Hoops Fest is now defunct
For Utah State men’s basketball Head Coach Stew Morrill, Hoops Fest is a thing of the past. Following Thursday’s annual event, he said he was done with the little contests between scrimmages and the team would go back to a blue-white game next season.
“Hoops Fest has run its cycle,” Morrill said. “The contests are wearing me out – I’m afraid someone is going to get hurt. I hope that doesn’t offend anyone, but that is what we will do. Hoops Fest is defunct.”
Morrill said he didn’t want to hold Hoops Fest Friday, like the team usually does, because of Halloween and the Howl. The consequence – bad weather also kept fans away from the Spectrum.
Between two 10-minute scrimmages in front of about 1,000 fans, Cardell Butler won the slam dunk contest for the second-straight year and Quenton Harvey won the three-point contest.
“There were a few bright moments, but overall I didn’t think we were very sharp,” Morrill said. “We’re just a long ways away in a lot of areas and it’s not uncommon for this time of year, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t concern you – it always concerns you. We’re very inconsistent in all phases of the game right now, but we will get better.”
Mark Brown led all scorers with 17 points and seven assists, while Spencer Nelson chipped in 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Butler contributed 15 points and Calvin Brown added 12. Mike Ahmad, and Cassiano Matheus each scored 11 points, while Ian McVey, John Neil and Jason Williams all scored 10 points each.
Utah State shot 52.3 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from behind the arc as a team.
The Aggies are scheduled to play their first game of the season Friday when they host Global Sports at 7:05 p.m. in an exhibition contest.
Friday, it was announced that the men’s team is ranked 48th in the country after the first ESPN/USA Today Top 25 coaches poll of the season.
USU received two Top-25 votes.
Connecticut takes the cake with the No. 1 rank, while in-state rivals Utah and BYU are ranked 29th and 32nd, respectively.
The USU women’s team was introduced between scrimmages, and freshman Terrin Johnston won the three-point contest going 8-for-11 from behind the arc.
The team will return to the court for the first time in 17 years when it hosts Southern Utah on Nov. 21. The game is slated to begin following the men’s season opener against Fort Lewis College at 6:05 p.m.
“It’s great whenever you get people in the Spectrum,” said women’s Head Coach Raegan Pebley. “There is still a lot for the team to learn, but it is staying patient with all they are doing.”
Pebley said USA Today was in town last week at some of the Aggies’ practices and will be back in Logan for the first game.
-juag@cc.usu.edu