Ags prepping for final game

In its final home game of the regular season, the Utah State men’s basketball team will face the struggling San Jose State Spartans on Saturday.

It will be the final game in the Spectrum for seniors Nate Harris, Cass Matheus, David Pak and Chris Huber.

Head acoach Stew Morrill said he hopes the fans will come see them off.

“These seniors deserve a packed house,” he said. “I hope we have one.”

After falling 83-60 to Nevada Thursday, the Spartans fell to 6-23 on the season and only 2-13 in the Western Athletic Conference.

That’s no reason to expect an easy win for the Aggies, Morrill said.

“San Jose has competed night in and night out,” he said. “They can step up and beat somebody.”

Morrill said this is an important game for USU.

“We have a chance to win two games at home going into the [WAC] tournament,” he said. “We need to do that.”

Even though it will be their last appearance at home, Morrill said he wants the fans to be happy for the seniors.

“This is a positive event,” he said. “This should be a celebration, not a funeral week for our seniors.”

Harris is the only senior that has played all four years at USU.

“He was a smart, solid player when we got him,” Morrill said. “He’s one of the most intelligent players I’ve coached.”

Morrill said Harris has incredible hands for his size.

“He has great hands and I’ve coached a lot of guys with great hands,” he said. “He’s a special Aggie with the career and numbers he’s had.”

Pak came to USU after playing two years at Saddleback Junior College in California.

“We all know his story,” Morrill said. “Pak has made a ton of improvement from last year. He’s better at (point guard) than a year ago. I view his situation as nothing but a positive, success story.”

Matheus has also only played with USU for two seasons. He spent his freshman and sophomore years at South Plains College in Texas before red-shirting his first year in Logan.

Morrill said Matheus’ big body is what makes him so good.

“When he wasn’t on out on the floor with Nevada, you could see how munchkin-like we are without his size,” he said.

Huber has played with USU for three seasons. After his scholarship at the University of Utah was given to future top-pick Andrew Bogut, Huber went to Dixie State College for his freshman year before transferring to USU.

His wife is expecting to give birth to twins at any time.

“Basketball is basketball, but life is life,” Morrill said. “That’s a tough situation. He’s a mature guy.”

Morrill said he will be sad to see Huber leave.

“The longer you have a guy, the more experiences you have with him,” he said. “He’s a valuable part of this team and he understands his role. Obviously, he was hoping to start for two or three years, but he has embraced his role.”

Saturday’s game will start at 7 p.m. and will air online at www.wac.org as well as on the radio at 94.5 FM.

-bhhinton@cc.usu.edu