Like any complicated puzzle, it took awhile to put this one together.

Now that it’s complete, it’s something to behold. These New Mexico State Aggies have all the pieces any college basketball team would want.

They’ve won five games in a row and they’re half a game out of first place in the Western Athletic Conference. On Thursday at Lawlor Events Center, the Aggies will try to avenge an 87-78 loss to the Wolf Pack at Las Cruces, N.M., on Jan. 24.

“I think our chemistry has improved a great deal, guys getting familiar with each other,” Aggies first-year coach Marvin Menzies said. “We finally got all of our players in place. I think the biggest thing for us is having a full complement and having them together for a stretch of seven, eight games.

“Plus, they’re sharing the ball. They’re looking to make the extra pass. I think guys are understanding that team concepts are really critical when it comes to playing well. It can’t be ‘me’ ball. I think that’s one of the biggest concepts we’ve bought into that has enabled us to play much better offense. Defensively, I think younger guys are understanding defensive schemes.”

The Aggies, who are 16-12 overall and 9-3 in the WAC and trail only Boise State, start a two-game trip at Nevada before playing Fresno State on Saturday.

“It’s a big game for us (against Nevada),” Menzies said. “We have to attack each of these things like it could mean the season for us to this point.”

Starting with conference player of the year candidate Justin Hawkins, the Aggies have six players with double figure scoring averages. Two of the six, freshmen Herb Pope and Jahmar Young, joined the club in mid-season when they became Division I eligible. The 6-foot-7, 204-pound Hawkins leads the Aggies at 17 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.

“He just plays,” Nevada coach Mark Fox said. “There’s not a lot of nonsense with him. He plays all facets of the game. He defends. He rebounds. He shoots the three. He posts up. He puts the ball on the deck. I think he’s as complete a player as there is in our conference.”

The Aggies have size — starting with 6-9, 240-pound Hatila Passos and 7-0, 240-pound Martin Iti — and quickness on the perimeter with 6-2 Jonathan Gibson and 6-4 Fred Peete. Pope, a 6-8, 235-pound highly-recruited forward, has played nine games and made six starts since becoming eligible.

“Their size is overwhelming,” Fresno State coach Steve Cleveland said. “They just have a presence physically that a lot of teams in our league don’t have one to 10.
“What’s impressive is the depth they have. A guy or two can have an off night and they can still win. When they’re all playing well it’s a difficult matchup for everybody. I think you have to look at New Mexico State and say right now they’re probably the hottest and most-talented team in our league.”

The Aggies are 5-1 in WAC games at the Pan American Center, which will host the conference tournament March 11-15, with the loss to Nevada the only blemish. None of the other five WAC teams came closer than nine points. The other three suffered lopsided losses with Utah State losing, 100-70, and Boise State losing, 99-80.

“I think they have a complete team that’s been together for a while,” Fox said. “They are just pounding people on the glass. They are shooting a high percentage, and they are shooting the ball well from three. They’re as complete team as we will have seen in a long time.

“We played very well as a unit (in the first game). But we really needed a win to stay in the thick of things when we went down there and they were probably still trying to find themselves. It’s a completely different set of circumstances this time.”

It was Pope’s second college game and Passos had missed six games due to a suspension before returning just before the Jan. 24 game.

“There were a lot of areas where we didn’t do the things we said we wanted to do coming into the game,” Menzies said. “I know Nevada caused some of those miscues on our part. I thought they played phenomenal in terms of their chemistry and their patience within themselves. They executed their game plan much better than we did.

“We had a couple of guys that were just back in Hatila Passos and Herb Pope and they were a little out of sync. But they’re playing better now. That’s something that could be a difference for us. Herb, especially, is a little more comfortable and Hatila as well. So hopefully that will bode well for us on our side, but I know they (the Pack) are going to be ready to play. We’ve just got to be ready to match their intensity.”

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