BIG WEST CONFERENCE REGULAR SEASON CO-CHAMPIONS

Transcription

1 2004 SUMMER BASKETBALL PROSPECTUS BIG WEST CONFERENCE REGULAR SEASON CO-CHAMPIONS

2 Aggie Basketball Utah State University Information Location Logan, Utah Founded 1888 Enrollment 21,490 Nickname Aggies School Colors Blue and White Arena Dee Glen Smith Spectrum (10,270) Conference Big West President Dr. Kermit L. Hall (Akron, 1966) Athletic Director Randy Spetman Athletic Department Phone (435) Ticket Office Phone (435) or USTATE-1 Coaching Staff Head Coach Stew Morrill (Gonzaga, 1974) Record at Utah State (.757), Six years Career Record (.662), 18 years Assistant Coach Don Verlin (Cal State Stanislaus, 1989) Assistant Coach Tim Duryea (North Texas, 1988) Assistant Coach Dave Rice (UNLV, 1991) Basketball Office Phone (435) Basketball Office Fax (435) Basketball Trainer Mike Williams (Utah State, 1996) Media Relations Director Mike Strauss Office Phone (435) Basketball SID Doug Hoffman Office Phone (435) Cell Phone (435) Address Assistant SID Todd Johnson Office Phone (435) SID Fax (435) Spectrum Press Box (435) Internet Address Mailing Address 7400 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT Team Information Record 25-4 (15-1h, 10-2a, 0-1n) Conference Record 17-1 (T-1st) Postseason Lost to Hawai i (85-74) in First Round of NIT Lettermen Returning/Lost 7/5 Starters Returning/Lost 3/2 Newcomers 8 Overall Record 1, (.574) NCAA Appearances/Record 15 (6-17,.261) NIT Appearances/Record 7 (2-7,.2222) 2004 Utah State Preseason Media Guide Media Information This publication serves as an early preview of the Utah State University basketball season. Enclosed are player and coaches biographies, a preseason preview and a review of the season. For more information on Utah State basketball contact Doug Hoffman in the USU athletic media relations office at (435) Aggies On The Air Utah State basketball games are broadcast on KVNU (610 AM) and KVFX (94.5 FM) in Logan, 98.3 FM and 860 AM in Salt Lake City, FM in Ogden and Salt Lake City, FM in Bear Lake, FM in Randolph, FM in Utah County, and on the internet at Al Lewis serves as the play-by-play announcer as well as host of the weekly Stew Morrill show, while former Aggie coach and Athletic Director Rod Tueller serves as the analyst at all home games. On The Internet All the latest and most comprehensive news concerning the Aggie basketball team and Utah State Athletics is available 24 hours a day on Utah State University Athletics Department official website,

3 AGGIE OUTLOOK I have said many times that last year was one of my favorite seasons because of the unselfishness and chemistry our team displayed. The upcoming year has many unanswered questions, but we certainly have the potential for similar team characteristics. Those qualities don t always equal a lot of victories, but it certainly is a great starting point. Defense is always a huge priority at Utah State and every team must establish themselves in that regard. Our guard play will be key, as will be the implementation of our new personnel with the veterans. Utah State Head Coach Stew Morrill. Anticipation. Excitement. Potential. Words that describe Utah State basketball, especially over the last five years, and words that you hear much more frequently when referring to the Aggies. And why not? Over the past five years, Utah State has posted an incredible (.795) record including an (.828) mark in the Big West Conference. Furthermore, USU has set new school records by posting five straight 20-win seasons along with advancing to postseason play in each of those years. The team certainly did nothing to tarnish Utah State s image as they recorded the third most wins in school history with its 25-4 record and notched the most league wins ever with its 17-1 Big West mark. Add to the mix the program s first national ranking in more than 25 years and one can see why Aggie basketball is definitely the Talk of the Town. Heading into the campaign, all the ingredients seem to be in place for yet another run at a Big West Championship as Utah State returns three starters and seven letterwinners from last year s team that shared the league s regular season title. Joining USU s veterans will be a skilled group of newcomers Squad Breakdown Letterwinners Returning (7) Player (Pos., Ht., Wt., Cl.) PPG RPG Calvin Brown (G, 5-10, 165, Sr.) 0.4 ^0.8 Nate Harris (F, 6-7, 225, Jr.) Chris Huber (G, 6-1, 190, Jr.) 3.9 ^1.8 Ian McVey (F/C, 6-9, 225, Sr.) John Neil (F, 6-6, 210, Sr.) Spencer Nelson (F, 6-8, 225, Sr.) Jason Williams (F, 6-7, 198, Sr.) Letterwinners Lost (5) Player (Pos., Ht., Wt., Cl.) PPG RPG Mike Ahmad (C, 6-9, 240, R-Sr.) Mark Brown (G, 5-10, 150, Sr.) 9.6 ^4.9 Cardell Butler (G/F, 6-4, 200, Sr.) Chad Evans (F, 6-7, 210, Sr.) Quenton Harvey (G, 6-2, 185, Jr.) Starters Returning (3) Player (Pos., Ht., Wt., Cl.) PPG RPG Nate Harris (F, 6-7, 225, Jr.) Spencer Nelson (F, 6-8, 225, Sr.) Jason Williams (F, 6-7, 198, Sr.) Redshirts (1) Player (Pos., Ht., Wt., Cl.) PPG RPG Cassiano Matheus (C, 6-10, 235, R-Jr.) 8.4! 5.4! Squadman (2) Player (Pos., Ht., Wt., Cl.) PPG RPG Jimmie Edwards (G, 5-10, 160, So.) 12.5* ^6.0* Tyler Williams (G, 6-1, 200, Sr.) Newcomers (8) Player (Pos., Ht., Wt., Cl.) PPG RPG Jaycee Carroll (G, 6-2, 175, Fr.) 39.4* 9.1* Robert Cox (G, 6-4, 190, So.) 8.9! 5.0! Marques Crane (G/F, 6-4, 210, Jr.) 16.2! 7.4! Matt Formisano (F, 6-8, 220, Fr.) 15.2* 7.0* Danny Gray (F, 6-8, 230, Jr.) 10.8! 6.4! Cassiano Matheus (C, 6-10, 235, R-Jr.) 8.4! 5.4! David Pak (G, 6-2, 200, Jr.) 15.7! 3.6! Tai Wesley (F, 6-7, 230, Fr.) 16.7* 8.0* ^ - Assists per game! - Junior College stats * - High School stats that includes four junior college transfers and three high school standouts. Leading the way for Utah State will be two of the most talented forwards in the Big West in senior Spencer Nelson and junior Nate Harris. Along with being named the league s Sixth Man of the Year, Harris also earned first-team all-conference honors after leading the Big West with a 67.7 percent field goal percentage, and finishing second on the team with 11.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Nelson, who was named the Hustle Player of the Year in the conference for the second consecutive season earned second-team all-big West honors after finishing third in the league with 7.8 rebounds per game to go along with 11.5 points. It s hard to measure all the things that Spencer gives to the program on and off the court, said Morrill. He provides tremendous leadership and energy and we expect his senior year to be his best yet. Nate s progress as been ahead of schedule, earning first-team allconference honors as a sophomore. He is a very good all-around player who has a great feel for the game and he will no doubt be a huge part of our season. The third starter returning for Utah State is senior Jason Williams. Williams started the final 27 games at the small forward position and ended the year scoring in double-figures six times and averaging 6.7 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. Utah State also welcomes back three other quality players in seniors Ian McVey and John Neil and junior Chris Huber. McVey averaged 1.8 points and 1.7 rebounds per game in limited action as a junior, while Neil averaged 2.6 points and 1.3 rebounds. Huber, who played both guard positions in his first year at USU, averaged 3.9 points and 1.8 assists. Three other players return for Utah State in senior guards Calvin Brown and Tyler Williams and sophomore guard Jimmie Edwards. Brown has appeared in 47 games during his career at USU and has a solid understanding of the system, while Williams and Edwards are both walk-ons who provide much needed experience and depth on the scout squad. Utah State will also have the services of two juniors who sat out last season in guard Marques Crane and center Cassiano Matheus. Both players are expected to make immediate impacts for the Aggies and could end up starting early in the season. Joining the Aggie team this year will be six other newcomers, in juniors Danny Gray and David Pak, sophomore Robert Cox and freshmen Jaycee Carroll, Matt Formisano and Tai Wesley. Pak earned Most Valuable Player honors in the Orange Empire Conference as a sophomore at Saddleback Junior College in California, while Carroll and Wesley earned Player of the Year honors in Wyoming and Utah respectively as prep seniors.

