Carlson thought so much of Boston that when it appeared in 1995 that Boston, who was Minnesota's athletic director at the time, was going to take a job at Florida State University, Carlson pushed for the creation of the new vice presidential post, which called for a salary of $225,000.

But go back to those incredible comments Thursday. Remember, they were read from a statement, meaning Boston had taken time to contemplate what he was saying.

The story the Star Tribune ran on its front page on Aug. 20 wasn't about just any john. Simmons was cited on June 15 for soliciting a prostitute in Minneapolis. It turned out that Simmons previously had been cited for the same thing in 1991, and it also turned out that Simmons was the the subject of a sexual harassment claim against the university that was settled in 1988.

Did Simmons make the front page simply because he was an employee of the athletic department and therefore a lightning rod, as Boston said?

Hardly.

Until he retired on July 31, Simmons was an associate men's athletic director charged with running the Center for Student-Athlete Development. Boston, who came to the university as men's athletic director in 1991, put Simmons in charge of the center in 1993.

Among other things, Simmons was supposed to see to it that the athletes were sensitive to issues of sexual harassment and sexual violence. But Star Tribune reports showed that beyond his sexual problem, Simmons often was uncooperative in working with the organizations that were supposed to give athletes sensitivity training.

Remember, too, the university has been embarrassed and people have been hurt in the past dozen years by athletes who have been charged with rape and other forms of sexual violence.

How many assaults or instances of boorish behavior might have been prevented if Boston hadn't taken the attitude that stuff happens because the athletic department is big and it's in the public eye?

While the faculty committee was calling for massive athletic department change Thursday, the Student Judicial Affairs panel was calling for the university to hire an investigator independent of its police department to look into allegations of sexual violence, domestic violence and the cozy relationship between police and athletic department coaches and officials.

There was a third report, independent of the other two, that was issued amid less fanfare Thursday. The Minnesota Public Interest Research Group issued a study, "Sexual Harassment and Violence on Campus." We have almost become numb to the sort of numbers that filled the report: One in three women will be a victim of some sort of sexual assault, ranging from an unwanted pinch to rape. About 40 percent of the male students believe that people who complain about sexual harassment are simply overreacting to "expressions of normal sexual attraction."

The study makes it clear that students today are far more likely to know there are protective policies on campus than students 10 years ago were. But it's less clear if behaviors have substantially changed.

All in all, the study shows that colleges must spend more time teaching incoming students about sensitivity and law surrounding sexual behavior.

The depressing numbers in the report also show that the university needs vice presidents who act like leaders, not $225,000-a-year victims.

and

For those of you wishing to read a timeline of the NCAA violations and the resulting investigation involving Minnesota, here goes. Note that the St. Paul Pioneer Press won a Pulitzer Prize in 2000 for its reporting. From that newspaper:

March 28, 1999
ANALYZING THE POSITIONS

...UNDER FIRE
McKINLEY BOSTON
Vice president for Athletics and Student Development
1995-present.

Concern: Internal memos indicate Boston approved decision that made basketball’s Alonzo Newby the only academic counselor who reported directly to the athletic department. Former academic counseling director Elayne Donahue also says he ignored warnings of a potential problem.

Where he stands: Initial comments suggested he was distancing himself from Jan Gangelhoff’s allegations, saying that only Newby should have known who was tutoring the players. Has been quiet since.

What’s at stake: Even if he keeps his job, the allegations and investigation will be an embarrassing bump in a long career in athletics...

CHAIN OF EVENTS

A timeline of the investigation into allegations of academic fraud by its men’s basketball players.

Feb. 27: Jan Gangelhoff turns over to a Pioneer Press reporter almost 300 documents from her tenure as an office manager in the academic counseling unit and as a tutor. The documents, which she says contain course work she did for players, are downloaded from her computer and discs at a Danbury, Wis., cafe.

March 1: Russ Archambault becomes the first former player to confirm that Gangelhoff did course work for him.

March 6: After an analysis of the documents revealed at least 225 examples of purported course work that Gangelhoff said she did for players, the Pioneer Press finds evidence of duplication among papers allegedly turned in by different players, including identical typographical errors.

March 8: The Pioneer Press asks the university’s sports information office to set up a meeting with Vice President for athletics and student development McKinley Boston, athletics Director Mark Dienhart, basketball coach Clem Haskins, basketball academic counselor Alonzo Newby and NCAA compliance director Chris Schoemann. Reporters also attempt to contact all former players and coaches implicated by Gangelhoff. That evening, Newby calls Gangelhoff, demanding an explanation for her decision to go public, and telling her Haskins has learned of the story and is livid.

