Walker boasts strong recruiting class with new Aggies

By: Anthony Esparza

Photo by: Zack Ponce

Although the season is nine months away, the New Mexico State football team is in the midst of yet another busy offseason that has molded one of the best recruiting classes in years.

NM State coach DeWayne Walker announced the 2012 signing class Feb. 1, which consisted of 12 junior college transfers and 10 high school players.  The website rivals ranked the Aggies' 2012 signing class second among Western Athletic Conference teams.  This is the highest-ranked recruiting class since NM State joined the conference in 2005. 

“We’re very excited about this particular class and we think there are players in this class that are going to help us get to that level that we’re trying to get to,” Walker said. “The good part about this class is that 11 of our signees are already on campus and that’s big.”

Walker said one of the goals for this particular recruiting class was to get big bodies for the offensive and defensive lines, which was accomplished by signing six defensive linemen and four offensive linemen.

Three defensive backs signed to the team including junior college transfers Cameron Fuller and Dele Junaid, who may compete for immediate playing time in the secondary.

“We’re hoping Fuller will come in and compete for one of the corner spots and we’re going to give Junaid a chance at one of the safety spots,” Walker said. “I would say those two are coming in and competing right away for starting jobs.”

Walker added some new faces to the improved Aggie offense including two quarterbacks, two tight ends and two running backs.

One of the tight ends is junior college transfer Perris Scoggins, who Walker spoke highly of at the National Signing Day press conference.

“This kid is special. We’ve never had a tight end like him,” Walker said. “He’s big, he’s fast, he can catch and block. We really felt that was the missing link in our offense last year to a certain degree in the passing game, so we think he’s going to be the answer.”

After Kenny Turner declared for the NFL Draft, the Aggies were left with a hole to fill at the running back position. The hole was filled with Akeelie Mustafa from Santa Ana College.

Mustafa is similar to Turner in physical stature and the two players also have many similarities in their styles of play.

“We think that we have a running back that’s going to be very explosive,” Walker said of Mustafa. “We were kind of digging and we found him. This guy is going to be a heck of a football player.”

Walker and the new-look Aggies begin Spring practice on Mar. 29.

Play ball: Aggie baseball is back

By: Anthony Esparza

NM State senior closer Scott Coffman set a school record in saves in 2011 . Photo by: Zack Ponce

Led by eight preseason All-Western Athletic Conference honorees, the New Mexico State baseball team is set to throw the first pitch of the 2012 season.

The Aggies got off to a red-hot start last season, winning 22 of their first 26 games. In spite of their solid opening play, the team went 9-16 in conference play and lost to Louisiana Tech and Nevada in the WAC Tournament. NM State finished 2011 with a 34-24 overall record.

“It ended up being a much weaker schedule than we expected in non-conference play,” said Rocky Ward, NM State head baseball coach. “Then when we got into conference play.  Parker Hipp was hurt for five weeks. We were banged up.”

Ward said he believes the non-conference schedule this season will better prepare the team for WAC play than it did last year. The slate of non-conference teams the Aggies will face this season includes Wake Forest, Minnesota, West Virginia, Arizona and Texas Tech.

“The first 15 or 16 games we play are against very good opponents, probably as good or better than the teams we will play in the WAC,” Ward said. “Last year, the first 15 or 16 opponents were worse than everybody we played in the WAC.”

In addition to playing a stronger out-of-conference schedule, the Aggies are a much more experienced club this year. There are 14 seniors on the roster, four of which received All-WAC preseason honors. Along with a seasoned group of seniors, NM State also has 15 juniors on the team.

“I think we’ll do real well,” senior outfielder Bryan Karraker said. “We’re returning just about everybody and we have a lot of juniors and seniors. We have a lot of older guys, so I think we’ll do real well.”

The team also has more depth on the roster, which is a necessity during the long season.

“We have a little bit better ability to handle injuries this year,” Ward said. “We have a little more depth particularly on the pitching staff, so those things will all bode well.”

After non-conference play, the Aggies begin playing familiar WAC foes in April. Fresno State and Hawai’i tied for the WAC regular season title in 2011, but the Bulldogs topped the Warriors in the WAC Tournament championship game to claim the conference crown.

The conference is difficult to predict this season because Fresno State and Hawai’i will likely take a step back from a year ago. The Bulldogs lost many of their best players to the professional draft and the Warriors will be a less experienced club this year.

“The two teams that have been the best teams in our league are both in transition years…” Ward said referring to Fresno State and Hawai’i. “I think Louisiana Tech and San Jose State will be solid. Nevada has underperformed the last two years. As far as this league, it’s wide open.”

NM State begins the 2012 campaign Feb. 17 when the Aggies open a four-game series against Wake Forest at Presley Askew Field.

Aggies outlast Louisiana Tech

By: Anthony Esparza

The New Mexico State men’s basketball team defeated Louisiana Tech Saturday at the Pan American Center in a hard-fought game filled with plenty of tie scores and lead changes.

