The New Mexico State men’s basketball team’s recipe to reaching the NCAA Tournament two times in three seasons consisted of a variety of ingredients.
It took a few dashes of talent and athleticism from Jahmar Young and Jonathan Gibson in 2010, and from Hernst Laroche and Daniel Mullings this season. The Aggies’ recent NCAA Tournament teams have had a combination of speed and skill in the backcourt.
“We were a little bit more guard oriented,” said NM State coach Marvin Menzies of the tournament team from two seasons ago. “Now what we have is a more balanced attack. We’re maybe not shooting as prolific as that team, but we definitely have a stronger interior force.”
The strong interior force was a result of adding more size and strength into the mix. Six of the ten players on the roster stand 6 feet 6 inches or taller and the Aggie big men utilize their size to score in the paint offensively and protect it on defense.
Talent, athleticism, size and strength are the components that form a solid middle-of-the-pack team. However, the special ingredient that led NM State to a WAC championship and an NCAA Tournament berth was team chemistry.
The Aggies are a tight-knit group that supports each other on and off the court. The family mentality starts with the three seniors and resonates to the underclassman.
Menzies said younger Aggies like D.J. Lewis, Renaldo Dixon, Remi Barry and Eric Weary quickly developed a strong sense of pride and unity with the rest of the team.
“Their chemistry is just fantastic and that’s what you shoot for,” Menzies said. “We’ve got all our guys, from one to ten, on the same page and they really have a great focus on trying to put a better product on the floor every night.”
During the grind of the regular season, the younger players provided much needed comic relief in the locker room.
“On camera and in interviews they might seem to be shy, but in that locker room we have a bunch of characters and a lot of confident people,” said senior forward Wendell McKines. “We have a lot of players on this team that love the big stage and love to perform.”
In addition to providing personality in the locker room, the new breed of Aggies brought intensity and energy to every practice. In fact, Menzies said Laroche has become a better player this season because of the competitive sessions he and Lewis have in practice.
"Sometimes they don’t get the credit or attention, because they’re not out on the floor playing,” Menzies said. “But those guys that are on the floor playing aren’t who they are without having to go against those guys every day in practice.”
With the new generation of Aggies continuing on the build off the current recipe for success, team chemistry should continue to flourish in years to come. For now, the team has its sight set on the Indiana Hoosiers.
The Aggies and Hoosiers tipoff in the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore. at 7:45 p.m. MST Thursday.
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