Utah State Aggie Basketball

Growing Pains

2012-01-18T10:33:00.001-08:00

Growing pains might be the theme for this year’s team. With so many new guys and so many roles to be defined, along with the natural progression of a team throughout the season has been more noticeable as expected with this Aggie team. The good thing is that we are learning and growing; without a doubt.
Last week we were on a five-day road trip to play two conference road games on a Thursday/Saturday deal. This trip happened to be one of the toughest road trips we take every year with New Mexico State followed by LA Tech. Thankfully to our generous boosters we were able to take a charter plane for the entire trip. With having our own plane we can leave whenever, and are also able to bypass the whole airport ordeal. With the charter and great support from our staff, especially our manager Jesse Parker, the trip went a lot smoother. Jesse really takes care of us with all of our gear and food, best manager in the nation!! So a big shout out to all those who made our trip a lot easier.
New Mexico State was huge at all positions; knowing that coming in we knew it would be a very physical game. Starting off the game, I think all of us were ready to bring some physicality, and caused us to get into some foul trouble. I think this also made us a little more tentative in the second half. These problems combined to make for an interesting game. With 14 minutes to go, we were up four, heading out of a media timeout. From there we completely collapsed and ended up getting beat by 20. We were pretty embarrassed to say the least, very uncharacteristic of this team to just give up. With only a day in-between games we had to learn and move on. We learned to never let that happen again and also to adjust to how the game is being called without taking ourselves out of the game.
Next day we arrived in Louisiana ready to get better and work on taking that next step forward. With a double header on the women’s schedule we needed to practice that night at eight o’ clock. I was slightly worried with the late start and so much travel we would have a sluggish practice. With a small team meeting between us players we actually had one of our better practices of the year. The next day it really showed in our game. Battling through a ton of adversity we fought all game, getting contributions from almost every eligible player, which was really awesome. The game was back and forth all night, but we managed to pull out a win down to the wire. Our second road win was very much earned and felt awesome. It’s amazing how much more fun traveling can be after a win, especially all of us hanging out on our private plane.
This week entails a similar schedule with two road games looking to complete a sweep after earning a split. It’s time for this team to make a mid-season run. It would be great to start with two road wins.
Go Aggies!!

--Morgan Grim

On To Conference Play

2012-01-04T15:26:00.000-08:00

Wow, has our team grown up over the past few months? Since the game at Pacific, we have really focused on becoming better in practice as a team. Coach Morrill challenged us to take responsibility for practice and since then that has been our focus; boy has it showed! Since then we have really turned the corner and are starting to become quite the basketball team.
After Pacific, we traveled to Wichita State to play in a very hostile arena, against a very good team. After a rough first half, we finally snapped out of it and guys really stepped up. It was a totally new Aggie team. Guys playing with confidence, believing they could play, it was awesome. Being such a young, inexperienced team, it was slightly expected that it might take a while for guys to get in the grove. I’ve seen it before in high school, sometimes playing-time fixes everything. I had faith in both our players and Coach Morrill to get this team rolling. We rallied back and really made a game out of it, bringing the deficit to four at one point, late in the game.
After our trip, the team went on to win four straight, which included a sweep of our home tournament. During that stretch, we really started playing well together. Players played roles and played for each other, it really has been fun to watch the team mature. As a team we have been growing closer both on and off the floor. Before Christmas we decided to get together and organize a secret Santa. It was really fun having some team bonding time and exchanging gifts. This led the team into a much needed four day break for the holidays.
After our break we were back to our regular schedule, with four days of practice before our game at Mississippi State. Since school has been out, we have virtually been living the life of a pro. Nothing but basketball and going out to eat meals with the team! It has been great not having to deal with school and having a lot of free time; and since most of the students are gone, we have started to hang out as a team more. I think that this has played a part in becoming a closer knit team.
After a solid week of practice, we left two days early to get to Mississippi on a charter, which was really convenient to fly from Logan straight into Starkville. When we landed we were greeted with some southern hospitality. Our bus driver gave a nice welcoming speech, and had some southern fried chicken for dinner. With an extra day we were able to spend a lot of time together, even catch a movie which was fun. Game day was very exciting, this time around, we came out with no fear on their home court. Being ranked 14th in the nation, MSU did not intimidate us. We played very physical and together; taking them right to the wire. Down two, with 14 seconds remaining, we had the ball with a chance to win or tie. Unfortunately we lost; and even though we had the game in our hands, it was once again a major step forward for our team.
With conference starting, we are striving to keep taking those steps toward becoming one of the many great Aggie basketball teams. What better way, then two home conference games in a week.
Go Aggies!

-- Morgan Grim

Just like that, we are 2-1

2011-11-22T17:53:00.000-08:00

Just like that, we're now three games into the season with a record of 2-1. Starting out with the much anticipated home opener to BYU, our young team learned quickly what it is like to play in the greatest college basketball atmosphere. I never got the final count on just how many students were at the campout that started the Tuesday before a Friday night's game. What's important to note is that it was some ridiculously awesome number that set a record as well as generated more news for our killer student section and basketball program. Needless to say, the crowd brought it and after a tight first half we pulled out the win over the Cougars.

