Men's Basketball News

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Louisville University men's head basketball coach Rick Pitino is scheduled to be the guest of honor at the New Mexico State University "6th Man Club" men's basketball fund raising dinner on Tuesday November 4th, 2008 at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Museum.

"With Coach Pitino's ties to both Reggie Theus and Marvin Menzies, we feel like he has already been a part of our program for the last three seasons, said 6th Man Club organizers Lou Sisbarro and Kevin McGrath. "We know it's election night but we're confident Aggie basketball fans understand what a big deal this is for us. Coach Menzies was able to coordinate our event with Pitino's busy schedule we're just thrilled Coach Pitino will join us."

Joining Sisbarro and McGrath as 6th Man Club volunteers this year are Joe Bullock, Mickey Clute, Bump Elliott, Barbara Hubbard, John Hummer, Rick Nezzer, John Papen, George Ruth, Lynda Taylor, Chuck Widger and Michael Yoke.

Written By: NMSU Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - New Mexico State men’s basketball head coach Marvin Menzies has announced the addition of Hernst Laroche and Tyrone Watson to the Aggie roster, Sunday, Aug. 31. Sophomore forward Wendell McKines has returned to the team while sophomore forward Herb Pope is not returning to the Aggies this season.

"A decision has been made that Herb Pope will not play for the Aggies this upcoming season," Menzies said. "It is unfortunate things did not work out for Herb at NMSU, however, moving forward is best for all parties involved."

"We are building a program that will have chemistry and success, and in order to do that you must have development and continuity," Menzies said. "We wish him well in the future both on and off the court. Moving forward, I am very excited about our young team’s potential for this season and in the years to come."

Written by: NMSU Athletic Dept.

View the 2008/2009 Men's Basketball Schedule

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - New Mexico State head coach Marvin Menzies has announced the men’s basketball schedule for the 2008-09 season, Wednesday, July 30. The schedule includes strong non-conference competition with marquee games at Kansas, the 2008 NCAA National Champions, and Southern California.

The Aggies play 16 games in the Pan American Center and the schedule is highlighted with seven teams that played in the 2008 postseason. NMSU also hosts its third consecutive ESPNU BracketBuster game.

“Overall, I think it’s a balanced but tough schedule and we have a very, very young team,” Menzies said. “I think we ended up with the kind of schedule we were looking for.

The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that freshman forward Wendell McKines has asked for and been granted his release from the NMSU men's basketball team. (Thanks to Parsing The WAC for the link)

"I'd prefer to transfer to a Bay Area school, but I will look around and see what is best for me," McKines said.

This is obviously a much bigger blow to the Aggie basketball team than losing JayDee Luster and DeAngelo Jones. McKines was a solid contributor last season and was a force on the glass, especially the offensive side. It's a shame to see him go but we wish Baby Matrix the best wherever he lands (as long as it isn't a WAC school, say San Jose State or Fresno State).

Written by: Jason Groves/Sun-News Reporter

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Marvin Menzies feels like the Aggies are still the team to beat in the Western Athletic Conference, even though the Aggies could still finish the regular season anywhere between first and fourth.

Coming off a disappointing split on a Western Athletic Conference road trip last weekend, the New Mexico State University men's basketball team sits in fourth place entering the last week of the regular season.

Menzies' confidence stems from the simple fact that his team doesn't have to leave Doña Ana County again for a game against a WAC opponent. The Aggies (17-13, 10-4 WAC) end the regular season this week against San Jose State and Hawaii, both at the Pan American Center, before playing host to the WAC Tournament next week.

"I feel like we are still going to be the team to beat here at home," Menzies said. "I feel that way, the players feel that way and we are working that way in practice right now.

Written by: Teddy Feinberg/Sun-News Sports Editor

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The New Mexico State men's basketball team fell behind 22-7 to Fresno State on Saturday night, bringing back memories of their first half against the Nevada Wolf Pack.

Against Nevada on Thursday night, the Wolf Pack jumped out to a 10-1 lead and a 28-16 advantage with 9:20 remaining in the opening half, eventually winning 98-85 in a crucial Western Athletic Conference battle.

At the outset against Fresno, a slow start appeared to be a possible disaster for NMSU. In the end, it did not matter, as the Aggies battled back to win 69-64 over the Bulldogs to split their two-game road trip.

"We didn't come out very strong against Fresno State," NMSU coach Marvin Menzies said. "We didn't play very well early and they threw different stuff at us defensively that gave us problems, namely a zone. But we were able to find a rhythm against it and ended up doing well."

Written by: Jason Groves/Sun-News Reporter

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Last year's New Mexico State men's basketball team found a way to win games late.

That's what makes what Aggies current coach, Marvin Menzies, has done more impressive, considering the Aggies are averaging a 22.8 point margin during their current five-game win streak and he hasn't had two years to develop a relationship with his players that former coach Reggie Theus did.

The Aggies are blowing out Western Athletic Conference opponents at such a rate that even rival coaches have started to take notice.

"They already have very good players that start, but what really makes them better and special and probably right now, makes them the team to beat in our league is that they have so much depth," Fresno State head coach Steve Cleveland said.

Written by: Jason Groves/Sun-News Reporter

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The hard work has paid dividends for Jonathan Gibson.

The New Mexico State University sophomore guard is 15th in the Western Athletic Conference in scoring (12.9 points per game), sixth in 3-point shooting percentage (44) and fifth in 3-pointers made, knocking down 2.33 per game.

"He is getting more minutes than he did last year and he has earned those by having one heck of an offseason in terms of developing his game," Aggies head coach Marvin Menzies said. "He still has a long way to go before he is able to conceptualize all of the things that he needs to do to be a complete player but he can put the ball in the basket right now."

Menzies is not the only coach who knows what Gibson is capable of.

Written by: Jason Groves/Sun-News Reporter

LAS CRUCES - Spending time in high major programs has made an impact on New Mexico State University men's basketball coach.

Menzies was hired as a first-time Division I coach in large part to a successful career recruiting, which he has proven in his short time in Las Cruces.

Menzies, like those that he has worked under, likes to get the most of his talent.

"I like the idea of bringing in recruits and them not playing for a year so they can understand what college life is like," Menzies said. "Utilizing the Doña Ana Community College, we have been able to bring in some kids who weren't initial qualifiers out of high school."

With current redshirts Troy Gillenwater, Hamidu Rahman and Robert Lumpkins already at the branch campus, Menzies added two more guards in the last month. Terrance Joyner (Genesis One in Missisippi) and Faisal Aden (God's Academy in Dallas) are the latest two additions.

Written by: NMSU Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The New Mexico State men"s basketball team was selected to host Long Beach State, Feb. 23 at 7:00 p.m., in the O"Reilly ESNPU BracketBuster. The two-day tournament features 100 teams from 16 conferences.

Head coach Marvin Menzies said he was happy with the selection, which is close to home for the Hamilton, Calif., native, but was discouraged the Aggies were not chosen for one of the 14 nationally televised games.

"I"m excited," he said. "I think it"s a great travel game for us next year. It allows us to get to Southern California, which is obviously one of my focal points in recruiting.

"I"m a little disappointed we didn"t get the chance to get on TV but I don"t know if we earned that with our wins this year."