Two NMSU hoops changes to the staff

Marvin Menzies will have a slightly different staff in 2013.

Still in place are associate head coach Paul Weir (sixth year) and assistant Keith Brown (third year). But assistant Tony Delk left the program to be closer to family in the south while pursuing other opportunities after two years  at NMSU. Coordinator of Player Development Ryan Mack left to take a head coaching job at Shelbyville High School in Indiana.

Aerick Sanders will join Menzies on the bench and Eric Brand is expected to replace Mack. Both moves should be announced in the next week. 

Both men are young coaches who had successful playing careers at the college level and overseas. Menzies recruited Sanders to play at San Diego State, where he was a four-year player under Steve Fisher from 2000-2004. Sanders played in Europe before his playing career ended in 2009. Last year was his first season in the coaching ranks as an assistant at Montana State.

Brand played in four straight NAIA national championship games at Bethel College from 1996-2000, winning three. He was an All-American in 2000, a second-team All-American in 1999 and a honorable mention All-American in 2998. In 2010, Brand was selected to the Bethel College Hall of Fame.

Since his last game as a professional in 2009, Sanders returned to San Diego State and developed players independently before taking an assistant job last season.

Brand spent the last four years on the staff at Texas State. The Indiana native played in Europe for four years before two years as a graduate assistant at Baylor and a year at Tyler Junior College.