4 Schedule Utah State will play 31 games during the course of the season, two of which will be exhibition contests. USU will have 17 games at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, a venue where the Aggies have gone (.932) over the past eight seasons. For the first time since the season, Utah State will host all three of its in-state rivals in Brigham Young, Utah and Weber State, as well as playing a second contest with BYU in Provo. USU will also participate in the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska and host Northern Arizona, Loyola Marymount and South Carolina State in the 11th annual Gossner Foods Classic. Every time I look at the schedule it presents a lot of exciting challenges, said Morrill. Returning to the Top of the World Classic will hopefully be as positive as it was in 2000, plus the Gossner Foods Classic is always a fun event and we have a very solid field again this year. As for the Big West season, it will be sentimental for a lot of Aggies because it represents our last year of competition in a league that has provided us with many positive memories. The conference continues to grow and as always we will be hard pressed to finish in the upper echelon. After 26 years of competition in the Big West Conference, Utah State will be playing its final season in the league before moving to the Western Athletic Conference. Utah State will play a total of 18 conference games on the year in a round-robin format with each school playing each other member institution both home and away. The 2005 Big West Conference Tournament will once again be held in Anaheim, Calif. from Mar at the Anaheim Convention Center. The first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament will be held on Mar Point Guards Calvin Brown, 5-10, 165, Sr., 3L Robert Cox, 6-4, 190, So., JC Jimmie Edwards, 5-10, 160, So., SQ Chris Huber, 6-1, 190, Jr., 1L The point guard position is probably the biggest concern for Utah State heading into the season after the graduation of Mark Brown who started all 62 games in his career at USU and earned first-team all-league honors as a senior after averaging 9.6 points and 4.9 assists per game. USU does return senior Calvin Brown and junior Chris Huber who are both experienced players at the position. Brown has appeared in 47 games during his career, while Huber was the Aggies back-up point guard last season and averaged 3.9 points and 1.8 assists per game. Joining the mix will be sophomore Robert Cox who transferred from Allen County Community College in Kansas where he averaged 8.9 points and five rebounds per game as a freshman. Junior David Pak could also see time at this position. Shooting Guards Jaycee Carroll, 6-2, 175, Fr., HS Marques Crane, 6-4, 210, Jr., JC David Pak, 6-2, 200, Jr., JC Tyler Williams, 6-1, 200, Sr., SQ Despite the loss of Cardell Butler who started all 29 games and led the team in scoring with 14.0 points per game last year, Utah State feels they have two players who can fill that void, in junior college transfers Marques Crane and David Pak. Crane was named the Orange Empire Conference Most Valuable Player as a sophomore at Saddleback Junior College during the season as he averaged 16.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, while Pak won the award last season at Saddleback after averaging 15.7 points and 3.6 rebounds. Freshman Jaycee Carroll averaged 39.4 points as a prep senior at Evanston High School in Wyoming and will probably redshirt after returning from a two-year LDS Church Mission to Chile this summer. USU could also play Huber at this position as well as senior Tyler Williams who appeared in five games as a junior. Small Forwards John Neil, 6-6, 210, Sr., 1L *Jason Williams, 6-7, 198, Sr., 1L * - returning starter One of the three frontline starters returning for Utah State is senior small forward Jason Williams who started the final 27 games and averaged 6.7 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. Williams should be a lot more comfortable during his senior year and will be expected to improve on his offensive numbers from a year ago, as well as becoming a better defender. Another player who saw significant action at this position last year is senior John Neil who averaged 2.6 points and 1.3 rebounds per game and will once again be looked upon for quality minutes. A couple of other players who could see time at this position include Crane and senior forward Spencer Nelson, who s game continues to become more versatile. Power Forwards Matt Formisano, 6-8, 220, Fr., HS Danny Gray, 6-8, 230, Jr., JC *Spencer Nelson, 6-8, 225, Jr., 2L Tai Wesley, 6-7, 230 Fr., HS * - returning starter Without a doubt the deepest and most experienced position for Utah State this year will be at the power forward with the return of starters Spencer Nelson and Nate Harris. Nelson could see time at center and both forward positions as a senior as his game continues to evolve after averaging 11.5 points and 7.8 rebounds as a junior in earning secondteam all-league honors. Harris could see more time at his natural power forward position after playing the majority of his minutes at center as a sophomore as he earned firstteam all-league honors after averaging 11.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Utah State lists three other players at this spot in junior Danny Gray and freshmen Matt Formisano and Tai Wesley. With USU s experience here all three of these players could redshirt this season. Centers *Nate Harris, 6-7, 225, Jr., 2L Cassiano Matheus, 6-10, 235, Jr., RS Ian McVey, 6-9, 225, Sr., 1L * - returning starter Utah State returns a lot of depth and a lot of potential at the center position with the return of starter Nate Harris to go along with senior Ian McVey and junior Cassiano Matheus. McVey provides USU with a quick leaper who has a nice touch around the basket, while Matheus has the potential to be one of the best post players in the league following a redshirt season. Matheus could very well become a starter early in the year, while McVey should make big strides and have a solid senior year after averaging 1.8 points and 1.7 rebounds as a junior. Matheus was ranked as one of the top-100 players coming out of junior college and gives the Aggies a much needed big body inside. During his sophomore season at South Plains College in Texas, he averaged 8.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

5 AGGIE ROSTER Numerical Roster No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Exp. Hometown (High School/Last School) 1 Marques Crane G/F Jr. JC Bellflower, Calif. (Ocean View HS/Saddleback JC) 3 Cassiano Matheus C Jr. RS Sao Paulo, Brazil (Externato Madir Alix HS/South Plains College) 4 Nate Harris F Jr. 2L Smithfield, Utah (Sky View HS) 5 Robert Cox G So. JC Macon, Ga. (Windsor Academy/Allen County CC) 11 David Pak G Jr. JC Orange, Calif. (Nelles HS/Saddleback JC) 15 Tai Wesley F Fr. HS Provo, Utah (Provo HS) 20 Jaycee Carroll G Fr. HS Evanston, Wyo. (Evanston HS) 21 Calvin Brown G Sr. 3L East Palo Alto, Calif. (Eastside Prep) 22 Jimmie Edwards G So. SQ Malad, Idaho (Malad HS) 23 Chris Huber G Jr. 1L Garland, Utah (Bear River HS/Dixie State College) 24 Tyler Williams G Sr. SQ Santa Cruz, Calif. (Santa Cruz HS/Cabrillo CC) 25 John Neil F Sr. 1L Los Altos, Calif. (Pinewood HS/Canada JC) 30 Jason Williams F Sr. 1L Vallejo, Calif. (Vallejo HS/Santa Rosa JC) 31 Ian McVey F/C Sr. 1L Princeton, Minn. (Princeton HS/Fergus Falls JC) 32 Spencer Nelson F Sr. 3L Pocatello, Idaho (Pocatello HS) 42 Danny Gray F Jr. JC Harlem, N.Y. (Art & Design Institute/Ventura JC) 44 Matt Formisano F Fr. HS Centennial, Colo. (Heritage HS) Head Coach: Stew Morrill (Gonzaga, 1974), Seventh Season Assistant Coach: Don Verlin (Cal State Stanislaus, 1989), Seventh Season Assistant Coach: Tim Duryea (North Texas, 1988), Fourth Season Assistant Coach: Dave Rice (UNLV, 1991), First Season Trainer: Mike Williams (Utah State, 1996) By Height: 6-10 (1) - Matheus 6-9 (1) - McVey 6-8 (3) - Formisano, Gray, Nelson 6-7 (3) - Harris, Wesley, J. Williams 6-6 (1) - Neil 6-4 (2) - Cox, Crane 6-2 (2) - Carroll, Pak 6-1 (2) - Huber, T. Williams 5-10 (2) - Brown, Edwards By Class: Seniors - 6 Brown, McVey, Neil, Nelson, J. Williams, T. Williams, Juniors - 5 Crane, Gray, Harris, Huber, Pak Redshirt Juniors - 1 Matheus Sophomores - 2 Cox, Edwards Freshman - 3 Carroll, Formisano, Wesley By Position: Centers - 2 Matheus, McVey Forwards - 7 Formisano, Gray, Harris, Neil, Nelson, Wesley, J. Williams Guards - 8 Brown, Carroll, Cox, Crane, Edwards, Huber, Pak, T. Williams Alphabetical: Brown, Calvin 21 Carroll, Jaycee 20 Cox, Robert 5 Crane, Marques 1 Edwards, Jimmie 22 Formisano, Matt 44 Gray, Danny 42 Harris, Nate 4 Huber, Chris 23 Matheus, Cassiano 3 McVey, Ian 31 Neil, John 25 Nelson, Spencer 32 Pak, David 11 Wesley, Tai 15 Williams, Jason 30 Williams, Tyler 24

