Wendell McKines is at it again.
McKines is going for his second straight Player of the Month Award in the Pro B league in France. McKines averaged 19 and 9 in March for Rouen. Here is the link to vote. McKines is third in a three-man race as I write this.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Interviewing a question of semantics
First regarding Marvin Menzies' trip to Lubbock last week. People have reached out to me on Twitter asking did Menzies lie etc. Not sure I would call it a lie. But coaches talking to other schools while they are still employed is a slippery situation but it's fairly common in college athletics — look no further than Tim Floyd's meeting with USC when the Miners were still playing games. Meeting, conversations, consulting, call it whatever you want, but obviously Texas Tech gave Menzies a look but it didn't get further than that according to Menzies on Tuesday.
In looking at Menzies contract closer, there is a section that says the coach must inform the Athletics Director of other opportunities or interest before any discussions or interviews, however initial contacts are not included in that. McKinley Boston said on Tuesday that Texas Tech hadn't requested to talk to Menzies, but the reality is that aside from a professional courtesy, they weren't required to. On Friday, Boston told me however, that he was indeed aware that Menzies was in Lubbock having a conversation with Tech officials. With three WAC championships in four years, Boston said he wasn't surprised that Menzies is listening to what other schools have to say.
"I am surprised that there has only been one discussion," Boston said. "I thought there would have been more if you look at the full body of work, he has done a credible job building the program."
To my understanding, there isn't a technical definition of an 'official interview' so it basically comes down to how those parties involved decide to describe it publicly. It probably is not the last time Menzies' name turns up officially or otherwise. I think he would certainly be interested in the UCLA or USC job if they came calling, but according to Menzies, at least, he won't be leaving for Texas Tech. Boston said that to date no other schools have contacted him regarding Menzies.
Also looking at Menzies contract, he earned $40,000 in performance incentives this year. There will likely be another $20,000 for academic incentives that will kick in this fall.
WAC Tournament — $10,000 for winning the WAC Tournament
Win total — $10,000 for winning 17 or more games
NCAA Tournament — $20,000 for reaching the NCAA Tournament
Academic bonuses — $10,000 for a multi year APR score above 900 and $10,000 for maintaining the number of at risk athletes to no more than four. At risk athletes are defined as scholarship players who are on academic probation, suspension, or a semester GPA below 2.0.
In looking at Menzies contract closer, there is a section that says the coach must inform the Athletics Director of other opportunities or interest before any discussions or interviews, however initial contacts are not included in that. McKinley Boston said on Tuesday that Texas Tech hadn't requested to talk to Menzies, but the reality is that aside from a professional courtesy, they weren't required to. On Friday, Boston told me however, that he was indeed aware that Menzies was in Lubbock having a conversation with Tech officials. With three WAC championships in four years, Boston said he wasn't surprised that Menzies is listening to what other schools have to say.
"I am surprised that there has only been one discussion," Boston said. "I thought there would have been more if you look at the full body of work, he has done a credible job building the program."
To my understanding, there isn't a technical definition of an 'official interview' so it basically comes down to how those parties involved decide to describe it publicly. It probably is not the last time Menzies' name turns up officially or otherwise. I think he would certainly be interested in the UCLA or USC job if they came calling, but according to Menzies, at least, he won't be leaving for Texas Tech. Boston said that to date no other schools have contacted him regarding Menzies.
Also looking at Menzies contract, he earned $40,000 in performance incentives this year. There will likely be another $20,000 for academic incentives that will kick in this fall.
WAC Tournament — $10,000 for winning the WAC Tournament
Win total — $10,000 for winning 17 or more games
NCAA Tournament — $20,000 for reaching the NCAA Tournament
Academic bonuses — $10,000 for a multi year APR score above 900 and $10,000 for maintaining the number of at risk athletes to no more than four. At risk athletes are defined as scholarship players who are on academic probation, suspension, or a semester GPA below 2.0.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Highs and lows of a rebuilding year
This year’s Aggies lived up to
lofty expectations that in reality shouldn’t have been as high as they were.
Aggies fans knew that last year’s
team would reach the postseason. This year, not so much.
Considering New Mexico State was
replacing three of the most productive four-year players in program history,
winning a conference championship and reaching a second straight NCAA
Tournament is a significant achievement.