March 9: The team’s traveling party leaves for Seattle, the site of its NCAA tournament game, without speaking to the Pioneer Press. The allegations are detailed to university President Mark Yudof, who says the school has called in legal counsel. By the end of the night, Haskins and Boston speak to the Pioneer Press.

March 10: Gangelhoff’s allegations are published, including claims that Haskins paid her $3,000 to tutor in spring 1998. Gov. Jesse Ventura and hundreds of angry callers accuse the paper of timing the publication to maximize publicity and hurt the team’s NCAA chances.

March 11: After meeting with the four current players implicated by Gangelhoff, the university suspends them from the game as Boston acknowledges "prima facie evidence’’ of NCAA violations. The Gophers lose to Gonzaga.

March 12: The Pioneer Press reports former academic counselor Rick Marsden stated in an affidavit as part of his sexual harassment lawsuit against the school that in 1986 a basketball coach asked him to do course work for players. He said the coach was Haskins.

March 14: The Pioneer Press reports that six years ago a faculty committee urged the school to crack down on athletic department officials’ intrusion into academic counseling and tutoring for athletes. The report was ignored.

March 19: Gangelhoff says the $3,000 came from Haskins through an intermediary, later identified as Newby.

March 19: The university hires Bond, Schoeneck & King of Overland, Kan., and a Minneapolis law firm to handle the investigation, which will take at least six months.

March 21: The Pioneer Press reports that Haskins once signed a glowing letter of recommendation for Gangelhoff, praising her ability to perform "above what is required of her.’’

March 22: Haskins issues a denial described by his attorney as "all-inclusive.’’

March 23: Gangelhoff says Haskins knew she was doing course work for players and advised her about how to make it appear authentic.

March 24: The Pioneer Press reports a graduate student’s allegation that she wrote a class paper in 1995 for player Courtney James during her first tutoring session. She said when she told Newby and Haskins that she would not do it again, Newby said she would not be offered a contract to continue tutoring.

April 1: Gangelhoff supplies the Pioneer Press with 54 additional examples of alleged course work she said she did for eight of the players implicated earlier.

April 4: The Pioneer Press reports Newby requested and was granted disability leave from his job as the team's academic counselor.

April 8: A computer analysis by the Pioneer Press reveals that the Gophers had the worst basketball graduation rate in the Big Ten, 23 percent, for players recruited between 1983-91.

April 9: Gangelhoff meets with investigators and clears one player, Jermaine Stanford, of cheating, but not of possible NCAA violations. She brings more than 350 examples of course work she said she did, having found 90 more earlier in the week.

April 14: A 20-page report by former academic counseling director Elayne Donahue obtained by the Pioneer Press alleges that the program intervened with faculty members on behalf of several Gophers players, some of whom needed help to remain eligible.

April 16: The Pioneer Press reports Haskins' contract allows for a broad interpretation of his responsibility and would make it difficult for him to be fired without receiving a substantial payment.

April 28: The Pioneer Press reports that the university failed to report to the NCAA a cheating incident involving former player Kevin Loge, even though Loge and Gangelhoff said they told Chris Schoemann, the university's director of NCAA compliance, about the incident.

An extensive analysis of documents obtained by the Pioneer Press finds that star former player Bobby Jackson was awarded credits for a course earlier than school rules allow, was never enrolled in basic courses he needed to graduate, such as math and a foreign language, and once received an "A'' in a directed study course in which the only assignment was to type the word "basketball'' into a database and list the articles that appeared. The paper also reports that a member of the Golden Dunkers has been charged with running a bookmaking operation.

May 25: Minneapolis black leaders say they believe media coverage of the scandal is racially biased and cite a Pioneer Press editorial cartoon titled "The Plantation'' as an example of prejudice. Editors of both newspapers deny the charge.

May 27: Newby's lawyer, Ron Rosenbaum, announces his client will not talk to investigators looking into the allegations of academic fraud.

June 10: The Pioneer Press reports not only that a week earlier the U began negotiations with Haskins' lawyer, ostensibly to seek a settlement that would remove him as coach, but also that the Board of Regents would meet that morning to discuss terms of a potential buy-out.

June 11: The Pioneer Press reports that Haskins, using a personal check, paid for Gangelhoff to go to Hawaii, where the team was playing in a tournament.

