Saturday, February 7, 2009

Team win

I'm still trying to comprehend what I watched on ESPN2. perhaps they should play unde rthe bright lights more often?
Everyone on this blog knows why the Aggies were missing who they were missing. Kelly Merker, Robert Lumpkins and Chris Gabriel didnt put up big numbers but they were solid. Lumpkins showed some awareness late int he shot clock using a gabriel screen to knock down a jumper. All it takes is one game to turn the season around and with four of their last six at home, all against teams that are beatable, the Aggies could actually go on a little streak here.
I think it just goes to show that everything in the WAC is pretty even and that even includes coaches. I mean, Fox didn't blow me away in the game that the Wolf Pack won here and tonight he lost his second straight at home so i wonder if the nevada fan base is calling for his head while Utah State is eeking out wins on a nightly basis. I understand things can turn quickly but i think menzies deserves some credit for getting his players to play shorthanded and on the road, coming off a loss.
I haven't forgotten about what transpired over the weekend and i doubt Aggies fans, administrators or coaches have either, but I think the Aggies deserve a day to enjoy a big win.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Way for the Ags to show some character and pull out the win despite being shorthanded. If only they would keep moving forward instead of taking steps back. Nice road win for Menzies and the team.

Anonymous said...

The game was ugly at times and I found myself easily distracted at points. To go to reno and pull off a win is huge. But then you add the problems we had and it makes it an even bigger win. I for one am glad to see that they can win at the Lawler Center. I think we will be playing Nevada one more time if there is any hope of making a post season appearance.

Anonymous said...

I love the glass half empty guys. Guys like ic. Enjoy a win without analyzing the whole thing.

Anonymous said...

First of all to Joyner and Gillenwater, way to have your teams back.
With teamates like you, who needs enemies!

What a BIG, BIG, WIN!!
The team played hard, smart and with a lot of HEART!
This is the type of performance we've been looking for all year long!
Keep playing like this and you guys will go far in WAC tournament!!

BTW, Kelly Merker??
I don't know him but that boy played his teil off!

Anonymous said...

We are very happy for the team that was on the court in Reno. To pull out a win like that under those circumstances was huge. We are very proud of the way the team came together!

Anonymous said...

WHY DIDNT GILENWATER PLAY JG?

Anonymous said...

Road double-u! Sweet!
Jack, there's a 3 or 5 second delay on the Duece and so I just listened to your call and TIVO'd in case they won. Freaking great description of the game and recognition of the players' intensity as the game progressed. ESPN2 guys saw it, too. Player of the game to the whole team is deserved, but best case scenario the team won it for Gillenwater? When we find out what happened it might turn out that Troy was player of the game similar to a coach getting technical to fire the team up? The half-full glass would then be topped off and Aggie fans can start enjoying good team chemistry.

Jason Groves said...

Jimmy. I've never disagreed with you and I'm not going to start now, but I don't think chemistry has been the problem this season. To Menzies' credit, his players have always played hard for him come gameday. It's between games that this team struggles with...ie the airport on the way to a game

Anonymous said...

Roger that, JG
ESPN2 announcers noticed how they stuck together! I'm just saying the chemistry is so good, maybe they went and got the win for Troy?

Anonymous said...

The ESPN announcers were horrible. They called Menzies Mark. And Mark Fox was called Mark Few (from Gonzaga). There were other noticeable mistakes as well, but those two stood out the most.

Anonymous said...

That's probably why they put the delay in so as you can't listen to Jack Nixon? The one thing the radio can't describe is Hernst Laroch jumping out to alter the 3-pt shot when Babbitt got his feet set and the buzzer set to go off. Otherwise Luke wins both games for Nevada this year. www.aggiesportsblog.com guys chalked the win up to Wendell.

Anonymous said...

R. Lumpkins - great drive down the lane and kick-out to Gordo for the 3 going into halftime! You can tell that the underclassmen are coachable. That play won the first half and this time they won the second half, too.

Anonymous said...

ESPN is an absolute joke of a sports information station. They should change their claim of knowing sports, to the "Main Stream Sports Experts". Outside of the top 10 or so, they know very little. If you are not from the 2 Left Coasts, you are pretty much nothing.

Anonymous said...

Anon 1:17 AM, I'm not a half empty guy, I'm a realist. They took some ill advised shots and even Jack Nixon and the ESPN 2 crew even said the same thing. There were trips down when they shot 3's with 20 seconds on the shot clock. Or took contested shots when there were guys wide open. They played their tails off and in the end pulled out a great victory. But we have to acknowledge where they can continue to improve. Coach Menzies says it after every game. They are a young team and they will continue to learn. Plus as I've stated they needed to show that they could win in Reno. I believe that is the first win in Reno since the WAC tourney in 06 and that was against Hawaii.

Anonymous said...

Great win for the Aggies after losing to USU. It just leaves you wondering if they played like that every game where they would be at right now. Or at least if they played with Gillenwater. Which I think is stupid mistake on his part and until they say exactly what happened I agree with Menzies. JG you said that it was not a good idea to keep suspending players at this point of the season in an earlier blog. Well if the players are stupid enough to behave in a way that warrants a suspension then that is their fault. Just because we lost Joyner doesnt mean we have to let Gillenwater slide in order to save face. Again, I want to know what he did to get suspended but Menzies is the coach and I'd rather side with a coach than with a player. On another note the rest of the top four in the conference is completely wide open now. We have a chance to win the rest of our games with the only realy tough game I see is playin Boise here. Boise has to play USU, UNR and us along with Idaho to whom they already lost. UNR plays USU and Boise. Things look very interesting

GS

Jason Groves said...

Good post GS,
To answer your question, I would say that my only question is was Troy suspended for disagreeing with the head coach of the team or for doing so in a disrespectful manner? If the latter is the case, then I would say Menzies had no question but to sit him because it's consistent with how Menzies has treated players throughout this season after last year's debacle. But if it was a heated confrontation from a competitive player following an ugly loss, then i think it's a different matter and the answer is not always suspending a guy although it's the easiest way out

Anonymous said...

Yes thats true as well. We can critize Menzies but one thing that I have admired him for is putting the program ahead of any player. Last year he delayed Herbs appereance because of his behavior and so far I think he has acted accordingly when players do something wrong. I mentioned in another post that Gillenwater just didnt seem to be happy here and it reflected on the court. Is this an instance of him releasing his frustration because of his unhappiness or just like you say a reaction to an ugly loss?

GS