We faced a bigger test on the road against Weber State and came up short. We came back to within six at the end of the game but couldn't quite repair the damage done in the first half. There's not much to say here I don't think. They outplayed us. We turned the ball over too many times and didn't make enough shots.

Back at home, we struggled against SUU, trailing most of the game. Our bench came up big for us in the second half to push us over the top. It was too close for a home game and too close to warrant a "Winning team, losing team" chant, but a win is a win.

The team is now on the road to face Texas A&M – Corpus Christi - all except me that is. After about three minutes into Saturday night's game I came out due to a foot injury. No bones were broken but I tore up the soft tissue on the top of my foot. The trainer gave a verdict of about four weeks but I think I will be ready to go in two. I'll be helping out against Wichita State, that's for sure.

We'll be counting on all of our new guys to step it up and bring their SUU second half with them on the road at Texas A&M - Corpus Christi and again on Saturday against Idaho State. The way we play this week will tell a lot about the maturity of this team. I know we're ready for the task and I'm expecting the first USU basketball game I watch on a screen to end in win. Let's go boys!

-- Brady Jardine

Excited For Adams State, Saturday Nov. 5 at 4:05 p.m.

2011-11-04T13:17:00.000-07:00

To say the team is looking forward to Saturday's game against Adams State may be an understatement. After five straight days of long and exhausting practices the team couldn't be more excited for a game. Despite being sore from the challenges this week, I can say that as a team we've gotten better. Each day it was apparent that guys were giving everything they had in trying to improve. We've added quite a few new plays and even a couple of different defensive sets. With the regular season and our home opener with BYU just around the corner the team is as excited as ever for the year to start. With the anticipation comes a realization that we still have a lot to improve on by next Friday's game. Aggie fans can rest assured that the team and coaching staff is doing everything in our power to get ready to start the season off right at home next week!

-- Brady Jardine

Blue and White Scrimmage, Wednesday Oct. 26 at 7 p.m.

2011-10-25T19:38:00.000-07:00

We’re now 10 days into practice and it feels like we’re finally starting to make some real progress. The newcomers continue to do their best in absorbing all of the new information we have thrown at us each day. The playbook is really starting to grow as we prepare for our first exhibition game this Friday. It will be so nice to finally get to play against someone other than ourselves. It’s tough to see how well our offense is really coming until you play against someone that doesn’t know all of the plays. Even though we’ve only had a few practices learning the offense, we’ve already found ways to cheat the plays defensively. This is one of the main reasons for exhibition games, to see where we are really at as a team on both ends of the floor."

Many people continue to ask how the team will be and want to know about each individual player. Well tomorrow you will have a chance to get to know the new squad at the annual Blue and White Scrimmage that starts at 7 pm in the Spectrum. We will play two 10 minute halves and then sign autographs and take pictures with any who would like to meet the guys. This is not only a great chance for the community to meet the team but also for the players to get to know some of those who support us all year. Take a few minutes tomorrow evening and come say hi, we’d love to get to meet the best fans in the country.

-- Brady Jardine

The Basketball Season Is Coming!

2011-10-11T12:28:00.000-07:00

It seems like pre-season conditioning and workouts just started yet somehow they're already over. The past few weeks have gone really well for the Utah State men's basketball team. Weight-lifting sessions have made us stronger, early morning conditioning periods have helped us get in better shape, and individual workouts have allowed the team to start learning the basic principles of our offense and defense.

It's been kind of funny to watch some of the new guys in practice and see the looks on their faces as coaches explain the plays and defensive rules, etc. Their eyes get huge and you can tell they're thinking, "How in the heck am I supposed to remember all this?" I've been there and know exactly how they're feeling. Being the new guy in Coach Morrill's system is like drinking through a fire hose. Everyday new stuff is being added and it takes a 100% mental focus throughout the entire practice to give your self a chance to understand what’s going on. I didn't realize how many things have turned into second nature over the past three years until I watched a bunch of newcomers trying to figure out what in the world is going on. The new guys are working extremely hard though and have made a ton of progress in just the last few weeks.

Coaches have given us the next few days off to rest up and get ready to go on Friday. Our first official practice will be this Friday at 5pm and from there, it's off to the races. We have our first exhibition game in just over two weeks and our first official game (BYU at home) in less than a month! Excitement is starting to build throughout the program as the season leading into a new era of Aggie Basketball approaches. It's our goal as a team to keep the tradition going and win a fifth-straight WAC Championship!

-- Brady Jardine

Where Has The Time Gone?

