Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

DENVER, CO - A new era of basketball has begun in Las Cruces, but New Mexico State men's basketball will keep chugging along full steam ahead according to league coaches and its media as the Aggies were picked to win the Western Athletic Conference in both polls.

In the coaches' poll, NM State tallied four first-place votes to Grand Canyon's three to take the top spot by a narrow margin of 45-44. The slim margin was also echoed in the media poll with the Aggies picking up nine first-place votes to GCU's eight gives them a 167-165 edge. CSU Bakersfield took third in both polls while Utah Valley and Seattle U flip flopped spots in each of the polls for fourth and fifth. UMKC, UT Rio Grande Valley and Chicago State rounded out the rest of the polls in the same order.

Senior Ian Baker also garnered preseason first-team honors in both the coaches' and media polls. The Aggie floor general averaged 13.8 points and 3.7 assists last season to go with his 4.6 boards per game. He also led the Aggies in scoring four different times and scored 20-plus points five times.

The Washington, D.C., native started in all 34 games last season and shot a .425 clip on the year. Baker made headlines on Jan. 23 when he hit the game-winning 3-pointer at CSU Bakersfield in the second overtime period.

Grand Canyon's Joshua Braun was the 2016-17 preseason player of the year pick in both polls while Baker, Dedrick Basile (CSUB), Martez Harrison (UMKC) and Brandon Westendorf join him on All-WAC Preseason First-Team.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – New Mexico State head men's basketball coach Paul Weir unveiled the 2016-17 @AggieArmy schedule on Wednesday that features 17 home games while also returning to the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M. to play Northern New Mexico.

Aggie fans will get their first look at the team under the direction of the first year head coach at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 11 at the Pan American Center when NM State entertains Arizona Christian in its home and season opener.

NM State faces its first test on the road when it travels to Ft. Collins, Colo., to square off against Colorado State on ROOT Sports Network. The Rams went 18-16 last season and 12-5 when playing at Moby Arena.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - New Mexico State head men’s basketball coach Paul Weir rounded out his coaching staff with the addition of Marc Hsu on Wednesday.

Hsu is very much familiar with Las Cruces, having spent his second year in the collegiate ranks at New Mexico State under legendary head coach Lou Henson as a volunteer director of basketball operations for the 2004-05 season.

“Marc is an amazing addition to our program,” Weir said. “I have seen his recruiting abilities first hand and knew from day one I needed him here with us. Having been with Lou and New Mexico State before makes it even easier for us to bring him on board.”  Continue Reading This Post >>

bleedCrimson.net: This is your third time in the NBA Summer League, what’s different for you this year than the previous two?
Jonathan Gibson: I feel I have a better opportunity to go out there and show what I can do. Before, my first time I was hurt in Boston and Portland was a tough situation with all those guys under contract. This is really my first real opportunity.

bc.net: How has playing overseas helped you prepare for an opportunity like this?
JG: Everything really. Just playing the one more (point guard) because in college coach had me at the two. I’ve played the one the last six years so really just reading the floor, having a feel for the game, being smart, having a good IQ and just running the team.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - New Mexico State head men’s basketball coach Paul Weir continues to build his team for the 2016-17 season, landing South Plains College transfer Marlon Jones.

Jones, a 6-9 sophomore, earned all-conference honors this past season after averaging 10.8 points and 5.5 rebounds for South Plains. He also shot 57-percent from the floor in Western Junior College Athletic Conference play and 81-percent from the free-throw line.

"Marlon is an absolutely perfect fit. His size, toughness, and motor are exactly what we need to form our new culture. I wanted to bring Chicago kids back to State and he is hopefully the start of re-engaging that pipeline. We are excited he selected us over some tremendous programs and look forward to welcoming him into a raucous Pan American Center."   Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Jordan Sperber is set to join the New Mexico State men’s basketball team as the new video coordinator announced head coach Paul Weir on Tuesday.

“Adding Jordan to our program is something I am extremely excited about,” Weir said. “We have never had a position here that was dedicated to incorporating analytics into our strategic planning.”

Sperber, a 2014 graduate of Villanova, spent the last year working as a graduate assistant for Nevada head coach Eric Musselman. While with the Wolfpack, Sperber produced pre and postgame analytics reports for players and staff. On top of his analytical duties, he also conducted individual and group workouts among other things.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Former New Mexico State men’s basketball power forward Pascal Siakam secured his name into Aggie lore on Thursday after being selected in the first round by the Toronto Raptors as the 27th pick overall in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Siakam is just the third player in NM State history and the first in 46 years to be drafted in the first round since Sam Lacey (fifth overall) and Jimmy Collins (11th) in 1970. The Douala, Cameroon, native is also the first player drafted in the NBA since Randy Brown, who was the fourth pick in the second round of the 1991 NBA Draft.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - NM State head men’s basketball coach Paul Weir continues to build his staff, naming Guy Meyer as his director of basketball operations.

“Guy is a terrific addition to our program,” Weir said. "He has been a school teacher, a collegiate and professional player and also a successful college coach here at nearby Cochise. Finding a native New Mexican with his skill sets is a tremendous opportunity for us. We are excited to have both him and Jesse now on staff as we continue to create new beginnings.”

Meyer comes to Las Cruces after spending the last five seasons at Cochise College as an assistant coach under Jerry Carillo. While in Sierra Vista, Ariz., Meyer helped guide the Runnin’ Apaches to four 20-win seasons.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - New Mexico State head men’s basketball coach Paul Weir announced the addition of A.J. Harris, a freshman transfer from Ohio State. Harris will sit out the 2016-17 due to the NCAA transfer rule.

“A.J. may be one of the more heralded guards we have ever signed here,” Weir said. “For him to choose New Mexico State says a lot about our program and his belief in where we are headed. His profile fits exactly where our model is headed on several levels. He will push Ian every single day to serve us this year and then next year potentially be a tremendous replacement.”

Harris, a 5-9 guard, was a four-star recruit coming out of high school according to ESPN, Rivals and 24/7Sports. He was also ranked No. 14 in his position, 16th in his region and fourth in the state of Ohio according to ESPN – as well the No. 80 recruit in the nation.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - After numerous workouts and discussions with his family, New Mexico State sophomore Pascal Siakam has decided to forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the 2016 NBA Draft.

"I think all of us are going to become cheerleaders on June 23rd for Pascal," head coach Paul Weir said. "We are so thankful for everything he did here and are looking forward to following his career,"

Siakam, a 6-9 forward, led the nation with 27 double-doubles as a sophomore. Of the 22 NCAA Division I players that averaged a double-double, the Aggie All-American was the only player that averaged more than 20 points a game. Siakam finished the year ranked in several national statistical categories, averaging 20.3 points (26th), 11.6 rebounds (eighth) and 2.4 blocked shots (32nd).  Continue Reading This Post >>