Thoughts after leaving the PAC
As I left the Pan American Center on the campus of New Mexico State last Saturday night, I was a bit confused.
Obviously, there were a lot of things to scratch your head about. Why would players jeopardize their team’s winning streak by breaking team rules? How many coaches would fly athletes home for what most people would call a minor offense? Where was that NMSU team last Thursday when Nevada visited Las Cruces? How do players who have been suspended for a number of major offenses — check the police blotter in Las Cruces and the hometowns of several NMSU players — suddenly get eligible? But my biggest question was: Is anything ever going to be done about the actions of fans at New Mexico State?
OK, there was a fan ejected Jan. 19 from the PAC for “continuous obscenities toward officials,” Western Athletic Conference commissioner Karl Benson said. I had to wonder if it was the guy who always sits behind the Utah State bench when the Aggies visit the other Aggies. That guy is a real tool.
If it was that foul-mouthed male, he was back and at it again last Saturday. It got to the point that on two occasions USU complained to the head game management person at New Mexico State and even the host Aggies athletic director.
What did they do? Nothing.
In fact, they told the visiting Aggies to worry about doing their own jobs. So much for following the new sportsmanship rules given out by the WAC.
I’m all for fans having a fun time and being able to heckle the visiting team. It’s part of being a fan. But when a person is seated right behind the visitors’ bench and can be heard calling out a player and challenging him to a fight outside the arena after the game, that is crossing the line.
More than a week ago Benson praised the New Mexico State students during a conference call for the way “they have responded and cooperated.” He called the fan ejection an isolated incident.With that said, it’s too bad the commissioner wasn’t in attendance last Saturday. I guess it’s all right to chant “Ref you suck” when you don’t agree with a call.
With my seat way up in the rafters at the PAC, it was hard to make out some of the other chants — lack of numbers and unity didn’t help. However, the word “suck” was part of many cheers. Maybe it was just a way of flaunting what they can get away with. USU students have been asked not to use the word “suck” and have complied, at least as a group chant.
Does that mean I believe the USU students should bring back “You Suck” and test the officials? No, I don’t. I agree with USU administrators who have said the USU students can be more creative.
The Spectrum is the toughest place to play in the WAC because of the noise and the unity of the students. No other place I have visited in this league can match that. Some schools get nice crowds, but there is no unity on chants.
Judging from how the game management people treated the USU staff, they just don’t care at NMSU. Because of incidents last year at the PAC, Nevada brought two uniformed police officers with them this year.
This is the same school that almost lost the WAC Tournament a year ago because of problems with their fans.
I would be willing to bet the Sportsmanship Initiative issued from the WAC offices was mostly due to New Mexico State. There have been some issues at other arenas, including Fresno State, Nevada and USU, but they pale in comparison to what has been allowed at NMSU.
Yes, the obscenity chanted after an opposing team made a free throw is gone. I guess the WAC and NMSU feel that is good enough, progress has been made.
The whole experience just made me shake my head. New Mexico State tries to act like it’s so big time, but then allows nonsense like the fan behind the bench.
Plus, I also had to wonder what was going on when the count down clock expired six minutes before the scheduled tip-off. As NMSU players went back out to shoot around, USU had to go hunting for some balls. The same thing happened at halftime when USU came out and had no balls to warm up with.
Of course this didn’t make any difference in the outcome. That NMSU team is going to be hard to beat if they play like that every night and stay out of trouble with the law.
Newbold does it again
I know this freshman was singled out for praise last week, but he just keeps getting better.
Tyler Newbold is going to start getting noticed by the rest of the WAC after the week he had. The Payson High graduate wrapped up his week with career-highs for points (20), rebounds (7) and minutes played (34) at New Mexico State.
“Tyler played great,” USU head coach Stew Morrill said Saturday. “He’s getting so much more comfortable. His last few games, he’s looking like a high-quality freshman. He is just in the flow out there, shooting it in. He’s so solid. I couldn’t be more pleased with his play.”
For the week, Newbold averaged 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists, while shooting 69.2 percent from the field (9-of-13), 70 percent from 3-point range (7-of-10) and 87.5 percent from the free-throw line (7-of-8).
And remember, this is a guy that was going to redshirt back in late October.
Slowing Carroll down
A lot was made of Jaycee Carroll and all the big games he has had at the PAC over the last two years. In fact, he has had some of his best outings against the other Aggies of the WAC.
So, what is going on after two sub-par performances — I use the word sub-par as tongue in check — against NMSU?
“I don’t know what it was, don’t know what it’s been the last two games against them, that I’ve struggled from the field a little bit,” Carroll said. “If you add up all the games from this year and last year, I’m still shooting a pretty good percentage.”
Yes he has.
NMSU head coach Marvin Menzies was asked what the secret is to holding Carroll down to 9-of-28 shooting the last two games?
“The secret is team defense,” Menzies said. “He’s going to get his. It’s amazing when you say we stopped him and he had 15 and 17 (points, respectively). That’s a pretty good compliment to the kid. He’s just a phenomenal player.”
Suspension update
There is no new news on this front. The Aggies returned to practice Tuesday after getting Monday off.
Morrill has not commented on the four players who were suspended for last Saturday’s game since briefly addressing it after the loss at NMSU.
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