2016–17 New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team

The 2016–17 New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team represented New Mexico State University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Aggies, led by first-year head coach Paul Weir, played their home games at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico as members of the Western Athletic Conference. They finished the season 28–6, 11–3 in WAC play to finish in a tie for second place. They defeated Chicago State, UMKC, and Cal State Bakersfield to win the WAC tournament. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the first round to Baylor.

2016–17 New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball
WAC tournament champions
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceWestern Athletic Conference
Record28–6 (11–3 WAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaPan American Center
Seasons
2016–17 WAC men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Cal State Bakersfield 12 2   .857 25 10   .714
New Mexico State 11 3   .786 28 6   .824
Grand Canyon* 11 3   .786 22 9   .710
UMKC 8 6   .571 18 17   .514
Utah Valley 6 8   .429 17 17   .500
Seattle 5 9   .357 13 17   .433
Texas–Rio Grande Valley 2 12   .143 10 22   .313
Chicago State 1 13   .071 6 26   .188
* Ineligible for postseason during transition to Division I.
2017 WAC tournament winner

On April 11, 2017, head coach Paul Weir resigned to become the head coach at New Mexico.[1] On April 17, the school hired Chris Jans as head coach.[2]

Previous season

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The Aggies finished the 2015–16 season 23–11, 13–1 in WAC play to win the WAC regular season championship. They defeated UMKC to advance to the championship game of the WAC tournament where they lost to Cal State Bakersfield. As a regular season conference champion who failed to win their conference tournament, they received an automatic bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the first round to Saint Mary's.

On April 16, 2016, head coach Marvin Menzies left the school to accept the head coaching position at UNLV.[3] On April 26, the school hired Paul Weir, an assistant coach under Menzies, as head coach.[4]

Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Harold Givens 1 F 6'7" 200 RS Freshman Norcross, GA Transferred to Pearl River CC
Rashawn Browne 10 G 6'1" 170 RS Freshman Toronto, ON Transferred to California (PA)
Jose Campo 14 F 6'11" 206 RS Freshman Riohacha, Colombia Left the team for personal reasons
Rene Esparza 15 G 6'3" 175 Junior Ciudad Juárez, Mexico Left the team for personal reasons
Pascal Siakam 43 F 6'9" 230 Sophomore Donala, Cameroon Declare for 2016 NBA draft

Incoming Transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Chance Ellis 3 G 6'3" 223 Sophomore New York, NY Junior college transferred from New Mexico Military Institute
Jemerrio Jones 10 F 6'6" 190 Junior Memphis, TN Junior college transferred from Hill College
A. J. Harris 12 G 5'9" 157 Sophomore Dayton, OH Transferred from Ohio State. Under NCAA transfer rules, Harris will have to sit out for the 2016–17 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.
Marlon Jones 23 F 6'7" 218 Junior Chicago, IL Junior college transferred from South Plains College

2016 Recruiting Class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Johnny McCants
F
Las Cruces, NM Oñate High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jun 7, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247SportsN/A
Chance Ellis
G
New York, NY New Mexico Military Institute 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 223 lb (101 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A
A.J. Harris
G
Dayton, OH Ohio State 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 157 lb (71 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 84
Jemerrio Jones
F
Memphis, TN Hill JC 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 62
Marlon Jones
F
Chicago, IL South Plains JC 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 218 lb (99 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 73
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2016 New Mexico State Basketball Commits". ESPN.com.