In all, there were 19 lead changes and 11 ties in the game. The Aggies went on to capture the 83-72 win to improve to 17-7 overall and 6-2 in conference play.

 “We played like a team that’s growing and getting better, and down the stretch I think it showed,” NM State coach Marvin Menzies said. “That was a talented team that came in here tonight. They shot a lot of threes obviously, but I thought we did a really good job challenging their threes late.”

Coming into the game, LA Tech had attempted a conference-high 533 three-pointers. The Bulldogs stayed true to their identity Saturday night, shooting 26 shots from beyond the arc.

However, the Aggies responded by pounding the ball into the paint for high-percentage shots. NM State outscored LA Tech 46-22 in the paint

“That was the emphasis of the whole game, but I think in the second half we locked in,” said freshman guard Daniel Mullings in regards to scoring in the paint. “We owe it all to the bigs for getting down there and posting and holding their position.”

After being held to just one point in the first half, Mullings scored 14 points in the second half. The freshmen from Toronto also scored eight consecutive points down the stretch to give the Aggies the lead for good.

“As a team collectively, we just came together and said that we’re going stop these guys and their three-ball,” Mullings said. “At one point in the game they were actually leading us in rebounds, so we just got together and started collecting rebounds and that helped us pull away.”

Mullings went toe-to-toe with LA Tech freshman guard Raheem Appleby, who finished with a game-high 30 points. Appleby’s 30 points is the most points scored by an opposing player against the Aggies this season.  

“I think any fan watching had a chance to see the future of the WAC,” Menzies said. “It was really exciting to watch those guys get after it. For Appleby to have 30 points as a freshman on the road, he’s the real deal.”

With the win, NM State swept the season series against LA Tech. The Aggies defeated the Bulldogs in Ruston, La. on Jan. 7. 

The Aggies are now a game behind Nevada for first place in the conference, after the Wolf Pack had their 16-game winning streak snapped by Idaho.

 Next for the Aggies is a two-game WAC road trip. NM State plays Idaho on Feb. 9 and Utah State on Feb. 11 before returning to Las Cruces for a four-game homes stand.  

  

Aggies struggling against opposing guards

By: Anthony Esparza  

The New Mexico State men’s basketball team is not built to win shootouts, which is why the Aggies have struggled against good shooting teams with solid backcourt play this season.

The one constant in each of the Aggies’ seven losses has been strong guard play on the opposing team. Southern Mississippi, Arizona, Texas-El Paso (UTEP), New Mexico, Hawai’i and Nevada all had key contributions from their guards in victories over NMSU.

“You’re always going to have a good game when you have good guards that can get to the basket,” NMSU coach Marvin Menzies said. “In the NCAA Tournament it’s rare to see a team that wins it all with two really great centers. It happens, but it’s predominately guards that get it done.”

Southern Mississippi utilized its sharp-shooting backcourt to outgun the Aggies on two occasions early in the season. Senior guard LaShay Page scored 22 points on 9-12 shooting in the first meeting against NMSU, and followed that up by scoring 16 points in the second matchup.

Fellow guards Maurice Bolden, Neil Watson and Angelo Johnson also stepped up to help lead the Golden Eagles to victory in both games against the Aggies.

Nick Johnson had the hot hand for Arizona in the Wildcats’ 83-76 win over the Aggies in the Pan American Center on Nov. 29. The freshman guard scored 19 points on 8-14 shooting.

Johnson was not the only guard in rhythm that night. Senior Kyle Fogg and freshman Josiah Turner scored a combined 21 points. As a team, the Wildcats shot 51.7 percent in the game and made nine three-pointers.

For UTEP, it was the tandem of Michael Perez and Julian Washburn that gave the Aggies fits. The two guards combined to score 35 points, and UTEP as a team drained seven three-pointers en route to a 73-69 win over the Aggies.

Perhaps the most damage was done by instate rival New Mexico on Dec. 28 in Las Cruces. The Lobos shot the lights out, finishing the game shooting 45 percent from the floor. UNM also made 12 three-pointers on the night.

Once again it was the opposing guards that gave the Aggies the most trouble. Sophomore Tony Snell led the way, scoring 24 points and connecting on four three-pointers. Sophomore Kendall Williams and junior Jamal Fenton scored 12 and nine points respectively for the Lobos.

The trend of struggling against solid guard play continued when Western Athletic Conference play started.

Zane Johnson stole the show for the Warriors in the team’s win over the Aggies on Jan. 21. Johnson finished the game with 29 points on 10-17 shooting and hit seven shots from beyond the arc. Jeremiah Ostrowski chipped in by scoring nine points, but Johnson carried much of the load.

Most recently it was Nevada that utilized its efficient guard play to overwhelm the Aggies. Sophomore guard Deonte Burton finished with 17 points, 12 of which came from behind the three-point line. Junior Malik Story scored 14 points, and the Wolf Pack finished the game shooting 56 percent as a team.

