well there weren't many people there so I don't know who saw the Aggies 84-68 victory on Thursday. But here is what I noticed.
First the bad I guess. A&T somehow found a way back into the game, but before you get worried and start calling for another Menzies firing, they just got hot from 3-point land for a stretch of about nine or 10 minutes. The bottom line is A&T isn't a good team at all. They just rely on the 3. I don't know if it's their coaching style or what, but it's horrible to watch.
The good thing about it was unlike the Fullerton game, the Aggies didnt get caught up shooting the 3 quickly. They still shot 30 but they were all open looks. But when they needed to score, they either gave Rahman a touch down low to run some clock, or pushed the pace and got open in transition.
I also wanted to mention a couple of role players who will eventually have a say in how the Aggies do this year.
Gordo struggled tonight, shooting 1 for 9 from long distance. Coach Menzies said that he told Gordo to keep shooting it though so hopefully he comes out of his slump soon.
DeShawn Gomez got some good minutes in the first half. He finished with a triple , two rebounds and two assists and two turnovers (in the second half) in eight minutes. He found Gibson on penetration and knocked down an open 3 of his own. He is going to have to continue to play well because Laroche (2 points, five assists 0 TOs) can't play 40 minutes a night
11 comments:
Just my opinion but I'm tired of people praising Gordo for things they think he might do. He is not a constant force on the court and when he gets hot he is ok but when he gets cold..well 7 points in the last 3 games doesnt say much. Im curious to see how the Aggies do against the undefeated UTEP team who really hasnt face anyone worth mentioning. The dilemma that we have is that the zone pushes teams outside but they manage to make the threes anyway. Playing man is not something that Menzies is willing to do or should for forty minutes so what else is there to do?
GS
JG - Good summary, I was there with a few others(only a few). I felt all along that they were going to blow the game and lead, but was happy they summoned up some strength at the end. Our major problem is that once we have to go to the bench, which is not deep, we are in trouble. We have four dependable starters(Young, Gibson, Laroche, and Rahman) and taking anyone out hurts us, hopefully we some players back soon. Gordo has been really struggling and his fans are pathetic. They resorted to cheering last night when he got fouled like he did something important. We can't depend on him for a spark. I disagree that Laroche can't play 40 min because he has basically done that since he was a freshman. He plays more minutes than anyone else. But I agree that it would be good to have a reliable backup and I think that Gomez has the potential to be that player. One last thing I think is important is everything goes better when Gibson is playing aggressive defense which he has been doing recently. Final thought, maybe we have an outside chance against UCLA after what they did last night(big loss Portland St.)
Big Al
Gordo has done very well off the bench in his career. It's true, he's in a slump right now...but normally he is playing hard defense, rebounding, making steals and usually has dead-on accuracy with the 3. I don't think it's fair for you to be attacking Gordo personally GS (and no, I'm not related to Gordo, so don't try retaliating with some smart *ss remark). The only issue here is the incompetent coach.
What I'm really tired of, AND THIS IS JUST MY OPINION, is the smart mouthed jerks that NM State has for fans. I'm a NM State fan by default, because I grew up in Las Cruces...but in recent years I have not been impressed with the nasty attitude people have on blogs like this and also how stupid and vulgar the Aggie fans act at games. I was visiting and attended both WAC tourneys in Las Cruces in 2007 and 2008...Aggie fans acted disgusting. I understand why the other WAC teams make formal complaints about NM State.
In 2007 Louisiana Tech cheerleaders and the band members were throwing beads to the crowd as a sign of friendship, they were there to have a good time and promote the conference..."respectable" NM State students were throwing the beads back at the cheerleaders...I saw one girl from La Tech get hit in the face..is that supposed to be funny? Any idiot outside of this desert would know that beads are a tradition of fun and friendship.
I like enthusiastic crowds, but an opposing team's fans shouldn't be scared for their safety. I grew up in Las Cruces and none of the loud mouths here scare me, but people from other places don't understand the neanderthal attitude that this area has.
