Sunday will be a good test for the Aggie basketball team.
I felt like the team has had two legitimate tests all year. At Long Beach and at North Texas. Both games, they lost in the closing seconds.
Sunday's contest will be against their rivals and UTEP could have a slightly better team. Still, not by much, and NMSU gets them at the Pan American Center. I expect to see a competitive game and if the Aggies can win, it would be a nice feather in their cap.
What does NMSU need? Strong performances from its starting five, particularly Jonathan Gibson, Jahmar Young, Troy Gillenwater and Wendell McKines. These four consistently carry the team and they will have to be at it again.
We know what we're going to get out of Wendell. Probably a double-double and a workman-like performance no matter what. Jahmar too. He's been a money scorer for the Aggies and I expect him to rise to the occasion once again against the Miners. He seems to like the spotlight.
Troy has been solid. We will learn more about him on Sunday. As for Jonathan, he's the wild card. He can be a very effective player, but sometimes he gets carried away. He will take some crazy shots - early in the shot clock, no real regard for anything else on the court. When they go in, it's great. When they don't, it's incredibly frustrating. He needs to hit them Sunday.
I am looking forward to the game a lot. It will be a good test for the team and its a rivalry match. Doesn't get much better.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
DeWayne Walker and the other candidates
The names of coaches out there that have an opportunity to be the next coach of the Aggies, I feel like their is more than what meets the eye.
What I'm saying is that there are other names that have not been brought to the forefront. I would not believe that the names you have heard are the only ones in the equation. There are more.
Some are certainly viable. I think Kirby Wilson and Jay Norvell are possibilities. DeWayne Walker? I like Walker a lot. In fact, I think he's more likely to land at a better program than NMSU. He could have been UCLA's coach before Neuheisel grabbed it. I don't see him ending up on the Aggie sidelines.
I also think McKinley Boston is farther along in the process than he is leading on. I believe they have narrowed a list down and are either close to second interviews or are already conducting them. Don't be shocked to see a surprise or two as this thing comes down the wire.
What I'm saying is that there are other names that have not been brought to the forefront. I would not believe that the names you have heard are the only ones in the equation. There are more.
Some are certainly viable. I think Kirby Wilson and Jay Norvell are possibilities. DeWayne Walker? I like Walker a lot. In fact, I think he's more likely to land at a better program than NMSU. He could have been UCLA's coach before Neuheisel grabbed it. I don't see him ending up on the Aggie sidelines.
I also think McKinley Boston is farther along in the process than he is leading on. I believe they have narrowed a list down and are either close to second interviews or are already conducting them. Don't be shocked to see a surprise or two as this thing comes down the wire.
I believe Johnson is legitimately in the mix
So, I had a conversation last night with someone about the NMSU football search.
And we were talking about Charley Johnson. Prior to this conversation, I didn't think NMSU could conceivably hire Johnson as the next head coach. After the talk, it made perfect sense.
First off, I remain with the belief that the Aggies are going to go outside the program. It seems like that's McKinley Boston by nature. But what if they elect not to?
Johnson seems like someone who the program would consider turning too. First off, he's a figure that could generate money for the cause. People respect and admire Charley in the community.
Second, is that the team already has two coaches in place that they could plug in. That is, Joe Lee Dunn as defensive coordinator and Earnest Wilson as offensive coordinator. Bingo! This would be a major money saving move as well.
And lastly, Charley seems to be on the same page as just about everybody on the search committee. And that doesn't hurt either.
I, for one, would not want NMSU to go down this route. But it's not too far-fetched of an idea. One which I thought was not too long ago.
And we were talking about Charley Johnson. Prior to this conversation, I didn't think NMSU could conceivably hire Johnson as the next head coach. After the talk, it made perfect sense.
First off, I remain with the belief that the Aggies are going to go outside the program. It seems like that's McKinley Boston by nature. But what if they elect not to?
Johnson seems like someone who the program would consider turning too. First off, he's a figure that could generate money for the cause. People respect and admire Charley in the community.
