Great opening day effort from the Aggies. I hate to look too far ahead given the player movement the last couple of years, but you have to give it to Menzies early bringing in guys like Troy Gillenwater and Wendell McKines. Hamidu Rahman even looks to be a solid center as he continues to mature.
Here is a link to a column I wrote on the Aggies upcoming season. I don't want to spoil it for you but I don't choose them to go undefeated and to the Final Four, but check it out if you have time.
Also, here is the AP story from USC's game on Saturday.
As you may know, there are some ties to California on the Aggies roster with Gibson and Gillenwater, but I will have something on that in Tuesday's paper.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Taj Gibson scored 17 points, including six straight in a decisive second-half run, and No. 18 Southern California defeated UC Irvine 78-55 Saturday to win its first season opener in four years.
DeMar DeRozan added 14 points in his college debut as the Trojans’ highly touted replacement for top scorer O.J. Mayo, who was a first-round NBA draft pick after one season.
Dwight Lewis had 18 points and Daniel Hackett 10 for USC, which lost openers to Cal State Northridge and South Carolina, both in overtime, and Mercer in coach Tim Floyd’s first three seasons.
Darren Moore scored 16 points for the Anteaters. They kept it close throughout the first half, when they led by two points and shot 41 percent from the floor. Brett Lauer added 12 points and Zac Atkinson 10.
But the Trojans asserted themselves offensively to open the second half, while also stepping up their defense.
Leading by six at halftime, USC opened with a 23-7 run to take a 58-36 lead that was never threatened. Gibson scored eight, including two dunks and a basket off his own rebound, while Lewis had five and DeRozan four.
In the final minutes, freshman Percy Miller, better known as hip-hop star Lil’ Romeo, came off the bench and grabbed one rebound.
Just like Mayo, DeRozan arrives as a newcomer with the ability to immediately make an impact on the program. The McDonald’s All-American forward averaged 29.2 points as a senior at nearby Compton High. He cracked the starting lineup Saturday, going 6-of-11 from the floor, making both his free throws and grabbing three rebounds.
Along with Mayo, the Trojans lost their No. 2 scorer, Davon Jefferson, who wasn’t selected in the NBA draft. The team is coming off a 21-12 season in which it lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The Anteaters were 18-16 last season, losing three of their top scorers to graduation. They fell to 1-5 against the Trojans and haven’t beaten a Pac-10 school since 2005.
7 comments:
We'll have some idea how good the Aggies are after the USC game. Saturday's opponent wasn't exactly the cream of the crop...
Where is the guy that said we NEEDED to start Big Wen?
I dont know if its just me but I really saw no need to have LaRoche starting at point guard. He only had 2 assists and 0 points in 30 minutes of play time and it really didnt seem like we needed him to distribute the ball or lead the offense. Maybe it was just the first game but it seemed like Gibson or Young could have taken over that spot and done more than what he did. I do think that Wen should have started over him but again its just the first game so hopefully he can pick it up. Also, Gabriel disappointed me in this game as well as in the rest. He seemed scared when he was out there and just slow. I know this is the first game but just things that I felt were disappointing and hopefully get better over the season.
GS
I sat a the south end and so saw the Aggies on offense in the first half. Looked to me like Hernst Larouche was looking to dish assists as a first option. Missed threading the needle to Gibson on one when two guys converged on the ball. The pass got by JG, but otherwise it was an easy lay-up. How many turnovers for Larouche?
Hernst appears willing to play a role in the "scheme" as do all the players at this point (one game in).
Beating the Anteaters is no trifling matter. The one time I've seen the goal posts come down in Aggies Memorial was in a victory over Irvine. If Irvine could muster 55 pts then I think the Aggies might break 60? If Lumpkins is on ... 75.
Congrats to Coach Menzies for his great recruiting. He's got a heck of a team and they can only get better. A whole lot of talent is on the court. Go aggies!
Laroche was team-high with Gibson in steals (3), had the 2 assists and only coughed up the rock once.
He's on board with Menzies' game plan.
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