Aggies load up the statsheet for win No. 20

After that abysmal showing against Arlington last week that not even I could bear to write about, USU bounced the hell back on Thursday against probably the WAC's worst team. And even though Texas State is a total patsy, the Aggies pretty thoroughly dominated them, which is what they needed to do in this one.

The finish by USU pretty damn awful, but that's sort of tradition when the Aggies have a late lead. It seems like if the team is down big, they're the ones making the strong push late, and if they're up big, all basketball ability seems to vacate.

A win is a win though, and some of the numbers put up are pretty encouraging. Let's bullet point the rest.

Aggies dominate at Seattle!

For the second game in a row, Utah State was pretty much completely in control over a team that took the healthy version of this team to the wire in The Spectrum.

In a nutshell, this team looks to have found its way. They're playing together, they're more focused, they're playing tough defense... It's coming together for them!

Earning a Sweep Dance given the situation this team is in is nothing short of impressive. Doing it as convincingly as they've done it is nothing short of bad ass. Thinking of what they can do with the way they're playing is nothing short of exciting.

Above all else, I'm in love with this team right now!

Aggie bench thrown into the fire against Denver

Preston Medlin and Kyisean Reed are injured. Both could possibly be out for a while too, but we're waiting on more details.

So going into Saturday's game against Denver, Jarred Shaw was the lone guy still starting from the Aggies' opening game lineup. Tenale Roland got demoted, Danny Berger is still recovering from dying, and now Medlin and Reed are banged up. The bench that has struggled so badly for USU the past two weeks would all be seeing major minutes and depended on for production, which is something we've badly needed at times and haven't gotten from them. Then factor in that Denver is a team everyone knew would be contending for the WAC title, and this game had "We're f***ed" written all over it.

The optimist deep down in me thought, "Let's see how these guys respond, and maybe this experience will pay off down the road."

After seeing that game, I actually feel like these guys may have learned a quality lesson in stepping up to the challenge.

Marvin Jean answering the call

Marvin Jean never saw more than 10 minutes in a game through the first five contests this season. Spencer Butterfield was the ace off the bench early on in the year while Preston Medlin and Danny Berger held down starting roles.

Jean hadn't played poorly by any means. He hit on 3-of-8 total attempts from the field in the first five games. But he only racked up two total rebounds and two assists, leaving at least a little to still be desired.

When Berger went down, it was inevitable that Jean would see his minutes increase, and with that, the pressure would be on for him to really perform.

And perform he has!

In four games since Berger's injury (is that even the right thing to call it?), Jean has scored eight points three different times. He's also made solid contributions in rebounds and assists during his increase in minutes, which has been 18 or more in each of the last four games.

Aggies ride strong second half to beat UC Davis

Thursday the Aggies had a big lead to start the second half and saw their opponent slowly chip away to make it a game.

Friday was the opposite. UC Davis went into halftime leading 40-39, but in the second half, Utah State took back the lead and slowly widened it as time rolled on.

It was still an ugly game for the most part, but I dare say it was at least a little bit better looking than Thursday's affair. The key to Friday's win was Preston Medlin stepping up as the offensive weapon we all know he is, breaking the 20-point barrier for the first time this season. Maybe more importantly, he looked like he had that assassin's mentality once again.

It's funny how a slump can weigh down on you, no matter how capable of playing better you know yourself to be. But once that slump is broken, everything feels comfortable all over again. That's what it looked like after Medlin really got things going offensively in the first half. It seemed like he knew that if he forced the action on UC Davis, that points would end up on the board.

Sure enough, he went off for 23 of them on 9-17 shooting, while also tying for the team-lead in assists with four. And with Jarred Shaw having his first down game of the season, it was perfect timing for Medlin to step up with a big game like that.

Not a ton else to say about this game outside of its ugliness, Medlin's big night, and maybe mention that in that second half the team looked for flashes like they were starting to mesh some more. We saw a lot of that against Western Oregon, but the chemistry seems to be taking its time this season.

Basketball rolls again in second exhibition game

The funny thing about Saturday's exhibition win over Simon Fraser is that there were a few stretches where it seemed like the Aggies weren't even playing that well. Yet during those stretches, the USU lead continued to widen, eventually leading in a dominating final score of 92-56.

