Column: Who’s USU men’s hoops’ last-second shot taker?

New look Aggie offense has left little to be desired but leaves a few questions unanswered.

When the Aggies took the court this past fall, uncertainty very much dictated how the season would play out. The ever-present threat of a season cancellation looming in the all-too-clear memory of the pandemic ravaging last year’s NCAA tournament and this year’s football season. Travel was all but guaranteed to be a logistical nightmare and infection rates seemed committed to causing last minute schedule changes. And of course, this was the first time in eight years that Utah State started a season without someone on the roster named Jalen Moore or Sam Merrill.

Among other things, such as having USU alumni parents, being lifelong Aggie fans, growing up in Utah, averaging over 15 points per game and eventually signing a contract with the Milwaukee Bucks — Jalen Moore and Sam Merrill had one thing in common: both established themselves as the clear go-to guy on the team. With the clock winding down in a close game, both Moore and Merrill made it very clear who was taking the last shot. They knew this of each other before they ever shared a court; Merrill had the unfortunate pleasure of watching Sky View High School senior Moore nail a half court shot at the buzzer to bounce Merrill’s Bountiful High School team from the state semifinals in 2013. Of course, it doesn’t take much to remember when Merrill himself was on the other side of that situation in Las Vegas in the final game of his senior year. 

The void left by Moore’s departure was negated by the arrival of Merrill the year prior. The void left by Merrill, however, remains in question. In the closing moments of last season, Merrill showed us just how big that void would be, nailing a three-point jumper with just 2.6 seconds to go to break a tie and go up by three. That dagger left No. 4 San Diego State with the agony of defeat, but it served as a bittersweet reminder to Utah State that Merrill was leaving and with him would go the reliability fans had enjoyed for years.

Utah State head coach Craig Smith and his staff have navigated Merrill’s departure seamlessly. In fact, this season bears a striking resemblance to the previous two, with an identical record through 19 games for the third season in a row.

Merrill’s scoring role was, to say the least, significant. In both his junior and senior seasons Merrill was the only player to average over 15 points per game, with 20.9 and 19.7 respectively. His substantial scoring left a gap of 9.1 and 6.7 points per game between him and the next leading scorer on the roster in 2019 and 2020, respectively. This season, no player on the roster is averaging 15 or more per game, with junior center Neemias Queta leading the team at 13.5.

All that being said, in addition to Smith’s exemplary leadership on the sidelines, players on the court have stepped up to bring this team through a potentially tumultuous transition. Brock Miller, Marco Anthony, Alphonso Anderson and Rollie Worster — among others — have been fighting hard to fill Merrill’s shoes in both raw offensive production and, when needed, clutch scoring. In the absence of a clear go-to in the clutch, there seems to be at least four options now that have the green light down the stretch. 

Miller has put his sophomore slump completely in the rearview mirror, improving his three-point percentage by an astounding 12% in the offseason. He now leads the team with a 41.5% from deep with 44 threes already under his belt this season. Playing among the highest minutes on the team shows that the coaching staff clearly trusts his abilities and offseason improvements. Miller has already shown to be a problem for opposing defenses who can’t seem to figure out what to do with him. His off-ball movement combined with his lights-out catch-and-shoot game from deep range makes him a near-elite offensive guard and a major threat down the stretch.

Anthony, a 2017 NCAA champion, has been every bit as good as promised. Quietly averaging 11.2 PPG, Anthony comes second only to Queta in team scoring. Anthony also boasts a 37% average from three-point land. A very cerebral guard, it is clear that Anthony worked hard under Smith during his redshirt year at Utah State. While people were constantly asking about him as he sat out last season, he was in the gym turning himself into an all-star guard with athleticism, a high basketball IQ and dual-threat abilities that he has finally been able to showcase this year.

Anderson is the stuff of Aggie legends. Very few players exemplify “GATA” or “Nobody cares work harder” better than “Phonz”. For him to be able to stand out on a team that is well-known for work ethic and attitude is a special accomplishment in and of itself. Anderson has become an elite and important role player on this team. With only four starts his junior season, he was the only player to score 20 points in a game coming off the bench. Anderson has proven himself reliable and has earned trust, respect and playing time from his teammates and coaches. 

