Coach Henson is an alumnus of New Mexico State who was a defensive specialist and his team knows how to defend.  But in the Wild West, that is the Big West conference, you have to be able to score to win and Henson had a plethora of players who could do just that.  Henson knows how important a combination of both types of players mean and how important role players are and besides possibly only those Runnin’ Rebels have the best combination of both in this league. After a first year in this new conference (they came in with UNLV to make this proud 8 team league a whole new 10 team league that now had some major players) where the new kids dominated the league the Aggies are ready to take the next step and get the recognition they deserved.  After all they tied with the Rebels last year in the regular season and did get an at-large berth to the Big Dance where they were within a missed three from making the Sweet Sixteen.  You wouldn’t know that unless you were in this conference as the Rebels once again got all the hype from the national media after their own run in the Big Dance.  With an experienced lineup coming back and Henson plugging the holes opened by graduation (and other things) with key recruits the Aggies go into the season with high hopes. Henson has scheduled accordingly to make sure the Aggies would not only have a good enough resume coming from a mid-major conference but that his team would be tested.  Who are these unknown studs that have put Las Cruces New Mexico on the College basketball map? 

Henson will be saying goodbye to three studs who helped put the Aggies on the basketball map.  Speaking of diversity, the trio of Kiki Martinez, Pecos Finley and Morris ‘Pucker’ Wood did it all on the court for the Aggies.  These guys might not be household names but in Las Cruces they are legends but now Matinez will be headling the Mexican national team while # 26 and the kid you want to give a different nickname too (especially opposing fans) are in the words of Hank Snow moving on.  Leading the Aggies for the upcoming season may be the most underrated big man in the country.  Senior Sam Lacey is not just your typical 6 foot 10, 235 pound intimidator in the middle.  Lacey is as good a rebounder as anybody in the West and his shot blocking and defense are extraordinary.  This kid from small town Mississippi (Indianola) gets almost as many steals as blocks as he anticipates plays as well as any big man in the country and has the mobility to go and get the ball wherever it is.  He is a good scorer down low but is so unselfish, he does not ask for the ball.  But when he gets the ball he knows how to finish hence his nickname Slammin Sam.  Lacey is the best passing big man in the Big West and by the end of the year might be the best in the country if it weren’t for that redhead from San Diego.  His signature bounce pass to a cutter going through the key makes guys want to cut as they know they will be fed.  Oh by the way, he also sets the best screens on the West Coast and runs up and down the court like a small forward.  This team captain is without question the player that everyone on the Aggies looks up to and for direction.  He was also first team Big West last year yet most of you probably have not heard of him.  Lacey is used to being overshadowed with some of the great centers he has had to guard in the past (Alcindors, Lanier, Daniels) but they will tell you how tough he is.  His matchups with Lobo legend Mel Daniels over the past three years are the stuff of legend as the two underrated big men went toe to toe fighting for every inch in the paint.  Neither has an upper hand in this battle as the two Warriors have the utmost respect for each other.  If a team is going to succeed in basketball, it needs to have a player not only unselfish but able to lead like Sam Lacey. 

If the best player nobody heard of was sitting in the background while this team was winning all those games who was getting all the glory for the Aggies?  One need look no further than the superb super wing combo of Jimmy Collins and Super John Williamson.  These two guards somehow learned to coexist for the better of the team and they soon became the focal point of this gifted offense.  Though Collins came into the year as the main man in Las Cruces by the end of the year Williamson had become the media darling of not only Vegas but the Big Apple after the NIT game.  And every superstar has to have a nickname and Super John Williamson is a superstar.  Somehow the media gave a guy a nickname that fits because John Williamson truly is super.  The key to the enitre season is when Henson decided to put Williamson into the lineup after the first eight games of the year.  Williamson had been hurt and Henson was thinking of redshirting him but with the Aggies a dismal 4 and 4 the time was right to unleash his super weapon.   Coming from the projects of New Haven Connecticut, Williamson grew up poor but he was always Super as he was a High School legend with his picture perfect jump shot.  Henson somehow got him to come all the way to New Mexico (he brought along a few friends) but he has his ups and downs here.  Williamson has a great mid-range shot, we all know that, but the thing that set him apart is his willingness to shoot it no matter what the situation.  Born with the gift of the shooter’s conscience, Williamson will fire it up from anywhere and often does not matter how many he has missed in a row.  Super John is only a junior and  not a great ball handler (especially passing) except when taking his time to set up one of his patented bank shots from 17 feet and then raising his hands to the crows.  Not everyone loved his cockiness but they sure love him in Los Cruces.  Williamson might not be the most consistent performer, he did have his off nights, but when he is on he lights up a stadium throwing up bombs the Japanese would have been proud of at Pearl Harbor because there coming from nowhere.  The thick and strong Williamson (6’2 185) can also post up less physical players  and at times plays tenacious defense but it is his incredible ability to his big shots over and over again that has made him a legend in Los Cruces.   

