Written by: Jason Groves/Sun-News Reporter

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The faces may have changed and the record has dropped, but it's always a big game when Nevada comes to Las Cruces.

The Wolf Pack enter tonight's game against New Mexico State 2-2 in Western Athletic Conference and boasting the league's top scorer in senior guard Marcelus Kemp. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. at the Pan American Center. The game can be heard on KGRT 103.9-FM and in Spanish on 98.7 FM. AggieVision will replay the game in Las Cruces at 10 p.m. tonight.

"The competition between the two is definitely going to be peaked again," Aggies head coach Marvin Menzies said. "I think both of us needing a win right now would give it a little extra flavor."  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written by: Jason Groves/Sun-News Reporter

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - For those New Mexico State University basketball fans that show up at the Pan American Center on Saturday, keep an eye on No. 15.

It will be the first game in the collegiate career of Aggies freshman forward Herb Pope.

"I just want to break a sweat and just play with my teammates and have fun," Pope said.

Pope joined the Aggies for good this week after he received NCAA clearance late last week. Pope practiced the last two days and will play when the 9-10 Aggies host Louisiana Tech on Saturday.

"It was more running than I thought because we are in season but it was good," said Pope of Aggies practice. "I had some brain freezes sometimes, but everyone understands that I'm going to make mistakes early on because I don't know the offense right away."

Now that Pope has been cleared by the NCAA after missing the first 19 games, he can focus on basketball.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written by: Associated Press

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Herb Pope, the New Mexico State freshman forward who has dealt with eligibility troubles since arriving on campus last fall, has been cleared to play by the NCAA.

Athletic director McKinley Boston said Friday that the NCAA granted an initial eligibility waiver, meaning Pope can begin playing immediately.

"We are pleased that Herb has been cleared by the NCAA,'' Boston said. "We are disappointed that the process has taken this long but felt all along that he would be cleared to play.''

Pope had been ruled academically ineligible to play due to an alternative education program he took in high school. He challenged the ruling in court and a state district judge last month ordered an end to the ban.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written by: Jason Groves/Sun-News Reporter

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Matt Nelson knew something that others are starting to realize.

During Western Athletic Conference media days prior to the season, the Boise State power forward was confident that the Broncos would finish higher than the No. 5 slot that conference coaches and media selected the Broncos.

Nelson, the WAC Player of the Week the last two weeks, has proven to be prophetic as his Broncos enter tonight's game atop the WAC.

"We knew the other guys could contribute and they are proving it on the court and the entire team has responded," Nelson said.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written by: Jason Groves/Sun-News Reporter

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - New Mexico State seeks its first victory of the season tonight at the Pan American Center after a pair of road losses over the weekend.

After suffering an 86-61 loss at No. 13 Duke on Monday, Aggies coach Marvin Menzies had a message for former NMSU coach Reggie Theus.

"I'm going to have to send Reggie a Thank You card for this schedule," Menzies said.

On Friday, the Aggies fell to Ohio 80-72 to open the season.

The Aggies wrapped up a long trip with a practice in Durham, N.C., on Tuesday and returned to Las Cruces Tuesday night. They host University of California-Davis tonight at 7 p.m. Tonight's game is the opening round of the inaugural Legends Classic, that concludes at the Prudential Center in New Jersey on Nov. 23-24, when the Aggies face No. 16 Texas on Nov. 23 and either No. 7 Tennessee or West Virginia the following night.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written by: NMSU Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - New Mexico State men's basketball head coach Marvin Menzies has finalized his staff with the hiring of Paul Weir as director of operations, Wednesday, Nov. 7.

Weir is responsible for managing the program's daily operations, working with the Sixth Man Club, assisting in recruiting, organizing team travel and promoting community outreach.

"Paul comes to us from the Iowa staff that was very well organized and had a lot of basketball knowledge from the school of Bobby Knight," Menzies said. "Paul was able to ascertain a lot of that information. So he'll be a huge benefit, especially in our two match-ups against New Mexico, because of his familiarity with Steve Alford. He is a very energetic, enthusiastic individual that I think will have great chemistry with our kids and will be a tremendous asset to the program."   Continue Reading This Post >>

Written by: Jason Groves/Sun-News Reporter

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - When New Mexico State University basketball players make a mistake during practice, they are punished by putting in some extra time on the treadmill.

The treadmill has been busy during practice this week after the Aggies turned the ball over 26 times in their first exhibition game on Saturday.

"Our treadmill has been heated up during practice and they know they will visit it," first-year head coach Marvin Menzies said.

The Aggies take the floor tonight in their final exhibition game against New Mexico Highlands.

Menzies said the Aggies have been working on patience on the offensive end.

"We have been making sure that we make the extra pass," Menzies said. "We want to get the base hits and not always go for the home run. We will have turnovers the way that we play, but we have to curtail them and not accept the turnovers that are unforced."  Continue Reading This Post >>

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Written by: NMSU Athetic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The New Mexico State men’s basketball team now knows its opponents and schedule for the inaugural Legends Classic. The Aggies host two games Nov. 14 and 18 before meeting Texas in the semifinal game of the championship round, Nov. 23, in Newark, N.J., The Gazelle Group announced Tuesday, Sept. 25. Both of the Aggie games in the championship rounds are televised nationally on Versus.

NMSU serves as a one of four regional hosts in addition to Tennessee, West Virginia and Texas. The tournament begins for the Aggies against UC Davis, Nov. 14 at 7:00 p.m. The game is also the home opener. NMSU concludes the regional round with LeMoyne-Owen, Nov. 18 at 7:00 p.m.   Continue Reading This Post >>

Written by: NMSU Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - New Mexico State men's basketball head coach Marvin Menzies has hired Paul Ivkovich as assistant strength and conditioning coach, Menzies announced Wednesday, Sept. 12. Ivkovich joins the Aggies after three seasons at Cincinnati.

He is responsible for overseeing the overall athletic development of the Aggies including strength, flexibility, speed and agility training.

"Paul comes from a program with a very strong tradition of producing very tough, physical players," Menzies said. "I know several of his former co-workers well and he comes with the highest recommendation. I'm excited about his choice to join the Aggie family."

With the Bearcats, Ivkovich worked with the women's basketball, volleyball, baseball, men's and women's track and field programs while he assisted the football and men's basketball teams.   Continue Reading This Post >>