The future looks bright for Utah State basketball
Thursday’s Prime Time Madness in the Spectrum gave fans a preview of both the men’s and women’s basketball teams.
The men’s team scrimmaged for 15 minutes, but the ladies played for only six minutes, so it’s hard to give them a fair assessment.
This was the first look at an Aggie team led by Tim Duryea, and I’m impressed. The offense ran smoothly, and the players from both sides looked comfortable and played to their strengths.
Redshirt junior Lew Evans looked like an offensive force with 11 points. Evans will be a key contributor off the bench for the Aggies this season because he rebounds well and shoots the ball from the outside with confidence.
Keep an eye on Evans this year — he’s going to bring a lot of excitement to this team.
Utah State has a very deep roster this season.
Junior Shane Rector is a quick player who can easily get to the rim. Rector is a capable back-up point guard, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Duryea play him at the shooting guard while Darius Perkins runs the offense. Rector should become a fan favorite because of his hustle and energetic style of play.
Jalen Moore will be an elite offensive player in the Mountain West this year because of his improved shooting and ball-handling. If Duryea uses Moore to occasionally run the offense with pick-and-rolls, we can expect a very high-scoring and productive offense this season.
Expectations are high for last year’s Mountain West Freshman of the Year, David Collette. Along with Jalen Moore, we can expect Duryea to use Collette as a primary option for offensive production from the starting unit.
Collette is a constant threat on offense because he’s a physical presence around the rim and he shoots well enough from the outside that defenders have to respect him. Collette will be dangerous on defense, as well, because of his shot-blocking abilities. As long as he stays out of foul trouble, Collette will have a monster season.
This team is much improved from last season. I expect Utah State to finish near the top of the Mountain West Conference this year. This is a talented group with plenty of players who are capable of contributing on offense and defense.
The coaching transition from Stew Morrill to Tim Duryea will be noticeable in a good way. The offense is going to be fast-paced and catered to player strength and the defense will remain disciplined, smart and aggressive.
Utah State opens the season at home against Oklahoma Panhandle State on Oct. 31.
— bfordhamsix@gmail.com
Twitter: @bfordham6