6 AGGIE SCHEDULE Date Opponent Location Time Series Record Sat., Nov. 6 PUGET SOUND (Ex.) Dee Glen Smith Spectrum 7:05 p.m. Fri., Nov. 12 GLOBAL SPORTS (Ex.) Dee Glen Smith Spectrum 7:05 p.m. Fri.-Sun., Nov Top of the World Classic Fairbanks, Alaska Fri., Nov. 19 vs. Portland 8:05 p.m. USU leads 13-2 Sat., Nov. 20 vs. Georgia Southern or New Mexico State TBA Sun., Nov. 21 vs. Western Michigan, Winthrop, Central Florida, Alaska-Fairbanks TBA Sat., Nov. 27 UC DAVIS Dee Glen Smith Spectrum 7:05 p.m. First Meeting Wed., Dec. 1 BRIGHAM YOUNG Dee Glen Smith Spectrum 7:05 p.m. USU trails Sat., Dec. 4 UTAH Dee Glen Smith Spectrum 7:05 p.m. USU trails Tues., Dec. 7 IUPU-Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, Ind. 5:05 p.m. First Meeting Sat., Dec. 11 WEBER STATE Dee Glen Smith Spectrum 7:05 p.m. USU leads Sat., Dec. 18 Brigham Young Provo, Utah 7:05 p.m. Thur., Dec. 23 *Idaho Moscow, Idaho 8:05 p.m. USU leads Wed.-Thur., Dec Gossner Foods Classic Dee Glen Smith Spectrum Wed., Dec. 29 Utah State, Northern Arizona, Loyola Marymount, South Carolina State Thur., Dec. 30 Consolation Game 5:30 p.m. Championship Game 8:05 p.m. Thur., Jan 6 *UC SANTA BARBARA Dee Glen Smith Spectrum 7:05 p.m. USU leads Sat., Jan. 8 *CAL POLY Dee Glen Smith Spectrum 7:05 p.m. USU leads 13-1 Thur., Jan. 13 *Pacific Stockton, Calif. 8:05 p.m. USU leads Sat., Jan. 15 *Cal State Northridge Northridge, Calif. 8:05 p.m. USU leads 9-2 Thur., Jan. 20 *CAL STATE FULLERTON Dee Glen Smith Spectrum 7:05 p.m. USU leads Sat., Jan. 22 *UC RIVERSIDE Dee Glen Smith Spectrum 7:05 p.m. USU leads 7-1 Thur., Jan. 27 *UC Irvine Irvine, Calif. 8:05 p.m. USU leads Sat., Jan. 29 *Long Beach State Long Beach, Calif. 8:35 p.m. USU leads Thur., Feb. 3 *Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Calif. 8:05 p.m. Sat., Feb. 5 *UC Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, Calif. 8:05 p.m. Thur., Feb. 10 *CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE Dee Glen Smith Spectrum 7:05 p.m. Sat., Feb. 12 *PACIFIC Dee Glen Smith Spectrum 7:05 p.m. Thur., Feb. 17 *UC Riverside Riverside, Calif. 8:05 p.m. Sat., Feb. 19 *Cal State Fullerton Fullerton, Calif. 3:05 p.m. Thur., Feb. 24 *LONG BEACH STATE Dee Glen Smith Spectrum 7:05 p.m. Sat., Feb. 26 *UC IRVINE Dee Glen Smith Spectrum 7:05 p.m. Fri., Mar. 4 *IDAHO Dee Glen Smith Spectrum 7:05 p.m. Wed.-Sat., Mar Big West Tournament Anaheim, Calif. TBA Thur.-Sun., Mar NCAA First & Second Rounds TBA TBA *Denotes Big West Conference game. Home Games in BOLD AND ALL CAPS. All times are Mountain time zone, tentative and subject to change.

7 STEW MORRILL Head Coach (Entering Seventh Season at Utah State) Alma Mater (Gonzaga, 1974) Record at Utah State (143-46,.757) Overall Record ( ,.662, 18 Seasons) Stew Morrill has created a standard of excellence at Utah State, which has translated into winning, and winning a lot. Over the past six years at USU, Morrill has guided the Aggies to an incredible record, including a mark in the Big West Conference. Utah State has posted five straight 20-win seasons and advanced to five straight postseason tournaments, including three NCAA Tournament appearances in the last five years. No Utah State team had ever posted five straight 20-win seasons and participated in five straight postseason tournaments prior to Morrill s current run with USU. In the past five years, Morrill has led USU to an amazing record, and those 128 wins are the seventh-most in the country over that time period. In league play, Utah State has recorded an record with three regular season league championships and three tournament titles. With its recent success, Utah State basketball is now regarded as one of the top 40 programs in the country. USU has notched seven 20-win seasons in the past eight years and four 25-win seasons in the past seven years. Furthermore, Utah State has advanced to postseason play in six of the last seven seasons with four NCAA Tournament appearances and two National Invitation Tournament appearances. Utah State has notched five of the top six seasons in school history during the last five years as the Aggies set a school record with 28 wins during the season, tied that record with 28 wins during the season, and notched the third-most wins in school history during the season with 25 victories. During the season, Morrill guided Utah State to its third Big West regular season championship in the last five years along with its fifth straight postseason appearance as USU appeared in the National Invitation Tournament. USU was also ranked among the top-25 teams in the country for the first time since 1978 and had a streak of being ranked in the top-25 for seven straight weeks to end the regular season. Furthermore, the Aggie basketball team finished the season as the sixth-best defensive team in the country, allowing just 58.1 points per game. USU also finished first in the country in fewest personal fouls committed per game (14.3), third in field goal percentage (50.9) and seventh in three-point field goal percentage (40.1). For the first time in school history and for only the sixth time in the history of the Big West Conference, USU had three first-team all-league selections as seniors Mark Brown and Cardell Butler and sophomore Nate Harris received the honor, while junior Spencer Nelson was named to the league s all-second team. Nelson was also named the Hustle Player of the Year in the conference for the second consecutive year, while Harris was named the league s Sixth Man of the Year. Overall, Morrill has coached eight first-team all-league players at Utah State who have won the award a total of 10 times. Morrill has also taken full advantage of the home court at USU, the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. In Morrill s six years, USU is an amazing 84-8 (.913) at home, which includes a 47-4 (.922) record in league play. As for Morrill, he has won 20 or more games on nine different occasions during his career, and he has won at least 17 games 15 times. The 143 wins by Morrill are the most in USU history by any Aggie coach in his first six seasons, as are his 79 league wins. Furthermore, his 143 wins at Utah State are the fourth-most in school history. Morrill has also been named the Big West Conference Coach of the Year (2000, 2002) twice in his six years at USU, along with winning the Big SKy award while the head coach at Montana in Academics and community service have also been of top priority to Morrill and his staff as all of the team members are involved with USU s CHAMPS/Life Skills Program within the community. In his first five years, 15 of 18 seniors have received degrees from Utah State, and three of his players were named academic all-conference during the season. Morrill, who was born in Provo, Utah and attended Provo High School, owns a career record of in 18 years of collegiate coaching, including a record at Utah State in six years, a record in seven years at Colorado State ( ), and a mark in five campaigns at Montana ( ). There are several reasons that I was attracted to Utah State, Morrill said. The first was being a Utah native so that it is a homecoming of sorts for me. My mom, brother and sister all live within an hour and a half of Logan. I am very familiar with the tradition of Utah State basketball and can name the greats as well as any alumni could, Morrill added. It is a good basketball situation and the premier job in the Big West Conference. My family will love the quality of the community of Logan. It is a great place to live and that is very important to me and my family. It just made sense to us. The 51-year old ranks second on the CSU victory list and second in winning percentage. He guided the Rams to back-to-back 20-win seasons the last two years in Fort Collins, with identical 20-9 marks. During the season, CSU made its second trip to the NIT in the last three years. Morrill guided CSU to two of its six all-time 20-win seasons and won at least 17 games five times in his seven years. In fact, Morrill-led CSU teams own three of the top seven winning seasons in school history. During his tenure at Colorado State, he coached three first-team all- WAC selections, one second-team pick and six honorable mention choices. Three of his players were named to the WAC all-tournament team. After his collegiate playing career, which included being named an All- American at nearby Ricks (Idaho) Junior College and a two-time all-big Sky selection at Gonzaga, Morrill played professionally in Europe. His coaching career began as an assistant coach at Gonzaga from and then took him to Montana where he was an assistant from working for Mike Montgomery, who guided Stanford to the Final Four last, Jim Brandenburg and Jud Heathcote, who recently retired after a successful career, which included a national championship at Michigan State. Morrill took over the Montana program in 1987 before moving to Colorado State in He is known for his deep-rooted values, consistency, hard work, dedication, honesty, integrity and concern for the welfare of his student-athletes. Morrill earned a bachelor s degree in sociology from Gonzaga in He was born July 25, 1952 in Provo, Utah. He and his wife Vicki have four children; sons Jesse (26) and Allan (24) and daughters Nicole (21) and Tiffany (18).

8 Opponent Montana CSU USU Total Adams State Air Force Albany American Arkansas State Austin Peay State Boise State Boston Brigham Young Bucknell Cal Poly Cal State Fullerton Cal State Northridge Centenary Central Washington Chaminade Chicago State Cleveland State Colorado Colorado-Colo. Springs Colorado State Connecticut Creighton Denver Drake East Carolina Eastern Kentucky Eastern Montana Eastern Washington Florida Florida A&M Fort Lewis Fresno State Georgia Southern Georgia Tech Gonzaga Hawai i Hawai i-hilo Houston Baptist Idaho Idaho State Illinois State Jackson State Kansas Kent State Lafayette Long Beach State Lewis & Clark State McNeese State Mercer Mesa College Metro State Minnesota Monmouth Montana State Montana Tech Nebraska Nevada Nevada-Las Vegas Morrill vs. The Nation Opponent Montana CSU USU Total New Mexico New Mexico State Norfolk State North Carolina North Dakota State North Texas NE Louisiana Northern Arizona Northern Colorado Ohio Ohio State Oregon Pacific Pacific Lutheran Portland Rice St. Mary s St. Peter s San Diego San Diego State San Francisco San Jose State Santa Clara Seattle Simon Fraser South Florida Southeast Missouri Southern California Southern Methodist So. Oregon State SW Texas State Stanford Texas A&M Texas-El Paso Texas Pan American Texas Tech Toledo Troy State UC Irvine UCLA UC-San Diego UC Riverside UC Santa Barbara U.S. International Utah Utah State Valparaiso Vermont Washington Washington State Weber State West Texas A&M Western Michigan Western State Western Washington Whitman Whitworth Wisconsin-LaCrosse Wisconsin-Stout Wyoming TOTALS Morrill Year-By-Year Coaching Record Year School Overall Pct. Conf. Place 1987 Montana rd 1988 Montana t6th 1989 Montana rd 1990 Montana rd 1991 Montana st 1992 Colorado State th 1993 Colorado State th 1994 Colorado State th 1995 Colorado State t7th 1996 Colorado State th 1997 Colorado State th 1998 Colorado State th 1999 Utah State th 2000 Utah State st 2001 Utah State nd 2002 Utah State T-1st 2003 Utah State rd 2004 Utah State T-1st Totals 18 Years Years School Overall Pct. Conf. Pct Montana Colorado State Utah State Totals 18 Years Morrill File Coaching Experience Assistant Gonzaga Assistant Montana Head Coach Montana Head Coach Colorado State Head Coach Utah State Playing Experience Ricks JC Rexburg, Idaho Gonzaga Spokane, Wash Professional France Education 1970 Provo H.S. Provo, Utah 1974 Gonzaga Sociology Personal Born July 25, 1952 in Provo, Utah Married to the former Vicki Hellegaard of Westvy, Mont. Children: Jesse (26), Allan (24), Nicole (21) and Tiffany (18).

