The Aggies lost a game for first place, but what happened after will be national news for all the wrong reasons.
Two things.
K.C. Ross-Miller should be suspended by the Aggies, perhaps for the rest of the season. Ross-Miller lost his head and threw the ball at Utah Valley guard Holton Hunsaker. It would have likely been an ugly enough ending, if not for the fans who stormed the court and proceeded to get involved.
Rushing the court will likely be debated forever. What is certain is that players don't win when they mix with fans. I expect both Renaldo Dixon and KC Ross-Miller will be suspended for what happened at Utah Valley.
29 comments:
Expectations for this team were way too high all season. Time to face reality.
Players behave this way because the coaches tolerate it. K.C. will get a slap on the wrist and the coaches will blame the rest on the crowd. The players are class-less because the coaches have no class.
This absolute fool should be ashamed of himself as a person. Sore loser, plain and simple. Here the WAC is trying to make a name for itself nationally as a conference and then this? As a former collegiate athlete it's sickening to me to see the conduct of athletes the last year or so in college sports and to tell you the truth, I would not want this guy as a teammate even if he was the last choice on the block. This takes the cake, to intentionally aim a basketball at an opposing player (or anywhere for that matter)after a loss shows true immaturity and complete lack of respect for the sport, your team, the conference, but most of all; I would hope, your family. If this were my son, I would be utterly embarrassed. The sad thing is, after the chaos that HE himself ignited, he sat there way in the back and watched as his teammates tried to "defend" his screw up, then ran in at the last minute when everything was winding down. Wow, what a winner.... oh, that's right they lost.....more than once tonight. Way to represent your institution and your conference.
Ross Miller is the instigator and should be suspended. Expel him, he sucks anyway!!
It obviously didn't help that the fans decided to mix it up on the court. What are the NMSU players supposed to do when they are out numbered 10-1 by violent fans?
The Aggies are struggling in the Weak Ass Conference and it boils down to Menzies complacent attitude. Marvin Menzo needs to go!
KC is an NAIA player in a D1 uniform. He should be shown the door!
Dixon came to the defense of a teammate who was surrounded by an angry mob. He should not be suspended for defending a fellow teammate!
Sadly this is an incident that will get NMSU on track vs. struggling against mediocre teams. Also, Menzie's needs to go, he has zero discipline and has shown the past couple of seasons and peaked last night.
Just as predicted, coach Menzies has already started making excuses and not taking responsibility.
“My understanding is that (Ross-Miller) threw the ball at (Hunsaker), who was giving him lip service,” said Menzies. “Then they had some fans rush the floor, and some of our guys had the impression that the fans were coming after them. They were definitely feeling a little nervous.
“It’s a sad situation I’ll have to deal with, but I don’t know if the conference will get involved,” he added.
Well coach Menzies, when Utah Valley releases their video, you will see a NMS player throw the first punch. You can clearly see from the video that the crowd was running to the Utah Valley team, not NMS. The conference will not only get involved -- but the NCAA will.
Disgusting losers. And the word "thug" will be used to describe the Aggies once again. This is why I stopped attending the games a few years ago. I have not missed a thing except poor discipline and "thug-like" behavior.
Before we start asking for heads to roll or players to be expelled, lets see what precipitated the incident. What exactly was said to K.C., there may be more to this than meets the eye. Menzies is defending his athlete, yes, that's what he is supposed to do. Menzies is constantly hammered in the media and on the blogs for not having any fire or passion, this isn't his style. If it is a case of unsportsmanship conduct on KC, he will be punished accordingly, but lets not condemn the entire program for what may be an emotional reaction (a very very wrong reaction) to a tuff loss.
At 8:37 am comments:
Regardless of what precipitated KC Ross Millers antics, there is no excuse for what he did. He needs to show discipline and maturity by not throwing the basketball at an opposing player and thus inciting an on court brawl. This is embarrassing on every level and the 'benefit of the doubt' approach does not apply. His actions were unacceptable and he should be suspended.