Roster

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2016–17 New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Travon Landry   6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 184 lb (83 kg) RS Jr Huntington Prep San Antonio, TX
G 1 Jermaine Haley 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Fr Sunrise Christian Academy Burnaby, BC
G 2 Braxton Huggins 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 184 lb (83 kg) Jr Mira Monte HS Bakersfield, CA
G 3 Chance Ellis 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 217 lb (98 kg) So St. Andrew's HS
New Mexico Military Institute
Queens, NY
G 4 Ian Baker 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Arlington Country Day HS Washington, D.C.
G 5 Matt Taylor 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 173 lb (78 kg) Jr Future College Prep Toronto, ON
F 10 Jemerrio Jones 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 174 lb (79 kg) RS Jr Melrose HS
Hill College
Memphis, TN
F 11 Johnathon Wilkins 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 218 lb (99 kg) RS Jr La Lumiere HS Lille, France
G 12 A. J. Harris (I) 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 163 lb (74 kg) So Dunbar HS
Ohio State
Dayton, OH
G 13 Sidy Ndir 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS So West Oaks Academy Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire, France
G 14 Joe Garza (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Las Cruces HS Las Cruces, NM
C 21 Tanveer Bhullar 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 285 lb (129 kg) RS Jr Father Henry Carr Secondary Toronto, ON
F 22 Eli Chuha 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 228 lb (103 kg) RS So Redlands East Valley HS Redlands, CA
F 23 Marlon Jones 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 222 lb (101 kg) Jr Orr Academy HS
South Plains College
Chicago, IL
F 33 Johnny McCants   6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 198 lb (90 kg) Fr Oñate HS Las Cruces, NM
C 34 Bollo Gnahore   6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 258 lb (117 kg) RS Fr New Hope Christian Academy Abidjan, Ivory Coast
G 35 Jalyn Pennie 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Christian Faith Center Academy Toronto, ON
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
11/11/2016*
7:30 pm
Arizona Christian W 100–52  1–0
 14  N'Dir   12  Chuha   4  2 Tied  Pan American Center (5,803)
Las Cruces, NM
11/13/2016*
2:00 pm, RTRM
at Colorado State L 61–64  1–1
 16  Baker   9  J. Jones   3  N'Dir  Moby Arena (2,264)
Fort Collins, CO
11/16/2016*
7:00 pm
Samford
San Diego Classic
W 58–48  2–1
 16  Chuha   13  Chuha   4  J. Jones  Pan American Center (3,373)
Las Cruces, NM
11/18/2016*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
at New Mexico
Rio Grande Rivalry
L 59–72  2–2
 25  Baker   10  Bhullar   3  N'Dir  The Pit (13,892)
Albuquerque, NM
11/20/2016*
3:00 pm
Bethune-Cookman
San Diego Classic
W 89–73  3–2
 28  Huggins   7  Bhullar   4  N'Dir  Pan American Center (4,323)
Las Cruces, NM
11/22/2016*
7:00 pm
Nicholls State
San Diego Classic
W 86–74  4–2
 24  J. Jones   9  J. Jones   4  3 Tied  Pan American Center (3,301)
Las Cruces, NM
11/26/2016*
3:00 pm
at San Diego
San Diego Classic
W 56–51  5–2
 15  Baker   9  2 Tied   2  Huggins  Jenny Craig Pavilion (1,008)
San Diego, CA
11/30/2016*
7:30 pm
Air Force W 78–70  6–2
 15  2 Tied   7  J. Jones   7  2 Tied  Pan American Center (4,382)
Las Cruces, NM
12/03/2016*
7:00 pm
Long Beach State W 93–85  7–2
 26  Huggins   13  J. Jones   3  2 Tied  Pan American Center (3,679)
Las Cruces, NM
12/10/2016*
8:00 pm, ESPN3
New Mexico
