Coach Morrill garners respect at WAC meetings
Thursday, October 13, 2005
By Aaron Morton
Standard-Examiner staff
RENO, Nev. -- Utah State University men's basketball coach Stew Morrill gave some advise to the first-time coaches in the WAC, telling them to enjoy the Honeymoon.
"Things change after that," said Morrill, who is entering his 20th year as a head coach. "You're only as good as your last year, your last game."
That's what the Western Athletic Conference coaches and media were going on when they picked the Aggies to finish second behind Nevada.
"It surprises me a little bit because we have so many new players and losing Spencer Nelson," Morrill said at the WAC Basketball Media Conference. "I guess we do have a couple of all-Big West players back and return four starters, maybe that's the reason."
The Aggies return sophomore guard Jaycee Carroll and senior forward Nate Harris. But the way the conference's coaches were talking, USU's respect comes from it's coach of seven years.
"He knows exactly what he wants his team to do," Boise State coach Greg Graham said. "I got to watch them play (in the NCAA tournament in Boise in March). They are very sound fundamentally."
The WAC coaches had a lot of nice things to say about Morrill and his program. It makes sense -- the Aggies have a winning record against every team except Louisiana Tech, which has yet to play USU.
"(USU joining the WAC) benefits the league," Graham said. "I don't know if it benefits us."
Other WAC programs (like Nevada) wish they could get a sneak peak at a USU team that will have eight new players on the roster. Even the four returning starters are a mystery.
"I asked Stew if I could watch one of his workouts," Nevada coach Mark Fox joked. "He didn't let me in."
"If you have any questions about (Carroll or Harris) just ask me," Idaho coach Leonard Perry said.
He would know, the two combined for 47 points in two Vandals-Aggies contests last year.
Two first-time Division I coaches, San Jose State's George Nessman and New Mexico State's Reggie Theus, will have to find out for themselves.
"I have a lot of respect for the coaches in this league," said Theus, the former NBA All-Star, while looking at Morrill. "In this Honeymoon stage, I expect to learn a lot."
Fear the Spectrum
When WAC coaches weren't talking about Utah State's coach, they were talking about the Smith Spectrum, a place that Morrill is 98-9.
"I'm sure that will be an experience for everybody," new Fresno State coach and former Brigham Young University coach Steve Cleveland said.
"I've heard it's an incredibly hard place to play," Fox said.
Morrill is 55-5 in the Spectrum against conference opponents.
Tidbits
The WAC will play four "Big Monday" ESPN games this season, including one hosted by Utah State. The Aggies will play Hawaii at 10 p.m. on Jan. 30.
"This will really help put us on the national stage," WAC commissioner Karl Benson said. ...
The WAC tournament will be held in Reno, Nev., on March 7-11. All nine teams will be invited (the No. 8 and No. 9 teams battle in a play-in game to determine who plays the No. 1 seed). ...
Three cities, Reno, Las Cruces, N.M., and Boise, Idaho, are bidding to be the site of the tournament for the next two years. That announcement will be made in the next couple of months, Benson said. ...
Bobby Dibler will be the supervisor of officials for both the Mountain West Conference and the WAC this year.
"He has the ability to strengthen our officiating," Benson said.
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