The Aggies were picked to win the
Western Athletic Conference. They didn’t, instead winning the third Western
Athletic Conference Tournament championship under head coach Marvin Menzies.
How the Aggies got to their
second straight conference championship was anything but smooth.
Here are a few highlights and
lowlights from NMSU’s 2013 basketball season:
Slow starters
NMSU didn’t exactly get off to a
start worthy of a NCAA Tournament team.
NMSU entered conference play 5-8
against Division I opponents, including going 0-3 to start against regional
rivals New Mexico and UTEP.
It’s a trend that has developed
at NMSU under Menzies. The Lobos turned out to have a nice little year for
themselves, but NMSU could have won the game in Las Cruces. The Aggies should
have won the first meeting against UTEP in El Paso, losing a two-possession
lead in the final minute.
The slow start continued into WAC
play with the Aggies losing road games at Texas-Arlington and Louisiana Tech to
open conference play. It was starting to near panic mode, but the Aggies proved
to be a WAC contender after all.
The streak
If there was a turning point to
the season, it may well have been NMSU’s early January road sweep at Seattle
and Idaho. Bandja Sy hit a 3-pointer with seven seconds left to send the Aggies
into overtime and ultimately a win. Two nights later, Daniel Mullings knocked
down two free throws in the final seconds to escape Idaho with a win.
Seattle and Idaho were two of a
season-long 12-game win streak that propelled the Aggies to the conversation
for a league title. It was the school’s longest streak since the 2006-07
season.
Dealing with injury and
distractions
Two Aggies basketball players
have pending felony charges. Walk-on guard Emory Coleman was arrested in
January for homicide by vehicle a year after a fatal accident that killed an
Alamogordo man. Coleman’s situation was overshadowed by a felony battery charge
against three-year starter Tyrone Watson. Watson has pleaded not guilty after
his involvement in an incident at a house party in February where a fellow
student was beaten. Watson missed seven games due to suspension and returned on
March 2 against Denver.
Watson played two games after his
suspension was lifted, but went down in the second game with a high ankle
sprain against Louisiana Tech that ultimately ended his career.
Watson did play seven minutes
against Saint Louis, but he wasn’t the only Aggies player to go down to injury.
Junior center Tshilidzi Nephawe played nine games before undergoing season
ending injury to repair torn ligaments in his hand. Point guard K.C.
Ross-Miller also missed games this year due to injury.
Solid seniors
Watson and Sy enjoyed productive
careers at NMSU. Both were on three NCAA Tournament teams. Watson was an
all-around player for the Aggies and Sy was a highlight dunk waiting to happen.
Sy ended his career perfectly with a game-winner against UTA at home on Feb.
23 and was the only Aggies player to register double figures on Thursday.
Eyes to the future
The injuries and suspension
opened the door for role players to develop into future starters. Sim Bhullar
put the Aggies on his 7-foot-5 frame and carried NMSU to a conference title in
Las Vegas, earning Tournament MVP honors in his first season on the basketball
court in nearly two years. With another off season to continue to develop his
fitness and skill level, Bhullar should be a preseason WAC Player of the Year
candidate, as will Mullings as a junior. Mullings improved at the foul line and
the field while continuing to defend and rebound at an elite level. Juniors
Renaldo Dixon and Remi Barry will replace Watson at the four next year to form
a strong nucleus.
The Aggies need to find
consistency at the point guard position, but with the state of the WAC next
year, the Aggies should be runaway favorites next year where the expectations
should have high expectations to match their experience and talent level.
Jason Groves can be reached at
(575) 541-5459. Follow him on Twitter @jpgroves.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
NMSU offense exposed, shut down
It's probably not a coincidence that New Mexico State played its worst offensive game of the season against the best defensive team the Aggies have faced this year.
The Aggies recorded season lows in points in a half (16), points for a game (44) and field goal percentage (27.9 percent) in a 64-44 loss to Saint Louis on Thursday.
We all know that the Aggies aren't a prolific offensive team in the half court. But the only criticism I had was a lack of involvement of Sim Bhullar. NMSU plays much better when Bhullar touches the ball. He was obviously a focus of the Saint Louis defense, but four shots?
