(01-14-2020 01:02 AM)NMSUPistolPete Wrote:  

(01-13-2020 11:11 PM)Trod0 Wrote:  

(01-13-2020 12:33 AM)NMSUPistolPete Wrote:  

(01-12-2020 11:43 PM)dancingNMSUaggie Wrote:  I think if Dan losses to Chicago State we will see GCU canning Dan mid season and see Menzies take the reins the rest of the year

Although Aggie fans have had their complaints about Menzies in-game coaching, there is no denying he is a very good recruiter and overall probably a better head coach than Thunder Dan. I don't think he could out coach Jans but he might be able to out recruit him. Menzies did bring in some of the more memorable Aggie players... Wendell McKines, Troy Gillenwater, Chili Nephawe, Sim Bhullar, Pascal Siakam. Getting those type of players to GCU would be a Lopes fan's wet dream.

I never thought Menzies was a very good recruiter, he was ok. I’d take JJ over McKines. McKines was really good but JJ was averaging a double double and is still doing so at a higher level than McKines ever reached. I’d take McCants over Gillenwater. Gillenwater was lazy and wouldn’t be able to play under Jans because of that. Chili was a big physical specimen but raw. I’d take Ivan over Sim. Sim was just a big presence, Ivan is a threat. Lofton was better than all these guys except Siakam. Now Menzies did hit a home run with him. Jans recruits basketball plays Menzies did not.

Umm, you do realize Wendell McKines averaged 18.7 ppg and 10.7 rpg his senior year and led the WAC in scoring and rebounding. He averaged a double-double. And, that was in a WAC that had Nevada, Utah State, Hawaii, Fresno State, and Louisiana Tech in the conference. He was also the WAC tournament MVP. The reason he did not make it in the NBA was because he was undersized for the position he played but unlike Jemerio, Wendell did not have a guard type skillset (ballhandling & facilitating). McKines was truly an undersized power forward (6'6ish, 230-lbs). However, McKines could shoot the three much better than Jemerio.

As for Gillenwater, he underachieved (and yes lazy). However, he was one of the most offensively gifted power forwards NMSU has ever had. He was a big reason NMSU almost upset Michigan State. Keep in mind, Gillenwater averaged 18.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 74.9 FT%, made 37 threes, and had 26 block shots as a Junior. McCants is averaging 8.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 34.5 FT%, made 17 threes, and 9 blocks to date also as a Junior. Gillenwater was a dominant player.

As for Sim Bhullar and Chili Nephawe, they both created match up problems for opposing teams. Neither would fit in Jans system because they are too slow. But Sim and Chili could help a lot of good coaches win game in the right system.

I’ll give you that. McKines has always been one of my favorites and he will go down as one of the best Aggies to every play. Gillenwater was really gifted but was held back with attitude and laziness. Add Siakam and Menzies had 3 good recruits in a decade of recruiting. In my opinion in that long at a program that doesn’t classify as a very good recruiter.

On a side note, the WAC was a million times more better with those teams when McKines played. So I don’t get when some people try to claim that the WAC now is just as good as the Mountain West.