This program is judged harshly because these incidents seem to be common over the last several years. Going back to Reggie Theus, there have been multiple allegations or incidents that have portrayed NMSU in a negative fashion. For example, Tyrone Nelson "holding up" a delivery guy, Jahmar Young's multiple issues, Christian Kabongo's lewd behavior, Tyrone Watson almost beating a man to death, and Terrel de Rouen's similar act.
It's time for new leadership in this program because it has become an embarrassment. That is on the athletic director. The team itself is not focused and lacks discipline. That is a direct extension of the coach.
Hey, our Aggies made the front page of the Huffington Post. There is even a video. We should be sooo proud.
At 9:15 comment.
You are correct that appropriate action and discipline needs to take place. What KC did was wrong, Menzies has posted this on the NMSU website. In the heat of the game he made a very bad decision, but to associate this with holding up a pizza delivery guy, confronting a police officer or beating up someone and the other off court issues is not fair. A young man made a bad decision on the basketball court, he is going to pay appropriately you cant pile on to him every bad police related incident that has occurred over the past 15 years. I would look at this more like the Marcus Smart incident, you can't crucify the young man for one bad mistake. He will pay with a pretty serious suspension, and the team will pay as a result.
Yes, MM doesn't want to take the responsibility even though a) he brought the guys in here and b) he is THE LEADER!
One thing that bugs me is that the incident is overshadowing two important basketball related issues:
1. Look at the ranking of the teams we have lost to this year.
2. Look at how we have lost several games this year and almost lost the UNM game....poor coaching...our team is just mentally weak.
It is no wonder players get frustrated. They have so much more talent than the coaching system they are in.
Jason, you talked about the lack of a player leader and I wanted to respond but didn't get a chance yesterday....you need to look at it from a wider perspective.
Because we have been in such a poor conference, our mediocrity has been easy to deny. We have a coach who doesn't take responsibility for the results of his team. Naturally, the players follow the coach who is protected by virtue of the lame conference we are in....until now!
You can't depend on a Wendell to show up and be the guy. That isn't the way it works. The coach creates the climate, the context, the culture and cultivates the leadership attributes of the players...or in this case, he doesn't!
Maybe at this point something will be done. Alas, probably not. We still have a good chance to win the WAC tourney. I for one consider this to be unfortunate because we need to face the facts and winning that tourney will let us be in denial for yet another year. It only gets worse from here until a coaching change is made.
Alan
Actually after the stupid ball throwing by KC, it looks to me that the Aggies were trying to defend themselves and were greatly outnumbered. I would have done the same thing to defend myself and my teammates. I think if the Aggies would show more discipline during the entire season, bb fans everywhere would not see this in such a negative light. This incident is no worse than similiar events that have happened to other teams in recent years. When fans inject themselves onto the court bad things are likely to happen. I wish the Aggies could have gotten off the court and taken retribution against Utah Valley in the tourney. Now all we can do is wait for the suspensions and reaction from the WAC and NCAA.
I'm disappointed and frustrated with where the Aggies are at this point in the season, but not surprised. This team has been totally unpredictable as far as the results on the court. Their inconsistency falls squarely on their coaches. Their inability to make free throws falls on coaching. Their lack of focus must be addressed by improved motivation. Their behavior, on and off the court, FALLS ON THE PLAYERS. After watching the clip of the UV brawl, it's clear that the altercation was fueled by frustration at not being able to finish UV off - no excuses. I have no doubt that the powers that be will deal with those responsible in an appropriate manner. My frustration is fueled by this team's incredible potential and their mediocre performances. I truly believe they're being held back by a coach who just can't coach a game. He can strategize, he can analyze film, he can observe with the best of them, but he can't coach in real time. I disagree with ANON 12:50. Expectations were high because we have the talent. But if experience has taught us anything, we should know that MM has a way of diminishing the energy of his team and their fans. Unfortunately, we're stuck with MM for as long as AD Boston is at the helm.
I am going to ramble here...forgive me.
