What a sad state of affairs that has led to Herb Pope leaving the Aggies.
I for one am upset. I know, many will say that if he doesn't want to be a part of the team or the team feels like it's in its best interest to let him go, then that's exactly what should happen. But we never saw the real Herb Pope last year on the basketball court. Would we have this year? We don't know. And that's the problem. It is unfulfilled potential for Pope the player and the Aggies as a whole.
Herb was a different type of player. Some will say difficult, some will say selfish. I will not use those terms. He's a gifted player who needs the elements around him to be right. I won't judge him as a person or his character. Make no mistake, he came to NMSU because he thought Reggie Theus would be the head coach. And I think this is a big factor. It takes a certain type of coach to handle a personality like Herb's. I don't think coach Menzies and Herb meshed well. Would Herb have come to Las Cruces if Menzies was here from the get-go? Just my opinion here, but I would have to think the answer would be no. Pope went out on a limb coming to NMSU. It was unconventional. When the infrastructure around the program shifted, it changed everything for him before last season even got underway.
I don't think the team is better without Pope. I was excited to see him on a frontline with Gillenwater and McKiness. I thought that would be formidable, challenging WAC opponents on a night-to-night basis. Who knows? He could have been an all-conference caliber player. He also could have been sub-par, much like last year. But it would have been nice to know.
I can honestly say that I hope things work out for him, I really do. He needs a strong supporting cast around him to help him grow as a player and a person. Just bouncing around from program to program is not the answer either. On a serious note, he needs to go to school, play ball and get a degree. Get an education. That's what this should be about with Herb Pope. His life has been hard enough. Let the man be, let him move on. I hope it works out for him. I just don't know if it will.
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Your Upset....Why? I can understand dissapointed but not upset. Quote me if I'm wrong the kid went to 3 or 4 different High Schools, why would you be surprised he's gone we should have expected him to leave, and if he stayed then been plesantly surprised. Face facts Teddy he came here because he thought he would be the man! not a piece of a program. Which is what I think Menzies is trying to build only time will tell on that note (ie. the roster includes freshmen, sophomores, and 1 junior-no transfers or JC wanabees). He and Menzie might not have fit, you may be right on that point. I won't attack him hard because he's a kid, but at the end of the day for whatever reason he's gone. Let's focus on who wants to be an AGGIE! Good luck kid....
The best indicator for the future performance is past performance.
With Herb its just more of the same. Sure a Type A super 747 Ego like Theus might have been able to pull the right strings for a while, but I am not sure.
I am proud of Coach Menzies and his willingness to put the team first here (or so it seems...who knows what the whole story really is).
I wish Herb the best, but I am not sad he is gone. Not at all!
I agree Teddy. Theus was the reason he was here ! Theus would have turned him into a NBA prospect in two or three years, no question. With Pope, a coach has to ride him hard and push him every step of the way to get him to reach his potential. The program now, under Menzies, is way too soft for that. We would have seen the real Pope with Theus, that's just a fact.
Now, you and others keep talking about Gillenwater being some stud. Well, I guess we're going to see if he is, much earlier in the year now. We know Wen can play, but I'm not sure about any of the others.
I sure hope Menzies can crack the whip and get this going.
Get off Theus's you know what you sound like the women groupies who swooned over him. He is gone deal with it we have coach Menzies and our program will be just fine. If you were a true fan you will go out and support the Aggies no matter what.GO AGGIES!!!!
8:08 - Do you even follow the team closely? J Gib can play, JY can play, and Gordo can shoot. Our team is loaded with talent.
I sure hope our program doesnt take a huge step back this year. We just finished a rebuilding project 3 years ago, and now it seems like we are starting over again. I appreciate the fact that Menzies wants to bring his own players into the program so that we could be good in the long run, by I dont want two suffer through two more years of growing pains. We will probably competitive this year, but inconsistent. I'm still not convinced that Menzies is the right coach for the job.
Get real. Enough of the ego based, pampered high school "stars". Come to NMSU because 1) you want to be a student/athlete and get a degree, 2) you WANT to be at NMSU, and 3)contribute to the "team" nature of the basketball program. If you are not here for these reasons, then move on.
Good call, Teddy. Yeah, Theus is gone and I'm more than happy with Menzies, but it's important to point out that Theus is who Pope signed with. Pope gave it a shot with the new staff and with Las Cruces and it didn't work out. Sadly, his indecisiveness was finally the last straw. As stated by many, despite his problems, he needed to make a commitment and it was finally made for him by NMSU. Disappointing, but part of life. No need to attack Pope's character now. He's a kid that made some mistakes and hopefully he will learn from them. NMSU did what it could, but the drama was too much.
Let's hope both NMSU and Pope benefit from this split.
I hate to see Pope go. He definitely came to NMSU because he felt RT would turn him into an NBA prospect. When RT left, Pope stayed at NMSU and gave LC and Menzies chance, but ultimately decided it's best for him to be elsewhere.
As most of you know, I've been a harsh critic of Menzies. But I actually have to give him credit here for putting the team first at the expense of the highest profile athlete to ever come to NMSU. That's not easy to do, but definitely the right thing to do. I'm sure much has happened behind the scenes we're unaware of, especially since Dr. Boston was on record stating Pope would be an Aggie next season. One thing for sure; Menzies IS in charge.
-Aggie Glare
There was talent on the team last year but it was not utilized. A lot of the boys were unhappy. I posted last year who wanted out but everyone replied that I didn't know what I was talking about. Every player I mentioned left, i.e. McKines, Jones, Cole, Luster & Herb. There is still 1 left who didn't leave like he said. Herb tried to leave after the others but was denied his release. He said he would fight it & he got it done. Truth be known McKines is only back because he really had no other options besides going to a JUCO do to his academics.
anon 10:45 - you'd be more credible if you didn't post as anon. I heard Big Wen came back because Pope was leaving.
Let's get real for a second, McKinley Boston needs to go. With what has happend to the basketball program and more importantly what is happening or not happening on the grid iron, its time the university step in and find a new leader of this men's athletic program.
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