June 15: Rosenbaum says Newby may be willing to talk to investigators in return for money or a severance package.

June 25: Haskins leaves the university, agreeing to a $1.5 million parting of the ways. In a series of tough and revealing comments, University of Minnesota President Mark Yudof left no doubt about why Haskins' 13-year tenure as Gopher men's basketball coach had come to an abrupt end: Convincing evidence exists of "numerous, numerous, maybe even massive incidents of academic misconduct'' in the men's basketball program, the president says.

July 25: Dan Monson, formerly of Gonzaga University in Washington, is hired to a seven-year, nearly $500,000-per-year contract as the Gophers top men's basketball coach.

Oct. 26: University of Minnesota President Mark Yudof announces a one-year ban on postseason play and puts the team on probation for an undetermined amount of time. He also says to expect more sanctions.

Oct. 27: The Pioneer Press reports that all 11 Gophers head coaches delivered a letter to Yudof in support of Dienhart and other department officials, but not Boston.

Oct. 29: Former academic counselor Alonzo Newby, in his first public statement, admits he did not "play by the rules'' and "allowed himself to give in to an administration's desire to win at any cost.''

Nov. 5: A special student and faculty subcommittee recommends eliminating the position of vice president of student affairs and athletics, the job currently held by Boston. The committee also recommends that academic counseling and student services report to a provost who reports directly to Yudof and that the athletic director report to a special assistant to the president.

Nov. 11: Athletic director Mark Dienhart faults Haskins publicly for the first time, telling the full student and faculty Senate committee that Haskins was a "power coach'' who only "answered to God.'' Also, the committee recommends the earlier subcommittee recommendations calling for major changes in the administration of the athletic department, to further separate it from academics.

Nov. 16: State Sen. Cal Larson, R-Fergus Falls, calls for Boston and Dienhart to step down. He also sends a letter to the NCAA, in which he calls Yudof's actions so far "inadequate and misguided.''

Nov. 19: The university releases a 1,000-page report and 1,500 pages of supporting documents from the university's investigation. Yudof also announces his "action plan'' for dealing with the crisis.

Here is a link to even more of this material:

Here is Minnesota President Mark Yudof as part of his remarks during a news conference after the scandal broke and the investigations investigated: "...While nothing in the report demonstrates that either Dr. Boston or Dr. Dienhart knew of the cheating, the facts show that they had strong reason to be suspicious of the operation of the basketball counseling program. Plenty of warning signals were sent. Despite signals of irregularities, no adequate investigation was ever launched. Although the circumstances may have been difficult, given the power-coach culture surrounding Clem Haskins, I believe both Dr. Dienhart and Dr. Boston missed opportunities to act aggressively, particularly after I became president in July 1997..."

To be fair, Yudof also offered praise to Boston and Dienhart along with delineating the missed opportunities to explore concerns further.


Switching locations and ignoring the recent legal entanglements of several current members of the New Mexico State men's basketball team, there was Boston's Orwellian double-talk (how else can it be described?) surrounding the sordid matter of Tyrone Nelson and his doofus-like robbery of a pizza deliverer.

Nelson dismissed after no contest plea in robbery charges
Associated Press
July 31, 2007

LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- Senior forward Tyrone Nelson was dismissed from the New Mexico State basketball team Tuesday after he pleaded no contest to charges stemming from an August 2006 robbery of a pizza delivery man.

Nelson, 21, was set to be tried this week on charges of robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and bribery. Under a plea deal with prosecutors, he avoided a trial and possible jail time.

"I have made some bad decisions that I am saddened that I have to live with," Nelson told state District Judge Stephen Bridgforth as he entered his plea. "I'm asking for a chance to further my career as a student at New Mexico State."

Bridgforth ordered Nelson to serve four years' probation and perform 100 hours of community service. Nelson would have faced more than seven years in prison had he been tried and found guilty of the charges.

Nelson was arrested days after a Domino's Pizza delivery man was struck on the side of the head and robbed of a pizza and hot wings on Aug. 22, 2006, at an apartment complex near campus.

Athletics director McKinley Boston testified Tuesday as a character witness on Nelson's behalf, but the court decided not to accept a proposal for Nelson's conditional discharge, which would have allowed him to participate on the team under a behavior contract.

Disappointed with the decision, Boston said he believes basketball would have provided the motivation for Nelson to complete the academic credits he needs to graduate.