Anon 11:33,
You nailed it.
The energy is dissipating. The problem is that for results oriented people, it looks like we are doing well. We win 20 games. We go to the dance or contend year after year. What could be wrong?
Meanwhile, our standards diminish, our participation diminishes, the size of the pan american center gets smaller...this is a perfect metaphor for the Boston/MM era.
This morning I have been thinking about the kind of coach I would want to replace MM with.
I think I am against the whole big program assistant coach route. I would prefer a guy who has taken a very small school and got them to out perform themselves. In other words someone with head coaching experience who has a proven record of doing a lot with a little.
Then, we will always do pretty well and sometimes we will do great. But there will never be a question of consistency or discipline or the culture of the team (think Stu Merrill of Utah State).
Of course, that won't happen as long as Boston is AD. The good news is that he may be on a short leash. Word has it that he was given an ultimatum to raise a bunch of non-LC money and so far he has fallen short. So, stay tuned!
Alan
Jason,
Another, "I hate to ask" question.
Is Ian Baker ok? He didn't play last night and in light of recent circumstances, I would like to know as we proceed, because we do need to proceed, is Ian available and or healthy?
Thanks AGGIE83
1) Any team that MISSES 15 FREE THROWS in ANY game such as this one doesn't deserve to win.2)You simply encorage the other team to use you as "human pinatas" (ask Shaq) when you shoot that poorly.This team seems to show total lack of discipline when they go on the road-they don't focus on the task at hand.And just as it looked that we might get some NCAA tourney recognition,THIS has to happen.Can you imagine what would happen if NMSU gets NO NCAA bid-what then?
Anon 2:30,
It would be better in the long run if we didn't get the bid. That way we would face the fact of our mediocrity.
If we get the bid people will fool themselves as they have for the past several years that we are doing well when the opposite is more accurate.
Alan
Anon 3:13,
I have to agree with you on facing your own mediocrity.
As for the student athletes who have dedicated themselves to their studies and their basketball careers. To these young men who have relocated from all over the country and from different parts of the world. To the coaching staff who have dedicated themselves to the program. And to the many many Aggie FANS who support the team. I say dust yourselves off, get up (because we are all down) and get to back to work. We have to prepare for our next challenge a teammate or two down and get back out on the court and represent our proud university. Yea one of our teammates messed up out on the court. He is going to pay for it through his suspension, how ever long that may be. I hope he has learned a lesson and will be a better person for it. I am sure his teammates are going to support him, because we all don't give up on our friends, teammates or team like many bloggers do! LETS GO AGGIES!!
I'm completely disgusted with the Aggies performance last night and felt that way before the fight. Nothing would have happened if the Aggies would've shown a little bit of focus, and not shot 15-30 from the free throw line. Hell, all they needed to do was go at least 16-30 and you've got no OT and no KCRM chucking the ball at the opponent. I don't understand how they could piss away a 7 point lead in 2:45. I don't understand why they didn't foul a non shooter in the last 10 seconds of regulation. You'd rather give up two free throw shots, not three, correct? But no, they foul the three point shooter while in the act for the umpteenth time this season! Questionable call or not, you're not supposed to foul the guy while he's shooting the three!! Will they ever learn? As long as Marvin the tactical genius is around, I say no. Better coaching, better strategy, better focus = no fight or embarrassment.
One can always dream, right?
Go Aggies!!
SHAME on you President Gary C. for allowing this reputation and actions to happen year over year. How dare you shame our school again. You are the head of the organization, if this were any other school swift action would have taken place years ago.
This isnt Santa Fe, your going to have to actually take some real action and fix this ASAP.
I am cutting my annual donation to the scholarship program effective now.
