Renaldo Dixon and Remi Barry: Two intriguing frontcourt players

The frontcourt should be an area of strength, and depth for the Aggies this year.
Tyrone Watson, Chili Nephawe, Sim Bhullar. But two players who have waited their turn could also be productive.

Renaldo Dixon has been lost the past two years behind players such as Troy Gillenwater and Wendell McKines. Remi Barry hadn't played basketball competitively for two years prior to limited appearances last year. Now it's Dixon's turn and Barry needs to show some improvement as well, moving to the No. 4 spot.

I will have a story on them on Monday, but here are some noteworthy comments.

Remi Barry played some high school in Florida, went back to France, came to California, but wasn't allowed to play. He's been in Las Cruces for three years now, nearly as long as the young man has been anywhere the past six years.

"From California to here is a big difference. Las Cruces is a little town. It took me a minute to get used to it. But now I am used to it. I feel like everybody is used to me on the team. ... It probably would have been better in my high school years to stay in one school and not switch around. But I had to do what I had to do."

On moving to PF
"It's new but I used to be a four in high school. Now I have to remember what I did in high school. I'm 232. I might look light. It's not about how big you are. It's about how hard you play. The four is more like a big wing we say. You are at the top of the key, you shoot some 3s. You get rebounds. The five is more posting up."

On time away from the court
"The speed of the game is very different. From High school to college. Coming out my senior year in high school I couldn't play, then I came here and couldn't play. It put  me behind a little bit but I will come back up sooner or later."

On the depth at the position
"I just have to be patient and keep working hard. ... I think the bench could be deep this year. Everybody on the bench can play. The chemistry this year is really good."

Renaldo Dixon was suspended last year for a period of time, but has worked his way back into the good graces of Marvin Menzies.

"I think we have one the deepest frontcourt we have had since I've been here. We go at it every day in practice and just hope to be successful. ... I got to learn a lot from those guys. At times they were both the leading scorer on the team. Last year was a learning experience. Got to learn more about the four position."

Marvin Menzies
On Renaldo Dixon
"I thought Renaldo in particular was very aggressive about his offseason development. His focus and attention to detail on and off the court is starting to show in practice. ...  I always talk about, you  have to have your classes balanced. That was his stage of his freshman and sophomore year. He was behind guys who were more experienced and more equipped to play right away. Now it's his time as a junior and hopefully more as a senior where people will know what to expect and anticipate his production."

On Remi Barry
"It's time to step up. There is no doubt. All of the hype out of high school is just that. You haven't done anything until you have done it. ... Now it's time for him to be a good decision maker daily and propel himself to living up to the potenial he has. I feel like he's better defensively at that position. I think he struggles a little with smaller quicker guys on him on the offensive end. Defensively, he has a lot of strength and he has some size. He has a better opportunity to help us defending someone of like physical characteristics rather than a smaller, quicker guard."

How important is it for hoops to have a good year?

It hasn’t been the easiest fall sports season at New Mexico State University.

A change in the presidential seat took place and athletically NMSU hasn’t particularly excelled, starting with a tough 2012 football season.

Fans have been left searching for something to cheer about.

Perhaps even those on campus are seeking a morale boost.

A boost that could very well be found with the 2012-13 NMSU men’s basketball team.

I’m going to stop short of saying the Aggies must reach the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years and for the second straight March. But a successful season for the school’s prominent athletics program could do wonders for the school’s profile. 

It would also send a message to incoming WAC programs that the road to a league title comes directly through Las Cruces — especially with the departure of Utah State after this season.

Coaches and players put enough pressure on themselves as is, so such commentary might not spark any additional fire. But I also feel it’s nothing this year’s team can’t handle.

Western Athletic Conference coaches picked the Aggies to win the league. Conference media selected them second.

There are certainly a number of question marks entering the season, but there is reason to believe the Aggies are capable of returning to the NCAA Tournament while the WAC still resembles the league NMSU joined in 2005.

Despite the uncertainty of its athletic future, the WAC appears to have survived as a non-basketball league for 2013-14. Basketball players want, at the very least, to play in a league with an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. 