School officials said Nelson was dismissed from the team because he violated the student-athlete code of conduct, which calls for permanent dismissal from the team following a conviction, a guilty plea or a no contest plea to a violent felony or serious drug offense.

"Tyrone's no contest plea was not an admission of guilt but it does identify him as a convicted felon and as athletic department policy states he will not be a member of the New Mexico State University basketball team," Boston said.

Boston gives Nelson a run for his money -- er, pizza in this case -- in utter nonsense. Nelson lied to Boston and lied to then Coach Reggie Theus when asked early on about his involvement in the robbery yet Boston chants about Nelson good character and pleads that Nelson needs to remain representing New Mexico State in athletics in order to have the motivation to finish his degree. As Dr. Phil sometimes offers when a guest offers a version of something not even remotely connected to reality: "Do I have stupid written on my forehead?"

After Nelson was initially charged, a charge of bribery was later added when it was determined by the police that Nelson offered a neighbor drugs and money to take the fall for him. There was no word if the neighbor was anywhere close to 6-9 in height nor his nationality. But here's a Boston quote about the added-on bribery charge, encapsulating his approach to the entire matter: "We hope all of our student-athletes are model citizens, but that's not reality. I'm disappointed and coach (Reggie Theus) is disappointed," Boston said. "But at this point, we'll just let the legal system play itself out."

Then there was this group and the work they performed soon after the initial robbery and conspiracy charges. They apparently never got back together when the bribery charge was added later:

The Associated Press
August 30, 2006

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) -New Mexico State forward Tyrone Nelson was reinstated to the basketball team Tuesday, just days after he he had been suspended pending an investigation into allegations that he robbed a pizza delivery man.

A committee that looks into allegations of student-athlete misconduct met Monday and recommended that athletic director McKinley Boston reinstate Nelson immediately.

"On a review of the reports, the committee felt that there was no evidence that Tyrone (Nelson) was involved in the crimes committed and thus recommended to Dr. Boston that Nelson be reinstated to the men's basketball program," said the committee's chairman, Charley Johnson...

Now it's not clear what reports this committee was provided with or what the reports contained but why was one simple yet incriminating fact overlooked or ignored? That being the pizza deliverer was at a Las Cruces shopping mall in the days after the robbery and noticed someone in the vicinity who he thought looked a lot like the person who robbed him. The pizza deliverer then used his cell phone to dial up the phone number (apparently he had saved it) provided by the individual who originally ordered the food.

Guess what happened next?

Tyrone Nelson -- the individual standing near the pizza deliverer at the mall -- then answered his cell phone.

Checkmate.

Our take on the upcoming ALL-WAC teams

The 2007-2008 All-WAC teams are apparently to be announced on Sunday so we wanted to beat the voters who count to it with our own offerings.

As a reminder, here are the pre-season selections by the WAC coaches. Surprisingly, there were a few clunkers, especially on the second team.

Preseason Coaches All – WAC Team
First –Team

Jaycee Carroll Utah State (Preseason Player of the Year)
Reggie Larry Boise State
Justin Hawkins New Mexico State
Marcelus Kemp Nevada
Fred Peete New Mexico State

Second-Team

Matt Nelson Boise State
Kevin Bell Fresno State
Hector Hernandez Fresno State
Demarshay Johnson Nevada
Bobby Nash Hawaii

Fred Peete just never put it together this season and we'll be very surprised if he even makes the second-team this season. He's certainly been helpful to NMSU -- no doubt -- but not having a mainstay season.

Hector Hernandez was among the most disappointing as he seemed to really miss playing alongside Dominic McGuire and Quinton Hosley. His numbers, 9.5 ppg on a shooting percentage of .388 -- this for a 6-9 senior -- were unremarkable. Hernandez scored 11.2 ppg. and shot .453% as a junior. To his credit, he did grab 7.3 rpg. this season.

Demarshay Johnson had moments this season but nothing equating to any ALL-WAC status. The same with Bobby Nash.

There are a number of newcomers we talk about later in this piece who deserve a position on the ALL-WAC second team.


Very interestingly, the pixel-stained wretches -- other wise known collectively as the WAC newspaper beat reporters -- somehow had the foresight to include Kevin Bell of Fresno State on their first team choices -- they didn't pick a second five.

Preseason Media All-WAC Team
First-Team

Jaycee Carroll Utah State (Preseason Player of the Year)
Reggie Larry Boise State
Kevin Bell Fresno State
Justin Hawkins New Mexico State
Marcelus Kemp Nevada

Surprisingly, Nevada's JaVale McGee is nowhere to be seen. His numbers were small last year but it was obvious that he would be the starting center for the Wolf Pack this season and be playing major minutes.