2011-09-19T10:05:00.001-07:00

It seems like just yesterday that we were carrying the WAC Championship trophy through the Las Vegas airport on our way home from a successful tournament run. I can still feel the emotions of hearing our names called out in the NCAA tournament bracket and can still feel the frustrations of coming up short in that game. It all still feels so recent and yet here we are again, three weeks into school with the upcoming season just around the corner.
As anyone that has followed Aggie Basketball in the past few years would know, we lost a ton of leadership, talent and experience with last year’s graduating class. Losing, Tyler Newbold, Pooh Williams, Tai Wesley, Brian Green, Matt Formisano and Nate Bendall obviously leaves a huge hole needing to be filled in this year’s team. It’s been kind of funny to talk to people over the summer about the team becausemany act as if the Utah State Basketball program ended with last year’s seniors- like there isn’t even going to be a game played in the Spectrum this year. Well ladies and gentleman, there will be a team this year, and to be honest, I think we will surprise some people.
The coaching staff has done an awesome job over the summer in bringing in some great recruits. I dare say that I believe we will be one of the most athletic teams in Utah State’s recent past. We are taller, quicker and more explosive than we’ve been since I’ve been an Aggie. The question still to be answered is will we have as much mental toughness and heart as the past years team.
With school now rolling, the team has been in the weight room and gym for a couple hours each day. Last week we began our preseason conditioning program and boy was it tough. It’s amazing how quickly your body loses its “previous conditioning”. Along with conditioning, we’ve been lifting four days a week, having individual workouts twice a week and playing pickup ball 3-4 times a week. We’ve already come a long way as a team but still have a lot of learning to do. We currently only have four players that have ever played in a Division I basketball game. Luckily we have a staff that’s been very successful and knows what it takes to get a team ready to win basketball games. I have no doubt that by the time the season rolls around we will be ready to go. And as always, Coach Morrill will have us playing our best basketball come conference play.

--Brady Jardine

Where Has The Time Gone?

2011-03-29T14:03:00.000-07:00

Aggie Basketball Tradition

2011-03-24T11:21:00.001-07:00

We finished this season with a disappointing loss to Kansas State in the NCAA Tournament. We prepared well and played extremely hard but we did not play extremely well. I am so sad to see my collegiate career come to an end along with many of my teammates who I love. I am so proud to be able to say that I played for Coach Morrill all four years. I got to be a part of the winningest senior class in the history of Utah State. The memories and lessons I have learned will stick with me forever. I am so grateful to the fans that have been so supportive!! Even though my career is over, Aggie Basketball will always be a part of me. I will miss being on the court when the Spectrum is rocking, but I will never forget how it feels. Even though many seniors graduate this year, Aggie Basketball will carry on the great tradition that has been built up over the years!!

--Tyler Newbold

March Madness!!!

2011-03-15T14:46:00.001-07:00

As the WAC Tournament week came upon us we were excited to finish out the season strong. We headed down to Las Vegas on Thursday night after most teams had already played. We were excited to finally get down and play against a San Jose State team that played extremely well during the tournament. They played us tough and luckily we played an excellent defensive game or else we would have lost. It was nice to get that win under our belt and we knew we would play better in the title game against a Boise State team which had played well as of late. The championship game was so much fun as we came out and played confidently!! The thrill of our students rushing the court was incredible. Winning the WAC by numerous games and completing the year by winning the tournament was the best way to do it our senior year. We celebrated all night with the amazing Aggie fans that packed the Orleans Arena. Making our tournament games feel like home games has been a trend recently for Aggie fans at the conference tournament. We are so appreciative of our fans that are so dedicated and travel with us!! Thank you!!

Winning the tournament means that we punched our ticket to the Big Dance. We had a party on the third floor of our athletic facility to watch where we would be headed. The excitement of waiting for our name to be called is so much fun. I have always dreamed of playing in the NCAA Tournament and this will be the third time I am able to play which has been a dream come true. We found where we are headed during the last bracket announced. We play Kansas State in Tucson on Thursday night. We are excited to play against a really great Big 12 team. We are going to prepare to win and show the country that the Utah State Aggies are for real. We are excited for the opportunity to make a wonderful season even better!!

--Tyler Newbold

2011-03-15T14:46:00.000-07:00

Championship Week

2011-03-10T10:10:00.000-08:00

ESPN calls this week championship week. All the teams in Division I conferences get to battle it out during a one week tournament for a chance to make the Big Dance automatically. This week we get to go to Vegas. We are excited for the games to start so that we can see who we are going to play. The WAC finally decided to have a neutral site conference tournament which is going to be a blast. We are putting in the work this week to give us the best shot we can at winning the whole thing. This week is what college basketball is all about. A chance to earn a trip to play in the NCAA Tournament is at stake and we will be ready for the challenge. We are excited to leave this week and hope many people are able to come and cheer us on in the WAC Tournament. GO AGGIES!!

A Little More In The Coming Weeks!

2011-03-09T17:14:00.000-08:00

This regular season has been very successful. If someone would have told me that we would be 28-3 and nationally ranked for much of the last few months of the season I would have been ecstatic. We completed a road sweep this last road trip to close out the regular season. Our defense has helped us to win close games. Winning at New Mexico State felt great!! It is always a great accomplishment to beat them in Las Cruces. They had not lost a WAC game this year at home and we were able to break their streak. We overwhelmed Louisiana Tech in the first 10 minutes to have a big lead that we would not surrender. We were so excited to win the WAC with a 15-1 record. Our fourth straight conference championship means a lot to me and my teammates. All the hard work we have put in this past year has paid off. It was weird playing my final regular season game as an Aggie. We have done great things this season, but we look forward to a little more in the coming weeks!!

--Tyler Newbold

"The game was one that I will remember forever."