Regardless of how it appeared, the Aggies dominated on Saturday against an actual NCAA team, even if they're Division-2. That's a classification that not a lot of past exhibition opponents can claim, and that Simon Fraser team was certainly bigger, more athletic and much more skilled than the likes of Laval University that past USU teams have played in exhibition.

Now consider that Laval is the only exhibition team that the Aggies have beaten worse in the last six years than the 36-point win against Simon Fraser on Saturday. Suddenly this team is looking pretty solid with that in mind. And things are only going to continue to tighten up and get more crisp for USU as this season goes on.

To me, that says that this Utah State team will be able to win ugly this year. Even when things aren't exactly in rhythm offensively, USU's size, athleticism and just natural skill will help them still put points on the board and frustrate teams defensively. That's the one thing I take most from this game, and that's one hell of a positive attribute to have!

Things I want to see this weekend

This weekend is going to be a fun one with a home football game to occupy Saturday afternoon, followed by basketball's second exhibition that night. And with how things are going for football and how early along basketball is right now, I'd feel overly nitpicky to point out any lows as part of a highs, lows and IDKs.

So for the sake of doing something mid-week this week, let's just talk about a few things I want to see this weekend.

MORE THAN ANYTHING...
Both Romney Stadium and The Spectrum should be packed with students for both of these games. Especially Romney. The attendance against New Mexico State was kinda about what you'd expect during Fall Break, but the crowd needs a strong showing to rebound from that. This team is on the verge of a historic season, and we already know they aren't going to get much love from the stands for the last home game over Thanksgiving break.

So basically, this is the last time Romney will really be rocking this season, so it needs to rock hard!!! This team has earned a packed house, and dammit they had better get it!

And after the football game is finished, take a quick break, maybe grab some food, and head right up to The Spectrum!

It's gonna be one hell of a day!!!

Also, wear blue. 


FOOTBALL

More reps for the second unit - This one will require another blowout, but that is becoming more the expectation with this program rather than a rarity. With each week the second units are able to get into games and get reps, the more experience they gain, the more film they have to break down of what they're doing right or wrong, and better prepare this team for the future.

Three turnovers -The defense set a goal to have at least three turnovers per game this year, but they have yet to actually make it happen in any games this year. Last game was encouraging with a pair of interceptions by Will Davis and Kyler Fackrell, but they still need to do a bit more with stripping the ball and rocking the worlds of opposing quarterbacks.

A 120-yard game from Joe Hill - Gary Andersen said he's finally back to 100 percent, so it's time to get him involved once again. Like Kerwynn Williams, Hill can be a major threat both running and catching the ball, and we got to see a little bit of that last game. Time to light up the box score once again for him.


BASKETBALL

5+ assists for Tenale Roland - In the first game, Roland had zero turnovers, but only one assist. This time around, I want to see Roland take a few more risks just to test himself in the assist department. even if it means he ends up with a couple turnovers, I want to see him take some risks in passing at game speed and rack up some assists this time around.

Recapping basketball's first look of 2012-13

I can't help but speculate that at least some part of the reasoning for scrapping the Blue and White game this year has to do with some guys getting over-hyped from a good showing in a lowly scrimmage. First impressions go a long way, and those scrimmages were often the forum for those first impressions. So when a guy makes a great first impression, it's going to get talked about and that performance will often be referenced throughout a season by sites like this one.

Can't really fault Stew Morrill for wanting to keep those first impressions limited to at least an actual game situation... But that's not going to stop anyone from giving thoughts on everyone's performance!

So... Let's break down each player's performance from Friday's win over Grand Canyon, and hopefully not have to be eating any of these words in a month or two when we have a better feel for everyone. Doing it position-by-position.


POINT GUARDS
 
Tenale Roland - Among projected starters, Roland is the newest to the show, but still fit in quite nicely! Shot 3-6 from the field and 1-2 from 3-point range for eight points. Not bad for a first rodeo! He also added a Quayle-esque six rebounds, but more of the "in the right position to get the bounce" rather than the "jump way higher than everyone else" kind of boards. Not going to read too much into him only having one assist as he's still learning things. But considering the learning curve, not having a single turnover in 20 minutes of play is very encouraging!

So... Marvin Jean after all?

I can't remember a more confusing recruitment for USU basketball in recent memory than this one, but it looks like it'll have a happy ending after all!

Tony Jones is reporting that Marvin Jean looks like he will indeed play for the Aggies this year, now coming as a walk-on to the team.