Headlining the For-What-It's-Worth Department, here are our 2007-2008 ALL-WAC selections as selected today:

Jaycee Carroll - nobody could stop him, period and this is a 6-2 guard not necessarily graced with the ultimate athletic prowess.
Kevin Bell - seriously, the Bulldogs might have won one, maybe two conference games this season without Bell.
Marcelus Kemp - Without his scoring and ability to draw the focus of a team's defense, everyone else on the Wolf Pack would have been less effective.
Justin Hawkins - He was so often the glue that kept the Aggies rolling despite the absences of various players.
Reggie Larry - He led his team in minutes played, scoring, rebounding, offenive rebounding, blocked shots and was a close second in steals.

For self-disclosure sake, we didn't forsee Kevin Bell's shooting improvement nor the overall effectiveness of Reggie Larry. If it was the pre-season, our top five would probably have included Boise State's Matt Nelson in place of his teammate. Nelson had a fine season but it's just that Larry enjoyed an even better one.


Now Kevin Bell could certainly qualify as Most Improved Player (MIP) but we're actually going with Boise State's Tyler Tiedeman whose scoring average went from 4.4 ppg. as a junior to 14.0 ppg. this season. His shooting was 540% overall and an amazing .503% on a team-leading 145 three-point attempts. Tiedeman shot .472% overall last season and .397% from long range on 57 three-point attempts. Nobody predicted such a dramatic improvement.

Speaking of Bell, he scored 18.7 ppg. this season, shooting .455% on 422 attempts and drawing 206 foul shots -- this after shooting less than .400% last year.

Lousiana Tech's Kyle Gibson is also deserving of mention in the MIP category despite the poor season for the Bulldogs. Gibson scored 15.5 ppg. and grabbed 5.5 rpg. after 4.5 ppg. and 1.6 rpg. in 2006-2007.

Hawaii's Riley Luettgerodt deserves listing here for doubling his scoring average this season from 6.2 ppg. to 12.3.

NMSU's Jonathan Gibson too as he produced 12.5 ppg. while shooting .422% on a team-leading 161 three-point attempts. Last year, it was 2.6 ppg. and a .338 overall shooting percentage, .286% on his threes.


As for WAC Freshman of the Year and the WAC Freshmen Team:

The top award must go to Armon Johnson of Nevada. Johnson scored 11.7 ppg. on .496% overall shooting. while adding 4.1 rpg. and 97 assists.

Trying to avoid any bias, we see the runner up as Justin Graham of San Jose State, despite missing some leagues games due to injury. He scored 11.6 ppg. with a team-leading 68 assists while shooting .494% overall and .438% on threes.

Utah State's Tai Wesley is right behind, his placement due to the lesser role he played on his respective team. Wesley scored 10.2 ppg. while nabbing 4.4 rpg. He led the Aggies with 23 blocked shots and also garnered 64 assists .

NMSU's Wendell McKines is also a worthy mention what with his 6.7 ppg. on .591% from the floor and 6.1 rpg. Teammates Herb Pope and Jahmar Young produced well once eligible but we'll go with McKines out of the three. That certainly should make some jaws drop.

Also throw Louisiana Tech's Dwayne Lathen in the mix for consideration as he has enjoyed a sparkling second half of the season.


The Top WAC Newcomer is a battle royal. Idaho's Jordan Brooks with 12.9 ppg., 6.3 rpg.,129 assists and 47 steals as the focal point for the Vandal offense cannot be discounted. Utah State's Gary Wilkinson put up 13.3 ppg. and 6.9 rpg.while shooting .575%. Two San Jose Staters are deserving of mention: C.J. Webster with 10. 8 ppg., 6.3 rpg. and 60 assists and Chris Oakes' 10.7 ppg. and 7.5 rpg.

Ulitimately, we have to go with Brooks for his role and the importance of it in making the relatively weak Vandals go.

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...

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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...

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AND

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...

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A hat tip to the on-court Matt Gibson

Love him or hate him and the latter seems to be the choice of the majority of opposing fans, Matt Gibson is a competitor who gives his all on the court. He's certainly stumbled a few times what with some suspensions but the bottomline is we would like having Gibson on our team.