The Consistent Mr. Collins manned one of the other guard spots.  Collins is a true leader who carried the team through some tough times.  If Lacey is the big man down low and Williamson is the microwave scorer, Collins is the slasher who gets to the hoop and sets the tone for the other guys.  The senior to be was recruited out of Syracuse (Henson will go anywhere to find talent) and immediately became a fixture in Los Cruces and the top offensive option for the Aggies in the backcourt.  Collins also plays great defense and can hit the open shot.  Collins really understands how to play the game and set the tone for this team from the get go with his smarts and leadership.  And his ability to score!  Not that Collins was not a complete player, he is.  He plays both ends and handled guarding bigger wings most of the year without complaint and at 6’2 175 that is saying something.  

The Aggies use a three guard set and Coach Henson decided to use a rotation at the point guard position last year with mixed success.  Some of this was due to need and some of it was due to choice.  Going with the hot hand and matchups was not always the best choice but Henson pulled it off.  Seniors Charlie Criss and Rob Evans and sophomore Steve Colter rotated in on a regular basis.  None of these were counted on to score much but were needed to play great in you face defense and to get the ball to the other guys.  Criss started the year straight up platooning with Evans but both of these cats have some holes in their game.  Criss is only 5’8 165 but comes from Yonkers New York so is as tough as they come.  His game is all about penetration and quicks but he opened the door for competition when he went down with an injury about ten games in.  Evans is a six footer but does not bring much as far as scoring but is a good leader.  Evans is the most consistent and started when Criss went down and played solid overall ball but Henson wants someone who can put a little gas in the tank.  Colter is a bigger point guard at six three and helps out especially defensively and on the boards.  He comes from Phoenix and has the most upside with his size and defensive ability and is getting better offensively.  He was going to play JV last year but now he is the favorite to start but do not count out Criss.  Henson has made it a point of emphasis to bring in some point guards so if you think three was a lot wait til the competition this year. Henson just loves having these spark plugs to come in and boost the Aggie running game.  Most platoons of this kind do not work successfully long term so at some point don’t be surprised for Henson to choose at least somebody to be the primary point next year. 

Speaking of competition the four spot has two super candidates vying for one job.  Junior Albert “Slab’ Jones is the favorite as he mans the power forward position and with great skill.  A Solid low post scorer, Jones also helped out on the boards and can block a shot.  He was the perfect complement to the more rugged Lacey and matches up well with the players of the Big West especially since he goes a solid 6’8 220.  Jones was kind of given the job once he got his feet wet here as he was the biggest recruit the program had ever got when he arrived from Houston.  Slab was the top recruit in the State of Texas two years ago so when he chose Las Cruces over the hometown Cougars it was quite a coup for the Aggies. Jones got to return home last year for a game against Elvis Hayes and company and he and the Aggies held their own.  The Big E hit a turn-around from about 18 feet over Jones for the game winner but he and Lacey had great games against Hayes and freshmen wunderkid Hakeem Olojowon in front of about 30,000 people. This game proved to many that they belonged but since it was not on national television and there were no jaw-dropping dunks played over and over again on SportsCenter, unless you actually watched it you probably didn’t know about it.     

Senior George Knighton started two years ago and again early on last year but gave way to Jones after he took over when Knighton when down with a small injury early on.  Knighton became a consistent scoring option off the bench and helps big Sam on the boards (though he did not need much help).  Knighton is not quite big enough (6’7 225) to guard some of the power forwards of the Big West but he is solid and did his job.  Knighton accepted his role without question even though he had been a leading scorer before.  This Cuthbert Georgia product (everywhere) is still very important to the team’s success as a dynamic offensive weapon off the bench up front.  Not many teams have this kind of player as their sixth man, heck the Cougars don’t have anyone like him behind their big two.  Henson knows what he has got with this trio and tries to get minues for all of them to keep them happy.  Heck, he even has tried all three on the court at once which might have worked a few years back but in this era of the three you got to have athletic wings to compete.  Knighton might not be big enough to play post at the next level but at one point not too long ago he was the star in Las Cruces. 

