Here is a list of players from the Orlando Pre-draft camp. You will notice there are no NMSU names, which isn't too surprising, but Justin Hawkins had a chance I thought to be invited after playing pretty well in Portsmouth after the season. I'm watching a game right now with JR Giddens, who the ESPN guys said was having a good camp. Marcelus Kemp is also on the list.
http://www.draftexpress.com/article/2008-NBA-Pre-Draft-Camp-Rosters-and-Physical-Only-Invites-2897/
I talked with Fred Peete last week. Fred said he had hired an agent and was planning on attending some camps down the road, hopefully earning a tryout with a team. I'm no NBA scout, but it seemed to me that Hawkins, Peete, for his size and ability to score and defend, and Martin Iti, have the potential to play basketball for a living somewhere. What do you think?
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Women's hoops news
Spoke with Darin Spence for a recruiting roundup story that will be in Thursday's paper. But he did inform me of some interesting schedule changes. It seems as the women's program continues to improve, they are improving their non-conference schedule. In addition to the UNM and UTEP games, the Aggies have a home-and-home set with Kansas, starting with Jan. 4 at Lawrence. The Aggies also have home dates with Cal Poly and UC Irvine. Other road game are at Long Beach, Northern Colorado and they play in a San Diego Tournament where Wake Forest is slated to show up. Thanksgiving Classic opponents are Loyola-Chicago and Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
I hope to have some men's schedule info in the next couple of weeks.
I hope to have some men's schedule info in the next couple of weeks.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Two commits
The Aggies received verbal committments from 7-foot-1, 235-pound center Mouhamadou Abdoulaye Ndoye from Senegal and 6-foot-3 point guard Johnny Higgins, who played the last two years at Notre Dame Prep.According to Higgins' father, after Johnny Higgins visited the NMSU campus last weekend, he cut off the rest of his recruiting and will move to Las Cruces for summer school this summer.
Both players will receive scholarships and be on the Aggies roster next season.
Higgins is a player who will come in right away and compete for minutes. He's a prep school player, which means he's already competed at a high level. He originally signed with Duquesne to join a prep school coach, but after committing in early November, he was released from his letter of intent in early April. Ndoye is obviously a project type player that adds size.
With the two additions, the Aggies recruiting class looks like this. Let me know if I miss something
Centers
Mouhamadou Abdoulaye Ndoye
Hamidu Rahman
Chris Gabriel
Forwards
Troy Gillenwater
Guards
Terrance Joyner
Johnny Higgins
Faisal Aden
Robert Lumpkins
The regular signing period ends on May 21. Look for more on this story in the Sun News in Saturday's paper
Both players will receive scholarships and be on the Aggies roster next season.
Higgins is a player who will come in right away and compete for minutes. He's a prep school player, which means he's already competed at a high level. He originally signed with Duquesne to join a prep school coach, but after committing in early November, he was released from his letter of intent in early April. Ndoye is obviously a project type player that adds size.
With the two additions, the Aggies recruiting class looks like this. Let me know if I miss something
Centers
Mouhamadou Abdoulaye Ndoye
Hamidu Rahman
Chris Gabriel
Forwards
Troy Gillenwater
Guards
Terrance Joyner
Johnny Higgins
Faisal Aden
Robert Lumpkins
The regular signing period ends on May 21. Look for more on this story in the Sun News in Saturday's paper
Friday, May 9, 2008
Basketball items
I wish I had some recruiting news, which I know is what everyone wants to talk about, but I had a couple of smaller items.
Jorge Gutierrez ended up signing with Cal. He took a visit the weekend after he was at NMSU and apparently liked what he saw. The Aggies have another guard, Johnny HIggins from Notre Dame Prep on campus this weekend. He played with Michael Beasely two years ago. I hope to have more on his visit next week.
To the coaching front, assistant coaches Matt Grady and John McMullen each received one-year contract renewals since they were hired as one-year coaches. Chris Pompey still has a year on his contract.
