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Show Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009 Page 8 WednesdayS Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com Aggie basketball teams get an upgrade By DAN FAWSON staff writer At last Saturday's ribbon cutting, unveiling the new men's basketball and women's basketball and volleyball facilities, former Aggie basketball great Nate Wickizer spoke on one aspect of Aggie basketball that had changed since his time with the program and another that, until Saturday, hadn't. Wickizer, a 1989 USU graduate and second all-time in block shots at Utah State, said Aggie fans would pack the Spectrum when he used to play and litter the arena floor with rolls of toilet paper after the Aggies' first bucket. With the toilet paper celebration certain to draw a technical foul in today's game, Wickizer said Aggie fans now regale the players with the words, 'Show me the Scotsman who doesn't love the thistle. Show me the Englishman who doesn't love the rose. Show me the true blooded Aggie from Utah who doesn't love the spot where the sagebrush grows.' "Neither the toilet paper nor the song make a whole lot of sense to me," Wickizer said jokingly. "But you know what, they both work." He then addressed something that hadn't been working. Now the chief operating officer for Cache Valley Electric, Wickizer said he and his wife, Heather recently decided they wanted to do something to make a difference in Aggie basketball. He just didn't know what to do. After touring the locker rooms, Wickizer found his answer. "Quite honestly, I was shocked," he said. The growth and improvement of the basketball program was not reflected in the team's off-court facilities, as Wickizer said the locker rooms hadn't improved in the 20 years since he'd left the program. Initiated by a lead gift given by Wickizer's to Utah State athletic director Scott Barnes and with the assistance of many other donors and contributors, namely MerLynn Pitcher of the Alumni Association Executive Board, what followed was the major facilities renovation unveiled Saturday morning. Barnes said the Nate and Heather Wickizer Men's Basketball Locker Room and Lounge and the MerLynn Pitcher Women's Basketball Locker Room and Lounge fulfill the two main principles he and the university wanted to emphasize with the project: first, to continue to provide resources for student athletes to succeed in athletics and school; second, provide the "wow-factor" necessary to strengthen recruiting. Prior to Saturday's ribbon cutting, Barnes commented on that wow-factor. "I came to Utah State from the University of Washington, a Pac-10 program that's been perennially ranked in the top 25 (in men's basketball)," Barnes said. "We did a project very similar (there). What we did here is very comparable. So, what we have is a Pac-10 quality locker room-lounge facility." Barnes and men's head coach Stew Morrill, along with women's head coach Raegan Pebley, hope the new facilities will not only be beneficial to current student athletes but will also help attract future recruits to Logan. "When prospective student athletes come to campus, there's a couple things they want to know about," Barnes said. "They want to know how many times we're on TV, (and) they want to know what the facilities are like." Both the men's and women's new study and lounge areas are complete with computer stations, flat-screen televisions and leather couches embroidered with USU logos. USU'S MEN'S AND WOMEN'S basketball locker rooms recently received some much needed upgrades. (Above) The new men's locker room, (below) the lounge area just outside the men's locker room. Photos courtesy of RYAN TALBOT I See UPGRADE, page 9 MEN'S BASKETBALL Ags looking for redemption in Salt Lake By TYLER HUSKINSON staff writer Utah State's performance against the Weber State Wildcats was far from pretty but the Ags got the victory, 66-60. Tyler Newbold led the team in the season opener with 15 points. USU shot 47.7 percent from the field for the game and 33.3 percent from the 3-point line. It was enough though, as the Ags held the Wildcats to a 33.3 percent shooting performance from the field and a 10 percent performance from the 3-point line. The Aggies (1-0) continue their season-opening road trip against the Utah Utes (0-1) tonight in Salt Lake City. The Utes did not enjoy the same success in their home opener that the Aggies did, losing to the Idaho Vandals, 94-87. The Utes were the victim of a well-balanced Vandal attack, as the Idaho bench scored more than half of the team's points with 49. The Utes shot 48.5 percent from the field but