Logan • A Utah State student in the stands of The Spectrum yelled out to Aggies basketball coach Craig Smith requesting a selfie. Smith, who was on the court, raised both his arms and made a fist with each one as if he was celebrating the team beating Wyoming 72-59 just minutes before.
The fan tapped the shutter on his phone a couple of times, thanked Smith and said he’d tag him on Twitter. “Sounds good,” Smith yelled back.
The exchange was the last of its kind for the rest of the basketball season. The Aggies played their final game at The Spectrum on Thursday in what was a make-up for a previously postponed one due to COVID-19.
Usually, the final home game is Senior Night. But that occurred last week against Nevada because that’s when it was originally scheduled. Seniors Alphonso Anderson and Kuba Karwowski were honored before that game.
“It was a different vibe to it,” Smith said. “At the same time, our guys knew it was the last time they were going to be able to play in The Spectrum this year.”
The different feeling, Smith said, was due to the Aggies again going without one of its starters due to injury. Junior guard Brock Miller sat out with an ailing back he’s played through in recent games. His absence offensively was felt for the early parts of the game, but freshman guards Steven Ashworth and Max Shulga filled in nicely from the 3-point line in the second half.
Homes games have been different for sports programs at every level this past year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many don’t allow fans. The Aggies, however, have been able to let in about 1,500 for home games. Although it’s a small number, they’ve made their presence felt nearly as much as normal.
“You know it’s a good fan base when the officials are even saying, ‘Man I’ve missed refereeing in front of fans,’” Ashworth said.
Utah State is still trying to put itself in position for a good seed in the Mountain West Conference tournament and an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. The win Thursday put the Aggies at 14-4, just a half-game behind San Diego State (14-3) and Colorado State (14-3). USU could end up the No. 2 seed with a win Saturday against Fresno State.
Junior center Neemias Queta said the combination of tournament positioning and the seniors on the roster gave the Aggies some motivation heading into their final home game.
“We felt like we needed to go out on a bang, make sure our seniors left on a good note, make sure we had a win at home so we could finish the season and just keep pushing so we can get to the tournament,” Queta said.
While the Aggies only have two seniors on the roster, they have impacted the team in various ways. Anderson recently cracked the starting lineup and has garnered praise from Smith, who said after Thursday’s win that the senior is “playing the best basketball he’s played this year.”
Karwowski hasn’t received many minutes this season, and Smith said the 7-footer has struggled with injuries for his entire career at USU. But when Karwowski miraculously finished a lob play with less than three minutes to go against Nevada on Senior Night, the bench erupted with glee.
“Everybody was just genuinely happy for him,” Smith said of Karwowski. “That shows you how much his teammates care about him.”
Anderson told The Salt Lake Tribune that the second game against Nevada felt more to him like the final home game compared to Thursday’s against Wyoming. He said he’s currently locked in to the remainder of the season, so it hasn’t yet sunk in that it the Aggies won’t play at The Spectrum again this season.
“I haven’t had that feeling yet because I know there’s so much more ball to be played,” Anderson said.
Anderson feels like he has a close relationship with Karwowski due to the pair’s senior status and conveyed respect for the Polish big man’s ability to connect with teammates while being from another country and living away from his family for years. Anderson added that Karwowski’s teammates love him.
“Kuba’s my guy,” Anderson said. “I’m glad I was able to be teammates with him.”
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