9 COACHING STAFF Assistant Coach (Entering Seventh Season at Utah State) Alma Mater (Cal State Stanislaus, 1989) Entering his 12th season with head coach Stew Morrill and his seventh year at Utah State is Don Verlin. Verlin spent two tenures at Colorado State, before joining Morrill at USU. Verlin spent the 1992 season as an assistant at Colorado State before moving to Cal-State Bakersfield for the 1993 and 1994 seasons. During his two seasons as an asst. in California, CS-Bakersfield won back-toback NCAA Division II national championships. Verlin returned to Colorado State ahead of the 1995 season and then spent the next five seasons in Fort Collins. Prior to his first stint at Colorado State, Verlin was an assistant at Columbia (Calif.) Junior College from Columbia posted a record in his three years there and won two conference championships. While at Columbia he coached former Aggie Roddie Anderson. The 39-year old graduated from Cal State-Stanislaus with a degree in physical education in He earned a master s degree in education from Colorado State in Born June 15, 1965 in Roseville, Calif., Verlin graduated from Del Oro High School in Loomis, Calif. He and his wife, the former Serena Shumway, have one son (Jacob, 7) and one daughter (Sydnee, 1). Rahe File Don Verlin Assistant Coach (Entering Fourth Season at Utah State) Alma Mater (North Texas, 1988) Entering his fourth year at Utah State is Tim Duryea. Duryea (pronounced Dur-E-A) joined the Aggie coaching staff in July of Prior to joining the Aggies, Duryea was the head coach at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College from During his two years at the helm, his teams produced a record, and back-to-back trips to the Region Six Championships. A 1988 graduate of the University of North Texas, Duryea began his coaching career in 1988 at Colorado State University before moving on to North Texas in Duryea then went to Hutchinson Community College as an assistant coach for five seasons before becoming the head coach there prior to the season. Duryea played basketball at Denton (Texas) High School and Texas Pan-American before transfering to North Texas. At UNT, Duryea was a co-captain in 1988 for the only team in school history to advance to the NCAA Tournament. He was born in Medicine Lodge, Kan. on Nov. 16, He and his wife Angie have eightyear old twins, Tanner (son) and Taylor (daughter), and a one year old daughter (Kaylee). Verlin File Coaching Experience Assistant, Columbia (Calif.) JC, Assistant, Colorado State, 1992 Assistant Cal State Bakersfield, Assistant, Colorado State, Assistant, Utah State, 1999-present Education Del Oro (Loomis, Calif.) HS, 1983 Cal State Stanislaus, 1989 (bachelor s degree in physical education) Colorado State, 1992 (master s in education) Personal Born June 15, 1965 in Roseville, Calif. Married to the former Serena Shumway. The couple has one son, Jacob (7) and one daughter, Sydnee (1). Tim Duryea Duryea File Coaching Experience Assistant, Colorado State, Assistant, North Texas, Assistant, Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, Head Coach, Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, Assistant, Utah State, 2002-present Education Denton (Texas) HS, 1983 North Texas, 1988 (bachelor s degree in business administration) Personal Born Nov. 16, 1964 in Medicine Lodge, Kan. Married to the former Angie Knox. The couple have eight-year old twins, Tanner (son) and Taylor (daughter), and a one year old daughter (Kaylee).

10 Assistant Coach (Entering First Season at Utah State) Alma Mater (UNLV, 1991) Entering his first year at Utah State is Dave Rice. Rice joined the Aggie coaching staff in April of Rice has spent the last 11 seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas which is the second-longest tenure ever for an assistant in that program. During his 11 years at UNLV, Rice worked under four head coaches in Jerry Tarkanian, Tim Grgurich, Bill Bayno and Charlie Spoonhour. Over the last eight years, UNLV has played in the postseason seven times and has averaged 20 wins per year. Prior to his 11-year tenure at UNLV, Rice served as an assistant coach for one season at Chaffey (Calif.) College helping that team to a 32-6 record and an appearance in the California State Final Four. He also spent one season as an assistant at Claremont High School as that team went 21-7 and reached the CIF quarterfinals. Rice, who earned his bachelor's degree in political science from UNLV in 1991 and his MBA in 1993, was a member of the Runnin' Rebel's National Championship team and the Final Four team that won a school record 45 consecutive games including 31 straight away from home. Rice was also a two-time UNLV Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a Rhodes Scholar candidate. Prior to signing at UNLV, Rice began his playing career at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif., were he earned all-south Coast Conference honors as a sophomore as well as being chosen as the 1989 California Junior College Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Rice was born in Pomona, Calif., on Aug. 29, 1968 and graduated from Claremont High School in Claremont, Calif., in He and his wife Mindy have two sons, Travis (7) and Dylan (2). Dave Rice Rice File Coaching Experience Assistant, UNLV, 1992 Assistant, Claremont (Calif.) HS, 1993 Assistant, Chaffey (Calif.) College, 1994 Assistant, UNLV, Assistant, Utah State, 2004-present Education Claremont (Calif.) HS, 1986 UNLV, 1991 (bachelor s degree in political science) UNLV, 1993 (master s in business adminstration) Personal Born Aug. 29, 1968 in Pomona, Calif. Married to the former Mindy Wright. The couple have two sons, Travis (7) and Dylan (2). The Utah State basketball team was ranked among the top-25 in the nation for the first time since USU also posted its fifth straight 20-win season and advanced to its fifth straight postseason tournament. The Aggies claimed its third Big West regular season championship in the last five years and recorded the school s best winning percentage ever (.862).

11 CALVIN BROWN 21 Senior Guard 5-10, 165, 3L East Palo Alto, Calif. Eastside Prep This Season: Will provide Utah State with a pure point guard who is exceptionally quick... Has a great understanding of coach Morrill s system and knows how to run the offense... Needs to improve his jump shot... Has the potential to be a very good defender Season (Jr.): Played in 11 games on the season, including seven Big West contests... Logged a season-high 10 minutes against Fort Lewis College in the first game of the season... Also had a season-high three assists, one rebound and his first career block against the Skyhawks... Scored his first points of the year against Long Beach State on Jan. 31 in Logan, and also had two points against the 49ers on Feb. 26 in Long Beach... Averaged 3.1 minutes, 0.4 points and 0.8 assists per game, while shooting 40.0 percent from the field Season (So.): Appeared in 17 games as a back-up point guard, including nine league games... Played a season-high 13 minutes against Whitman College... Scored a season-high three points against both Hawai i-hilo and Long Beach State... Had a season-high three assists at Jackson State... Averaged 4.8 minutes, 0.5 points and 0.6 assists per outing, while shooting 42.9 percent from the field Season (R-Fr.): Appeared in 19 games for USU including each of the final Played a season-high 16 minutes in each of the last two games against UC Santa Barbara in the Big West Championship game and Montana State in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament... Scored a career-high four points against Centenary in the Gossner Foods Classic and tied his season with four points against Pacific in the semifinals of the Big West Tournament... Had a career-high four Career Highs Points... 4 (2) vs. Pacific (3/8/02) FG Made... 1 (13) at Long Beach State (2/26/04) FG Attempted... 4 at Cal State Fullerton (1/19/02) FT Made... 2 (2) vs. Pacific (3/8/02) FT Attempted... 4 Whitman (11/26/02) Rebounds... 2 (7) vs. Cal State Fullerton (3/13/03) Assists... 4 UC Riverside (2/16/02) Steals... 2 at Cal State Northridge (3/2/02) Blocks... 1 Fort Lewis College (11/21/03) 3PT Made... 3PT Attempted... 1 at Cal State Fullerton (1/19/02) Minutes Played (2) Montana State (3/12/02) Turnovers... 3 (5) at Cal State Northridge (3/2/02) assists against UC Riverside Season (RS): A valuable member of the scout squad who redshirted his first year at Utah State. High School: Averaged 17.0 points and 3.5 assists per game at Eastside Prep, leading the team to a 24-6 record and the league championship... Was a two-time first-team all-league performer... Was the Most Valuable Player of his league his junior and senior seasons... His team won its league his last three years. Personal: Born Jan. 8, 1982 in Stanford, Calif... Son of Calvin Brown Sr., and Carmen Robinson... Has one brother and two sisters... A business administration major. Brown s Career Statistics Year GP-GS Min-Avg. FG Pct. 3FG Pct. FT Pct. Pts. Avg. Reb. Avg. PF-D Ast. TO Blk. Stl (R-Fr.) (So.) (Jr.) Total

