This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
2013 commit Carson Shanks, the seven-footer out of Minnesota, will be in Logan until Thursday, attending USU's elite camp.
There, Shanks, who committed to the Aggies last year, will have the chance to learn and to perform in front of his future coaching staff.
This is a big summer for Shanks, who is working on becoming stronger. Already, the rising senior has said he is improving in a few vital areas.
"Things have gone really well with me since the end of the year," Shanks said. "I've made some pretty good improvements since the end of the season. I've worked on fludity in my moves as well as my strength and conditioning."
Shanks is a part of a prized two-man class for 2013, along with Sky View small forward Jalen Moore, a 6-foot-8 swingman who is one of the best players in Class 4A, along with East High's Parker Van Dyke, who recently committed to Utah over the Aggies, amongst others.
Shanks became an early commit to Stew Morrill's program, turning down scholarship offers from Colorado State, Drake and Northern Iowa to play in Logan.
Utah State's move to the Mountain West Conference is a welcome one for Shanks, who privately worried about playing in the WAC, because of the instability of the league. Shanks will be USU's third seven-footer in 2013, along with Matt Lopez, Jordan Stone and a 6-11 senior-to-be in Jarred Shaw.
In fact, when the Aggies move to the MWC, they will be one of the biggest teams in the league, immediately.
"I'm very happy about the move," Shanks said. "The best games are the games with the most competition, and the MWC is one of the best leagues in the country. Nothing against the WAC. It's a great conference. But the Mountain West is a step up in talent and competition."
Tony Jones