Grady's and McMullen's contract is good from May 1 through April 30 of 2009. Also renewed was head women's coach Darin Spence, whose contract is good from May 1 through April 30 of 2011. His two assistants, Joel Washington and Brooke Atkinson, were also renewed for a year.
Jorge Gutierrez ended up signing with Cal. He took a visit the weekend after he was at NMSU and apparently liked what he saw. The Aggies have another guard, Johnny HIggins from Notre Dame Prep on campus this weekend. He played with Michael Beasely two years ago. I hope to have more on his visit next week.
To the coaching front, assistant coaches Matt Grady and John McMullen each received one-year contract renewals since they were hired as one-year coaches. Chris Pompey still has a year on his contract.
Grady's and McMullen's contract is good from May 1 through April 30 of 2009. Also renewed was head women's coach Darin Spence, whose contract is good from May 1 through April 30 of 2011. His two assistants, Joel Washington and Brooke Atkinson, were also renewed for a year.
Friday, May 2, 2008
It happens elsewhere
Don't know if you've seen this story about Indiana Freshman Eli Holman asking out.
A couple of thoughts crossed my mind, first being that players want out across the country for one reason or another. Here is a guy that wants to leave Indiana and an established coach like Tom Crean.
Second, as you may know Holman played with Wendell McKines at Richmond High School in Oakland.
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/news?slug=ap-indiana-holmantransfers&prov=ap&type=lgns
A couple of thoughts crossed my mind, first being that players want out across the country for one reason or another. Here is a guy that wants to leave Indiana and an established coach like Tom Crean.
Second, as you may know Holman played with Wendell McKines at Richmond High School in Oakland.
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/news?slug=ap-indiana-holmantransfers&prov=ap&type=lgns
Friday, April 25, 2008
Recruit on campus
Jorge Gutierrez, a 6-foot-3, 200 pound point guard from Chihuahua, Mexico, is on campus this weekend for his first official visit.
I spoke with him briefly. He said he has offers from Cal, UTEP, Utah State and Northern Colorado. Arizona is also in the mix.
From what I have read on him, he is described as a "glue" type of player, who does a lot of things well. He played for Findlay Prep in the Las Vegas area, going 32-1 last year. He averaged 13 points, six rebounds, three steals and 3 assists per game in 29 games. Highs include 27 points and 10 assists last year.
He has only been speaking english for two years.
When asked what he thought of Las Cruces and NMSU, he said, "I think it's a good program and the conference is good."
Here are a couple of excerpts on him
From the Findlay web site:
DraftExpress Review from the National Prep Showcase Rodger Bohn. There was not a player in attendance who was more fun to watch for basketball purists than Jorge Gutierrez, a scrappy combo guard from Mexico. While he did not stand out in any one particular facet of the game, he was able to do a little bit of everything and displayed all of the intangibles that college coaches dream of. Any time that Findlay Prep ran into a jam, he seemed to always find one way or another to pull them out of it, whether it be through drawing an offensive foul, coming up with a steal, or setting up a teammate for an open scoring opportunity. Actually an adequate scorer, Gutierrez showed off a decent first step and the ability to finish at the basket with either hand consistently. Although he did not hit any three pointers this weekend, he did prove that he could hit the 18 foot jumper on a consistent basis. All weekend long, Jorge was placed on the most talented perimeter player that his team was matched against. Boasting excellent lateral quickness, toughness and defensive awareness, he showed his credentials as a lockdown defender. We would love to see how he plays without his Rip Hamilton-style face mask, since you could clearly see that it was bothering him all game long, even if it didn’t stop him from making big plays. With the vast majority of the nation’s top prospects already committed, do not be surprised to see Gutierrez land at a high major program near you. The defensive presence, basketball IQ, and intangibles that he presents make him enviable to virtually any coach looking for a guard to help his team. Presently Texas, New Mexico, UNLV, and Colorado State appear to be in the running for Gutierrez, but expect that to change if he is able to continue his outstanding play the remainder of the season.