Independent schools can still qualify for the Big Dance, but it’s more difficult when you consider such schools have to put together a schedule that will put them on the map from an RPI standpoint, while also winning enough of those games to gain entry.

For WAC newcomer Seattle, it’s a headache that head coach Cameron Dollar no longer has to worry about.

“I actually enjoyed the challenge of playing as an independent,” he said. “It was unique going in and out of different conferences. We handled it well for the three years. As far as the WAC, it’s great for our branding and externally it was a key step in showing the progress we made as a program.”

Seattle and Denver could develop into top-tier WAC programs in the future. 

New Mexico State already is one. Aggie fans and the community need it to stay that way.

Scrimmage notes

Daniel Mullings and the Aggies scrimmaged on Saturday afternoon. Photo by Niki Rhynes

Decent turnout on Saturday for the Aggies Crimson vs. White scrimmage.

One person in attendance was 2013 prospect Josh Braun, a 6-5 wing from the Phoenix area. This was Braun's first official visit with offers from NMSU San Diego, Weber State to name a few. Has taken a number of unofficial visits to Santa Barbara, Irvine, Northern Arizona. Here is a link to a ranking of Arizona prospects from January that ranks Braun No. 4 despite the fact that he suffered a torn ACL last spring. It didn't stop him from attending Westwind Prep this year, where he will return to the court after surgery on May 24. Interesting note on the ranking was that Joe Boyd, another Phoenix prospect was an Aggies commit last year but is now committed to Drake, a team NMSU handled last year.

"It's been very humbling and opens your eyes," said Braun when talking about his injury and the road to recovery. 

Braun said he doesn't plan to sign early next month. He is a 4.4 GPA student who says his strength is shooting. He was a productive player at Boulder Creek High School (22 and 10 last year) the past three years but a big year at Westwind against Junior College competition and other prep schools should increase the interest in the young man. 

"Menzies has recruited me since my freshman year in high school. He has always been nice toward me and my family. I have known about the program. They are always improving. The tournament is definitely a factor. As a young player, you dream about playing in the Tournament."

Onto the scrimmage itself. 

The teams were mixed throughout the course of the 32 minute game but some extremely unofficial stats. 

Sim Bhullar 7 points, 1-2 FT

Bandja Sy 20 points

KC Ross-Miller 5 points

Terrel de Rouen 8 points

Chili Nephawe 8 points 2-2 FT

Matej Buovac 4 points

Daniel Mullings 15 points 4-7 FT

Renaldo Dixon 13 points 4-4 FT

BJ West 9 points 2-2 FT

Tyrone Watson 6 points

Things I noticed....

Aggies hit at least 10 3s that I counted. I may have missed some from either Weary or Aronis, but the Aggies clearly have more people this year able to hit the perimeter shot. de Rouen made a 3, West made one, Dixon hit one, Sy knocked one down as well. Wouldn't say it's a strength, but outside shooting will be more of a compliment this year I feel. At least there are guys who can come in and not allow teams to pack the paint.

More room to operate could be big for this year's club as I was impressed with my first look at KC Ross Miller, who I believe may have the jump on de Rouen to start with. de Rouen certainly belongs here, but Ross Miller seemed more in control. He looks like he prefers to get into the lane and once there has impressive vision, setting up Sy on one occasion in transition. 

Hard to tell anything from a defensive standpoint from a scrimmage. Sim Bhullar blocked nearly everything close to him. You have to wonder if he can block BJ West and Chili Nephawe, how often will he be up against that kind of size in the WAC. Bhullar had a couple put backs and a 6-foot hook shot dropped for him with his right hand. He also kicked the ball out a couple times if nothing was there which is good to see from a center instead of forcing a bad shot up.

You could tell who the seniors where. Tyrone Watson and Bandja Sy were the best players on the court to me. Watson looked good either trailing from the power forward spot or directing traffic in the half court. Sy did a little big of everything, knocking down 3s and getting to the rim. Could be a dominant player in the WAC if he's motivated every night. 