- Fed up with being bottom shelf
Len
Class 1987
Two of us have consistently criticized MM for accomplishing nothing other than impressive W-L records exaggerated by a weak schedule, winning WAC tourneys with few competitive teams, and getting drilled in the NCAA tourney - Alan and me. Unfortunately, it takes an incredibly embarrassing episode (not another disappointing loss) for others to post similar sentiments. KCRM should be kicked off the team. Period. He can get his second chance somewhere else. MM should be fired at the end of the season; he can take his "culture" somewhere else. And Boston should be relieved of his duties asap (after all, MM hopefully will need another place to land).
I live in Dallas, where no one cares about NMSU. Friends who know where I went to school have been telling me today "what the hell is wrong with your school?". I'm so done with MM and Boston, but always will be a proud NMSU alum (well, maybe not for a few days). But this will pass. NMSU has a fairly new president with no ties to these three clowns. Hopefully he agrees change is direly needed.
Anyone read Teddy's interview a month or so ago with William Benjamin talking about the exciting atmosphere of a packed PAC? I remember a similar atmosphere when I was there in the late 70s/early 80s, as well as RT's last year and MM's first year. Now we have plastic covering PAC seats. My how far NMSU basketball has fallen under the leadership of Boston and Menso.... Go Aggies!
Aggie Glare
"two of us" man you guys need to find something to be happy about. Someone to root for. I'm glad you have each other. But man what a sad and unfortunate passion you have, to bash the Aggs and call it a positive thing. Building a program thru incoming freshman with an injection of JC transfers. Coach Menzies has built a consistent winner that we can be proud of and enjoy watching. We swept UTEP and split with UNM, pretty damn good. I am one of those Aggie fans nutty enuf to trade a sweep over UNM and UTEP for an NCAA berth. Thank goodness we got 2 out of 3, but on to the real games and we are unfortunately in 2nd place. But hey I'm gonna root for us to get it done these last 2 games and go into the tourney 1 or 2. Go AGGS, and "two of us", go back to that dark room at the end of the hall and try to find some happiness, damn
I think anyone that posts without leaving their name is a coward. My name is Chad Lopez and most of you are cowards. I wouldn't want any of you cowards as my neighbor or coworker.
Hey People!
Please let us keep this cordial and from being silly and abusive.
I am Alan and I am one of the critics of MM and Boston.
It hasn't effected my happiness. I am having an amazing time tonight with my partner. I made her chocolate cream with strawberries and she is very happy and we are very happy. Loving life!
None of that changes how I feel about the Aggies.
One can have critical thoughts and recognize what doesn't work smile at the same time....thank goodness!
Also, you can't question whether or not I am a fan. I am. How do I know? Because I am still here with you wondering how to make this situation better. That is what it means to be a fan in my book.
Go Aggies (fire MM, Boston and start fresh!)
Alan
When your perspective of NMSU basketball is watching them compete with an Indiana State team led by Larry Bird and ranked #1 and we lose in OT (only because ISU hits a half court Hail Mary to get to OT), or to a Wichita State (yes, that same school that is 31-0 this year) lead by former NBA players Cliff Livingston and Antoine Carr, MM's squads are tough to take. Losing to teams in this most pathetic conference??? Please!! I'm an Aggie alum, always will be. And just because I think MM needs to be replaced does not mean I'm anti-Aggie. Quite the contrary, I care and want better, much better. MM and Boston are pathetic leaders and NMSU basketball, a once VERY proud program, has fallen to a level I never envisioned. We're in a pathetic conference (Boston's responsibility), have a coach with a grossly misleading W-L record (Boston's responsibility), and a team that grossly underperforms (MM's responsibility). Admittedly, we did good this year against our non-conference rivals (3-1), but MM's record against UNM and UTEP overall is horrible. Has any NMSU coach (that has been on the job as long as MM) had a worse record against our rivals since the late 70's? Maybe, but I seriously doubt it.
I'm a proud Aggie alum who is used to much better than what we are now seeing, and all I ask for is a change to try and get back to where I think NMSU basketball deserves to be. Nothing more, nothing less. Criticize my opinion all you want, and I'll continue to criticize our leadership until we get back to where I believe NMSU belongs. Go Aggies!
