I was able to watch the women's team play some pickup games the other day. Freshman wing Tabytha Wampler looks llike a player who could have a great career. She can handle, run the floor and shoot the ball and could be a potential stopper on defense. Wampler, DAnisha Corbett and Madison Spence could be a pretty nice starting lineup 1-3.
I haven't been able to see the men play at all yet, but I have seen some players on campus. Hamidu Rahman and Jahmar Young each look like they have put on some muscle. I hope to have a story on redshirts Rahman, Troy Gillenwater and Robert Lumpkins sometime next week.
21 comments:
Really looking forward to that piece on the freshmen.
Thanks JG for the report on the basketball front. I know our volleyball team is good,but its pretty boring to watch cuz its the same stuff all the time. I can't wait for the seasons of both our mens and womens teams. Our coaches are solid and I believe our talent is good, but young. We'll be ok though.
Last week I had an opportunity to speak with coach Spence while I was out there visiting. He is still talking about how much he likes the personality of these kids and the team as a whole. He said something else that I had never thought of, but it made sense. He said this years group of players really bring out the BEST in one another and they push each other to bring their best! That makes a lot of sense. I do hope they can ride that through the season.
Saw the article on the womens hoop recruit too. I know Berkely HS has been strong in girls ball for a long time now so this kid must be a solid player. Hope we get her.
I can't wait to hear more about the mens team next.
Thanks.
Gillenwater was highly recruited and might be one of the best players in the wac. Lokking forward to watching him suit up.
Let us know when you get over to watch the guys work out and play some pick up ball.
I heard that Lumpkins could add a lot to the team too. He's supposed to be a long, 6'6 athlete who can play a couple different spots. What do you think?
How about Gipson? I really see him as more of a shooting guard and not a point guard. We need to let him play that spot and focus on being the threat after receiving the first entry pass. He's not at his best when he handles and makes the first pass.
Anyway, let's get the ball rolling!
For the 32 people who voted that the team is "better off" without Herb Pope, ...you need to move out of your parents' basement. Let's see if Jack Nixon is right that a team approach is superior to having incredible physical abilities? Uh, I think his point in the Bulletin was that Larry Bird never won an NCAA title. So, Jack, come clean ... were you the guy on the receiving end of Bird's haymaker when he jumped into the Pan Am crowd years before his Pacers followed suit in Detroit???
Jimmy crack corn is smoking crack! Boy, didn't you come out of left field.
Anyone with half a brain or any clue about "TEAM" sports, knows the whole is greater than its parts. Why do you think USC's football program is dang good? Are they all individuals? Heck no! Team team team. Go back and watch "Hoosiers" why don't you. "No one player is more important than the team" is what coach Norman Dale told his team. Truer words were never spoken!
Go out and support coach Menzies as he learns how to be a head coach and his TEAM!
Congratulations, J.G., now you know Jack checks your blog. I don't disagree with Jack, and Boise State kind of put it (the team game) in the Aggies face in the WAC final when everybody was dog tired. It didn't work to well versus Louville. But I'll bet that Adolph Rupp subscribed to that same Hoosiers fantasy until Don Haskins put some hungrier guys on the court who could leap over Pat Reilly. Even Marvin Menzies will tell you you can't teach what Herb Pope brought to practices - which was utter domination. I'm just guessing, I never witnessed a practice. But I'll support Marvin win or lose this year. Too much emphasis on winning in college sports these days anyway. But if you asked Marvin would he rather play with Herb on the team or against him, he'd have to say he'd take Herb. Why'd he start every game?
Jack is whack... quoting from "Hoosiers" is an indication that he hasn't keep up with the times. Unfortunately, it is this very same mentality that permeates our athletics program and will always keep it under the radar. USC football is currently a good program because they always have key outstanding players that comprise their team. The football Aggies are mediocre at best because they have a collection of mediocre athletes that comprise the team. While Kansas and Florida can recruit McDonald All-American talent and win basketball championships, we'll continue to not concern ourselves with individual talent because if we play as a team, we can always hold our chin up high and say that we at least we lost as team, perennially.
For a fresh take on Aggie Athletics, perhaps Jack should take a look at www.aggiesportsblog.com. If so, there's hope that he might just get it.
I think you guys missed Jacks point. He is not claiming a "mediocre" team is better than a group of "talented" individuals. He is saying a team concept is always better than a group of selfish players. Pope was too "me" oriented to allow NMSU develop a team concept. Now with Pope gone maybe the rest of NMSU's "talented" kids can now focus on becoming a team.
By the way, just because a program has a lot of talented players doesn't mean they don't play team ball. It is more about attitude than talent.
This team has talent, and will perform as a unit. This year will be tough for fans, but we are poised for some exciting times in Aggie basketball...
author of the aggiesportsblog. Sorry, I checked it out. Terrible lay out. And the writing leaves a lot to be desired. Appreciate the effort though. Continue working at it.
I'm not the author of the aggiesportsblog. But I can tell you the blog appears to be the true voices and opinions of true aggie fans, those that actually spend their hard earned cash and are willing to sacrifice their egos in support of the aggies. They are not true writers, just true fans. The more blogs about aggie athletics, the better. Especially if its raw, true, and sometimes hits hard against the established status quo.
But yes, the layout does need some work...
I only kid Jack because I like Jack. His last article also gave props to teams that won within the team system, especially with Norvelle and Channing. Those were fun times! McKines is a lot like Norvelle, a little slower but with more bulk, and always around the ball somehow. WAC teams know now that they have to foul McKines to keep him away from the rim due to his superior springs. Menzies deserves to coach guys that have "bought-in." He's got something there to work with for 08-09. All I require is a win versus the Lobos in Pan Am and I'll go to all of the remaining conference games. Split is acceptable - sweep, not so much.
You're the man Groves.
Loved the article.
Would have liked the depth of the story to cover Rahman and Lumpkins more.
Good article JG. Hey any word on eligibility issues for Joyner or anyone else? Having all these guys available for game 1 seems too good to be true in this era of Aggie hoops.
Thanks J.G.!
Your report that Rahman was looking forward to playing with Herb Pope and they are buddies says it all. If he's sincere, that says more to me than votes from Pope's detractors. Can we put Rahman down for a Not Better Off?
"Aggies Better Off w/o Pope" - 32
"Aggies Worse Off w/o Pope" - 24*
For whatever dissent Pope's presence caused on the team (if any), sounds like the remaining players were inspired to get stronger and bigger, in some measure, by watching Herb get playing time. Could we say the 08-09 Aggies are better off because Pope was here and not necessarily because he has gone?
Jimmy crack needs to get over it. Who really has the time to keep track of the votes for Pope and against Pope? Dork...
And the article talks about Gillenwater's relationship with Pope, not Rahman.
What a leap of logic. Gillenwater, not Rahman said he was good friends with Pope. But nowhere did anybody say they were inspired by Pope. By all accounts, people were ready to quit the team if Pope was allowed to come back and play.
Joyner? Eligible? any words on that?
Yeah, that's my point. Menzies started Pope all of the time. Which indicates that Pope must have schooled those guys in practice ...the ones that wanted to leave. It's natural for most people to want to quit basketball entirely when they step on the court and see how much better a guy lile Pope is without really trying that hard? Oh, yeah, sorry I hit the pipe too hard and forgot it was Gillendingle. He sounds good and it also sounded like from the article that Herb showed him some tricks for getting his GPA up!
As far as Joyner, nothing has changed to my knowledge. Don't expect to see him in uniform until the second semester. JCC is hilarious!
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