2011-02-25T11:51:00.000-08:00

The team was excited to head to California to take on Saint Mary’s. The practices leading up to the game were great and we had a great game plan. McKeon Pavilion is a fun place to play. The gym is very small and I don’t think that security could have allowed any more people in the game. We started out the game and took a lead into the first ten minutes of the first half. After taking a lead we let St. Mary’s go on a run into half-time. It was a very frustrating first half for me as I picked up my third foul with ten minutes left in the first half. I knew I was not going to play again in that half. I felt helpless on the bench during a stretch where we could not score a basket which led to a nine point halftime deficit. At half-time we did not panic and we talked about shaving a few points off their lead every four minutes. I was excited to play the second half after being in foul trouble. The second half we came out hot and played one of our best halves all season. We talked at half-time about how great it was going to feel coming back into the locker room after coming back to win the game. We all knew we could do it if we played up to our potential. The game was one that I will remember forever. There were so many emotions with the strongest coming when Brady Jardine had a massive dunk with a few minutes left that sealed the game for us. The locker room after the game was a very fun place to be.

--Tyler Newbold

Broken Backboards and BracketBusters

2011-02-17T12:47:00.000-08:00

Since the last time I wrote a lot has happened. We had a tough loss at Idaho where we were outplayed and struggled to score the basketball. The Fresno State game was a great game to get the bad taste of a loss out of our mouth. We are disappointed in the loss to Idaho but we have learned from it and are moving on. It’s always exciting to take a break from conference play. We played Montana-Western in a game last night. We shot the ball great which is nice to see. Hopefully we can take our hot shooting last night on the road to Saint Mary’s this weekend. Tai Wesley broke the backboard during half-time warm-ups last night. That was something I have never seen before. Tai felt bad at first, but everyone thought it was pretty incredible that he shattered the backboard. I was not as impressed once the second backboard shattered while it was being worked on (Ha Ha). I will never forget pulling out the practice side basket to play the rest of the game with. It was an odd experience to say the least. With that game behind us we now put our full focus on Saint Mary’s. We are so excited to go play a BracketBuster game against a nationally ranked team on their court. We have a wonderful opportunity to show what we can do. I was excited to play Saint Mary’s again this year because they have beat us twice in the last two years. We begin our preparation for the game today. These types of games are what college basketball is about. The game is going to be intense. Hopefully we will perform well and have a chance to win.

-- Tyler Newbold

National Exposure

2011-02-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

Coming back to the Spectrum during this past week was amazing. We played two great games and had two convincing wins in front of great fans. We have received a lot of national exposure this week, which is really fun to see. It’s important that we as players continue to do the little things everyday to improve our team. We must understand what has got us this great start and continue to do those things. It has been fun to see the Spectrum get recognized this week as one of the toughest places to play in the country. We are so grateful to the fans that come and support us and make the Spectrum what it is!! This week we have our chess match game against Idaho. Both teams are familiar with each others plays and tendencies. Coach Verlin and Coach Morrill were together so long that both teams have very similar styles. The game will come down to who can execute their game plan the best. We are excited for another nationally televised game to show how well we can perform on the road as a team. Composure will be huge this game as Idaho will give us looks that we have not seen. We must be solid and take what the game gives us and we will have a chance to win.

--Tyler Newbold

Roller-Coaster Road Trip

2011-02-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

Lots of travel and a few time changes made this last road trip a tough one. The team played extremely hard against San Jose State and we came out with a big win!! Brian Green was on fire in San Jose. He could not miss and we ran numerous plays to get him a good look at the basket and he converted time after time. We felt really good about a solid win in San Jose because they caused us fits in Logan. The next day we flew across the ocean and had a few hours to enjoy the beach and rest before practice. Hawaii had not played all week and the University was promoting the game all week. It’s a great feeling to know that we are the team that other schools and fans get up for when we come into town. The atmosphere at the game was the best I have seen at Hawaii. The game was a roller-coaster of emotions to say the least. Many lead changes and clutch plays by both teams made it a tremendous college basketball game. Many big shots were hit time after time throughout the game. Brian Green made two huge shots that kept us in the game. We showed our maturity and playmaking ability down the stretch that showed why we are a great team. I am sure anyone that stayed up to watch or listen to the game almost had a heart attack. I know that after the big win I was physically and emotionally drained. I have never been part of a game with more emotional changes in my whole career. It was a game that I will remember the rest of my life. We found a way to win even when our chances looked slim. It is always nice to get out of Hawaii with a win so that the long flight back across the ocean is a little more tolerable. We are excited to continue our winning streak at home this week against Nevada on national TV.

--Tyler Newbold

California and Hawaii

2011-01-25T11:51:00.000-08:00

Home games last week boosted players as we were able to play in front of a powerful Spectrum crowd. Students were back and always make the building electric. Two bloody and physical home wins have given us a lead in the conference race. Being 7-0, we are excited to try and keep our streak going on the road this week in San Jose and Hawaii. Watching the snow pound Logan this morning gets us excited to leave and play in sunny California/Hawaii. We have started out the conference season well but we are not going to be satisfied until the season is over. Any road trip to Hawaii is always tougher because of the longer travel time. We must be focused and inspired to continue to play well this week!!

--Tyler Newbold

Back in the Spectrum!