Emotions help ignite UH's fiery point guard
Dayton Morinaga
Honolulu Advertiser

"You can teach fundamentals, like how to dribble and how to shoot," Matt Gibson says. "You can't teach how to have heart, how to play with energy. I've always felt like that's how you can make up for mistakes or missed shots."

This Is The Way I Live

Matt Gibson does everything at full throttle.

Like a speed demon, he is equal parts exciting and dangerous as the point guard for the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team.

It is why he is one of the most beloved and bewildering Rainbow Warriors of all time.

"The first day I met him, I knew he was unique," teammate Alex Veit said. "He's like his own category."

Gibson, a 6-foot-5 senior, is in the stretch run of his collegiate career. The 'Bows will close the regular season with road games at Louisiana Tech tomorrow and then at New Mexico State on Saturday.

The Western Athletic Conference Tournament is scheduled for March 11 to 15 at Las Cruces, N.M.

Hawai'i, which is 11-16 overall and 7-7 in the WAC, will be the No. 5 seed for the tournament, regardless of what happens this week.

"As a senior, as the point guard, I feel like a lot of the responsibility for how we do is in my hands," Gibson said. "The fact that we're not No. 1 in the WAC right now, I place a lot of the blame on myself. But this season's not over. We make a run here at the end, and all those losses will be forgotten."

This Is The Way I Live

The words are part of a tattoo on Gibson's left arm. The rest of the tattoo features a young man sitting on a bench, his face buried in his hands, a basketball at his feet.

"I don't like tattoos, and every time he gets one, I let him know I don't like it," said his father, Lon Gibson. "But that one bothered me more than the others. It just looked so sad."

Gibson had the tattoo done prior to this season.

"It represents the times of me persevering through my struggles," he said. "It reminds me that life isn't always easy or fair, but all I have to do is open my eyes and basketball will always be there."

Just like the tattoo, Gibson can be an enigma...

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To go or not to go, that is the question

No, for those of you with minds below the belt, this post has nothing to do with bathrooms and the various actions that take place there. For you cultural posers, no, the blog title above didn't come from the pen of Willie Shakes. Close but nyet.

It's all about JaVale McGee and whether or not he should remain in Reno or start cashing major checks in The Big Show. He is nowhere near polished nor ready for major minutes in the NBA -- relying pretty much on his amazing physical gifts to fill up a boxscore rather than any technical proficiency, especially offensively. Plus, he needs 30 more pounds and an accompanying upgrade in strength.

But the primary question just may be what is in his best interests? Is it to remain in the college ranks where he won't be challenged to the degree he needs by matchups in practice and also rarely so in actual games? Or does he land a nice professional contract and be challenged on a daily basis but while rarely seeing time on the court for at least the first season, maybe two?

Pack basketball: McGee is long on potential, could be bound for NBA
Steve Sneddon
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
March 5, 2008

He is a work in progress, far from complete, but he offers tantalizing glimpses of his future.

JaVale McGee has already established himself as an amazing shot blocker. At times, he's like a hockey goaltender swatting away shots. Unfortunately, there are times game officials are pretty sure he's goaltending and call him on it.

Still, McGee is having one of the best shot-blocking seasons of any player in program history. He leads the Western Athletic Conference in blocked shots at 2.79 per game (which ties him for 13th in Div. I). With 81 blocks, he is 15 shy of the Nevada single-season record set by Edgar Jones in the 1977-78 season.

McGee is averaging 13.6 points and 7.1 rebounds as Nevada prepares to close its regular season at Fresno State on Saturday night.

"The big fella, when he plays, he's probably the most imposing guy in the conference," Boise State coach Greg Graham said.

It was a compliment. There was no doubt about it. But it also was a recognition that the 7-foot, 237-pound McGee is not always the same imposing player game after game. That's part of being a work in progress for McGee, who as a freshman found himself in the sizeable shadow of three-time WAC player of the year Nick Fazekas.

Fans watch McGee and imagine what he will be like as a junior and senior at Nevada. Scouts look at him and wonder if he might declare for the NBA draft in June, though they are far from sure he will do it.

McGee appeared on the NBA's radar before a 106-70 loss to then-No. 1 North Carolina in December, but when he had 14 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots in that game, he became larger than a blip on the screen.

"I think about (the NBA) a lot, but I have a season to play," McGee said...

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Three beat reporters provide the details on the WAC playing out

If WAC ends in four-way tie, New Mexico State will get No. 3 seed
Jason Groves
Las Cruces Sun-News
3/04/2008

LAS CRUCES — On Monday, Commissioner Karl Benson said he wasn't surprised that the Western Athletic Conference race would come down to the final week of the season.

