I just had a couple thoughts after Tuesday's game. Obviously it was a big win for the new staff. Does this win temper any of you folks who have doubted Menzies or the Aggies toughness thus far? For me I think Tuesday showed what players and Aggie coaches have talked about, but not really advertised. Their schedule thus far was ridiculous, and they played shorthanded, injured and on the road. Against the Lobos though, they were clearly the superior team and I think have a great chance to sweep the Lobos. UTEP is a much better team in my opinion, but with a win, I'm wondering what you folks who were critical will think.
Stefon Jackson had a great game against the Aggies last time, matching Justin Hawkins shot for shot, so that is an intriguing matchup. I have seen UTEP coach Tony Barbee talking about playing better transition defense the last couple of days, but the last game seemed to come down to a battle in the paint, and if the Tuesday was any indication, the Aggies are re-committing themselves to pounding the ball inside and getting to the foul line.
Finally, 6,800 for a unm game? Whats up with that? Is it the 3-6 record? No reggie? I don't understand "Sports fans" in Las Cruces. Help me out
JG
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It's the 3-6 record, no Reggie, and premium ticket prices that have caused the low attendance. Also involved is an honest head count -- for years attendance has been inflated just like at UNM. Win against UTEP and attendance will pick up for the remainder.
It is a begining. The intensity, passion, drive were finally there against UNM. I am one of the displeased fans that you write about. I am not totally sold yet but it is a start. These rivalry games can either make you or break you, in regards to fan buy-in.
Apparently, JG is calling out those of us who doubted the Aggies after a 3-6 start. I stand behind my criticism of the Aggies because I do not believe we should have 6 losses at this point in the season.
Last night's win was huge, and everybody in Aggie-land can breathe a sigh of relief. However, last night we played a mediocre Lobo team, which has no inside game at all, lives and dies by the three, and was away from the Pit for only the second time this season. We will have our hands full in front of those nasty Albuquerquians.
I guess my question for JG is: how are we not supposed to be critical of Aggie basketball? Here is where our criticism arises: 1) They made the NCAA tournament last year, and aside from Elijah and Tyrone, we return the best of that team. 2) They blew a 23 point lead to UNT on their home court. 3) They turn the ball over a minimum of 18-19 times per game. 4) The games in which they were supposed to lose were not even close.
It really confuses me how some people do not want the fans to be critics. I understand the frustration of fans who go to games only when the team is winning - I would go to every game if I did not live 800 miles away. But I do not understand the notion that we should not criticize the play of a team that was supposed to win the WAC and at least compete with upper-echelon teams.
I do believe the Aggies have a good team with great athletes. And I do believe that it will take some time to gain some chemistry with so many new guards. But I also believe that we should hold Aggie basketball to a higher standard than football, especially in light of the talent we have returning from last year's team.
To help out, here is what I think: the staff seem fine; great find in McKines, a true rebounding forward; large gap to fill with the loss of Ingrahm who was playing on one leg and no point guard to fill that gap it seems; great touch with the Free Herb Pope t-shirts; I almost would rather have a point guard than Herb Pope since the NCAA has taken him hostage; I hate the PA announcer who shows no respect to the opposing team by mumbling/whispering their names(it would be nice to actually know who scored for the other team); as a season ticket holder for both football and basketball, I dislike the whole PA situation, the radio coverage, and most things the athletic department dreams up for the public; my hope is that the tough b-ball schedule really gets them ready for league play; 6786 in attendance is hard to figure out other than rained last Saturday and the fans are still afraid to come out.
Finicky is the word to describe the fans around Las Cruces. Some of it I know is about Reggie leaving though....kind of upset quite a few fans who I have talked with that he left when things were going so great!!
I have to agree about the attendance. 6,800 is absolutely pathetic. I've always been disgusted with Aggie fans. They are fairweather fans for ALL sports, including basketball. We're 3-6 after playing a tough schedule so far, yet all people look at are the wins/losses. For a game against UNM, it should be a sell-out everytime, no matter the record! Even with our great year last year, I believe we only averaged 8-9,000 a game.
Agree that the re-commitment to the inside game is a good thing. Even more importantly, its a sign that the team is (starting to?) buying into Menzies system.
From the outside looking in, its been a matter of not just teaching the new X's and O's, but getting the team to buy in. Here's to buying it hook, line and sinker.