Second, is that the team already has two coaches in place that they could plug in. That is, Joe Lee Dunn as defensive coordinator and Earnest Wilson as offensive coordinator. Bingo! This would be a major money saving move as well.
And lastly, Charley seems to be on the same page as just about everybody on the search committee. And that doesn't hurt either.
I, for one, would not want NMSU to go down this route. But it's not too far-fetched of an idea. One which I thought was not too long ago.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Can the school ever be a winner?; Hoops at home for Saramento
Many ask the question: Can the NMSU football program ever become a winner?
I think it's difficult. The track record is not favorable. The years have been frustrating. I've heard some say that the ceiling is a six or seven win season once in a blue moon. Other than that, you'll tread water with three or four W's.
Judging from the last 40 to 50 years, history suggests that NMSU cannot compete. I actually disagree. The fan base is down, but Las Cruces is the type of town where people will show up if the team gets some wins. I think of the last home game against Louisiana Tech last year. There were promotions for ticket sales and the team needed a good showing to hit attendance bench marks. But still, people came. And the game meant nothing for the Aggies, with the exception of pride and the role of spoiler. If the community got a team that won football games, 20,000 fans would show up to a game, I have not doubt.
The other question is talent. Can you recruit to NMSU. Mumme recruited to his offense. Obviously, he didn't recruit to his defense. But the best tool for recruiting? It's winning. The team hasn't done a whole lot of that lately, but that's really what it comes down to. Kids will go to a winning team. It solves a lot of problems.
I don't know how talented this current team is. The new coach is going to have to come in with the cupboard somewhat bare. That's the key. Can you win in your first few years when the team has low talent level? If you can hover around .500, show some spunk, win 5, 6, 7 games in your first few years, you can get kids to come. I think facilities, scoreboards, super locker rooms, there nice luxuries but they can also be overrated. The best luxury is success in between the lines. That's what the program needs. A coach that gets the players to believe and wins football games. It doesn't have to be pretty. It doesn't have to make the highlight reels at first. It just needs to be successful. They need a special person in charge.
....
The NMSU basketball team hosts Sacramento State tonight. This is an awful game.
I don't like games where you go, watch a team and learn nothing. The only way we will learn something about the Aggies tonight is if they struggle against the Hornets. We will learn that they are in trouble.
They should pummel Sacramento with little or no trouble. But Sunday's game? That I'm excited for. Hosting UTEP. That should tell us a lot about the NMSU hoops team. I still can't get a reading on this team. But if they can beat the Miners, I will be feeling good about what's going on. I think most people would.....
I think it's difficult. The track record is not favorable. The years have been frustrating. I've heard some say that the ceiling is a six or seven win season once in a blue moon. Other than that, you'll tread water with three or four W's.
Judging from the last 40 to 50 years, history suggests that NMSU cannot compete. I actually disagree. The fan base is down, but Las Cruces is the type of town where people will show up if the team gets some wins. I think of the last home game against Louisiana Tech last year. There were promotions for ticket sales and the team needed a good showing to hit attendance bench marks. But still, people came. And the game meant nothing for the Aggies, with the exception of pride and the role of spoiler. If the community got a team that won football games, 20,000 fans would show up to a game, I have not doubt.
The other question is talent. Can you recruit to NMSU. Mumme recruited to his offense. Obviously, he didn't recruit to his defense. But the best tool for recruiting? It's winning. The team hasn't done a whole lot of that lately, but that's really what it comes down to. Kids will go to a winning team. It solves a lot of problems.
I don't know how talented this current team is. The new coach is going to have to come in with the cupboard somewhat bare. That's the key. Can you win in your first few years when the team has low talent level? If you can hover around .500, show some spunk, win 5, 6, 7 games in your first few years, you can get kids to come. I think facilities, scoreboards, super locker rooms, there nice luxuries but they can also be overrated. The best luxury is success in between the lines. That's what the program needs. A coach that gets the players to believe and wins football games. It doesn't have to be pretty. It doesn't have to make the highlight reels at first. It just needs to be successful. They need a special person in charge.