This is the most recent swing in this whole saga, and hopefully the last twist. Things all started with rumors of USU's interest in Jean this past spring, followed by Jean spilling the beans on Twitter that he'd committed to USU. That was followed up with conflicting reports stating that the USU coaches hadn't yet made a formal offer. Whether that's exactly the case, we'll probably never know. They could have had the offer out there, but for the sake of controlling the news, didn't want that news out there just yet.

Without presuming any more about the chronology of things back then, Jean did indeed end up with a scholarship offer, which he accepted.

Then, earlier this month, after a summer of workouts with the team, it appeared that Jean wasn't going to qualify academically because of a junior college class holding him up.

And here we are today, with things apparently having been cleared up, and Jean now walking-on. His re-addition to the team adds some serious athleticism to the wings for this season, and should make it an easy choice to redshirt both Quincy Bair and Riley Bradshaw, which will serve both of them well in the future.

No Marvin Jean after all...

In case you missed it, Tony Jones broke news late Tuesday about one of those moments that just kinda makes you sit back in your chair and think, "Well, shit...."

Marvin Jean is a no go because of some academic qualifying issues. As it is, he could technically redshirt while he finishes whatever junior college courses he needs to finish, but I doubt anyone is counting on that happening. As it was, Jean had an uphill battle for minutes in front of him. With Spencer Butterfield, Danny Berger and Jean all competing for minutes at small forward, as well as any rare times when Pre-Med comes off the floor, there was very little to go around. Couple that with the fact that Jean's largely unimpressive JUCO numbers aren't much encouraging to pit against a returning starter and California JUCO co-Player of the Year.

Still, Jean looked like a solid player in the making. JUCO statistics aside, watching him on video he looked like a player who was willing to play within a controlled and structured system. With his athleticism that might have been the best any of this year's wings had to offer, Jean could definitely brought plenty to the table.

In the bigger picture, the team will probably be fine. Either one of Riley Bradshaw or Quincy Bair just became a lot less likely to redshirt this season. And while neither is likely to have the immediate impact that Jean would have had, Stew Morrill's teams never really go beyond three-deep on the wings. Medlin, Berger and Butterfield will hold things down quite nicely.

My personal take? Stick to redshirting Bradshaw and Bair. There are so many minutes to be had for these guys down the road and a redshirt year does wonders for anyone. Why waste this season on what would be sparse minutes anyway? If dire situation comes up where a fourth wing is needed, Kyisean Reed can and should be that guy. 

With a scholarship opening up for next year, chalk this guy up as a supporter of offering Tanner Lancona right freaking now! Obviously the coaching staff will do what they gotta do here, and it'll probably end up being the right choice, but it seems like one more freshman big man could set the program's future up nicely in the front court with Jalen Moore and Carson Shanks coming in next year.

Marvin Jean checks in with first (known) summer injury

You pretty much can't browse USUfans.net in the summertime without reading jokes about members of the basketball team busting each other up and breaking faces during summer workouts. The funny things is that every one of those jokes is pretty valid given recent history, and now it looks like Marvin Jean has gotten in on that action.

Jean made mention on Twitter Tuesday about a thumb injury, later elaborating that it was likely torn ligaments on Wednesday, with surgery coming on Friday.

So basically this sucks. The rest of summer workouts are pretty much lost for Jean, who seems pretty bummed about it based on his tweets. Gotta like that he cares enough to be broken up about missing workouts though. And let's not forget the last Aggie with some major thumb issues... He turned out alright.

Still, recovery time for surgery to repair torn ligaments is about three months to get back to 100 percent (and yes, this writer grew up working summers in an orthopedics office, so he knows his shit!).

Given that there are basically six guys battling to be in the perennial three-man rotation on the wings, and one of them is named Medlin, one has to wonder if this injury could lead to a potential redshirt for Jean this coming season. Obviously that is just blind speculation, and plenty more would likely have to shake itself out before any kind of decision like that will be made, but it seems crazy to let all four junior wing players play next year and not redshirt any of them.

This will be something to watch in the coming months. For now, here's to a speedy recovery for Jean!

The 2012 USU basketball recruiting guide

With the signings of Marvin Jean and TeNale Roland earlier this week, Utah State looks to be done with basketball recruiting for the 2012 class.Now, it's time to break it all down!