The Aggies are so good up front that a few big time producers here might not see the light of day this year.  Junior Jim Bostic had cut his teeth playing against some of the best players in the country at Rucker Park but barely got on the court here and then went down with an injury which opened the door for senior Bill Allen (there is actually a junior Bill Allen too).   Bostic is from Brooklyn and understands the kind of street game.  He is a silent banger and has some game but is not a small forward which this team desperately needs.  Senior Billy Joe Price got some minutes early backing up Lacey but is not big enough at 6’8 175.  This Oakwood Texas kid was counted on to be a huge part of this team but he is not a wing and is nowhere near thick enough for the Big West.  Two guys that are big enough are senior Mike Dabich and junior Roland ‘Tree’ Grant.  Dabich goes 7’0 242 from Lander Wyoming and has been a project since he arrived from the least populous state last year after a stint a Sheridan Junior College.  He has a ways to go but you can’t teach size as they say.  Grant is not quite as big at 6’11 and only goes 210.  This kid from the streets of Philadelphia is far more developed than Dabich (he dominated on JV last year until he got moved up after Bostic’s injury) but has had some trouble getting manhandled by wider bodies who are voluminous is this league.  Neither one of these guys will beat out Lacey but not many teams have not one, but two near seven footers ready to go on the bench for whatever Henson wants to send them in the game for. 

Now for the big weakness for the Aggies.  Wings!  Henson does not have a returning wing that could match up with the likes of an Ed Ratleff or a Reggie Theus.  Not even close.  The best returning wing on the roster is senior Bob Priddy and he barely played the second half last year. This 6’3 190 pounder from Altus Oklahoma is a gamer but does not have the athleticism required of this position today.  Henson has made it clear he wants to find somebody who can play a true three at least part of the time so Priddy has a shot at regaining some minutes.  Henson wants wings so bad he has entered the transfer portal (this team relies on 4 year players, unlike most of their peers in the Big West) and stole a 6’4 stud from former Missouri Valley Conference rival Wichita State.  Sophomore to be Gilbert Wilburn is a 6’4 slasher who loves to go inside and is athletic so he has a real shot at some serious minutes in Las Cruces.  They play the Shockers in the 2nd game of the year here so that game has an added bit of motivation.  The only New Mexican on the roster junior Richard Robinson is also in the mix for minutes.  Robinson hails from Hobbs and can score but is only 6’3 and is more of a true two guard than a wing so at best will be in the rotation backing up Williamson and Collins.  The likelihood that those two start once again is high but this team, like all teams, needs more athletic wings.  Fellow junior Dexter Hawkins is also in the mix and is a 6’2 gunner so he has a chance for minutes after a solid year on the JV.  Speaking of JV the star of that team last year was sophomore to be Ernest Patterson.  Another Houston refugee Patterson goes 6’3 and can flat score but also has handles like a point guard.  If he was a little better defensively he would almost for sure be challenging for a starting role, he is that good offensively.  Henson wants a kid who is at least 6’4 who can defend athletic wings but also run the court and finish and of course hit long-rang bombs.  Of course that guy has not been made yet so the Aggies will have to try and recruit a few guys to fill those roles.  

Coach Lou Henson’s New Mexico State Aggies had a fabulous debut season in the Big West conference.  A solid run through the regular season and a conference tournament was enough to impress the NCAA selection committee and they indeed got their ticket punched for the Big Dance.  They made true basketball fans take notice when they won a game as a 12 seed and almost made it to the Sweet Sixteen.  Too bad the rest of the country does not know who these guys were as the Aggies are continually overshadowed by the likes of the Runnin’ Rebels in the Big West and yes even the Lobos in their own state.  They had the same problem in the Missouri Valley Conference and after many of their so-called compatriots kept complaining about the long trips to the Southwest the Aggies jumped ship to this brave new conference.   This is a great mid-major conference program who are on the verge of making a big splash nationally with an experienced roster filled with size, speed and skill.  What it lacks is some athleticism on the wings and if Henson can find some players to fill that void God only knows how far this team can go this year?  One thing is for sure the coaches of this game know who this team is and none of them big boys from the power conferences want to see their team drawing NMSU as a 12 seed come next March!  Of course with the way this league is moving forward and the Lobos knack for getting into the Big Dance that seed could go much higher especially if they can figure out a way to beat those damn Rebels in either the regular season or the Conference tourney which will be located in the home of the Aggies’ biggest rival.  No, not the Rebels but the even more hated Lobos from up the road in Albuquerque and that barn they call the Pit!  Don’t know of that will help or hurt the Aggies but it will not be their first rodeo in that arena as these two teams used to play home and away every year.  This year Henson’s boys only get one shot at the other team from New Mexico but, of course, it is in the Pit.