Listed as a power forward, Anderson has a uniquely dangerous range, shooting 42% from the field and 39% from three this season. In addition to his shooting ability and unquantifiable hustle, Anderson has proven to have ice in his veins. He was an integral piece in the come-from-behind win against LSU in Jamaica last season and also changed the course of the championship game with two often overlooked back-to-back threes to put Utah State within one of No. 4 San Diego State. Those threes came with just over 12  minutes to go in a championship game where every point mattered. Later, with the Aggies down one, Anderson knocked down both of his free throws to tie and take the lead for the first time in the half and only the second time in the game.

Worster, a 6-foot-3 freshman out of Missoula, Montana, came to the team with expectations taller than himself. A two-sport athlete at Hellgate High School, Worster was a two-time Montana Gatorade Player of the Year and was all-state in both football and basketball. He looks the part, too. With 200 pounds of raw athleticism, Worster took no time introducing himself to the Mountain West by starting in the Aggies’ opening series. Leading the NCAA in starts as a freshman, Worster has shown he can be a solid facilitator, but also has a knack for scoring, averaging 9.6 points per game. 

Simply put — when he has the ball, things look good for the Aggies.

There are other players whose games also demand some recognition, such as fellow freshman Steven Ashworth or Justin Bean. Ashworth has already proven to be a solid shooter with a 36.7% average from behind the arc. He was 3-6 from three with a team leading 17 points in game two of a sweep against San Diego State, a contest that came down to the wire. His 22 threes on the season currently puts his second to only Miller. 

Bean has been a staple for this team for two years and although he is better known as a defensive anchor and an acrobatic rebounder, he has also proven himself on the offensive end. His work ethic is responsible for large improvements between his freshman and sophomore year going from 4.1/3.8/.8 splits to averaging a double double with 11.9/10.5/2.1 last season. Across his 82 games as an Aggie, Bean has certainly become trustworthy on both sides of the ball. 

As the season winds down and the Mountain West tournament approaches, games promise to be closer and Utah State is left to develop a game plan for closing out tight games. How much of this includes finding a go-to guy to take the last shot? It’s hard to say. One thing is certain however — this Utah State team is good. They haven’t missed a beat from last year to this year. As laid out by Jacob Nielson in his story  — Protectors of Cache Valley — this team is very good at defense. It’s a huge part of their identity.

If this team were in a situation in which they faced a tie game with just enough time for one shot left,  it’s likely that with their suffocating defense they would perform better defending that shot than shooting it. Statistically speaking of course, that’s true. Buzzer beaters are missed more often than they are made, but their ability to lockdown a clutch shot is much more than that. 

A lineup with Miller, Bean, Worster and Queta is a suffocating defense that has already shown the ability to dismantle top-notch offenses. Their full court press is overwhelming and debilitating, their half court defense is sturdy and, at times, impenetrable. They have an astounding ability to shrink the floor, defend the perimeter and protect the rim. Queta’s 3.1 blocks and 1.2 steals per game is unbelievable until you watch him in action. 

While some view Utah State’s lack of a clear standout offensive threat as a hindrance, Smith and the Aggies have turned it into a weapon. If this team does get into an offensive jam, their wide-spread offensive load will be an advantage rather than a hindrance. With Merrill on the floor, defenses had the easy decision to put their best man on him, often even employing the double team. With this squad, defenses are forced out of a double team leaving each defender isolated and vulnerable. With the option of a double team essentially taken away completely, opponents have to pick and choose where they place their best defender. When a team is looking at a group full of guys with the green light, there is no right answer. 

The bottom line is that this team is in good hands, no matter whose the ball is in. Coach Smith, through recruiting and player development has taught a valuable lesson about basketball. It’s a team sport. Basketball is bigger than any one player, even if their name is Jalen Moore or Sam Merrill.

@pshark14

—sports@usustatesman.com