Last night and at the Fullerton game, the Aggies switched back and forth from zone to man defense and it appears to be working or at least having the other team guess a little. Gordo will have some good nights but he is what he is. I admire his effort and work ethic but he is person that can't create his own shot and relies on defenses sagging and getting a pass for an open 3. His percentage so far is terrible and his defense, as well as most of the rest of the team, is not good. The Miners haven't played anubody but they are deep and physical. If the officials allow physical play, the Aggies are in for a long night. HR is going to get beat up and I hope he doesn't get too tired or frustrated by the Miner's. Until WM and TG return, we have to depend on JY and JG getting their 50 a night and HR his 12 points and 8 rebounds. I think Gomez will be a good sub. I see improvement in the Aggies and am looking forward to conference play. Aggie fans should fill up the Pan Am Tuesday and not allow the orange Utepidity any seats.
I agree 100% with ANON 11:26! Gordo has been nothing but horrible this year. I thought he would have been able to at least contribute 7 points this year. He is just hurting the team right now. 1 of 9, im pretty sure i can do that! Hopefully that changes soon!
Anon 7:36, I'm not sure I understand your post. You start out defending Gordo, OK, that's cool although he has not yet shown much this year. You then go to say the only issue is the incompetent coach. Listening to the coach's comments, he sounds like Gordo's biggest supporter. Gordo is something like 3 for 20 from 3 point range and the coach makes a point of saying he wants Gordo to keep shooting because he has confidence in him. The rest of your blog is arant against NMSU fans and there is no other example of "coaching weakness". It seems to me that you are as guilty as the people you complain about with their nasty attitudes. It is easy to hold coaches resposible for a team's weaknesses and ultimately coaches get fired because their teams don't produce but why do we not hold players accountable for their play as well. I think Gordo will play out of his slump eventually and that will be good. As for Aggie fans being rowdy, I don't see much difference from Aggie fans and other schools. Do I condone some of the action, No, but I have experienced the same types of fans at other schools. It is a systemwide problem and not a NMSU only problem. NMSU's biggest problem are the fans that complain about the Pan Am center being too loud or the ones that leave with 15 minutes left in the game
Anon 7:36;
An incompetent coach has nothing to do with an incompetent shooter. As people have said in this blog, Gordo cant create his own shots and relies on others to pass him the ball. The game against Panhandle proves that as he did not take a single three. As far as dead on accuracy is concerned, thats a bit of stretch there buddy. I think there is a difference between being in a slump and being an inconsistent shooter. Gordo provides a spark every once in a while, he does not do it on a regular basis. He is not the shooter that you draw up a play for and say here you go win us the game. I'm not attacking him, I just simply dont think he deserves the attention that he gets based on his performance.
GS
Anon 12:47
I would like to add that our problems also lie with those fans that say they want the team to keep losing so the attendance drops and Menzies leaves. I think the team represents NMSU and if the community wants to get rid of Menzies then let the results take care of that, but dont place him above the team just because you want im gone. You go see to support the team and the university, not to get rid of a coach.
GS
Thanks for the blog link, JG
Gomez: comfortable moving through traffic with the ball. Looking to dish as a first option is good for the team. Will eventually result in more perimeter passing from the other guys that will open up seams in the defense? Jimmy hopes so.
Gordo: Looks like as a junior he's feeling some added pressure to score with Troy on the bench. Plus, other teams see his stat line and know his game. So he should look to get the close-out guy in the air, step inside the three point line, draw an extra defender out and then dish to a cutter, score or get fouled.
NC A&T: yeah, their coach Jerry Eaves actually wants them to play that way vs MEAC competition.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/eavesje01.html
Gordo has been cold so far this year, but to call him a poor or inconsistent shooter is to ignore his entire sophomore season.
He led the WAC in 3FG% among players with 20 or more attempts. He'll get tracked, probably when we get our forwards back so teams sag to the middle more.
Did you notice how much more man-on-man they played versus a team that freely admitted their game was to bomb from downtown? Maybe this means they'll be asked to switch out of the zone during games to temporarily upset the play called by Menzies' opposite number? See youze at UTEP !!!
Peace, I'm out...
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