I think Renaldo Dixon played very well. Doesn't look lost on defense and has versatility offensively. BJ West could have a role with this team. Very energetic player. Knocked down a 3. A lot of big bodies though for playing time. Daniel Mullings was solid on Saturday. He played some point guard, made some good things happen but had some turnovers trying to force things. Like I said, Mullings didn't stand out to me but perhaps we are a bit spoiled. He was very solid on Saturday.

Expectations for Aggies scrimmage?

Junior forward Renaldo Dixon has been buried behind players like Wendell McKines and Troy Gillenwater at the power forward position. He's an intriguing talent that could get a look this year.

The Aggies have a scrimmage on Saturday at 1 p.m. According to head coach Marvin Menzies on Twitter, some players could sit early on due to  learn a lesson. Other than that, here are three things I'm looking forward to.

Newcomers
Starting with 7-5 Sim Bhullar, I'm interested to see what the new faces could or will bring to the table. With his size, Bhullar could be a game changer at the defensive end as part of the puzzle with a ton of length on the perimeter as well with Watson, Sy and Mullings. At 7-5, you would think he will be productive offensively around the basket and on the offensive boards. I want to see how well he moves offensively and how long he can get up and down the court. Both  point guards are new to the team. KC Ross-Miller sat last year out and Terrel de Rouen missed the year to injury. They are working to replace Hernst Laroche, who was underrated as a four year starter. Laroche wasn't flashy but you knew every night what he was going to do at an important position. I think Ross-Miller and de Rouen each bring different things to the table, but I think it will take time for both to get to that level. Also looking forward to see if either JC transfer Kevin Aronis or freshman Eric Weary can provide the shooting touch off the bench this team missed last year.

Returners in new roles
The Aggies will go as far as Daniel Mullings, Chili Nephawe, Tyrone Watson and Bandja Sy will take them. Mullings and Watson I think will be solid but Nephawe and Sy are players who you would like to see take another step this year. Both have been able to have big nights, but just as easily have disappeared for long stretches. Mullings is a first team preseason pick who people are excited about. He will have more expected of him this year so it will be interesting to see how he responds.

Renaldo Dixon is a player I'm hoping can play a bigger role. At 6-8, Dixon is taller than Wendell McKines, which you would think could translate to helping replace the 10 rebounds per game McKines brought every night. The question is will he get the opportunity to do that and will he take advantage of the opportunity?

Shooting and defense
I'm sure we won't get too much of an idea on the Aggies' defensive strategy until the games start. But we can still see how the big guys defend ball screens, who can guard on the ball and who can't and who can grab a rebound to put a period on the possession like Wendell McKines liked to  say. Also looking forward to seeing some open shots go down from the likes of Sy, Aronis Weary and Buovac.

WAC poll thoughts?

Wanted to get your thoughts on the WAC poll. My first thought is about Denver. I don't mind them at No. 3 but I don't understand it either. They were a mid-tier Sun Belt team last year and they don't have a lot of size. At any rate, here are the polls that were released today.

WAC preseason coaches poll

1. New Mexico State (5) 77

2. Utah State (5) 76

3. Denver 65

4. Louisiana Tech 54

5. UT Arlington 48

6. Idaho 45

7. UTSA 31

8. Seattle 22

9. San Jose State 18

10. Texas State 14

WAC preseason media poll

1. Utah State (15) 232

2. New Mexico State (8) 223

3. Denver (1) 181

4. Louisiana Tech 162

5. Idaho 144

6. UT Arlington (1) 137

7. UTSA 104

8. Seattle 77

9. San Jose State 61

10. Texas State 54

Guess at an early Depth Chart

Ahead of Saturday's first look at the Aggies in their Crimson v. White scrimmage on Saturday, here is my best guess at an early depth chart with nearly 2 weeks of practice.