Rio Grande Rivalry
W 84–71  8–2
 26  Baker   14  Chuha   3  2 Tied  Pan American Center (6,298)
Las Cruces, NM
12/13/2016*
7:00 pm
at UTEP
Battle of I-10
W 79–68  9–2
 20  Baker   13  J. Jones   3  2 Tied  Don Haskins Center (6,815)
El Paso, TX
12/17/2016*
6:00 pm, P12N
at Arizona State W 81–70  10–2
 24  Huggins   11  Chuha   7  Baker  Wells Fargo Arena (5,426)
Tempe, AZ
12/19/2016*
7:00 pm
UC Irvine W 85–79 OT 11–2
 24  Huggins   18  J. Jones   8  Baker  Pan American Center (3,794)
Las Cruces, NM
12/27/2016*
7:00 pm
Eastern New Mexico W 84–50  12–2
 18  Baker   9  2 Tied   5  J. Jones  Pan American Center (3,912)
Las Cruces, NM
12/30/2016*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
UTEP
Battle of I-10
W 79–70  13–2
 24  Baker   11  J. Jones   4  2 Tied  Pan American Center (5,639)
Las Cruces, NM
01/05/2017
5:00 pm, ASN
at UMKC W 77–64  14–2
(1–0)
 31  Huggins   10  Chuha   10  Baker  Municipal Auditorium (1,024)
Kansas City, MO
01/07/2017
1:05 pm
at Chicago State W 78–62  15–2
(2–0)
 27  Huggins   10  Chuha   6  Baker  Jones Convention Center (1,636)
Chicago, IL
01/12/2017
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Grand Canyon W 81–69  16–2
(3–0)
 19  J. Jones   13  Chuha   5  Baker  Pan American Center (4,800)
Las Cruces, NM
01/14/2017
7:00 pm
Cal State Bakersfield W 63–58  17–2
(4–0)
 13  Baker   16  J. Jones   4  Baker  Pan American Center (4,295)
Las Cruces, NM
01/21/2017
7:00 pm
UMKC W 94–71  18–2
(5–0)
 20  Baker   14  J. Jones   6  Taylor  Pan American Center (9,893)
Las Cruces, NM
01/26/2017
8:00 pm
at Seattle W 71–56  19–2
(6–0)
 19  Baker   11  Baker   5  J. Jones  KeyArena (1,267)
Seattle, WA
01/28/2017
7:00 pm
at Utah Valley W 74–69  20–2
(7–0)
 24  Baker   13  J. Jones   6  Haley  UCCU Center (6,246)
Orem, UT
01/30/2017*
7:00 pm
vs. Northern New Mexico W 98–75  21–2
 27  Baker   11  Chuha   5  Haley  Santa Ana Star Center (2,033)
Rio Rancho, NM
02/04/2017
7:00 pm
Chicago State W 86–51  22–2
(8–0)
 15  Taylor   11  Chuha   8  Haley  Pan American Center (5,445)
Las Cruces, NM
02/09/2017
8:00 pm
at Cal State Bakersfield L 53–72  22–3
(8–1)
 19  Baker   16  J. Jones   3  Baker  Icardo Center (3,497)
Bakersfield, CA
02/11/2017
7:00 pm, ESPN3
at Grand Canyon L 71–83  22–4
(8–2)
 19  Baker   11  Chuha   6  Baker  GCU Arena (7,479)
Phoenix, AZ
02/18/2017
6:00 pm
at Texas–Rio Grande Valley W 107–101  23–4
(9–2)
 36  Baker   9  J. Jones   7  Baker  UTRGV Fieldhouse (2,234)
Edinburg, TX
02/23/2017
7:00 pm
Utah Valley L 72–84  23–5
(9–3)
 21  Baker   10  Chuha   3  Huggins  Pan American Center (4,151)
Las Cruces, NM
02/25/2017
7:00 pm
Seattle W 86–53  24–5
(10–3)
 17  Chuha   11  Chuha   9  Baker  Pan American Center (4,744)
Las Cruces, NM
03/04/2017
7:00 pm
Texas–Rio Grande Valley W 107–81  25–5
(11–3)
 28  Chuha   10  J. Jones   7  Baker  Pan American Center (5,233)
Las Cruces, NM
WAC tournament
03/09/2017
5:30 pm
(2) vs. (7) Chicago State
Quarterfinals
W 67–53  26–5
 15  Baker   11  Chuha   5  Baker  Orleans Arena (1,854)
Paradise, NV
03/10/2017
9:30 pm, ESPN3
(2) vs. (3) UMKC
Semifinals
W 78–60  27–5
 18  2 Tied   13  J. Jones   4  2 Tied  Orleans Arena (2,190)
Paradise, NV
03/11/2017
9:00 pm, ESPNU
(2) vs. (1) Cal State Bakersfield
Championship
W 70–60  28–5
 16  Chuha   11  Chuha   6  Baker  Orleans Arena (2,444)
Paradise, NV
NCAA tournament
03/17/17*
11:40 am, truTV
(14 E) vs. (3 E) No. 9 Baylor
First Round
L 73–91  28–6
 19  2 Tied   6  2 Tied   7  J. Jones  BOK Center (13,571)
Tulsa, OK
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
E=East Region.
All times are in Mountain Time Source[5][6].

References

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