New Mexico State is one of four teams that could end the regular season with a 12-4 conference record atop the league standings.

"We were anticipating that it would be very competitive and very balanced and I think those four teams have separated themselves from the rest of the league," the WAC Commissioner said on Monday. "I think we have four very competitive teams and four teams that will be very deserving of postseason."

The race is so tight that even after clinching a share of the regular-season conference title over the weekend, Boise State could find itself the No. 4 seed for next week's WAC Tournament at the Pan American Center.

Boise State can win the conference outright with a win at Utah State in Boise on Thursday, but if the Broncos fail to do so, four teams could enter the conference tournament with a 12-4 conference record.

"That tie would be broken by comparing records of the four teams against each other," Benson said.

New Mexico State is one of three teams that currently have four losses. NMSU still needs help to grab a share of the league title, but the 10-4 Aggies hope to enter the four-loss logjam scenario by winning home games against San Jose State and Hawaii this week...

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AND

WAC basketball: Utah State has upper hand in four-way tie
Steve Sneddon
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
March 4, 2008

The wild and wacky WAC regular-season basketball race could be getting wackier in the next five days.

If the Western Athletic Conference basketball race ends in a four-way tie with Boise State, Nevada, New Mexico State and Utah State tied at 12-4, Utah State would receive the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, commissioner Karl Benson said Monday.

Right now, Boise State, which clinched a share of the WAC title at Hawaii last Saturday, is the only school that is assured a piece of the conference championship. It can claim an outright title with a home win over Utah State on Thursday. But if Boise State loses to Utah State and the other contenders all win the rest of their games, the Broncos' seeding in the tournament at Las Cruces, N.M., March 11-15 would drop rapidly.

"That (12-4) tie would be broken by comparing the records of the four teams against each other," Benson said on the WAC coaches conference call. "And under that scenario, Utah State would be 4-2 against the field and would be the (No. 1) seed.

"New Mexico State and Nevada would both be 3-3 against the field. Nevada would be awarded the No. 2 seed based on their regular season wins against New Mexico State (which would be No. 3) And Boise State would be the No. 4 seed."

Nevada, which plays at Fresno State on Saturday, and Boise State are the only contending teams with just one regular-season game remaining. Utah State has two games left after beating Fresno State at home Monday. The Aggies play at Boise State on Thursday and at Idaho on Saturday. New Mexico State has two games remaining, both at home, against San Jose State on Thursday and Hawaii on Saturday...

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AND

It looks like a logjam atop the WAC
DARRELL MOODY
Nevada Appeal
March 4, 2008

Don't look now, but heading into the final week of the season there could be a three-way or four-way tie for the regular-season Western Athletic Conference championship.

Boise State leads the way at 12-3 in league with a home game left on Thursday night against the dangerous Utah State Aggies. Nevada is currently in second place with an 11-4 record and an away game Saturday at Fresno State left. New Mexico State is 10-4 with home games left against San Jose State and Hawaii. Utah State is 10-4 after its win over Fresno State Monday night.

A four-way tie will happen if Boise State loses and Nevada, Utah State and New Mexico State win out. In that case, a four-way tie is broken by a team's record against the other three teams.

In that case, Utah State would be the top seed with a 4-2 record because of its potential sweep of Boise State and splits with New Mexico State and Nevada. The Pack would be the No. 2 based on its 3-3 record, which includes a sweep of New Mexico State. New Mexico State, providing it doesn't get upset, would also be 3-3, but would be third seed because it was swept by Nevada. Boise State would fall all the way down to fourth because it would have been swept by Utah State and New Mexico State.

A three-way tie would be broken the same way, according to WAC spokesperson Kara Irving.

Karl Benson, the WAC commissioner, said that the WAC is destined to be a one-bid conference. He did note, however, that Nevada (79), Utah State (88) and Boise State (97) were all in the top 100 in terms of Ratings Percentage Index (RPI)...

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Here's Steve Sneddon with a word or two about predictions

Here's a portion of Steve Sneddon's latest column which points out just how surprising the Boise State season has been so far, with both the media and coaches missing the boat on the Bronco rise (we didn't see it either):

WAC notebook: Boise State has bucked expectations
STEVE SNEDDON
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
3/4/2008

Almost everyone overlooked the Boise State men's basketball team at the Western Athletic Conference Media Day in October.