Aggie Glare
Aggie Glare, you forgot Xavier McDaniel on that Wichita State squad! I was there for that one! Steve Colter dunked on the 7 foot center on a break away, and an aggie legend was born. What a run, in the Missouri Valley Conf. That season Larry Bird if you recall fell into the stands on a layup, got hit with a program then got up and punched the guy in the nose, moved it to his cheek. I don't recall anyone asking for the Indiana State coach to be fired! Things happen in the heat of the game and young competitors react sometimes wrong but hey we're all human. These last few years beginning with Reggie and moving on to Menzies have been pretty damn good! look south to UTEP if you want to see constant changes in search of Adolph Rupp. Menzies is a great recruiter and developing into a damn good coach, KEEP up the good work. Boston has his hands full with football, he has found a damn good coach in Martin, great community guy, keep after it we're behind you coach Martin
Anon 11pm, I remember Xavier and Larry...I saw the infraction you are speaking of...was sitting a few rows away...I was 13 at the time...it really was just a slap and also that was a different era (pre-malace in the palace...)
I agree MM is a great recruiter. I just don't think the second part of your sentence is so....I think his coaching can be questioned. If you look at the losses we have had when facing superior talent, comparable talent or even inferior talent the reasons tend to be: missed free throws, boneheaded plays, or totally botched strategies. The good side of that is that the effort is there. The bad side of that is that the team displays mental weakness when faced with in-game adversity.
There is no consistency with the team. These are signs of not good coaching. Troubling me even more are the comments made by MM. He doesn't seem to take responsibility for the outcomes his teams produce. This really bugs me personally.
When he was hired I remember there were about 6 candidates and he was MY choice. I think I was wrong in retrospect!
Alan
wow... really! I have read most of the posts from 2/28 through the March 2014. Stumbled into this blog as I was reading college basketball articles...so I do not know any of you. I must say I saw that UV and NMSU situation on ESPN...it could happen to anyone especially when you're competitive spirits are running on over load. Yes it was not a smart thing to do; tell me you never made a mistake or lost your temper? A lot of negative from some Aggie alumni and hatred from the community. Blame the coach/university leadership? These kids wear the NMSU shield and they put it on the line daily because they care the opportunity the university have given them. Yet some of you see only thugs...maybe the issue is really not about basketball. I watch more college hoops than any person on the planet and that's a fact. I saw the DU game, Northern Colorado, CSU, New Mexico State game, and I think MM got the max out of his players. It's easy to point out the obvious and blame MM or Boston for any short comings because that's human nature. Half the issues are fans like you, as soon as adversity comes lets bring new leadership or cut the player is that really the answer...right? You question Menzies passion; leadership; the conference strength; and the players will to win. MM is a great coach and is the right man to lead your Aggies. It's the coaches job to put the team in position to win each game...the players have to execute! Are your expectations realist based on the talent level you have? Can you really blame the coach for missed FT's or the conference, NMSU decided to join? FT's and each game is all mental with players. John Wooden said it best Leadership is more than facts, " knowledge alone is not enough to get the desire results. You must have more elusive ability to teach and to motivate. This defines a true leader." MM has all those qualities as a coach and some especially to get players to go down their to play basketball in a town similar to Mayberry:-) To my knowledge before MM and the previous head coach NMSU was "off" the basketball national map. Some of you talked about consistency with MM team. Do you realize we are in 2014 and we have more than 3 TV channels now and social media? It is a nationwide issue look at Kansas, Kentucky, Duke and Syracuse this year...very inconsistent and these are some of the best programs in the nation. Its called a teenager and they just do not focus like athletes in past years. You really should give the program, MM, and Boston a break...its pretty darn good these days in Los Cruses. Wooden also said, "be more interested in character than reputation." become a solution to your concerns...lend a helping hand if you really care about the aggies success. The easiest thing in life is to coach from the stands and complain about how bad things are. The only guarantees in life is your attitude and hard work! Hope some of you find a way to help the University & MM pack the arena for all home games.
G-man
Post a Comment