12 NATE HARRIS 4 Junior Forward 6-7, 225, 2L Smithfield, Utah Sky View HS All-Big West Candidate First Team All-Big West (2004) Big West Sixth Man of the Year (2004) Big West Player of the Week - 1/19/04, 1/26/04, 2/2/04 Big West All-Freshman Team (2003) This Season: An outstanding talent who will play both post positions... Has tremendous low post moves and is one of the best defenders in the league... Possesses a lot of the same qualities that former Aggie great Tony Brown had... Has great hands Season (So.): Is the first Aggie ever to earn first-team all-big West honors as a sophomore and only the ninth player in the history of the league to accomplish that feat... Became the first player in USU history to earn the league s Sixth Man of the Year award after starting 15 of the team s 29 games... Named the Big West Conference Player of the Week three straight weeks during the league season which is also a school record... Joins former Aggies Desmond Penigar and Eric Franson as the only USU players to earn three Player of the Week honors in the same year... Is the first player in the Big West Conference to earn three straight Player of the Week honors since Pacific s Michael Olowokandi accomplished the feat during the 1998 season... Finished the year by setting a new school record in field goal percentage by shooting 67.7 percent from the floor, breaking the old mark of 66.2 percent set by Greg Houskeeper during the season... Led the team in blocked shots with 27, was second on the team in scoring at 11.7 points per game and rebounding at 6.1 boards per game, and third in minutes played at Was also named the Co-Defensive Player of the Year by his teammates, along with Cardell Butler... Was a perfect three-ofthree from three-point range... Also led the team with 19 double-figure scoring games, including nine straight at one point in the season... Had four double-figure rebounding games and notched three double-doubles on the year... Career Highs Points Long Beach State (1/31/04) FG Made at UC Riverside (1/24/04) FG Attempted at UC Riverside (1/24/04) FT Made... 7 Long Beach State (1/31/04) FT Attempted... 8 (2) Long Beach State (1/31/04) Rebounds at Cal State Northridge (2/12/04) Assists... 8 Cal State Fullerton (2/21/04) Steals... 5 Brigham Young (12/23/03) Blocks... 4 Pacific (1/15/04) 3PT Made... 1 (3) Long Beach State (1/31/04) 3PT Attempted... 1 (7) Long Beach State (1/31/04) Minutes Played UC Riverside (2/19/04) Turnovers... 6 at Cal State Northridge (2/12/04) Scored 20 or more points three times, including a careerhigh 26 points against Long Beach State on Jan Had back-to-back 20-point games at Cal State Fullerton (22) and UC Riverside (25) starting in place of the injuried Spencer Nelson... Had a career-high 13 rebounds at Cal State Northridge and notched a career-high eight assists against Cal State Fullerton... Led the team with five charges taken on the year and was third on the team with six dunks... Played a career-high 41 minutes against UC Riverside... Ranked first in the Big West in field goal percentage (.677), sixth in blocked shots (0.93), and ninth in rebounding (6.1)... His career 65.3 field goal percentage ranks first all-time at Utah State, breaking the mark of Greg Houskeeper who shot 62.2 percent from the field during his career Season (R-Fr.): Played in all 33 games in his first season at the Division I level... Started one game during the year against Cal State Fullerton in the opening round of the 2003 Big West Tournament... Became the first Aggie in five years to be named to the league s all-freshman team... Averaged 5.1 points and Harris Career Statistics Year GP-GS Min-Avg. FG Pct. 3FG Pct. FT Pct. Pts. Avg. Reb. Avg. PF-D Ast. TO Blk. Stl (R-Fr.) (So.) Total

13 3.2 rebounds per game in 16.8 minutes of action... Shot 60.9 percent from the field, which was second-best on the team... Scored in double-figures six times during the season, including 13 point outings against UC Irvine, UC Riverside and Idaho... Best game of the season came against UC Santa Barbara as he was 6-of-6 from the field and scored 12 points to go along with seven rebounds... Played a seasonhigh 29 minutes in both regular season games against UC Irvine... Recorded 21 steals on the season which was the third-most on the team, and had a season-high four steals against UC Irvine Season (RS): Redshirted his first year at Utah State. High School: Named the Gatorade, Salt Lake Tribune and Utah Tip-Off Club-Frank Layden Player of the Year in the state of Utah as a senior... A first-team all-state selection as a junior and senior and a two-time Herald Journal Player of the Year in Cache Valley... Named the Region Four Player of the Year as a junior and senior... Averaged 23.0 points and 13.0 rebounds per game as a senior and 18.0 points and 12.0 rebounds per game as a junior... His teams went undefeated in the region in his three years and won three straight region championships... Sky View advanced to the second round of the state tournament his junior and senior seasons and to the semifinals his sophomore season... Was also an all-district quarterback... Threw for 1,700 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior. Personal: Born Jan. 22, 1983 in Logan, Utah... One of six children of Norene and Jeff Harris... Enjoys waterskiing and camping... An exercise science major.

14 CHRIS HUBER 23 Junior Guard 6-1, 190, 1L Garland, Utah Bear River HS Dixie State (Utah) College This Season: A tough, hard-nosed player with tremendous work ethic... A very good defender with excellent range... Can play both the point and shooting guard positions Season (So.): Played in all 29 games and started one in his first season at Utah State... Averaged 3.9 points, 1.8 assists and 1.1 rebounds while shooting 36.8 percent from the field, 33.8 percent from three-point range, and 65.4 percent from the free-throw line... Finished third on the team with 25 made three-pointers and fourth on the team with 52 assists... Scored a season-high nine points at Cal State Fullerton and had a season-high six assists at UC Riverside... Played a season-high 32 minutes against UC Irvine... Recorded four or more assists in five games during the season. Career Highs Points... 9 at Cal State Fullerton (1/22/04) FG Made... 3 Illinois State (11/29/03) FG Attempted... 7 Cal Poly (2/5/04) FT Made... 3 (2) UC Riverside (2/19/04) FT Attempted... 6 UC Riverside (2/19/04) Rebounds... 3 (2) Idaho (1/3/04) Assists... 6 at UC Riverside (1/24/04) Steals... 2 (3) Long Beach State (1/31/04) Blocks... 1 at Cal Poly (1/10/04) 3PT Made... 2 (6) at Idaho (3/5/04) 3PT Attempted... 6 Cal Poly (2/5/04) Minutes Played UC Irvine (1/29/04) Turnovers... 4 Brigham Young (12/23/03) Junior College: Started 29 games at point guard for Dixie State College in St. George, Utah as the Rebels finished the season with a 30-6 record and a third-place finish at the NJCAA National Tournament... Averaged 8.4 points, 3.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game as a freshman... Shot 39.2 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from three-point range. High School: A three-time first-team all-state selection at Bear River High School in Garland, Utah... Led his team to the 3A state championship during his senior season in Averaged just under 17 points per game during his senior year. Personal: Born November 20, 1980 in Salt Lake City, Utah... One of five children of Gary and Denise Huber... Majoring in business management... Served an LDS Church Mission in South Korea... Married to the former TaKara Thomas in May, Huber s Career Statistics Year GP-GS Min-Avg. FG Pct. 3FG Pct. FT Pct. Pts. Avg. Reb. Avg. PF-D Ast. TO Blk. Stl (So.)

15 IAN MCVEY 31 Senior Forward/Center 6-9, 225, 1L Princeton, Minn. Princeton HS Fergus Falls (Minn.) JC This Season: Has a nice touch around the basket and is a good shot blocker... Should have a much larger role on the team as a senior after a year under his belt Season (R-Jr.): Played in 18 games on the season, including 10 league contests... Averaged 1.8 points and 1.7 rebounds in 6.2 minutes per game... Began the season by scoring five points to go along with a season-high 11 rebounds and four blocks against Fort Lewis College in 18 minutes off the bench... Had a season-high seven points at Long Beach State to go along with four rebounds in 12 minutes... Shot 66.7 percent from the field (12-18) and free throw line (8-12) Season (RS): Redshirted his first year at Utah State. Career Highs Points... 7 at Long Beach State (2/26/04) FG Made... 2 (3) at Long Beach State (2/26/04) FG Attempted... 3 (4) at Long Beach State (2/26/04) FT Made... 3 (2) at Long Beach State (2/26/04) FT Attempted... 3 (2) at Long Beach State (2/26/04) Rebounds Fort Lewis College (11/21/03) Assists... 1 Fort Lewis College (11/21/03) Steals... 1 Cal State Northridge (1/17/04) Blocks... 4 Fort Lewis College (11/21/03) 3PT Made... 3PT Attempted... Minutes Played Fort Lewis College (11/21/03) Turnovers... 3 (3) at Long Beach State (2/26/04) Junior College: A two-time all-conference, all-division and all-region selection at Fergus Falls (Minn.) Junior College... Averaged 17.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game as a sophomore... Shot 56.7 percent from the field and 77.3 percent from the free throw line... Named MVP of his team as a sophomore... Averaged 13.0 points and 8.0 rebounds as a freshman. High School: Averaged 14.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game during his senior year... A two-time all-conference selection... Also an all-state track athlete in the high jump... Heavily recruited out of high school by a number of Big 10 and Big 12 schools to compete in the high jump. Personal: Born July 4, 1982 in Oklahoma City, Okla... One of three children of Warren and Kay McVey... Majoring in general business... Enjoys playing all sports and hunting. McVey s Career Statistics Year GP-GS Min-Avg. FG Pct. 3FG Pct. FT Pct. Pts. Avg. Reb. Avg. PF-D Ast. TO Blk. Stl (R-Jr.)

