The Final Countdown
When the buzzer sounds and the clock hits zero on Wednesday, that’s it for five seniors on this years men’s basketball team.
Never again will they play within the friendly confines of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Never again will the Hurd assist in their pregame introductions, and never again will they have a crowd of thousands profess its faith that they will win.
Wednesday’s game against Wyoming is the final home game for these seniors.
“I think it will be very emotional. It’s been awesome for me, and I’ve really loved it and I’m pretty sure I’ll be pretty emotional before the game and after the game especially,” said fifth-year senior guard Preston Medlin. “I’ve just got to focus on that game, and hopefully we get a win.”
Medlin is the only senior of the bunch who has been an Aggie for his entire collegiate career.
Guards Tenale Roland and Spencer Butterfield and forward Sean Harris all transferred from junior colleges while center Jarred Shaw transferred from Oklahoma State. However, taking in the last game in the Spectrum will not be an easy task for any of the seniors.
“I’m sure there will be a lot of emotion with all my family here and all of the fans. It’s been a great two years, but at the end of the day, I still just want to win the game,” Butterfield said. “It will be a great time, I’m sure we will get a great turnout here. It will be a day to kind of soak it all in and think about the two years I’ve had here.”
Wednesday won’t just be a day to enjoy the atmosphere one last time: These seniors want to win in front of the home crowd one last time.
“I anticipate it to be a good game. I wanna go out with a bang. I wanna go out with a win,” Shaw said. “I want to have a good game in front of my mom. She hasn’t seen me play in maybe three years, so I’m looking forward to it.”
The Aggies will be taking on Wyoming, a team they lost to in Laramie by 17 points a month ago. However, the Cowboys are riding a three-game losing streak since their leading scorer Larry Nance Jr. went down with an injury.
“I think it’s going to be loud,” Roland said. “We’re going to be ready to play, us five seniors. We’ve just got to come ready to play.”
Medlin will leave USU in the school’s record books. He currently has 1,341 career points, making him the No. 16 all-time leading scorer in program history. Medlin also has 209 career 3-pointers made, tied for No. 4 all-time in school history.
“Right now I notice it, but it’s kind of hard to focus in on that because the season’s still going on,” Medlin said. “Once the season is over and I kind of look back on it and think of all of the players that have been through Utah State, I mean, it’s been a long time that Utah State has had basketball, and to be in the top-20 of any category, especially scoring, is a great accomplishment that I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
Though the other players may not be as high on school records as Medlin, they have attained other personal achievements in their careers or seasons, like Shaw, who leads the team in points per game with 14.5.
“I take pride in working on my offensive game,” Shaw said. “When I was at Oklahoma State I wasn’t much of a scorer, so I have kind of embraced it and just looking forward to putting a lot of points on the board.”
Butterfield, who has been a do-it-all guy for the Aggies, also has a lot to be proud of this season. He is No. 1 on the team in 3-point field goal percentage, No. 2 in scoring, No. 3 in rebounding and No. 4 in assists.
“I just try to give it everything that I’ve got every game,” Butterfield said. “Whether that is scoring or providing a defensive stop or a big rebound, I just try to do whatever I can to contribute to the team and make us successful.”
Roland, who may not be the flashiest player on the court, has been a steady presence for the Aggies, converting on his role as true point guard.
“The responsibility that I have is to bring the ball up, making sure that people are where they need to be, and on defense being more talkative,” Roland said.
Harris’ achievements have not necessarily been seen by fans. However, he completed his first healthy season since his freshman year in junior college. Harris tore his ACL two years in a row, including last season when he tore it in preseason workouts.
“It feels great. It feels great to have my knee healthy,” Harris said. “I didn’t know if I’d be able to play basketball again, so to be able to run and jump and walk and do whatever, that’s something that I didn’t have for about two years. So for me it’s just a blessing, to be able to at least practice at the Division I level is, for me, something very special.”
Though the Aggies’ season has been one marred by a rough transition into the Mountain West, they still have one regular season game and the conference tournament left. The seniors don’t see this season as being over yet, and they are going to make the most of the games remaining.
“You can’t die out,” Medlin said. “You’ve got to stay focused and stay determined. I just have to help this team. I don’t want to go out as a senior losing my last few games.”
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