2011-01-20T10:57:00.000-08:00

After what seemed like an eternity without a game in the Spectrum we are finally back and excited to play Louisiana Tech tonight with all the students in town. We are happy coming off a big road sweep. We are getting better each week as a team. Limiting our turnovers will be a big focus this week. Defensively, we have improved as of late which has helped tremendously. Tonight we have a opportunity to set a record for consecutive WAC games won in a row. We hope to accomplish this but we are not focusing on it. Louisiana Tech must have our full attention because they always play well in Logan. We hope everyone will be in the Spectrum tonight. Saturday we conclude the week with a game against New Mexico State.

--Tyler Newbold

Road Trip

2011-01-12T14:48:00.001-08:00

A great come-from-behind win at Nevada has helped us get on the right track in the conference season and with what looks like one of the toughest road trips this year coming up, it is a good sign. Boise and Fresno have both been playing great and so this road trip will decide who is on the top of the WAC early in conference play. Getting better everyday is the biggest priority this time of the year. We are not going to fall into the trap of complacency, thinking that because we have won a few in a row that we are invincible. We must work hard everyday in order to contend for the WAC title and that’s what we are going to try and accomplish.

--Tyler Newbold

WAC play begins!!!

2010-12-29T09:10:00.000-08:00

The Gossner tournament has come and passed and now we are prepared to defend our WAC title. After a great Christmas break, practice is now focused towards a confident Hawaii team that is looking to beat us in the conference opener. This time of year is fun because the games become more and more meaningful. The Spectrum will be the place to be during the next few months. We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that the fans are as excited as we are to start conference play once again.

--Tyler Newbold

Basketball and Christmas

2010-12-18T06:46:00.000-08:00

With a 7-2 start we feel pretty good with where we are at right now. We wish we could be 9-0 but we have not played well enough to deserve that start. We have been taking advantage of practice time after the Bakersfield game to prepare ourselves for the last part of preseason. Better offensive execution and a more consistent defensive presence are big things we have been fine-tuning in preparation for the Utah Valley game on Saturday. Our biggest goal is to be WAC Champions and we are doing our best right now so that as the year continues we will be playing our best basketball at the end of the season. We are extremely excited to be out of school and enjoying the Christmas season full of basketball games!!

-- Tyler Newbold

Utah Game

2010-11-24T10:12:00.000-08:00

Three straight in-state games down and one to go tonight against Utah has given the team a chance to see where we are at early in the season. We have played decent in all our games but we must continue to get better in several areas. Free throw shooting is an area we need to improve and we will improve to help win games down the stretch. The BYU loss was tough but as athletes we are learning from the game to improve ourselves for the future. We are excited to compete and when we are executing well we can play with anyone. The team is getting better each day and we must continue to improve to compete with tough competition on our early season schedule. The team looks forward for the Spectrum to be rocking tonight even with the horrible weather and many students being gone. GO AGGIES!!!

-- Tyler Newbold

IT BEGINS!!

2010-11-12T21:26:00.000-08:00

Everything that players do in the offseason is for a specific purpose. That purpose begins on Saturday night as we kick off our season against Weber State at home. All of the extra shots in the summer and hard work to improve lead up to this moment. We are so excited to start our regular season!! We are very excited about our schedule that will challenge us and help us get better. We want everyone to know that we are doing all that we can to be a good basketball team and our hope is to become the best we can be. We start out the season with four-straight in-state rivalry games. These games will test us early and often as we start off against Weber State who is picked to win their conference. Let’s have the Spectrum rocking this year again!! Let the games begin!!

-- Tyler Newbold

Getting Ready To Play

2010-11-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

We have been practicing hard and improving everyday since practice has started. We are very excited to get the season going. The coaches are working hard to help us improve so that we have a chance to win a lot of games this season. Practices have been intense and we must continue to keep it that way as we have a big bulls-eye on our backs in the WAC and we will get everyone’s best game. We must always practice at a high level so that we can play at a high level. On Saturday we had our first exhibition game against Laval. There were a lot of things we did well against them but we also have a lot of things we must improve on to be a great team. We are improving everyday on the little things that transform good teams into great teams. We have a great schedule this year with a lot of tough games that will test us early and often, so we must have urgency to get things done and improve quickly. We are excited to play and we are getting ready to go. We are excited for the buzz in the air, and that people are getting excited about Aggie Basketball!!

--Tyler Newbold

Conditioning and Recruiting

2010-09-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

The team is working hard as we are three weeks into our preseason conditioning program. Our strength and conditioning coach Evan Simon is working us very hard and it will pay off once the season starts. The better shape we are in, the stronger we will play down the stretch of games!! We are excited that the schedule has been released! We have many fun in-state games as well as some awesome non-conference games on the slate. During the last few weeks the coaches have been working hard along with the team hosting recruits over the weekends. The recruits are very talented and hopefully we have helped them to know what Utah State basketball is all about. The Spectrum is going to be rocking this year and we want to make this year one to remember for Utah State Basketball.

I am excited for this Friday’s football game vs BYU where we will be hosting a recruit!! Go Aggies!!

--Tyler Newbold

Fall semester is here!!