Go Aggies
It's OK to be critical of the team, no doubt about it. Especially after blowing a big lead and averaging around 19 turnovers per game. Here's what I think our biggest problem is: We still need someone to step up at the point...Cole or Gibson are good at times, but they're no Elijah Ingram. EI was so good at driving inside which allowed him to either 1) go for a layup, 2) get fouled, 3) feed someone in the paint, or 4) kick the ball outside to an open shooter. Sure, we returned good players from last year's team, but aside from EI and Tyrone, let's not forget about Fisher, Knauber, and Sean Davis. All these players were key at one point or another. So while we have Hawk, Passos, Iti, and Peete...we still need a POINT GUARD that can make things happen for us. As far as attendance goes, I'm guessing it's a combination of things (i.e., Reggie, ticket prices, the NSAH chant. But probably it's mostly the record. I honestly didn't think we would beat Duke, Texas, or WV, but we should have won at Ohio, UTEP and against NT. Let's see if we can get more people out there on Saturday against UTEP.
I've read all these articles and blogs about Tuesday's win, but none of them mention the outstanding play of Chris Cole. That was a huge difference in the Aggie win. Just a thought...
One win does not a dynasty make. How about a little more consistancy before the "I told you so" articles?
sm,
Critisism is certainly warranted. My question was more for people who want to fire a head coach after 10 games as I have seen on message boards and this blog. One win against the Lobos doesn't save the season by any means, but I had an impression that fans were not that confident about their chances against the Lobos.
Also about the attendance. I have to say that it was good to finally see the students show up. I understand work or scheduling conflicts come up with other people, but Tuesday was the first night both ends were full of students and the Free Herb Pope shirts were classic. I think the students should show up at every home game regardless of the opponent.
JG
It's more Menzies than anything else.
Reggie would bring a ton of energy and both the players and fans would feed of it.
Mezies doesn't bring an ounce of energy.
He complemented Utep after the win! How can you earn the respect when you praise your rivals.
I have yet to miss a game but, the energy is not the same.
Menzies is too laid back for everyone.
You guys are pathetic. The aggies look a mess. The style of play has changed a lot since Reggie left. The boys are not playing their game. They are use to pushing the ball, full court press, and uptempo play. Menzies came in and slowed them down and have them playing zone.
Good point. The style for the most part has changed. Although they did press during the UNM game, it is (as seen in earlier games) out of character for this Menzies team. It is for sure a different coaching style. We have season tickets and are behind the NMSU bench. From watching Menzies this past game (UNM) maybe he gets it. Did anyone else think that they went into a stall too early? And that it could have backfired? It almost did if UNM was not so weak themselves.
i don't think that Menezies changed the style by choice. He's doing what he can, like some people said before there's no guards in this team.
The whole protesting Reggie idea gives the typical Aggie fan way too much credit. I asked Typical Aggie Fan if they were going to the UNM game Tuesday and they corrected me by saying, "No, we play UTEP Tuesday and UNM Thursday." I am not even making that up.
I spend more time trying to explain why this Aggie team should be good then actually talking about the games themselves. The "We are playing a really tough schedule" is the #1 excuse of Diehard Aggie Fan. DAFt fails to realize that non-conference games are for the rankings, and that only applies to the power conferences. We should be focusing on the identity of this team under Menzie. Even though we had a great run last year we were still off everyone not associated with the WAC's radar screen. The schedule is "tough", but explaining that to TAF is just a waste of time.
Time will tell if this team comes together. Louisville looms, and I for one think that is our shot at making some pre-season noise. A good showing will scare the bejesus out of the WAC and make our WAC play a lot easier. TAF could care less about likes of Pitino and even Duke, so Menzies better barbeque the PIT just to be sure.
We don't get a nationally televised game until USU on 1/26, so we have embraced this team, and this team has embraced the new order of things. Otherwise, we continue to look a little off and come down with a bad case of the Menzies.
The fan support is lukewarm because LC has no idea what they are looking at. I told TAF that I thought Chris Cole played a great game against UNM, and TAF replied, "you mean Chris Carter." I wish I made that one up.
Here's my answer to why Aggie fans were 6,800 strong; "I think of a man, and I take away reason and accountability." The movie that quote came out in should save JG countless hours wondering why Aggiedom is what it is.
The UNM win was nice, but we should win against mediocre teams. In my mind, we still have two and maybe three more losses than we should. And Menzies' quote after the game about hoping UNM does well to help our RPI - I found that weak. Go out and take care of business in the future. I'm still hopeful the tough schedule will pay dividends when we get to WAC play, but losses to the UNT's of the world at home can be devastating to confidence. Overall, the team has underperformed to date, so I'm not impressed with Menzies. But it's way to premature to conclude he's a bust. As for attendance - pathetic! I can't believe Crucens have better things to do on a Tuesday night than to watch the only intrastate rivalry of NM D-1 schools - regardless of our poor performance leading up to the game.
-Aggie Glare
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