16 JOHN NEIL 25 Senior Forward 6-6, 210, 1L Los Altos, Calif. Pinewood HS Canada (Calif.) JC Academic All-Big West (2004) This Season: Has a nice touch from the perimeter and can drive the ball to the basket... Is a solid defender... Will continue to improve as he gains confidence and continues to get more playing time Season (R-Jr.): Played in 26 games at the small forward position and started his first career game at Weber State... Scored a season-high 11 points against Fort Lewis College in his first game of the season... Played a season-high 20 minutes against Long Beach State and pulled down a season-high six rebounds in that contest... Finished the year by shooting 47.0 percent from the field... Averaged 2.6 points and 1.3 rebounds in 11.1 minutes per game... An academic all-big West selection Season (RS): Redshirted his first year at Utah State. Junior College: A first-team all-conference selection as a sophomore at Canada (Calif.) Junior College and a second-team allconference selection as a freshman... Averaged 12 points and six rebounds per game as a freshman and 14 points and eight rebounds per game as a sophomore... Shot 51 percent from the field, 41 percent from three-point range and 82 percent from the free-throw line as a sophomore... Canada averaged 25 wins a year during his two seasons. Career Highs Points Fort Lewis College (11/21/03) FG Made... 5 Fort Lewis College (11/21/03) FG Attempted Fort Lewis College (11/21/03) FT Made... 1 (3) UC Riverside (2/19/04) FT Attempted... 2 (2) at Pacific (2/14/04) Rebounds... 6 Long Beach State (1/31/04) Assists... 3 Fort Lewis College (11/21/03) Steals... 1 (4) Cal State Fullerton (2/21/04) Blocks... 3PT Made... 1 (2) Long Beach State (1/31/04) 3PT Attempted... 2 (2) Long Beach State (1/31/04) Minutes Played Long Beach State (1/31/04) Turnovers... 3 at Cal State Northridge (2/12/04) Personal: Born April 23, 1980 in Mountain View, Calif... Son of Martin and Elizabeth Neil... A Spanish major... Enjoys playing all sports and cooking... Served an LDS Church Mission in Venezuela before enrolling at Utah State. High School: An all-conference and all-state selection at Pinewood High School in Los Altos, Calif... Averaged 24 points and 12 rebounds per game as a senior... Named first-team allleague and was the team s MVP his senior season... Had career-highs of 43 points and 17 rebounds... Was also named the MVP of the men s volleyball team and most improved player as a senior. Neil s Career Statistics Year GP-GS Min-Avg. FG Pct. 3FG Pct. FT Pct. Pts. Avg. Reb. Avg. PF-D Ast. TO Blk. Stl (R-Jr.)

17 SPENCER NELSON 32 Senior Forward 6-8, 225, 3L Pocatello, Idaho Pocatello HS All-Big West Candidate Second Team All-Big West (2004) Big West Hustle Player of the Year (2004) Big West Player of the Week - 1/12/04, 1/13/03 Honorable Mention All-Big West (2003) Big West Co-Hustle Player of the Year (2003) Academic All-Big West (2003 & 2004) This Season: Will once again be one of the top players in the Big West Conference... Has the ability to play inside and out and has become more versatile... An outstanding low-post player with the agility of a guard... A tremendous rebounder on both ends of the court... Has a nice mid-range touch and can shoot the three... Will provide Utah State with outstanding senior leadership and is without a doubt the leader of the team Season (Jr.): Named second-team all-big West after finishing the year third on the team in scoring with 11.5 points and first in rebounding with 7.8 boards in 26.1 minutes per game... Named the league s Hustle Player of the Year for the second consecutive season... Was also an academic all-big West selection for the second straight year... Voted by his teammates as the Most Inspirational Player for the second straight year... Named the Big West Conference Player of the Week on Jan. 12 after leading USU to a pair of road wins at UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly... Finished the year third in the league in rebounding... Started 25 games and played in Missed games at Cal State Fullerton and UC Riverside after suffering a broken nose in practice... Scored a careerhigh 24 points against Hawai i in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament... Recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 10 assists against New Mexico State in the championship game of the 2003 Gossner Foods Classic as he was named the tournaments Career Highs Points Hawai i (3/17/04) FG Made... 8 (3) Hawai i (3/17/04) FG Attempted Hawai i (3/17/04) FT Made... 9 Brigham Young (12/23/03) FT Attempted (2) Cal Poly (2/5/04) Rebounds Idaho State (12/28/02) Assists New Mexico State (12/30/03) Steals... 4 at Cal State Northridge (2/12/04) Blocks... 3 Weber State (12/21/02) 3PT Made... 2 (2) Hawai i (3/17/04) 3PT Attempted... 3 (2) at UC Irvine (2/28/04) Minutes Played at UC Santa Barbara (2/6/03) Turnovers... 6 at Idaho (2/1/03) MVP... Also had nine rebounds against the New Mags... Scored in double-figures 16 times on the season and led the team with five double-doubles... Had eight double-figure rebounding games... Shot 60.0 percent from the field, 73.9 percent from the free throw line, and 47.6 percent from three-point range (10-21)... Was second on the team with 75 assists and third with 17 blocks and 28 steals... Finished the year by scoring in double-figures in six of the final seven games... Was third on the team with six dunks and second with three charges taken... Currently ranks 16th all-time at Utah State with 547 rebounds, while his 45 career blocks ranks ninth all-time... Ranks second all-time in field goal percentage with his 62.9 percent, trailing teammate Nate Harris Season (R-So.): Earned honorable mention all-big West honors after leading the league in rebounding with 7.4 boards per contest... Was also named the Co-Hustle Player of the Year in the conference... Started 23 games on the season and played in all Finished second on the team in scoring at 10.2 points Nelson s Career Statistics Year GP-GS Min-Avg. FG Pct. 3FG Pct. FT Pct. Pts. Avg. Reb. Avg. PF-D Ast. TO Blk. Stl (Fr.) (R-So.) (Jr.) Totals

18 per game and led the team in field goal percentage at 65.3 percent... Also led the team with 20 blocked shots and was fourth on the team in assists with Scored in doublefigures 17 times on the season and recorded five doubledoubles... Also had seven double-figure rebounding games... Named the Big West Conference Player of the Week on Jan. 13 after leading the Aggies to a pair of home wins over Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara... Best game of the season came against Long Beach State when he was 8- of-11 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line en route to a then career-high 21 points and nine rebounds... Recorded a career-high 14 rebounds against Idaho State... Took four charges on the season, which was the secondmost on the team... Also notched eight dunks which was third-best... Was voted the Most Inspirational player on the squad by his teammates... An academic all-big West selection Season (RS): Redshirted after suffering a knee injury on Oct. 31 during practice, as an MRI revealed a torn anterior cruciate ligament, a partial tear to the medial collateral ligament and a bone bruise Season (Fr.): Played in all 28 games for Utah State as a true freshman... Averaged 4.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 12.0 minutes per game... Scored a season-high 11 points against Lafayette in the championship game of the Gossner Foods Classic and also had 11 points against Cal Poly... Played a season-high 24 minutes against the Mustangs... Also had 10 rebounds against Cal Poly... His other double-double of the season came against Lafayette with a season-high 12 rebounds to go along with his 11 points... Shot 63.6 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three-point range. High School: Was the Idaho A-1 Player of the Year as a senior in Averaged 22.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 blocks per game as a senior... As a junior, he averaged 14.1 points, 10.3 rebounds and shot 62.5 percent from the field... Hit 43.3 percent of his three-pointers and sank 73.0 percent of his free throws as a senior... Also averaged 5.0 assists per game... Earned second-team all-state honors and first-team all-region honors as a junior... Was a four-year letterwinner in tennis, claiming the men s doubles state championship in 1998 and finishing third in mixed doubles in Personal: Born July 11, 1980 in Pocatello, Idaho... Son of Jim and Michele Spencer... Graduated in May of 2004 with a degree in accounting and will enter the MBA program at USU in the fall... Older brother J.T. Nelson played basketball at Idaho State University... Served a LDS Church mission in Oklahoma... Completed an investment banking internship in New York City during the summer of Will be named the Multiple Sclerosis Society Utah State Chapter Collegiate Male Athlete of the Year in September, 2004.

