Kevin Aronis interview

Remember Paris Carter?

Probably not, but Carter was the only junior college player to play for Marvin Menzies, albeit briefly.

Santa Rosa Junior College sophomore Kevin Aronis joined the Aggies to add 3-point shooting to a young roster with size.

"Kevin is a first for me in a way so obviously I must be high on him," Menzies said. "He is not just a set shooter. He was a key target on his team whenever they played."

Aronis was a 40-percent shooter from 3-point range last year. At 6-foot-3, Aronis used a combination of basketball IQ and a quick release to get free.

"People were not leaving him," said Santa Rosa coach Craig McMillan. "He gets his shot off quick and he shoots it from deep."

Going the junior college route helped Aronis improve from a Division II prospect to a likely shooting specialist at the Division I level.

“It was the same style of play but I won’t be the second leading scorer (at NMSU),” Aronis said. “I do have a pretty quick release  and I have some loft to my shot if there is a defender there. You have to be able to read defenses and find the gaps. All of those things combined to help me get open.”

Adding a junior college makes sense for next  year's team. The Aggies have young players in the backcourt so perhaps a player such as Aronis can not only help right away, but provide some stability to a team that normally goes through some growing pains early in the season.

"I played against a lot of good players who are going Division I," Aronis said. "That makes it easier maybe than a high school guy. I don't think I would have handled it well coming out of high schoool but I think I will handle the transition better as a junior."

Aronis came to Las Cruces on a visit in late March and was on the verge of landing an offer at Sam Houston State. Sacramento State wanted him to walk on but a recent NCAA Tournament appearance made the decision easy.

Aronis graduates with an Associates Degree and will come to NMSU for the second session of summer school. He said he is leaning towards a communications degree and wants to coach after he's done playing.

Aronis said the Aggies seemed like a family oriented program when he came to campus, which was important for him. Aronis has been around his family up until now, as he played for nearby Analy High School before playing at Santa Rosa.

"It was really easy since I had been playing open gym against those guys since I was in high school. Going to New Mexico, I'm kind of ready to go out on my own. I'm a little nervous but I think I'm ready to handle it fine."