<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>Former Aggie Archives - The Utah Statesman</title> <atom:link href="https://usustatesman.com/tag/former-aggie/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://usustatesman.com/tag/former-aggie/</link> <description>USU's Student Newspaper</description> <lastBuildDate>Mon, 18 Jul 2016 17:56:15 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1</generator> <image> <url>https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/cropped-screen-shot-2017-10-19-at-4.33.29-pm-32x32.png</url> <title>Former Aggie Archives - The Utah Statesman</title> <link>https://usustatesman.com/tag/former-aggie/</link> <width>32</width> <height>32</height> </image> <item> <title>Could the Jazz’ improved roster include a former Aggie?</title> <link>https://usustatesman.com/jazz-improved-roster-include-former-aggie/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Megan McNulty]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 18 Jul 2016 17:56:15 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[All]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Basketball]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Blogs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Men's Basketball]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Spectrum shoot around]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Sports]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Aggie basketball]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Former Aggie]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Spencer Butterfield]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Utah Jazz]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://usustatesman.com/?p=22007806</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>The NBA Summer League is upon us — a time to try out different rosters of rookies, second year players…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/jazz-improved-roster-include-former-aggie/">Could the Jazz’ improved roster include a former Aggie?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-22007808 alignleft" src="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/spencer_butterfield118135-200x300.jpg" alt="Spencer_Butterfield(11813)5" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/spencer_butterfield118135-200x300.jpg 200w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/spencer_butterfield118135-667x1000.jpg 667w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/spencer_butterfield118135-335x503.jpg 335w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/spencer_butterfield118135-1050x1575.jpg 1050w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/spencer_butterfield118135.jpg 1728w" sizes="(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" /></p> <p>The NBA Summer League is upon us — a time to try out different rosters of rookies, second year players and unsigned free agents.</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Former Utah State Aggie guard/forward Spencer Butterfield was named to the Utah Jazz Summer League for the first time.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He has appeared in several games alongside Jazz players like Joel Bolomboy, Trey Lyles and Tibor Pleiss. It is inspiring to see a former Aggie out on the floor alongside NBA players in his home state, making the most of his time and finding ways to improve.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Butterfield, the 6-foot-3 powerhouse who was born in Provo, UT, played two seasons for the Aggies and averaged 12.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists his senior year — leading the team in scoring. He was one of the top 3-point shooters in Aggie history, shooting 44.7 percent from the long range. He also earned an Honorable Mention All-Mountain West and was named the WAC Player of the Week twice.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He has played overseas in Spain and Juventus, Lithuania last season where he averaged 14.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game — helping him earn an invitation to the Jazz Summer League.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A little overseas experience can’t hurt when it comes to playing alongside other professional players, and in Butterfield’s case, it definitely helped. Even though he is primarily a bench player for the Jazz Summer League, he had some opportunity to make an impact in a few of the games.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As part of Utah’s recent trade for Boris Diaw, guard Olivier Hanlan was moved to San Antonio and Butterfield received the opportunity to start against the Boston Celtics in the second game of the Jazz’s schedule.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While the Celtics defeated the Jazz 89-82, Butterfield played 23 minutes, scored eight points and logged six rebounds.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Butterfield also came off the bench in an 86-75 loss against the Philadelphia 76ers for 18 minutes of play to score nine points.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In an 88-73 loss to the Washington Wizards in the first game of the Las Vegas Summer League, Butterfield finished with two points in 13 minutes of play. However, in a 79-72 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, Butterfield scored 11 points, including 3-of-5 from behind the 3-point line, in nearly nine minutes of play — pulling out the second-highest scoring performance among Jazz bench players.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There is no doubt Butterfield made an impact coming off of the bench in the Jazz’s first victory of the summer, just trailing in scoring behind Tyrone Wallace with 15 points.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Although Butterfield was not drafted to the NBA, he improved his skills overseas in Spain and Lithuania and eventually made it back to Utah. He expressed his excitement to sport the Jazz jersey and play in front of his family.</span></p> <p><img decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-22007807 alignright" src="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/butterfield-232x300.jpg" alt="butterfield" width="232" height="300" srcset="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/butterfield-232x300.jpg 232w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/butterfield-773x1000.jpg 773w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/butterfield-335x434.jpg 335w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/butterfield-1050x1359.jpg 1050w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/butterfield.jpg 1758w" sizes="(max-width: 232px) 100vw, 232px" /></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The more professional years you have under your belt, the more confidence you gain, the more you learn just how to play the game,” he told the Salt Lake Tribune. “I think my knowledge of the game has grown quite a bit, just knowing how to find my spots and be effective.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With that being said, Aggies should never pass up the opportunity for improvement because it could lead to another great opportunity. While the majority of Aggies may not be NBA superstars, or even drafted by the NBA, this doesn’t mean they can’t continue to grow as players like Butterfield did.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I’ve found that multiple former Aggie players have the desire to play overseas including Grayson Moore and Chris Smith — and they should go for it.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Although many critics said Jalen Moore was not good enough for the NBA, he had the opportunity to play against good players, get his name out there and work on developing leadership skills even if it did not work out.</span><br /> <span style="font-weight: 400;">And we still get our leading scorer and rebounder back for his senior year.</span></p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/jazz-improved-roster-include-former-aggie/">Could the Jazz’ improved roster include a former Aggie?