19 JASON WILLIAMS 30 Senior Forward 6-7, 198, 1L Vallejo, Calif. Vallejo HS Santa Rosa (Calif.) JC This Season: Will be counted on for more production at both ends of the court during his senior season... A good outside shooter with above average passing skills... Needs to become a better defender... Played at the same junior college (Santa Rosa) as former Aggie Dion Bailey Season (Jr.): Played in all 29 games and started the final 27 at the small forward position... Averaged 6.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 22.5 minutes per game... Shot 41.3 percent from the field, 36.2 percent from three-point range and 80.0 percent from the free throw line... Scored in double-figures six times on the season, including a season-high 15 points against Cal State Northridge on Jan Had a season-high seven rebounds versus Cal Poly and played a season-high 32 minutes against the Matadors in the Big West Tournament. Career Highs Points Cal State Northridge (1/17/04) FG Made... 4 (6) vs. Cal State Northridge (3/12/04) FG Attempted vs. Cal State Northridge (3/12/04) FT Made... 7 Cal State Northridge (1/17/04) FT Attempted... 8 Cal State Northridge (1/17/04) Rebounds... 7 Cal Poly (2/5/04) Assists... 3 at Cal State Northridge (2/12/04) Steals...2 (2) Jackson State (12/18/03) Blocks... 1 (6) at Cal State Northridge (2/12/04) 3PT Made... 3 vs. Cal State Northridge (3/12/04) 3PT Attempted... 5 (2) vs. Cal State Northridge (3/12/04) Minutes Played vs. Cal State Northridge (3/12/04) Turnovers... 3 (2) at UC Riverside (1/24/04) Junior College: Earned all-state and all-conference honors both years at Santa Rosa (Calif.) Junior College and was named the team s MVP as a sophomore leading his club to a 26-8 record... Averaged 17.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore and 16.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game as a freshman... During his sophomore season, he shot 71.1 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from threepoint range... Was rated as the best junior college small forward in California by Networx Basketball Scouting Services. High School: Averaged 16.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game as a senior at Vallejo High School in Vallejo, Calif. Personal: Born August 21, 1983 in Chicago, Ill... One of six children of Mary Williams... Majoring in criminal justice and would like to become a probation officer after college. Williams Career Statistics Year GP-GS Min-Avg. FG Pct. 3FG Pct. FT Pct. Pts. Avg. Reb. Avg. PF-D Ast. TO Blk. Stl (Jr.)

20 TYLER WILLIAMS 24 Senior Guard 6-1, 200, SQ Santa Cruz, Calif. Santa Cruz HS Cabrillo (Calif.) JC This Season: A very good shooter who will add plenty of depth to the guard position... A valuable member to the scout team Season (Jr.): Appeared in five games for Utah State as a walk-on... Scored a season-high three points against San Francisco in the 2003 Gossner Foods Classic on one-of-one shooting from three-point range... Added two points against Cal State Fullerton... Shot 66.7 percent from the field (2-3) and 50.0 percent from three-point range (1-2). Junior College: Averaged 13.4 points, 3.2 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game at Cabrillo Junior College in Santa Cruz, Calif... Was ranked as one of the top-10 three-point shooters in the state as a sophomore with a 48.3 field goal percentage from behind the arc... Earned honorable mention all-conference honors as a sophomore. Career Highs Points... 3 San Francisco (12/29/03) FG Made... 1 (2) Cal State Fullerton (2/21/04) FG Attempted... 1 (3) Cal State Fullerton (2/21/04) FT Made... FT Attempted... Rebounds... Assists... Steals... Blocks... 3PT Made... 1 San Francisco (12/29/03) 3PT Attempted... 1 (2) Long Beach State (1/31/04) Minutes Played... 2 San Francisco (12/29/03) Turnovers... 1 (2) Long Beach State (1/31/04) High School: Was a four-year starter at Santa Cruz High School, leading his team to three straight league championships... Averaged 14.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game as a senior... During his senior season, he earned all-league honors as he team went 26-6 on the season. Personal: Born February 4, 1982 in Santa Cruz, Calif... One of four children of Joe and Sheri Williams... Majoring in construction management... His dad played baseball at Cal-Berkeley. Williams Career Statistics Year GP-GS Min-Avg. FG Pct. 3FG Pct. FT Pct. Pts. Avg. Reb. Avg. PF-D Ast. TO Blk. Stl (Jr.)

21 MARQUES CRANE Junior Guard/Forward 6-4, 210, JC Bellflower, Calif. Ocean View HS 1 Saddleback (Calif.) JC This Season: Should have an immediate impact on the team and see significant playing time at both the shooting guard and small forward positions... A strong and extremely athletic player who can shoot the three and drive to the basket... Is also a solid rebounder... Has the tools to be one of the best all-around players in the Big West Conference Season (TR): Did not play during the season as he was finishing some required course work. Junior College: Was named the Orange Empire Conference Most Valuable Player as a sophomore and a first-team all-state selection as he led Saddleback (Calif.) Junior College to the conference championship... Averaged 16.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game as a sophomore, while shooting 46 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range, and 75 percent from the free throw line... Had season highs of 34 points and 16 rebounds... Was named the Co-MVP of the Orange Empire Conference along with former Aggie Mark Brown during his freshman year as Saddleback went 33-4 and won the state championship... Also named honorable mention all-state as a freshman as he averaged 14.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game and shot 50 percent from the field, 36 percent from three-point range, and 80 percent from the free throw line. High School: Was named the CIF Player of the Year as a prep senior at Ocean View High School as he led his team to the semifinals of the state tournament... Averaged just under 23 points and eight rebounds during his senior season. Personal: Born on May 16, 1983 in Compton, Calif... One of four children of Tony and Jeri Crane... His dad played basketball at San Francisco State... Plans on majoring in sports management at Utah State... Enjoys playing video games.

22 CASSIANO MATHEUS Redshirt Junior Center 6-10, 235, RS Sao Paulo, Brazil 3 Externato Madir Alix HS South Plains (Texas) College This Season: A big, strong player who improved his skills during his redshirt season... Will provide the Aggies with a solid shot blocker... Has the potential to develop into an outstanding player at Utah State... Played on a great junior college team and he should adjust fine to the Division I level Season (RS): Redshirted his first year at Utah State. Junior College: Averaged 8.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as a sophomore at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas... Shot 57.6 percent from the field and led his team to a 31-4 record and the school s second straight apperance in the NJCAA National Tournament... Averaged 6.2 points and 4.1 reounds per game during his freshman season... Was rated as one of the top-100 players out of junior college. High School: Averaged 20.0 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game his senior season at Externato Madre Alix High School, leading his team to a second-place finish in the state playoffs... Had career-highs of 39 points, 21 rebounds and seven blocks... Was named all-state as a senior along with earning all-national Junior Team honors. Personal: Born February 25, 1982 in Sao Paulo, Brazil... Son of Carolina Young and Jorge Matheus... Has three sisters and one brother... A business marketing major... First name is pronounced Cass-e-ah-no... Last name is pronounced Ma-ta-os.

23 JIMMIE EDWARDS 22 Sophomore Guard 5-10, 160, SQ Malad, Idaho Malad HS This Season: A quick point guard with a nice shooting touch... Hasn t played organized basketball since graduating from high school in 1999, but will give USU a solid scout squad player Season (Fr.): Walked on and was a member of the scout team... Did not play in any games. High School: A two-year starter for Malad High School in Malad, Idaho... Averaged 12.5 points, six rebounds and six assists per game as a prep senior earning all-district honors...was also a three-year letterwinner on the football team and competed in track for one season. Personal: Born Feb. 10, 1981 in Logan, Utah... Son of Steven and Jean Edwards... A nutrition and foods science major... Enjoys playing golf and guitar... Served an LDS Church Mission in Brazil after high school... Is also an active member in the Army National Guard.

24 AGGIE SIGNEES Jaycee Carroll Guard, 6-2, 175, Freshman Evanston, Wyo. (Evanston HS) An excellent scorer who is also a very good athlete... Will take time to adjust to Division I basketball after not playing the past two years... Averaged 39.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.6 steals per game during his senior season at Evanston High School as he led the Red Devils to a fifth-place finish in the 4A state tournament... Named the Wyoming Gatorade Player of the Year as both a junior and senior... Averaged 27.4 points, 3.3 steals and 2.8 assists as a junior... Born on April 16, 1983 in Laramie, Wyo... One of three children of Jerry and Donna Carroll... May major in political science... Sister is a freshman on the Snow College women s basketball team... Served a two-year LDS Church Mission in Chile. Robert Cox Guard, 6-4, 190, Sophomore Macon, Ga. (Windsor Academy/Allen County (Kan.) CC) Has a huge upside at 6-4 and three years of eligibility at Utah State... Has good quickness to go along with outstanding length... Averaged 8.9 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block per game as a freshman at Allen County Community College in Kansas... Started 29 of the team s 32 games at point guard and shot 50 percent from the field and 32 percent from three-point range... Born on July 12, 1984 in Macon, Ga... Son of Brenda and Robert Cox... Has one brother... Plans on majoring in sports management at USU... Enjoys playing video games. Matt Formisano Forward, 6-8, 220, Freshman Centennial, Colo. (Heritage HS) Has good size and skill coming out of high school, but must adjust to the physical nature of Division I basketball... Averaged 15.2 points and seven rebounds per game as a prep senior at Heritage High School in Colorado... Earned first-team all-conference and second-team all-state honors as a senior leading Heritage to a 21-2 record and the Final Four of the 5A state tournament... Was second-team allleague and honorable mention all-state as a junior... Also participated in tennis... Born on Dec. 30, 1985 in Englewood, Colo... One of four children of Howard and Diane Formisano... Last name is pronounced Form-a-sa-no... Wants to major in political science... Enjoys going to the mountains. Danny Gray Forward, 6-8, 230, Junior Harlem, N.Y. (Art & Design Institute/Ventura (Calif.) JC) Has unlimited potential coming out of junior college... Needs skill improvement and has to decide how successful he wants to be at the Division I level... Has a great basketball body... Earned first-team all-conference honors as a sophomore as he averaged 10.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game as Ventura (Calif.) Junior College went 23-6 on the year, including a 12-0 mark in league play... Shot 62.1 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from the free throw line... Averaged 9.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game as a freshman, while shooting 60.0 percent from the field and 62.7 percent from the free throw line... Comes from the same junior college as former Aggie Desmond Penigar... Born Sept. 25, 1981 in New York, N.Y... Son of Janie Pugh... Brother James played basketball at Monroe College located in New York... Also has two sisters... Undecided on a college major... Enjoys drawing. David Pak Guard, 6-2, 200, Junior Orange, Calif. (Nelles HS/Saddleback (Calif.) JC) An excellent shooter who is very mature physcially... Could play both guard positions at Utah State... Named the Orange Empire Conference Most Valuable Player as a sophomore after leading Saddleback (Calif.) Junior College to the regional semifinals of the state tournament... Is the third straight Saddleback player to earn league MVP honors, joining former Aggie Mark Brown and current Aggie Marques Crane... Also named first-team all-state as a sophomore as he averaged 15.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, while shooting 39 percent from the field, 35 percent from three-point range and 74 percent from the free throw line... Named first-team all-conference as a freshman as he averaged 12.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists, while shooting 47 percent from the field, 41 percent from three-point range and 73 percent from the free throw line... Born on Dec. 25, 1976 in Enid, Oklahoma... Son of Kathy Nguyen... Has two sisters... Plans on majoring in sociology at Utah State. Tai Wesley Forward, 6-7, 230, Freshman Provo, Utah (Provo HS) A very skilled athlete who has a great feel for the game... An unselfish player who possess a lot of the same qualities as current Aggie Nate Harris... Named Mr. Basketball in the state of Utah by the Deseret Morning News and was named the 4A Most Valuable Player by the Salt Lake Tribune... Averaged 16.7 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal while shooting 65 percent from the field as a senior... Led Provo High School to the state title as he was named tournament MVP after averaging points in four games... Is the third player of the year from the state of Utah to play for head coach Stew Morrill, joining Tony Brown and Nate Harris... A graduate of the same high school that produced Morrill... Is the younger brother of former Brigham Young standout Mekeli Wesley and 2003 all-state selection Tika Wesley who is currently playing at Salt Lake Community College... Has another brother, Russell, who is a junior at Utah Valley State College... Born on May 13, 1986 in Orem, Utah... One of seven children of Susan and Hiagi Wesley... Plans on majoring in political science at Utah State... Enjoys golfing, boating and playing video games... Plans on serving an LDS Church Mission after his freshman year at USU.

