New Mexico State Basketball: Aggies should be WAC favorites in 2021-22

While many teams were certainly affected by the covid pandemic impact from last season, New Mexico State Basketball can make the case that they were most affected. The program had to deal with several pauses during the non-conference portion of the season, while also being unable to play at home due to restrictions set by the local government of New Mexico.

The Aggies were all but set up to fail on the basketball court, finishing 12-8 overall and 7-6 in WAC play, the most league losses since 2011, which also happened to be the last time the program didn’t win at least 23 games in a season. The decade since has been one of dominance, including seven NCAA Tournament appearances and what should’ve been another one after going unbeaten in league play in 2020 before the WAC Tournament was cancelled due to the pandemic.

But as things are getting back to normal in real life, so should the hierarchy in the WAC, including New Mexico State Basketball being on top. And with news confirming keys players on the roster, the odds are good that’ll happen.

The NCAA had decided to give an extra year of eligibility to players, which allows seniors to come back for a 5th season if they so choose. Many players have taken up the offer so far but others haven opted to move on. The Aggies, which typically has several seniors on its roster each year, was someone that had to wait on their decisions.

The two forwards, Donnie Tillman and Johnny McCants, both were double-digit scorers, while also being the top two rebounders on the team. Clayton Henry averaged 8.2 ppg and 4.4 rpg as a starting guard and is an All-WAC defender as well. And with leading scoring guard Jabari Rice coming back for his “true” senior year, the starting lineup likely will have 4th or 5th year veterans, as well as the 3-4 rotational pieces off the bench.

The team also has five newcomers, including four from the Junior College level. Nate Pryor and Mario McKinney Jr. are good guards, while Ishan White and Marchelus Avery are frontcourt additions. The big name though is Teddy Allen, a quality scorer that averaged 16.5 ppg for Nebraska this past season.

However, he’s been on five teams throughout his college career, getting dismissed multiple times. The 6’5 guard has tremendous talent but also needs to be surrounded by a good culture and atmosphere to succeed. Coach Chris Jans and this veteran-laden roster is as good a location for him and Allen could easily come in and be a star scorer for the Aggies program in 2021-22.

New Mexico State is going to have a loaded roster for next season but that being said, the WAC is going to be as good as its ever been. Rival Grand Canyon has landed several power conference transfers and will return star guard Jovan Blacksher Jr., while 20 ppg scorer Darrion Trammell will have Seattle U in the mix as well. And the nation’s leading rebounder Fardaws Aimaq may end up back with Utah Valley as well.

That’s just the returning programs for the WAC. The league has four new teams coming over from the Southland Conference in Lamar, Abilene Christian, Stephen F. Austin, and Sam Houston State (Southern Utah joins the following season). The Wildcats of Abilene Christian made the Round of 32 of the most recent NCAA Tournament, while Sam Houston State has had a winning record each of the last eight years.

But Stephen F. Austin is the team to watch. They’ve been the equivalent to the Southland as New Mexico State has been to the WAC in the last decade, making the Big Dance four times and having fewer than four defeats in league play in eight of the past 10 years. The Lumberjacks also return a number of veteran players including David Kachelries and Gavin Kemsil.

Still, all of them should be looking up to New Mexico State next season. Allen has the chance to be the WAC Player of the Year and the combination of experience and desire to bounce back after dealing with so much will make the Aggies motivated to have a big year. The league will be one to watch next season, including how good this team can be. And if things go well, this roster could be the one to finally end the drought of not winning an NCAA Tournament game.