Neither the coaches nor the media had the Broncos in their top four in the conference preseason polls. Each poll had Boise State pegged at No. 5 after the Broncos lost senior Coby Karl. But coach Greg Graham's team reloaded faster than almost everyone anticipated.

The Broncos (22-7 overall) have already earned a share of the WAC title at 12-3 with one regular-season game against Utah State in Boise left to play Thursday. They can win the title outright. It's also possible that the Broncos could find themselves in a four-way tie at 12-4 to end the regular season, and in that scenario they would enter the WAC Tournament as the No. 4 seed.

"To get the share of it and know you have it is a great thing because of how good the conference is and how hard we've worked over the past years to get there," Graham said on the WAC coaches' weekly conference call Monday. "But yet we still have a game left. We have a chance to win it outright.

"There's still a lot to play for and we talked about it with our guys. We let them celebrate a little bit, but (told them to) keep our focus for the games coming up,"

The Broncos clinched the tie with a 78-71 win at Hawaii on Saturday, when they were forced to play without forward Matt Nelson, who sprained his foot at San Jose State. Nelson, who is expected to play against Utah State, and three other senior starters have been the nucleus of the success.

"Probably, two things have been the biggest plus," Graham said. "We've, knock on wood, fortunately, shot the ball most of the year and we've been able to give a combination of inside with Reggie (Larry) and Nellie and have been able to shoot the ball with Tyler (Tiedeman) and Bausch (Matt Bauscher) and Reggie outside as well.

"I think the other thing that that has shown well for us is Saturday we set a school record for 11 road wins. I think that bears into the fact of the age of our team. We start four seniors and three are fifth-year seniors."

For the season, the Broncos are 11-4 at home and 11-3 on opponents' home courts...

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The best laid plans of mice and men

The Fresno State basketball season started out so promising. Redshirt transfers Bryan Harvey and Rekalin Sims were going to provide backcourt and frontcourt scoring power. Hector Hernandez and Eddie Miller were to expand their games. Dwight O'Neill would be providing toughness and help at both ends of the floor. Plus, star point Kevin Bell was in his final go-around in running the show.

Only Bell came through.

Harvey played half the season and then ran aground on the shoals of academics. Sims encountered legal trouble and a period of academic laziness and that combination resulted in his removal from the team (even though the legal charge was later dropped).

Hernandez and Miller had their moments but neither displayed a more fully-rounded skills set.

O'Neill broke his hand early on and has missed most of the season.

Here's a bit on Fresno State's laets loss, with a telling comment from Coach Steve Cleveland:

Carroll, Aggies hand men's hoops another loss
Fresno State can't surprise, even with Bell's career night.
Gary Estwick
The Fresno Bee
3/04/08

LOGAN, Utah - During the final seconds of another setback, Fresno State had to wait for Jaycee Carroll to exit the court at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, perhaps the final home appearance for Utah State's All-America guard.

The sellout crowd of 10,270 fans roared as Carroll jogged to the sideline, convinced that his Senior Night heroics had sealed a season perfection in Logan. The Aggies were about to end their 2007-08 campaign undefeated at home, and this year, neither Kevin Bell nor his Bulldogs could ruin the celebration.

Utah State won 79-66 on Monday night, avenging last season's home finale defeat to Fresno State.

"It was a good way to finish," said Carroll, who tied a season high with 33 points.

Bell did all he could to ruin the moment, never leaving the court despite a sore right ankle. He even scored a career-high 31 points, twisting his body near the rim for awkward yet effective scoring angles and converting on the perimeter with his unorthodox release.

"I'm darn glad Kevin Bell is a senior," Utah State coach Stew Morrill said,. "I don't want to see him anymore in my life, in my nightmares, nothing."

Still, Fresno State dropped to a new descent.

The Bulldogs are now 13-17 overall and 5-10 in the Western Athletic Conference. Their first losing regular season record in four years is already clinched. Even their No. 6 seed in next week's WAC Tournament is in jeopardy: The Bulldogs will drop one seed if they lose Saturday at home against Nevada in their home finale and Idaho upsets Utah State at home.

Most of Fresno State's problems are old problems. The kind that after nearly a season of disappointments, have proved to not be fixable - not this season anyway. The Bulldogs squad that entered last summer with perhaps too much offense is missing three of those players and look to be at least two standouts away from winning another conference game.

"We just don't have all of the pieces right now," Fresno State coach Steve Cleveland said...

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