Bailey gets first start in honor of seniors
Saturday night, The Aggies changed their starting lineup for the first time in 28 games this season, giving Dion Bailey the start on senior night.
Bailey said it felt good to start the game and start the spark for the team, instead of waiting to come off the bench to do it, he said.
“He’s very comfortable where he is at [coming off the bench],” said head coach Stew Morrill. “He’s certainly playing well. He’s playing very confidently and making a lot of good decisions out there.”
“Dion played really well,” said forward Shawn Daniels. “He did a really good job.”
The Aggies as a whole showed up with one of the well-rounded performances for which they have become known over the past two years.
Bailey finished with seven points, four assists, four rebounds and one steal in 25 minutes of play. The five seniors combined for 50 points, 22 rebounds, 18 assists, four blocks, and six steals.
In honor of their time at USU, the seniors – Bailey, Daniels, Bernard Rock, Dimitri Jorssen and Curtis Bobb – were honored in a pre-game ceremony. The seniors walked with their families onto the court, where Morrill presented them with framed jerseys.
Daniels said before the game started Morrill told the team not to get too emotional.
Jorssen said the team had to channel its emotions to get aggressive and play good basketball.
With 3:44 left in the game, Rock, Bailey and Jorssen left the game for the last time. At the 2:12 mark, Bobb and Daniels left the game. The crowd erupted in applause when the last of the five left the game.
“You’d like to have each kid get an ovation, but time is running down,” Morrill said.
“It is tough playing the final home game,” Jorssen said. “It is tough to leave.”
The seniors said they aren’t ready for the season to end and are looking forward to playing in the conference tournament, especially after the last two wins.
Daniels said the last two games were big for the team and gave the Aggies momentum going into tournament. Morrill said it was good to return home and get solid wins.
“This has been a really special group,” Morrill said.