To give a first impression, this looks like it very well could, and probably should turn out to be Stew Morrill's best recruiting class since, well... ever! Looking back at the 2005 class that brought in Durrall Peterson, Chaz Spicer, Chris Session, Nate Bendall and Tyler Newbold (who came later because of a mission), that's got some quality star power across that board. 2006 wasn't half-bad either with Kris Clark, Steve Ducharme, Brady Jardine and Pooh Williams.

But for each of those classes there were a couple of misses as well, which really can be said for every year. If you ever get a year where every guy in a class pans out to be a solid contributor, chances are a nice little NCAA tournament run is in your near future.

So if the basketball gods wouldn't mind smiling down on Utah State University this coming season, we'd really enjoy it if this were to be the class where everyone pans out to be studs. The ensuing result of such an astrological alignment (that's part of the Mayan 2012 thing, right?) would create something so unstoppable that not even John Cusack could save the rest of the WAC from USU's wrath (kind of like how he couldn't save that apocalyptic movie from being s***ty).

Marvin Jean makes it official

Rumors have been flying around for a while about Marvin Jean becoming an Aggie. Now it looks like the first news we heard about him has turned out to be true after all...

Marvin Jean is going to be an Aggie!

Coming off a season at Sullivan County Community College where he averaged 13.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He converted on 41 percent of his shots from the field and was solid from behind the 3-point line as well, hitting 40 percent of his 134 attempts on the year.

Aside from the numbers, Jean bring a very good athlete with some height (6'5) and length that should fit in great on the wing next year. Based on what little video can be found out there of Jean playing, he looks like a tremendous athlete who is willing to be a team-first kind of guy. He also appears to take a little pride in his defense, which is probably a big part of why Stew Morrill and company showed interest in the first place.

Really for the coaches to be willing to fly all the way to New York to see a player play and to make them a recruiting priority, there's got to be something special they see in Jean. While his size and athleticism looks to be pretty good, it's nothing off the charts that couldn't be found in a lot of other players. So I feel it's safe to assume from there that they see some intangibles in Jean, whether it's his instincts, his motor, heart, swagger, or whatever else it may... It's all something we may find out a little bit more of after the coaches are able to comment on him after signing.

Spencer Butterfield chooses Utah State - with bonus content!

It was only a matter of time before the USU recruiting picture became a little bit more clear, and Friday was a big step in that direction.

News came out early Friday that Yuba College shooting guard Spencer Butterfield committed to play for Utah State next season, bringing with him the toughness and scoring punch that made him a superstar at the junior college level. The Aggies are getting a player who led his team in scoring, rebounding, and steals, while having the second most assists on his team as well.

His overall numbers were 16.3 points per game, 8.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists, all while hitting on 54.3 percent of his shots from the field and 48.2 percent from behind the 3-point line. Oh, and all of this is from a guy who is only 6'3.

Based on everything that's been reported about his toughness and persona as a player, mixed in with his statistics, Butterfield sounds like the ultimate hybrid between Brian Green and Jared Quayle. If that potential doesn't get you excited... well... you probably don't know who Green and Quayle are.

Sorting out USU basketball's current recruiting picture

It seems like a flurry of recruiting news and rumors waited until right after the season officially ended last Wednesday to surface. So with all the speculation flying around, it's about time The Sagebrush Spot weighed in on a couple of these guys. Keep in mind too that this is all based on what I've been able to gather from various sources around the internet, while doing my best to be accurate on everything based on info available.

THE NEEDS

As things look, Utah State is after a point guard and at least one wing player to bring in for next year. Who those guys will be is the question that still remains... But we've got a few ideas.

THE RECRUITS

PG - Quan Conner
According to an article posted three weeks ago, Connr currently holds a scholarship offer from the Aggies. According to his Twitter, he's narrowed his choices to Morehead State and Utah State, with impending visits to both (Morehead this weekend, USU the next).

Based on video available of him, he looks like a total stud prospect. Smooth ball handling ability, good court-vision, some pretty passes and a good outside shot. Above all else, he looks like he just loves playing basketball. With that kind of mentality, one can only imagine the epic high-fives that he and Preston Medlin might share during big moments next season if those two are wrecking everyone's eardrums at The Spectrum together. This season he was 16th in NJCAA Division-I scoring with just more than 19 points per game to go with 3.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.