From ESPN
February, 2008: Another glue guy, Gutierrez does whatever his team needs for a win. His team does not need any plays runs for him on offense to keep him involved. Gutierrez has a high basketball IQ as well as great basketball instincts. He prefers to involve his teammates over scoring the ball himself, though he indeed has the ability to score. He easily finishes around the rim, using his either hand, though he shoots jumpers as a righty. He rebounds the ball well for a player of his height and seems to make the right plays at the right times. He also plays defense well and typically matches up with the opposing teams best perimeter player. Gutierrez plays with a remarkable amount of poise and maturity beyond his years and does all of the dirty work for his team.
Gutierrez arrived Thursday and will leave on Saturday.
I spoke with him briefly. He said he has offers from Cal, UTEP, Utah State and Northern Colorado. Arizona is also in the mix.
From what I have read on him, he is described as a "glue" type of player, who does a lot of things well. He played for Findlay Prep in the Las Vegas area, going 32-1 last year. He averaged 13 points, six rebounds, three steals and 3 assists per game in 29 games. Highs include 27 points and 10 assists last year.
He has only been speaking english for two years.
When asked what he thought of Las Cruces and NMSU, he said, "I think it's a good program and the conference is good."
Here are a couple of excerpts on him
From the Findlay web site:
DraftExpress Review from the National Prep Showcase Rodger Bohn. There was not a player in attendance who was more fun to watch for basketball purists than Jorge Gutierrez, a scrappy combo guard from Mexico. While he did not stand out in any one particular facet of the game, he was able to do a little bit of everything and displayed all of the intangibles that college coaches dream of. Any time that Findlay Prep ran into a jam, he seemed to always find one way or another to pull them out of it, whether it be through drawing an offensive foul, coming up with a steal, or setting up a teammate for an open scoring opportunity. Actually an adequate scorer, Gutierrez showed off a decent first step and the ability to finish at the basket with either hand consistently. Although he did not hit any three pointers this weekend, he did prove that he could hit the 18 foot jumper on a consistent basis. All weekend long, Jorge was placed on the most talented perimeter player that his team was matched against. Boasting excellent lateral quickness, toughness and defensive awareness, he showed his credentials as a lockdown defender. We would love to see how he plays without his Rip Hamilton-style face mask, since you could clearly see that it was bothering him all game long, even if it didn’t stop him from making big plays. With the vast majority of the nation’s top prospects already committed, do not be surprised to see Gutierrez land at a high major program near you. The defensive presence, basketball IQ, and intangibles that he presents make him enviable to virtually any coach looking for a guard to help his team. Presently Texas, New Mexico, UNLV, and Colorado State appear to be in the running for Gutierrez, but expect that to change if he is able to continue his outstanding play the remainder of the season.
From ESPN
February, 2008: Another glue guy, Gutierrez does whatever his team needs for a win. His team does not need any plays runs for him on offense to keep him involved. Gutierrez has a high basketball IQ as well as great basketball instincts. He prefers to involve his teammates over scoring the ball himself, though he indeed has the ability to score. He easily finishes around the rim, using his either hand, though he shoots jumpers as a righty. He rebounds the ball well for a player of his height and seems to make the right plays at the right times. He also plays defense well and typically matches up with the opposing teams best perimeter player. Gutierrez plays with a remarkable amount of poise and maturity beyond his years and does all of the dirty work for his team.
Gutierrez arrived Thursday and will leave on Saturday.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Maybe friday
Even though today is the first day of the regular signing period, expect something hopefully by Friday. I do have one piece of information though. Throughout the signing period, expect the Aggies to sign two and perhaps three new players to the fold. The likelihood of one being the seven footer from holland is unlikely.
As I have stated before and in a recent story for the paper, the big guns for next year's class are already on campus. I think at this point, Menzies is just adding depth and possibly a jc big man
As I have stated before and in a recent story for the paper, the big guns for next year's class are already on campus. I think at this point, Menzies is just adding depth and possibly a jc big man
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