LOGAN, Utah - Utah State men's basketball wrapped up its first official day of practice on Thursday afternoon, as a group of six returning letterwinners joined with nine newcomers in conditioning and various drills to open preparations for the 2019-20 season.
"It is hard to believe that it is this time of year," second-year head coach Craig Smith said. "We have a lot of new faces. Our guys have really gotten better over the summer and now we're almost into October. It's hard to believe that we'll be playing games in about 40 days from now."
The Aggies return four starters in senior Sam Merrill, the reigning MW Player of the Year and MW Tournament MVP, sophomore center Neemias Queta, the reigning MW Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year, junior point guard Abel Porter and sophomore guard Brock Miller.
"I thought we had a really good day and it's fun to be back," Merrill said at the end of the practice session. "To be able to get back and know that it is finally time to get working, really working towards our season towards our 30 practices, we had a good day. We are just continuing to progress."
Merrill led the Aggies in scoring and assists a season ago, averaging 20.9 points and 4.2 assists per game. Merrill is on track to become just the fourth Aggie ever to eclipse 2,000 career points, entering the year with 1,568. Queta was a rim-protector extraordinaire during the 2018-19 season, totaling a school-record 84 blocks and also was dominant on the boards, leading Utah state with 8.9 rebounds per contest. Porter was the starting point guard for the Aggies in each of the final 17 games of the season, a stretch that saw Utah State go 15-2. Miller proved to be a threat from behind the 3-point line, knocking down 70 treys last year, the second-most by an Aggie in 2018-19.
They are joined by returning letterwinners Diogo Brito, a senior guard, and Justin Bean, a sophomore forward. Brito was a jack-of-all-trades in 2018-19, averaging 8.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and a team-best 1.1 steals per game. Bean found his stride late in the season and became an immediate crowd favorite after averaging 4.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
The core of six returning letterwinners are joined by six newcomers and three returning redshirts with the season opener set for Tuesday, Nov. 5, against Montana State inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Fans will be able to get a sneak peek of the team when the Aggies host the College of Idaho in an exhibition game on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
Utah State men's basketball news and information is available on Facebook (facebook.com/usumensbasketball), on Twitter (@usubasketball) and on Instagram (@usubasketball). Fans can also get USU men's basketball highlights on YouTube (youtube.com/utahstateathletics). Aggie fans can follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter (@usuathletics), on Facebook (facebook.com/usuathletics) or on Instagram (@usuathletics).
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