2010-09-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

During the summer we worked extremely hard in the
weight room with Evan Simon, our strength and conditioning coach. Many of
us have taken summer classes and have gotten ahead that way. Brady Jardine
and I took a business statistics class that about killed us but we got
out alive with good grades!! The team is so excited for this upcoming
season with a mixture of new players and a load of returners!! The 2010-2011
season will be one to remember!! -- Tyler Newbold #24

Grateful for the Season

2010-04-01T08:20:00.000-07:00

We were very disappointed in not playing as well as we can in the last few games of our season, but we still had a successful season nonetheless. We won a WAC Championship and came a long way during the course of the season.

We were so thankful to all of our wonderful fans who packed the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum and traveled on the road. We are grateful also for those fans who watch and listen to the radio. Aggie Basketball is strong and will continue to get stronger as myself and my teammates buy into what the coaches want and execute our very best.

We have a banquet on April 14 to celebrate another great year. I still have one more year left and I am excited to be able to play. College basketball is so much fun and we have already started preparing for next year in the weight room. Go Aggies!!

-Tyler Newbold

WAC & NCAA Tournaments

2010-03-20T02:30:00.000-07:00

Losing in the title game of the WAC Tournament was a tough deal. New Mexico State played a great game and they deserved to beat us because we did not make enough plays. On Sunday we got back to the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum a little later than usual. We missed the whole first bracket as we sprinted into our locker room so we could watch the Selection Show. Our nerves were very high as we saw a lot of bubble teams get in before us. With only the South Bracket left we were going crazy. As soon as we saw Utah State as the 12th-seed we erupted. We are so excited to go play Texas A&M in Spokane.

We are very happy to be in Spokane so that many of our fans can come and we hope to give everyone a good showing. We have a lot of experience from last year’s team so hopefully we can do damage in the tournament. We had a great year and deserved to be in the NCAA Tournament and now we are focused on winning and continuing our great season.

-Tyler Newbold

Back to Back to Back WAC CHAMPS!

2010-03-09T08:13:00.000-08:00

Beating New Mexico State and winning the WAC Championship was incredible. We accomplished what we set out for at the beginning of the season. We had a blast cutting down the nets and celebrating on the court with the students and others. Being a part of a team that has won three championships in a row is great! We are so happy for all the support we have received at home this year.

The Dee Glen Smith Spectrum is a special place and the greatest venue in the nation. It was also a great way to send Jared Quayle out. He is such a good person and an amazing player.

Now we are so excited to keep this momentum going. We are going to continue to work hard because we want to win the WAC Tournament as well. We are excited for postseason and hope we can do damage and show what Utah State basketball is all about!! -Tyler Newbold

Happy in Hawaii

2010-03-01T08:52:00.000-08:00

We had a great time in Hawaii. We were able to spend some time on the beach the day before the game. We all got in the ocean for a little while and it felt great. Knowing it was freezing back in Logan made it feel even better I think. The game went really well. We got the win and that's all that matters on the road. We did not play great on offense but we played good defense and we got some separation in the second half. After the game we took the late flight home. We left Hawaii at 10:15 p.m. and we arrived in Logan around 9 a.m. It was a quick trip but very enjoyable.

We have put our team in

a position to clinch a share of the WAC Championship on Monday against Fresno State. Any team would love the position we are in. We want to win these last two games so that we can be WAC Champs for the third straight year. We are so happy that we are playing so well at the most important time of the season. This next week is going to be a blast and hopefully we can make it memorable for everyone.

Go Aggies!

-Tyler Newbold

Winning Streak

2010-02-16T19:05:00.000-08:00

We have won four games since I last wrote. We have continued to get better as we have had big wins against Idaho, Nevada, Boise State and San Jose State. We are 10-2 in WAC play and excited because we control our own destiny right now with a one-game lead. We played excited and extremely hard at San Jose. All five starters were in double-figures and we showed how tough we are to beat when we are so balanced like that. San Jose did not lose in conference at home till we beat them.

I was excited to see so many Aggie fans in San Jose and Boise. My parents made the trip as well which made this trip very fun. The Spectrum on Wheels is represented everywhere we go. Brady broke a bone in his face during the San Jose game which really sucks, but it won't keep him out of any games. He has to wear a mask which he got fitted for. We are so glad he can still play.

We are excited for the Louisiana Tech game. It is a huge game in the conference race for both teams. They killed us the last time we played them and we will be looking to even the series with them. It is going to be a blast and hopefully we can put on a good show. The Spectrum better be ready to go!! I know we will!!

-Tyler Newbold

In the Middle of a Conference Race

2010-02-03T08:22:00.000-08:00

The team is excited after we beat San Jose State. We knew the game would be tough because San Jose had been playing well. In the second half we were able to pull away because of the tough defense we played. When we are playing well on defense we are a very tough team to beat. We also had sweet games from Brady and Nate that gave us a huge lift against the four guard lineup San Jose was playing.

We are in the middle of a conference race and we are excited about it. New Mexico State, Louisiana Tech and Utah State are all tied up at 6-2. We now begin the second half of conference season. The games are going to be intense.

ESPN will be seen at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum a lot during February. This will be a wonderful opportunity for us to play on national television as we compete for a conference title. Right now we are focused on becoming better every day and trying to win the next game we play. We play Idaho Wednesday night at 9 on ESPN2.

