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Logan • Stew Morrill has been one spoiled basketball coach.
In each of the past four years, Utah State has been built around a mountain of experience. From Jaycee Carroll to Gary Wilkinson to Jared Quayle to Tai Wesley, Morrill has had the advantage of a security blanket on the floor, and four consecutive Western Athletic Conference titles have been the result.
"We've had people in every year who knew what Utah State basketball was all about," Morrill said.
On Friday, the official start of college basketball practice, the Aggies start over. Almost literally.
Gone are six seniors from last season. Gone are four starters, the bulk of the points, the bulk of the rebounding. Gone is Wesley, who was one of the country's best low-post scorers.
When USU takes the floor at the Spectrum on Friday, Morrill will be looking at nine newcomers, and just three players who saw significant minutes from last year.
How's that for starting over?
"The main thing is that we just don't know," Morrill said. "There are so many questions that need to be answered. But I will tell you this much: I'm excited for this team."
Senior point guard Brockeith Pane enters the year as a legitimate WAC Player of the Year candidate. Senior forward Brady Jardine will be a full-time starter for the first time in his career. He's easily one of the best rebounders in the conference and one of the best overall athletes. The hope is that his past inconsistencies will be cured with maturity and 30-plus minutes per game.
Those two will be the building blocks. Redshirt sophomore Preston Medlin will likely start at shooting guard. He is an all-around offensive threat.
The word out of preseason conditioning is that Utah State will be faster and more athletic than in the past. But beyond the previously mentioned three, not much is known about this batch of Aggies.
Local additions include former Sky View 7-footer Jordan Stone. Former Bingham star Ben Clifford will be a redshirt freshman. David Collette, who played at Murray, will redshirt before going on an LDS Church mission. And Sam Orchard, a true freshman from Highland, will be in the fold at point guard as well.
Twitter: @tonyaggieville —
USU basketball primer
Who's gone • Six seniors in Tai Wesley, Matt Formisano, Pooh Williams, Tyler Newbold, Brian Green and Nate Bendall.
Who's back • Brockeith Pane is one of the best point guards in the WAC. Brady Jardine is back at power forward, and Morgan Grim will be counted on to provide minutes at the center spot.
Who's new • Nine newcomers led by Kyisean Reed, Adam Thoesby, Antonio Bumpus and Mitch Bruneel. Sam Orchard, Jordan Stone, previous redshirt Ben Clifford and David Collette are local additions.
The lowdown • By all appearances, this group is more athletic and faster than in the past. But post scoring and all-around defense are major question marks that need to be answered. USU has a difficult non-league schedule featuring BYU, Kent State and road games at Wichita State and Mississippi State. For openers
Exhibition Oct. 28 UC-San Diego 7 p.m.
Regular season Nov. 11 BYU 7 p.m.