"I thought we were very good against him," SLU coach Jim Crews said. "When you start watching film, our assistants had seen film, and the first thing they said is don't just pay attention to him. They have other guys, not only long, but they were very good and very quick. So it was going to be a team situation."
St. Louis made it hard on NMSU's offensive players to even look inside. NMSU's 16 turnovers and the 20 points off them was the key to the game, especially since NMSU was doing a fine job defensively in the first half to keep them in the game.
Aside from a brief stretch from Bandja Sy, NMSU's offense lost them the game.
But this was the first time in the past three tournament appearances, the Aggies seemed like they believed they belonged on the court. That's what tournament experience does for you. Moving forward, they need to add to their system offensively. Last year, Indiana was calling their plays during a possession and this year Saint Louis was more than ready.
The Aggies recorded season lows in points in a half (16), points for a game (44) and field goal percentage (27.9 percent) in a 64-44 loss to Saint Louis on Thursday.
We all know that the Aggies aren't a prolific offensive team in the half court. But the only criticism I had was a lack of involvement of Sim Bhullar. NMSU plays much better when Bhullar touches the ball. He was obviously a focus of the Saint Louis defense, but four shots?
"I thought we were very good against him," SLU coach Jim Crews said. "When you start watching film, our assistants had seen film, and the first thing they said is don't just pay attention to him. They have other guys, not only long, but they were very good and very quick. So it was going to be a team situation."
St. Louis made it hard on NMSU's offensive players to even look inside. NMSU's 16 turnovers and the 20 points off them was the key to the game, especially since NMSU was doing a fine job defensively in the first half to keep them in the game.
Aside from a brief stretch from Bandja Sy, NMSU's offense lost them the game.
But this was the first time in the past three tournament appearances, the Aggies seemed like they believed they belonged on the court. That's what tournament experience does for you. Moving forward, they need to add to their system offensively. Last year, Indiana was calling their plays during a possession and this year Saint Louis was more than ready.
San Jose full of Canadians
The Aggies aren't the only team team with a Canadian presence here in San Jose.
St. Louis forward Grandy Glaze is from Toronto and UNLV has Anthony Bennett and Khem Birch on the roster.
Bennett and Bhullar played together for Canada and in AAU ball. Birch was on the NMSU campus after leaving Pitt and went on to be named Mountain West defensive player of the year once he became eligible.
Bennett attended the WAC championship game in Las Vegas last weekend.
"I don't know if I will get a chance to watch him play," Bennett said. "He was one of my AAU teammates. We are really good friends and we come from the same area. Everytime I see him, it's all love. It's basically another family member."
St. Louis forward Grandy Glaze is from Toronto and UNLV has Anthony Bennett and Khem Birch on the roster.
Bennett and Bhullar played together for Canada and in AAU ball. Birch was on the NMSU campus after leaving Pitt and went on to be named Mountain West defensive player of the year once he became eligible.
Bennett attended the WAC championship game in Las Vegas last weekend.
"I don't know if I will get a chance to watch him play," Bennett said. "He was one of my AAU teammates. We are really good friends and we come from the same area. Everytime I see him, it's all love. It's basically another family member."
St. Louis: Three keys
Turnovers: big key for this game. St. Louis doesn't turn the ball over that much (11.4 per game), NMSU does (14.2 per game) and St. Louis forces 15 turnovers per game. The SLU guards are aggressive and will be all over KC Ross Miller and Terrel de Rouen. Guards Jordair Jett, Mike McCall and forwards Dwayne Evans and Cody Ellis all average at least one steal per game. Aggies have to be aggressive but protect the ball
Big game for Bandja Sy and Renaldo Dixon: NMSU is much better offensively when Bandja Sy is productive. He had good second halves in the WAC Tournament last week. I don't think Sy can wait until the second half on Thursday. NMSU's offense isn't efficient as a whole and when they aren't getting transition points, they go through long scoring lulls. NMSU went 10 minutes without a field goal in the WAC title game. Can't happen Thursday. I think it's going to be a tight game but the only way NMSU can get blown out is if they go on another dry spell. Dixon will have his hands full with St. Louis power forward Dwayne Evans, who was described to me as a freshman or sophomore year Wendell McKines. Good rebounder, drives and gets to the foul line. Dixon and Sim Bhullar's length in traffic can bother him.