couldn't match the Vandals 47.6 percent 3-point shooting. In the Utes loss to Idaho, freshman center Jason Washburn led the team with 20 points, and freshman guard Marshall Henderson was close behind with 18 points of his own. The Ags led most of the game against the Utes in the Spectrum last year. Jared Quayle hit a 3-point shot to put the Aggies up by 11 with 6:40 left in the game, but the Utes came storming back with an 18-7 run. Ute guard Carlon Brown hit a layup with 29 seconds left to tie the game at 64. The Aggies took a time-out and on the ensuing possession, Quayle missed a jumper that went out of bounds off the Utes. The Ags took another time-out, and Newbold missed a jumper off the in-bounds play, but Tai Wesley was there for a tip-in layup with 0.1 seconds left, giving Utah State the victory, 66-64. In 2007, the two teams met in Salt Lake City and the Utes blew-out the Ags, 72-48. The Utes held Utah State to a mere 37 percent from a field and 23.5 percent from the 3-point line. Aggie stand-outs Jaycee Carroll and Gary Wilkinson combined for 23 points on the night and the rest of the team only outscored the duo by two. The Utes did not have trouble on offense, hitting 53.7 percent of their shots from the field and 50 percent from the 3-point line. Center Luke Neville led the way for the Utes with 20 points and senior forward Kim Tillie chipped in 16 of his own. The Utes are averaging 85 points over their first two games, and their opponents have averaged 82 points per game. Utah State is averaging 72 points per game, but Aggies opponents are only averaging 50 points per game. The Aggies have not been victorious in the Huntsman Center since 2001, when they beat the Utes, 58-57. The Aggies were stingy on defense that night, allowing the Utes to shoot only 38 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from the 3-point line. If the Ags want a victory tonight they need similar defensive outing to stop the high-octane Ute offense. The Ags will also need a better bench performance and better game overall from junior forward Tai Wesley, who finished with four points, two blocks and two steals against Weber State. Game time is at 6 p.m. in the Huntsman Center. — ty.d.hus@aggiemaiLusu.edu Medlin to facefamiliar foe By DAN FAWSON staff writer When in-state rivals clash there's expected to be a certain amount of familiarity shared between opposing veteran players. Throughout the course of a rivalry, plays, players and moments often become immortalized by media and fans alike. Friendships are forged, much to the chagrin of blood-thirsty fans and player rivalries are formed as both sides fight for in-state supremacy. There is bound to be some emotional carryover from season to season. For example, it could be assumed the majority of returning Utah players have Aggie forward Tai Wesley's late-game heroics from last season stored somewhere in the back of their minds. Aggie fans won't soon let them forget. It's likewise doubtful USU forward Matt Formisano has forgotten when Utah's Carlon Brown ... well ... jumped. Sufficed to say, the familiarity-induced tension and competiveness expected when the Utes and Aggies square off tonight is not uncommon amongst rivals. It is rare, however, to find it among a pair of out-of-state freshmen. Such will be the case tonight, though, when Aggie freshman guard Preston Medlin meets up with Utah freshman guard Marshall Henderson to do battle on the floor of the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The two last played against each other Feb. 24, 2008, in the first round of the Texas 5A High School Basketball Playoffs. Henderson, one of the most prolific scorers in Texas 5A basketball history, and currently the starting shooting guard at Utah, scored 19 points to lead L.D. Bell to a hard fought 67-66 victory over Medlin's Hebron High. Despite the loss, however, the night ultimately belonged to the future Aggie. Medlin had a gamehigh 34 points in arguably the best game of his prep career, scoring from the perimeter, off the dribble and in transition as he fought to keep Hebron's season alive. "It was a tough game," Medlin said. "We were fourth in the district and they were first, we were expecting it to be a tough game. We just fought, and I was just feeling it that night." The two players finished one-two in 5A scoring last season, with Henderson averaging 25.8 points per game, and Medlin averaging 22.5. According to Medlin, the two have similar skill sets, with each player able to both catch and shoot coming off screens and also able to score off the dribble. "I think we're about the same player," Medlin El See MEDLIN, page 9 |