25 PLAYER STATS 21 - Calvin Brown - (Jr., )

26 21 - Calvin Brown - (So., )

27 21 - Calvin Brown - (R-Fr., )

28 4 - Nate Harris - (So., )

29 4 - Nate Harris - (R-Fr., )

30 23 - Chris Huber - (So., )

31 31 - Ian McVey - (R-Jr., )

32 25 - John Neil - (R-Jr., )

33 32 - Spencer Nelson - (Jr., )

34 32 - Spencer Nelson - (R-So., )

35 32 - Spencer Nelson - (Fr., )

36 30 - Jason Williams - (Jr., )

37 24 - Tyler Williams - (Jr., )

38 SEASON IN REVIEW Every possible emotion was felt during Utah State s basketball season as the Aggies embarked on one of its best single-season runs in school history. The highs during the course of the year were many. In the midst of its 17- game winning streak, which is the second-longest in school history, Utah State entered the top-25 for the first time since The Aggies also won a share of its third regular season Big West Championship in the last five years and concluded the season with the best winning percentage (86.2) in school history. The lows were few, but packed quite a punch. After recording the best regular-season in school history with its 25-2 record, Utah State was devastated in the semifinals of the Big West Tournament with a heartbreaking loss to Cal State Northridge. The Aggies then became the first ranked team ever that was eligible for the NCAA Tournament to be left out of the field of 65, not to mention having the best record of any team not to be Senior guard Mark Brown was named first team all-big West after leading the league in assists (4.86) and three-point shooting (.439). invited to the tournament. And last but not least, USU concluded its season with an loss to Hawai i in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament, snapping the Aggies 17-game home winning streak. Despite all the trials and tribulations of the season, the Aggie campaign was definitely one for the record books. Utah State began the year with three straight wins, including a road victory at defending Big Sky Champion Weber State before losing its first game of the season at Utah. Little did Aggie fans know, but that loss to the Utes would be its last for quite some time. Over the next 10 weeks, USU disposed of every opponent on its schedule, including wins against NCAA Tournament teams BYU and Pacific. In fact, USU s only other loss during the course of the regular season was a four-point setback at Pacific. After its loss to the Tigers, USU bounced back to notch five more victories and finish the regular season with a 25-2 record and its third regular season Big West Conference championship in the last five years with a 17-1 league mark. After suffering a heartbreaking one-point loss in the conference s postseason tournament, Utah State advanced to postseason play for the fifth straight season as they hosted Hawai i in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament. Despite its loss in the NIT, Utah State accomplished more than it could have imagined during the season, including being ranked nationally in the top-25 for the first time in nearly 30 years, posting the third-most wins in school history with 25 and recording the most conference wins ever with 17. In fact, USU was ranked as high as 19th in the country at one point in the season and finished the year ranked in the top-25 for seven straight weeks. With all the success Utah State had as a team, numerous Aggie players were recognized for their individual accomplishments throughout the course of the season. USU had three players earn first team all-conference honors in senior guards Mark Brown and Cardell Butler and sophomore forward Nate Harris to mark the first time in school history and only the sixth time in Big West history that a team Utah State Wins Third Regular Season Big West Championship In The Last Five Years Aggies Win 20-Plus Games For Fifth Straight Year Utah State Advances To Postseason Play For Fifth Straight Year Aggies Ranked Among Top-25 For The First Time Since 1978 had three players earn first team allleague honors. The Aggies had a fourth player honored as well as junior forward Spencer Nelson was named to the league s all-second team. Nelson was also named the conference s Hustle Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, while Harris was tabbed as the league s Sixth Man of the Year as he led the Big West in field goal percentage at 67.7 percent, which is also a new school record. USU also had a three players garner academic all-big West honors in senior Chad Evans and juniors John Neil and Nelson. Utah State also had three players earn Big West Conference Player of the Week honors during the course of the season as Brown won the award after leading USU to wins against Weber State and Illinois State, while Nelson won the award for the second time in his career after leading the Aggies to a road sweep against UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly to open Big West play. Harris became the first Aggie ever to win the award three straight times as he led Utah State to home wins against Pacific and Cal State Northridge, followed by road wins versus Cal State Fullerton and UC Riverside the next week, followed by home wins against UC Irvine and Long Beach State the following weekend. Along with earning first-team all-

39 Senior guard Cardell Butler earned first-team all-big West honors after leading USU in scoring (14.0) and finishing second in the league in free throw (.880) and three-point field goal percentage (.433). league honors, Brown was named a mid-major All-American by CollegeInsider.com which consisted of the top 16 players in the country from mid-major universities as well as the mid-major Most Valuable Player as he finished the season ranked first in the Big West Conference in assists with 4.9 and three-point shooting at 43.9 percent. Brown also recorded the 10th most assists in a single-season at USU as a senior with 141 and his 290 career assists rank 10th all-time, while his 4.7 assists per game is the second-best ever at Utah State. Another Aggie who received postseason accolades was Butler who was named to the United States Basketball Writers Association All-District VIII team which consisted of the top-10 players in the Western United States. Butler led the team in scoring with 14.0 points per game, and ranked second in the Big West in three-point shooting at 43.3 percent and free throw shooting at 88.0 percent. Once again, opposing teams found out just how hard it is to play at one of the best basketball venues in the west in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Utah State posted a 15-1 record at home during the season, including only the fourth undefeated home regular season in school history. USU also led the Big West Conference in attendance, averaging almost 9,000 fans per game including four sell-outs during the season. In fact, those four sellouts were the most-ever for a singleseason, while the nearly 9,000 fans per game were the second-most ever in the 34 year history of the Spectrum. As for head coach Stew Morrill, the season marked the ninth time that his teams have won 20 or more games and the 15th time that his teams have won at least 17 games. In his six years at USU, he has posted an amazing (.757) record, including a (.826) mark in league play and an 11-3 (.786) record in the conference tournament. All of those accomplishments are school records for a head coach in his first six seasons. As has been the case in each of the past four seasons, team defense and an efficient offense served as the keys to success for USU. As a team, Utah State finished third in the country in field goal percentage at 50.9 percent, sixth in scoring defense at 58.1 points per game, seventh in three-point field goal shooting at 40.1 percent, 14th in scoring margin at plus 11.2 points per game, 12th in rebounding margin at plus 6.5, and first in fewest Sophomore forward Nate Harris earned first-team all-big West honors after finishing second on the team in scoring (11.7) and rebounding (6.1). He was also named the league s Sixth Man of the Year. Junior forward Spencer Nelson was named second-team all-big West as he averaged 11.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. He was also named the league s Hustle Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. personal fouls committed per game. The 58.1 points per game are the second-fewest ever allowed at USU, while the 50.9 percent shooting from the field is the fifth-best ever. As for the Big West Conference, Utah State was among the top teams in the league in virtually every statistical category and led the league in scoring defense, scoring margin, rebounding margin, field goal percentage, threepoint field goal percentage and assists. In fact, USU has led the league in scoring defense and scoring margin in each of the last four seasons, and has been the best shooting team in the league in three of the last four years. The Aggies finished the season with some interesting trends. They were 19-1 when leading at the half; 22-0 when they shot better from the field than their opponent; 19-1 when they shot better from three-point range than their opponent; 21-2 when they had more assists than their opponent; 20-1 when they outrebound their opponent; 11-2 when they blocked more shots than their opponent; and 16-1 when they held their opponents to less than 60 points.