Rebounding: St. Louis keeps teams to one shot for the most part so NMSU has to do the same. St. Louis grabs around nine offensive rebounds per game but NMSU is the 20th ranked team in terms of rebounding percentage at 55 percent.
Big game for Bandja Sy and Renaldo Dixon: NMSU is much better offensively when Bandja Sy is productive. He had good second halves in the WAC Tournament last week. I don't think Sy can wait until the second half on Thursday. NMSU's offense isn't efficient as a whole and when they aren't getting transition points, they go through long scoring lulls. NMSU went 10 minutes without a field goal in the WAC title game. Can't happen Thursday. I think it's going to be a tight game but the only way NMSU can get blown out is if they go on another dry spell. Dixon will have his hands full with St. Louis power forward Dwayne Evans, who was described to me as a freshman or sophomore year Wendell McKines. Good rebounder, drives and gets to the foul line. Dixon and Sim Bhullar's length in traffic can bother him.
Rebounding: St. Louis keeps teams to one shot for the most part so NMSU has to do the same. St. Louis grabs around nine offensive rebounds per game but NMSU is the 20th ranked team in terms of rebounding percentage at 55 percent.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Menzies keeping Bhullar away from NCAA buzz
There is a lot of buzz on Twitter and online regarding NMSU freshman center Sim Bhullar.
Here is an AP story about Saint Louis center Rob Loe, who is going to be a handful in his own right, plans to defend Bhullar. Loe seems like an Alex Kirk type of center. Rugged, but can also step out and shoot.
I was able to speak with Bhullar prior to the WAC Tournament, but he wasn't available again until winning the Tournament MVP award after averaging 12 and 10 in the WAC tournament and a 16 point, 15 rebound five block performance in the title game.
Bhullar wasn't available on Monday before the team left and I'm not sure if he will be at the Aggies' press conference around noon on Wednesday.
"Freshmen in general, I don't like to over expose them to this," Aggies coach Marvin Menies said. "Dealing with the media in this day and age is a different media. I think less is more for younger kids. I don't need him to have a great interview and a great press conference. I need to have him play well in the game. My focus is winning the game, not winning the press conference."
Menzies would rather keep Bhullar focused on the task at hand and let his more experienced players get the attention. It will be interesting to see how much the Aggies veterans can calm down Bhullar and other players who are making their first appearance in the tournament.
"It's a huge huge event. It's the Big Dance. It can be overwhelming for a young kid," Menzies said. "Even for an older kid who has never been there. The experience of just going through that process is good. I'm hoping we will benefit from that."
I'm sure if the Aggies spring the upset, Bhullar will be on the podium. If not, "You guys will have more access next year, put it that way."
Here is an AP story about Saint Louis center Rob Loe, who is going to be a handful in his own right, plans to defend Bhullar. Loe seems like an Alex Kirk type of center. Rugged, but can also step out and shoot.
I was able to speak with Bhullar prior to the WAC Tournament, but he wasn't available again until winning the Tournament MVP award after averaging 12 and 10 in the WAC tournament and a 16 point, 15 rebound five block performance in the title game.
Bhullar wasn't available on Monday before the team left and I'm not sure if he will be at the Aggies' press conference around noon on Wednesday.
"Freshmen in general, I don't like to over expose them to this," Aggies coach Marvin Menies said. "Dealing with the media in this day and age is a different media. I think less is more for younger kids. I don't need him to have a great interview and a great press conference. I need to have him play well in the game. My focus is winning the game, not winning the press conference."
Menzies would rather keep Bhullar focused on the task at hand and let his more experienced players get the attention. It will be interesting to see how much the Aggies veterans can calm down Bhullar and other players who are making their first appearance in the tournament.
"It's a huge huge event. It's the Big Dance. It can be overwhelming for a young kid," Menzies said. "Even for an older kid who has never been there. The experience of just going through that process is good. I'm hoping we will benefit from that."
I'm sure if the Aggies spring the upset, Bhullar will be on the podium. If not, "You guys will have more access next year, put it that way."
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