-Tyler Newbold

On the Road

2010-01-23T14:48:00.000-08:00

I am writing this post from Moscow, Idaho where we are preparing to face a dangerous Idaho team tomorrow night. This trip has been a really great one so far as we got a big road win at Fresno State. The game at Fresno went really well as we executed and played hard and got the W. Since our loss to Louisana Tech we have won 4 straight WAC games and we have been playing our best basketball of the season. We got a huge road win at Nevada where we played through a 10 point deficit late in the game and pulled it out in the end. That win was huge for us and felt great!! Road wins are very difficult to get no matter who we are going up against in the WAC.

This game against Idaho tomorrow night is the ultimate chess match. With Coach Verlin being the head coach at Idaho it always makes for a very tough battle. The Vandals always have a great game plan when facing us. It will be very important for us to keep our composure and execute through whatever they throw at us. We are very excited to play tomorrow night and we really hope to give Coach Morrill his 500^th win.

-Tyler Newbold

A Great Win

2010-01-12T08:52:00.001-08:00

We have had a great week of practice and we were able to get a really good win last night against Hawai'i. We need to take the same aggressiveness and determination to play Nevada on Wednesday. The shots last night were falling and we are eager to take that on the road too. We are excited to play three games this week and we are focused on getting better and trying to have fun and get the W's.

-Tyler Newbold

Tournament & Upcoming Challenges

2010-01-01T16:03:00.000-08:00

The Gossner Tournament was a great success for our team as we have improved in a lot of areas. We were able to get all three wins and got positive contributions from everyone on the team. After the tournament we were all able to go home for Christmas which was very nice. We had to be back in Logan on December 27 for practice. The Christmas break always goes very quickly. We are all grateful for the little break we get to be with our family and friends.

We beat Western Oregon after getting back from the break and then we leave for Las Cruces to start WAC play against New Mexico State followed by a game at Louisiana Tech. Both of these games will be big tests for us. Both of these teams are very athletic and will be a challenge for us. We must play great defense and execute our offensive sets extremely well to have a chance to win. We are excited for the challenge of defending the WAC title and starting that on the road. We are also excited to play on ESPNU and hope that as many people as possible will watch us play!!

-Tyler Newbold

Holiday basketball

2009-12-22T15:59:00.000-08:00

We are very excited to play in our three day tournament! This tournament is a very big deal for us coming off a bad loss at Long Beach. We want to get that bad taste out of our mouth and get better and win some games! Three games in three days is a wonderful thing as a basketball player. As an athlete, it does not get much better. A big reason that the tournament is important is because it prepares us to play three games in three days later in the year at the WAC tournament. Learning how to do our game-plan in one day, and playing with a little fatigue must be learned during the tournament. We have three quality teams that are in the tournament this year and it will be a real test for us to play well and to get the wins! We are excited to play basketball at this wonderful time of year.

Merry Christmas!!

-Tyler Newbold

Wins, a loss and learning

2009-12-11T09:54:00.000-08:00

With three straight on the road we were so pumped to come back to the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum for a season-long five-game homestand. We started out with comfortable wins against Idaho State and Southern Utah.

On December 2, BYU came into town with an undefeated record. All the students and fans at the Spectrum were eager to welcome our rivals from the south as some students camped outside the night before to make sure they got the best seats. At 2:30 as I was driving to our team dinner I noticed the enormous line that was developing outside the Spectrum. It was an incredible sight to see. The game was great as we pulled away from BYU in the late moments of the game. The atmosphere in the Spectrum was electric and its something I will never forget. The winning team, losing team at the end of the game was spectacular!!

A few nights later we welcomed a good Saint Mary's team into the Spectrum. The Spectrum showed up in full force again as the noise was LOUD!! The game was tight the whole way. Key free throw line errors and missed assignments cost us the game as Saint Mary's beat us. It was a very tough loss. We have had a full week of practice to learn from our

mistakes and to get better as a team!! We are excited to play again this Saturday against another in-state team in Utah Valley.

-Tyler Newbold

On the Road & Now Ready for Tough Teams

2009-11-30T11:58:00.000-08:00

We had two tough games on the road at Northeastern and at Utah. We played great for 33-35 minutes in both games and its too bad that a five minute stretch in both games cost us. We need to learn from those games and know that we can't have any lapses like that anymore. In Boston we were able to go a day early and we were able to take a tour of the city and learn more about its history. The arena we played in was pretty cool. It was the original home of the Boston Bruins and the Boston Celtics. It is also the oldest ice hockey arena in the United States.

Following that road trip we have been excited to return home for a bunch of games. We played really hard in our wins against Idaho State and Southern Utah. The first week of December brings two games that will bring the toughest competition we have had in the Spectrum this year. Both BYU and Saint Mary's are great teams that are off to great starts this season. We are excited to see where we stand against teams like this and we are excited for the atmosphere for these games. Go AGGIES!
-Tyler Newbold

This Week's Update

2009-11-15T19:04:00.000-08:00

The Start of the Season...
We beat a good Weber State team on the road Friday. We did not play great
but we did play hard and kept Weber to a low shooting percentage. It was
such a fun game to start out the season. The 'Spectrum on Wheels' was in
full-force as we had a huge showing. The atmosphere was awesome and we were
able to come out with the win.