Center
Chili Nephawe
Sim Bhullar
Renaldo Dixon
BJ West-Tyrone Watson

Power forward
Tyrone Watson
Renaldo Dixon
Remi Barry
Bandja Sy

Wing
Daniel Mullings
Bandja Sy
Kevin Aronis
Eric Weary-Remi Barry-Matej Buovac

Point guard
KC Ross-Miller-Terrel de Rouen
Tyrone Watson
Daniel Mullings

My understanding is that the point guard position is still up for grabs so that spot is yet to be determined. A lot of depth everywhere else, however. Looking forward to see Weary, Barry and Buovac on Saturday. I've asked about the possibility of redhirting Dixon, Sy and Buovac. Dixon is playing too well I believe to sit out. a perfect world would allow Sy to  sit out a year but the Aggies need him too much this year. With Aronis arriving and the fact that Weary and Barry have each sat a year already, it will be interesting to see if the Aggies use Buovac like they did Weary last year, where he traveled with the team, practiced with the team but never saw the court.

Point guard spot

I spoke with freshman point guard Terrel de Rouen and sophomore KC Ross-Miller on Monday at practice.

First though, here is story from Teddy Feinberg on sophomore guard Daniel Mullings.

I also learned that Remi Barry has been working at the four spot this year. There was hope that perhaps Bandja Sy could play more there, but now he can stay on the perimeter. We still don't know what Barry is capable of, but it sounds like he is competing with Renaldo Dixon for time at the 4 behind Tyrone Watson. I'm curious to see what Dixon brings to the table as well. He hasn't gotten a chance for one reason or another, but he has more a different skill set than Wendell McKines brought to the table and more size at 6-8, 6-9. Barry showed the ability to hit the outside shot last year, so he's obviously versatile enough to play on the wing as well. Could be one of many positions worth paying attention to during Saturday's Crimon v White scrimmage.

Which brings us to the point guard spot, which Menzies said neither sophomore transfer KC Ross Miller nor freshman Terrel de Rouen has pulled away in practice after a week. Since I saw the last half of de Rouen's high school career, I hope he does well and I was glad to see him land at NMSU. Very athletic and explosive player. Ross-Miller has been described to me as more of a cerebral player. Menzies said as the season goes on, he may have to rein one player in (de Rouen) and push the other. de Rouen was starting to scratch out minutes and a role last year before his season ended with an ACL tear on his right knee Dec. 21. He had surgery Jan. 4. Following are some quotes from both on Friday with a story coming early next week. Ross-Miller is 21 years old after sitting out last year at NMSU after a long journey where the only college basketball he played was 13 games at New Orleans two years ago. Whether one player stands out or the Aggies use multiple point guards, both players step into some big shoes, replacing Hernst Laroche, a player that started every game for the past four seasons.

Terrel de Rouen
"I started rehabbing before surgery. But it took me about six months to start playing again and maybe 6.5 to 7 to really get up and down the court a bunch of times. ... It's devastating but I learned a lot. I sat behind the bench and learn what my coach is like and learn my teammates. I just had to keep my head straight and just be hungry. ... We are both pretty good players all around. Ross-Miller is a really good passer. I think I have to work on that a little more. We both have good defense. We are both solid point guards. ... (laroche) was an awesome guy. He's cool to work with. We talked about the offense and what we want to see. ... We all battle every day against each other. We leave everything on the court but you have to work hard if you want to win a championship. ... Just get to keep playing ball. I just have to learn more about the game every day. ... You have to pay your dues, especially when you are backing up a veteran guy like Laroche you are backing up. He taught me a lot. You are moving up a level. It's like moving from middle school to high school. I paid my dues last year and was starting to get some minutes and then I hurt my knee but everything happens for a reason. ... I would say we are fine at the PG spot. Me and Ross-Miller have to keep learning more and more. People are always going to say something. You  just have to keep working hard and listening to your coaches."

KC Ross-Miller
"It was a long situation but it is working out for the best. It's been a challenging experience. I learned a lot just sitting out. I got a head start as far as what to expect. I got stronger in the weight room. ... I couldn't practice. Everything I did was on my own. I was in the gym a lot and the weight room getting stronger. NMSU is different but I got used to it. I didn't know what to expect. It was tough watching people play. I just got used to it and knew after a year I would be able to play again. ... I learned from Laroche. We worked out together. ... Strengths depend on what game it is. If I need to score I can score. I get in the lane and create for others. ... Practice has been cool. We push each other. We are up against each other every day. We know the point guard opportunity is open. ... Basically you look for the big man first, try to get in the lane and make a defender commit."