....
The NMSU basketball team hosts Sacramento State tonight. This is an awful game.
I don't like games where you go, watch a team and learn nothing. The only way we will learn something about the Aggies tonight is if they struggle against the Hornets. We will learn that they are in trouble.
They should pummel Sacramento with little or no trouble. But Sunday's game? That I'm excited for. Hosting UTEP. That should tell us a lot about the NMSU hoops team. I still can't get a reading on this team. But if they can beat the Miners, I will be feeling good about what's going on. I think most people would.....
DeWayne Walker and SDSU
DeWayne Walker is in the running for the head coaching job at San Diego State. Walker interviewed for the NMSU job and seemed to be a strong candidate. Either way, it's not a matter of if, simply when for Walker in terms of being a head coach on the collegiate level. Here's the story from the L.A. Times.....
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-newswire10-2008dec10,0,803585.story
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-newswire10-2008dec10,0,803585.story
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Minority candidate; Fanoga going to Wyoming
By looking at the list of possibilities for the head football coaching job at NMSU, it appears as if the school is leaning toward hiring a minority candidate.
This is something that I see as a major positive for the program. There are not enough black head coaches in college football, check that, in all of sports actually. The reality is that many are just as qualified, if not more so than there counterparts and are fabulous coaches/recruiters in the college game.
It will also differentiate NMSU from its competitors. If the Aggies do hire a minority, the UNM versus NMSU game next season would get some national pub. Two black head coaches on opposite sidelines? It hasn't happened very much.
We'll see what happens when it's all said and done but, as of now, my gut tells me the Aggies will go in this direction.
....
The loss of Mike Fanoga will be felt, to a degree.
Mike was a pipeline to Hawaii players, something that does have value in today's college game. One could argue that many of NMSU's Polynesian players didn't make much of an impact anyway. La'Auli Fonoti, Sioeli Fakalata and Raymond Manumaleuna all looked like real-deal football players, but were all inconsistent during their NMSU careers.
Regardless, grabbing players from the Central Pacific is a nice luxury and Fanoga did just that. He was always a Hal guy — he coached with Mumme throughout their coaching odyssey. But he will go to Wyoming and bring in some players to that program. The Polynesian players at NMSU always had great respect and admiration for Mike.
This is something that I see as a major positive for the program. There are not enough black head coaches in college football, check that, in all of sports actually. The reality is that many are just as qualified, if not more so than there counterparts and are fabulous coaches/recruiters in the college game.
It will also differentiate NMSU from its competitors. If the Aggies do hire a minority, the UNM versus NMSU game next season would get some national pub. Two black head coaches on opposite sidelines? It hasn't happened very much.
We'll see what happens when it's all said and done but, as of now, my gut tells me the Aggies will go in this direction.
....
The loss of Mike Fanoga will be felt, to a degree.
Mike was a pipeline to Hawaii players, something that does have value in today's college game. One could argue that many of NMSU's Polynesian players didn't make much of an impact anyway. La'Auli Fonoti, Sioeli Fakalata and Raymond Manumaleuna all looked like real-deal football players, but were all inconsistent during their NMSU careers.
Regardless, grabbing players from the Central Pacific is a nice luxury and Fanoga did just that. He was always a Hal guy — he coached with Mumme throughout their coaching odyssey. But he will go to Wyoming and bring in some players to that program. The Polynesian players at NMSU always had great respect and admiration for Mike.
Mike Fanoga
NMSU defensive line coach Mike Fanoga is headed to Wyoming.
Felix wrote a column about the coaching search as well. Here's both of the stories....
http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-sports/ci_11178707
http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-sports/ci_11178690
Felix wrote a column about the coaching search as well. Here's both of the stories....
http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-sports/ci_11178707
http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-sports/ci_11178690
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