This Week...
This week we will be on the road Tuesday through Saturday as we have games
at Utah on Wednesday and at Northeastern University on Saturday. We
appreciate the treatment we get on the road.

Insight Into Aggie Game Day...
For all of you who wonder what we do when we are on the road for games, here
is a typical game day for us.

We wake up around 8:30 or 9:00 on game days. We then usually have a
breakfast buffet in the hotel we are staying at. After we are done eating
breakfast, we go straight to get taped for our shoot around at the arena. We
then have a conference room in the hotel where we watch about a half hour of
film on the opposing team. After we are done watching film we board the bus
and go to our shoot around. The shoot around usually lasts a little over an
hour. We do a lot of shooting drills and we do a lot of playing defense
against the scout team. The scout team does a great job of running the
opposing teams plays. During shoot around is when we fill out the ticket
list for people we want to come to the game. After shoot around we go back
to the hotel. We usually have time to take a shower and relax for an hour or
so before we have our pre-game meal. Pre-game meal is usually around 2:30 or
3:00. After we stuff ourselves full of food, we have a few hours before we
have to get dressed and ready to go to the arena. Most players will take a
short nap and relax before we get ready to go. We then leave and arrive at
the arena usually an hour before game time. After we play and hopefully win,
we then board the bus. A lot of times we will have food on the bus after the
game. Coach Beckert is in charge of keeping us fed on road trips and we
appreciate him a ton!!

-Tyler Newbold

Trinity Western Game

2009-11-11T21:48:00.000-08:00

The Trinity Western game this past week was fun to play in. As players we must understand that the regular season is right around the corner and we needed to improve in our second game. The first half went very well and we played pretty good defense. The second half was not nearly as good as Trinity Western played a different defense which we did not adjust well to.
With three road games to start this season we must learn how to compete for a full 40 minutes. We had a lot of good things happen from this last exhibition and things we must tune up before we head down to Ogden to face a good Weber State team.

This next week we must have a good week of practice. Being a veteran on this team I know how difficult it is to win on the road. We must execute precisely and stay together when bad things happen in order to have a chance to win. Practice concentration is always important but even more at the beginning part of the year as we are learning new offensive sets and defensive schemes so that we can be prepared to face tough opponents. We are so excited to go down to Ogden on Friday night and to play well!!!

-Tyler Newbold

First game vs. Northwest Nazarene

2009-11-02T12:07:00.001-08:00

We played Northwest Nazarene on Friday and it was fun! It was awesome to play somebody else because it gets old beating each other up in practice everyday. We shot well on offense but we still have a lot of work to do with the timing and execution of our plays. Defensively, we have plenty to work on. We must rebound a lot better and not get beat off the dribble on the perimeter as much.

We play our first three real games on the road and we must be better in those areas if we want to win. With another week of practice coming up we surely will get a lot better in these areas! While we do have a lot to work on, there are many positives and we are getting better everyday! We were so excited to have over 8,000 people to our first exhibition game. The support we get is incredible!!

-Tyler Newbold

New team locker room

2009-11-02T12:06:00.000-08:00

We had a fun week of practice this week leading up to our first game!! Before I talk about that, let me mention how amazing our new team locker room is. It is an incredible upgrade from the past. The furniture just got put in on Friday and the room looks great. We are so thankful to the past players and individuals who donated time and money to help build it.

More pictures of what the locker room looks like can be found
http://www.utahstateaggies.com/school-bio/ust-spectrum.html.

-Tyler Newbold

The Season Has Begun

2009-10-25T19:40:00.001-07:00

The first full week of practice is now in the books and we have practiced
hard. We have a lot of work to do and must continue to concentrate and pay
attention to everything the coaches are teaching us with great detail.
Division I basketball is very competitive and we are learning to concentrate
and do the little things that separate good teams from great teams. This is
a very fun time of year as we learn how to play with each other and utilize
our individual strengths within our team system.

With the public scrimmage on Wednesday and our first exhibition game on
Friday, we are so excited for the challenge of the upcoming season. We
understand that we have a huge bulls-eye on our back this year and we are
ready to tackle the task. The basketball season is fast approaching and the
team is looking forward to playing at a high level!!

We hope everyone that is able to will come to the Spectrum this year. We
appreciate everyone who comes and helps us have the best home court
advantage in the country!!

-Tyler Newbold

Pre-Season

2009-10-18T18:22:00.001-07:00

Following a close loss to Marquette in the NCAA Tournament, all of the players have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new basketball season.
We have worked hard all summer in the weight room and on the court to improve our team. Most of the team was in Logan all summer which has helped our chemistry as a team before the season officially starts. With a lot of talent and experience returning and the arrival of talented freshmen and junior college transfers we are looking forward to having a fun season.

We are excited to begin a new season and start working in practice to become
a good team. We have a lot of work to do to be where we want to be, but with
great coaching and maximum effort given by all players we should play at a
high level. Excitement is in the air and the team can't wait for the
Spectrum to be rocking again like it is every year. Believe it or not,
basketball season is here!!

-Tyler Newbold