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Happy returns: Robert Turbin’s football academy continues to grow</title> <link>https://usustatesman.com/happy-returns-robert-turbins-football-academy-continues-grow/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[The Utah Statesman]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 18 Jul 2016 17:51:27 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[All]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Blogs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Football]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Gridiron talk]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Sports]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Aggie sports]]></category> <category><![CDATA[camp]]></category> <category><![CDATA[football]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Former Aggie]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Robert Turbin]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://usustatesman.com/?p=22007799</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>As he stood above the Utah State ‘U’ at the 50-yard line inside the Stan Laub Indoor Training Center Saturday,…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/happy-returns-robert-turbins-football-academy-continues-grow/">Happy returns: Robert Turbin’s football academy continues to grow</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_22007800" style="width: 219px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22007800" class="size-medium wp-image-22007800" src="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/turbin2-209x300.jpg" alt="Sports - #6 Robert Turbin" width="209" height="300" srcset="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/turbin2-209x300.jpg 209w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/turbin2-335x481.jpg 335w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/turbin2.jpg 640w" sizes="(max-width: 209px) 100vw, 209px" /><p id="caption-attachment-22007800" class="wp-caption-text">Sports – #6 Robert Turbin</p></div> <p>As he stood above the Utah State ‘U’ at the 50-yard line inside the Stan Laub Indoor Training Center Saturday, you could have confused Robert Turbin for a conductor on a Broadway stage.</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this, the return of the Robert Turbin Football Academy to Utah State University after a year hiatus, the participants needed that conductor now more than ever. The camp experienced its largest turnout with more than 80 participants — nearly quadrupling the inaugural year’s mark.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With whistle in hand, Turbin orchestrated coaches, alumni and players through various drills and workouts focusing on agility, speed and explosiveness.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Turbin played for Utah State from 2007-2011. He appeared in 38 total games for the Aggies, finishing his career with 3,315 yards rushing and 40 touchdowns on 565 carries. He also caught 67 passes for 845 yards and 11 more touchdowns. He has spent the last four years in the NFL.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Turbin said when he was just a young player growing up in Oakland, Calif., he never had the opportunity to attend a professionally hosted football camp — “I want to give them an opportunity I never had,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With the camp significantly growing from its first appearance back in 2014, the response this year came with the presence of a diverse group of former Aggie players from across generations.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I wanted to bring all the alumni back,” Turbin said. “From the guys who played in the ’80s, ’90s and 2000s right up to the guys that played with me. We all have something to teach and something to give.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The medley of alumni included Paul Igboeli, Matt Austin, Kerwynn Williams, Joey DeMartino, Matt Austin, Rashard Stewart, James Brindley, Vaea Fiefia and Emmett White — to name a few — who brought with them a willingness to give back to a community they once called home.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Some of these guys haven’t had their names and faces on a poster in a long time,” White said. “But regardless, this community and this school is a family. It doesn’t matter how you left, when you left or what mark you made here, you still have to give back to the people who supported you for years.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">From the first whistle to the final huddle, the kids were dismissed with a “dream big” cheer — a concept Turbin has continued to preach throughout the years.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I just want kids to believe in themselves 100 percent,” Turbin said. “There isn’t a dream, there isn’t a goal that’s unachievable. Look at me, look at any of these guys, we all overcame great odds to get to the top of our game. If I can convince these kids of anything, it’s that anything is possible.”</span></p> <div class="mceMediaCreditOuterTemp alignright" style="width: 213px;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-22007804" src="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/turbin1-203x300.jpg" alt="Turbin1" width="203" height="300" srcset="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/turbin1-203x300.jpg 203w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/turbin1-678x1000.jpg 678w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/turbin1-335x494.jpg 335w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/turbin1-1050x1550.jpg 1050w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/turbin1.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 203px) 100vw, 203px" /></div> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Turbin’s life has been marred with adversity and obstacles. He grew up in a single-parent household with a mother who was rarely in the picture. He saw his sister Trina, die of multiple sclerosis when he was just five and only weeks before he was drafted, his brother, Lonnie, was shot and killed. His older sister, Tiffany, was born with cerebral palsy and has been confined to a wheelchair her entire life. Turbin has assisted his father, Ronald, in caring for his older sister since he was just five years old.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the field, Turbin hasn’t avoided adversity either. Turning down scholarships to schools like Oregon and Washington, he choose to attend Utah State — a team in which the year before Turbin’s arrival went 1-11. After helping to jumpstart the program, an ACL injury sidelined the upstart running back for his junior year. Bouncing back in 2011, Turbin captured all-Western Athletic Conference honors while leading the Aggies to their first bowl appearance since 1997.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Turbin was selected by Seattle in the fourth round (106th pick overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft and played in Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014, when the Seahawks defeated the Denver Broncos, and Super Bowl XLIX the next year, when they lost to the New England Patriots. He was signed by the Colts as an unrestricted free agent this past March. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The camp drew participants ranging from ages 8-18, some of whom donned one of Turbin’s replicate no. 6 or no. 22 jersey. The entrance fee of $100 per camper went entirely to Turbin’s foundation which supports children with disabilities, such as the ones which plagued his family.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s all for a good cause,” Igboeli said. “This isn’t just about football, this about changing lives the best way we know how. These kids get the opportunity to learn a game they love, but someone out there gets another chance, another day of life.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Turbin is looking forward to returning to Cache Valley in 2017 for another installment of his football academy.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We’ll be back, we’ll be better, we’ll be bigger, we’ll be more organized, we’ll have more kids, we’ll have more food, we’ll have more coaches, we’ll have more alumni and it will be a blast,” Turbin said.</span></p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/happy-returns-robert-turbins-football-academy-continues-grow/">Happy returns: Robert Turbin’s football academy continues to grow</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> </channel> </rss>