Fans get glimpse at new Aggies
Fans got a chance Friday night to see this year’s men’s basketball team in action during the annual Blue vs. White scrimmage.
The scrimmage was held at the Spectrum and included four different sessions. The first two sessions were closed to the public, but then the doors were opened, and fans were allowed to catch a glimpse of this year’s team. Only four players return from last year’s team, which went 23-12 and advanced to post-season play for the eighth straight year.
With so many new faces on the team, the scrimmage did more than just give a chance for players to show off their skill.
“It was good to get out in front of the fans and kind of get a feel for the game and see how things are going to be,” junior transfer Gary Wilkinson said.
Carroll was happy to finally get back in front of the fans and get the season going.
“Seemed like a lot of down time over the summer. It’s good to get back into the swing of things with a bunch of new teammates,” he said.
One thing definitely apparent from the scrimmage was that Carroll didn’t lose his shot over the summer. Combined over the four sessions, which were 10 minutes each, the senior shot 15-for-18 from the field, including six-of-eight from behind the 3-point line. In addition to his scoring, Carroll also pulled down five rebounds and stole the ball five times.
“No. 20 can play. We all know that,” Head Coach Stew Morrill said.
Though at times the scrimmage was very sporadic and sloppy, nobody could fault the team for their effort and hard work.
“We’re trying, we’re playing hard, that part’s good. In the game of basketball, heart only gets you so far. You got to play smart,” Morrill said. “And we don’t have that part down at all collectively.”
Carroll agrees.
“We’re not there yet, but we have a chance. One thing with this group is, we come hard every day, and we have been playing hard every day,” Carroll said. “We make dumb mistakes still, but we’ve got a chance because we keep playing hard and we keep trying to learn what is going on.”
Redshirt freshman Tai Wesley was one of the new players to play well Friday night. He scored 16 points in addition to pulling down seven rebounds and collecting four steals.
Wilkinson also had a good showing as he scored 18 points on seven-of-eight shooting. The junior college transfer only grabbed three rebounds and said he knows rebounding is something he has to get better at.
“Rebounding the ball, that is a huge part of us winning,” Wilkinson said.
In reference to the fact that Carroll out-rebounded most of the Aggie big men, Wilkinson said he knows they have to be the ones to pull down the rebounds.
“Jaycee is a very hard-working player, but for us to win, us as big man can’t let that happen,” he said.
Morrill said he knows the team needs to improve in a lot of areas, including rebounding and defense, but seems somewhat sympathetic because the system can be hard for new players to learn, and they don’t have much time to learn it.
“A million things being thrown at them, all the things we run, all the things we try and do, I have often thought it’s crazy that we do all those things, but it’s just our program,” Morrill said. “It’s what we do and what we expect.”
Before the open sessions started, Morrill spoke to the fans and let them know that he gets a lot of grief from opponents’ fans when the team travels over his physique, with some suggesting that he try NutriSystem or Weight Watchers. Morrill said it is only deserving because of what opposing teams and players have to go through when they come to the Spectrum.
“It’s right that Nick Fazekus shows up in the is building and has to see a sign that says, ‘Run like a man,'” Morrill said. “It’s only right that they get on me and our guys a little bit when we go on the road.”
-sam.bryner@aggiemail.usu.edu