NMSU has not had many answers against teams with hot-shooting guards. Although Utah State and Idaho shot well from the field, the Aggies were able to negate it by using their size to score in the paint and get to the free-throw line.

Scoring in the paint and getting to the charity stripe are the team’s strengths on offense. The Aggies have attempted a conference-leading 743 free-throws this season, which is almost 200 more attempts than the next closest WAC team in that category (Hawai’i).

However, in order to make a run in the conference, the Aggies will have to continue adapting to playing against teams with solid backcourts.

“There aren’t a lot of teams in the conference that have really true big men,” Menzies said. “Most of the teams in conference are going to have pretty good guard play.”

NM State tennis fueled by effort

By: Anthony Esparza

Photo courtesy of NMSU Media Relations Department

The New Mexico State men’s tennis team will not be sneaking up on its opponents this year.

The Aggies are 60^th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association top-75 rankings. Despite being nationally, the team has had to overcome its share of challenges in order to get to this point.

“We went through some bumps that were not in the plan,” said NMSU men’s tennis coach Carlos Vargas. “One of them was losing a player who we were forecasting as being our top player; he decided to transfer. We lost another one who is ineligible due to academics.”

However, other players have stepped up and embraced larger roles on the team. One of the rising stars is sophomore Felipe Frattini of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Frattini began showing his potential last season when he won a pivotal match that helped NMSU defeat nationally ranked Denver.

Although he is quickly becoming one of the team’s top players, Frattini admitted there is plenty of room for improvement.

“The first matched wasn’t good,” Frattini said of the team’s opening match against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. “I played a terrible match that I shouldn’t have lost. But in the second match I improved and stepped it up and I think that’s the most important part.”

The team’s resilience stems from the players’ friendship off the court, which has translated into effort and motivation on the court.

“It’s a very cohesive and close team that will work hard and give you everything they have,” Vargas said of his Aggies. “I don’t think there will ever be a question on effort.”

Although the freshmen still have much to learn about competing at the collegiate level, Vargas said they have also bought into the effort displayed by the upperclassmen.

“All I can hope is that they give me their full effort and don’t get overwhelmed by what they see,” Vargas said of the freshmen. “All they can do is just give their best right now, and if they do that they will improve and they will work themselves into the lineup.”

The team’s strong work ethic will certainly play a key role as the Aggies continue their journey to the Western Athletic Conference Championships, which begin on Apr. 27.

However, the WAC Championships are still far down the schedule. NMSU still has a full slate of opponents to hosting the conference championships on Apr. 27-29

Next up for the Aggies are matches against Loyola Marymount on Feb. 03 and UC-Riverside on Feb. 04. The team then returns home to host instate rival New Mexico on Feb. 08 at the NMSU Tennis Complex.

Aggies complete season sweep of Bakersfield

By: Anthony Esparza

Defense was the key in the New Mexico State men’s basketball team’s 78-57 victory over Cal-State Bakersfield Wednesday at the Pan Am Center.

Despite escaping with a win in the first meeting against the Roadrunners on Jan. 2, the Aggies were outplayed for much of the night. That was not the case on Wednesday night, as solid defense and efficient shooting propelled the Aggies to complete the season sweep against CSBU.

“We held a very good three-point shooting team to 17 percent in the game, which is really the story of the game,” NMSU coach Marvin Menzies said. This team can shoot the ball. They had us beat at their place, and we know what we had in front of us.”

The Aggies also kept the Roadrunners off the free-throw line, something they did not do in the first meeting. CSBU only shot nine free-throws on Wednesday, 17 fewer attempts than in the game in Bakersfield last month.

“We felt like we needed to play aggressively without fouling,” Menzies said. “We tried to play really aggressive with our hands and try to get deflections. It’s a good barometer for how you’re playing defense when you can get deflections.”

It was a milestone night for senior forward Wendell McKines, who fished with a game-high 20 points and 14 rebounds. In the second half, McKines became only the second player in Aggie history with 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.

“It’s an honor. It’s something that I’m going to take with me for the rest of my life,” McKines said of the accomplishment. “I think I’ll be able to explain it later on, but right now I’m just living in the moment and enjoying this ride.”

McKines is well aware of the elite company he has cemented his name in, which includes NMSU great Sam Lacey. However, the Aggie senior said he could not have achieved the milestone without his coaches and teammates.

“I have to thank my teammates and coaching staff for believing in me, giving me that confidence and sticking with me,” McKines said. “All the teammates and coaches throughout the time I’ve been here stuck with me and I couldn’t have done it without them.”

The Aggies improved to 16-7 on the season, matching their win total from last season. NMSU returns to conference play Saturday when the Aggies host Louisiana Tech at the Pan Am Center. NMSU defeated Louisiana Tech by ten points on the road in the conference opener on Jan. 7.