Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Aggies beat Bakersfield, and thoughts on Kabongo's departure

How do I feel about the Aggies Monday night win over Cal State-Bakersfield?

I think a win is a win and that's the most important thing for the Aggies at this point.

They did get bailed out by a late Bakersfield foul that allowed Tyrone Watson to hit two free throws with under a second remaining to clinch the 73-72 victory.

Bakersfield actually caused some trepidation going in — the Roadrunners are a good 3-point shooting team, and we know the Aggies haven't been.

One stat that stood out was free throws — NMSU finally made them when they counted, going 35 of 44 (just under 80 percent) while Hamidu Rahman went 2 of 6 — sorry Hamidu.

Daniel Mullings scored 21 points and grabbed five rebounds. Even before Monday night Mullings has shown real promise as a freshman.

In terms of Christian Kabongo leaving:

As far as I'm concerned it's addition by subtraction for the Aggies.

Kabongo couldn't have helped team chemistry — who knows what the Aggies dealt with off the court, but on the court the ball would stop at him and he would go one on five vs. the opposition. You do have teammates.

I also think a shorter rotation — NMSU played eight against Bakersfield — can help team morale and everyone knows they're going to get some time.

There has been turnover with this team over the years and it seems that discipline has played a role here.

Jahmar Young, Troy Gillenwater and now Kabongo all stand out over the past three years. It's not like these guys are first-round NBA draft picks — some teams deal with turnover in that regard and that's understandable. You don't want it the other way though.

Frankly, I'm not thrilled about that factor, but I do think on a case by case basis, Kabongo leaving isn't a bad thing for this team.

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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

With Kabongo leaving, our assist to turnover ratio just got better.

Is there a way that Kabongo can take Menzies with him? Our team chemistry, coaching, and play would improve 10x.

Anonymous said...

You really have to question the players that Menzies has brought in.
Without naming names. They are either academic casualties, try to sneak pot onto a plane, don't go to class, and do graphic gestures to fans.

I realize that kids aren't perfect but, c'mon!

Anonymous said...

Nice to see Mullins stepping up. Bet by the end of the year he's a better player than CK.