Big men give Aggies a big advantage
Utah State returns eight letter winners on the men’s basketball team this year, and the power forward positions are just as loaded as the shooting guard and small forward positions. In the complex system that head coach Stew Morrill runs, the experience of the big men down low will be a major key to Utah State’s success this year.
“The bigs that we have returning have a good mix of physical strength, basketball skill and they all know our system inside and out,” assistant coach Tim Duryea said. “We’ve had the luxury of having them around here for five or six years, that helps a lot.”
Senior Tai Wesley was tabbed the WAC Preseason Player of the Year, and Utah State will be looking for the same kind of leadership and all-around skill he exhibited last year. Last season Wesley averaged nearly 14 points and seven rebounds a game to go with a 57 percent shooting average.
“I think the thing that sets Tai apart is the fact that he makes everyone else on the floor so much better,” Duryea said. “I think the one thing that allows him to do that is he’s such a gifted passer. Tai Wesley, year in and year out, is one of the best passers on your team and that includes the guards. It’s so valuable when you can just dump the ball down low and just play around the guy.”
Among the forwards last season, Wesley averaged the most assists and had the best assist-to- turnover-ratio, averaging three assists per game and a 1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Wesley, along with Nate Bendall – who also received all-WAC honors last season and preseason honors this season – started almost every game last year together and Utah State will be looking to them to provide not only a physical presence down low, but senior leadership as well.
“Our upperclassmen leadership has always been huge in our program,” Duryea said. “Tai was really a vocal leader last year and has just kind of picked up where he left off last year. But he has help, Nate Bendall is a quiet leader, he’s kind of the father figure to all of the guys.”
Bendall was the third leading scorer last season, averaging 10 points and nearly six rebounds per game. Bendall’s ability to score from the perimeter kept defenders honest in the post and Bendall often found wide open shots from 16 to 17 feet out. Last season, Bendall missed two games due to a heart operation and the injury bug bit again this season, as Bendall was not able to practice with the team up until one week ago because of a foot injury. He is healthy now, and Duryea said Bendall needs to be more assertive in the post.
“We want him to stay healthy first and foremost, and I think if he can improve his low block game a little bit; that’s the area he can improve the most,” Duryea said. “We want Nate to be a little more aggressive when he catches the ball down low. Look to go score a little bit more and get fouled; he’s a really good free-throw shooter and he’s got a good touch.”
Bendall is a great free-throw shooter, averaging 80 percent from the charity stripe last season.
Not only does Utah State have loads of experience at the forward position, they also have great depth. In last season’s seven-man rotation, then-sophomore Brady Jardine found a key role in coming off the bench and providing a spark on both offense and defense. Jardine has improved every season with Utah State and has worked hard over the summer to achieve similar results.
“I spent a lot of time over the summer working on some post moves and my jump-shot,” Jardine said.
Senior forward Matt Formisano has been in the program just as long as Wesley, but he hasn’t seen as much playing time. Despite the limited playing time, Formisano knows his role on the squad and he hopes to remain solid and reliable at his position.
“I think the biggest thing is being the guy who is ready to go whenever,” Formisano said. “Regardless of what stage of the game or what point of the season, just be that guy who always works hard and gives whatever for the team to win.”
The dark horse for the big men down low may be junior forward Morgan Grim, who redshirted last season after transferring from the University of Utah. Grim did not see much action at the University of Utah despite the fact that he was named Utah’s Mr. Basketball as a high school senior and the Class 5A Most Valuable Player, averaging nearly 23 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks per game. Duryea said that Grim reminds him of former Aggie great Nate Harris in many aspects.
“He’s 6″8 but he plays longer, because he has really long arms, great hands, great touch and he has a great basketball IQ,” Duryea said. “I think the thing that Morgan does as well as anyone on our team for a big is he can really put the ball on the floor. He can make plays off the bounce for other people. He’s physical, and I think he’ll come in and make a good impact.”
Freshman Ben Clifford will be the only forward who won’t be seeing action this season, as the coaching staff decided to redshirt him so that he can develop more physically. Duryea said that Clifford is great prospect, however. The Bingham High standout was tabbed the Region 3 Most Valuable Player his senior season, where he averaged 16 points and eight rebounds per game.
The public will get its first chance to see Utah State in action tonight during the annual Blue-White Scrimmage. Morrill will run his team through two 10-minute sessions and the players will be available for autographs at the end of the scrimmage. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the scrimmage begins at 7 p.m. in the Spectrum.
– ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.edu