Aggie basketball opens doors to practice
For the first time in over 15 years, the Utah State basketball team opened the doors to its practice.
The Aggies held Tuesday afternoon’s practice in front of more than 100 fans who came to catch a glimpse of USU basketball. First-year head coach Tim Duryea ran a two-hour practice that showcased shooting, low-post work by the forwards, defensive sets, fast breaks and conditioning.
“I wanted to give an inside look, kind of a learning experience for the fans,” Duryea said. “I thought it was a great experience for our guys, I thought they responded well … We had a really high-intensity practice and that’s what it was all about.”
Open practice is a new experience for USU players but not uncommon for other teams or in postseason play. Most tournaments have open practices for fans and media to watch.
This is the second Aggie basketball event this preseason following the Midnight Madness event held earlier this season. The madness event consisted of a scrimmage and some drills to show off the team’s skills.
“We want the fans to be involved this year,” said guard Julion Pearre. “We want them to get to know us … Practicing in front of fans is a little different but we’re looking to go to the NCAA tournament and there you have people in and out, and making noise. I think it was a good experience today.”
Utah State’s season is fast approaching. The first exhibition game is on Oct. 31 against Oklahoma Panhandle State. The game will be played at 7 p.m. in the Spectrum. Duryea said the Aggies have a long ways to go before they are ready for the season.
“The things we have to install are basic things,” Duryea said. “We don’t have an inbounds play yet, we don’t have a press breaker in yet, we don’t have a press in yet. We have a lot of things we need to do before we can actually function in a game setting.”
Although USU isn’t ready yet, the expectations are high for the upcoming season. Utah State returns five starters and has added a few junior college transfers to bolster the roster.
A season after going 11-7 in the Mountain West, the Aggies were picked to finish third in the league this year. The 11 victories are the most by any second-year program in league history.
“It’s no different than last year,” said forward David Collette. “We knew we were better than they picked us last year. Quite honestly we know we are better than third. I know a lot of people think it’s high but our goal is a championship and we won’t settle for anything less.”
In addition to the Oklahoma Panhandle game, Utah State will host Cal State Monterey Bay in an exhibition game on Nov. 6 before opening the regular season on the road at Weber State on Nov. 13. Conference play for the Aggies is set to tip off on Dec. 30 at San Jose State.
— kalen.s.taylor@gmail.com
Twitter: @kalen_taylor