It’s year three for New Mexico State under coach Jason Hooten, and it has plenty of intrigue.
The Aggies have been predicted to finish third in Conference USA this season by conference coaches, their highest predicted finish since joining CUSA ahead of the 2023-24 season. NM State brings just two players back from last season’s team, neither of whom were starters, but its acquisitions are what’s making people excited.
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The Aggies brought in many transfers, headlined by guard Jemel Jones from CSU Bakersfield and forward Julius Mims from Idaho. Jones set multiple scoring records with the Roadrunners and was named to the Preseason All-CUSA team, while Mims tallied 81 blocks in two seasons with Idaho. Others, like 6-foot-11 East Carolina transfer Cyr Malonga, give NM State size in the middle.
Hooten believes the program is trending up after a 17-15 record last season, which brought four more wins than the 2023-24 season. He’s thrilled to see fellow coaches believe they’re getting closer to the program’s standards it had before the 2022-23 season.
“It’s not (the predicted finish) as much as it is the respect that we’ve gotten from our peers two years from a rebuild and a total start over,” Hooten told the Las Cruces Sun-News. “I think that says a lot that our peers think enough of us that they’re going to pick us third in the league. I just think that it means a lot to me personally, just because of where we came from.”
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Who will be the scorers?
Jones should be one of, if not the leading scorer, for the Aggies this season. He averaged a CSU Bakersfield record 18.9 points per game at a 47.8% shooting mark, while also shooting 35.2% from 3-point range.
Others can score, as Hooten made shooting a priority when attacking the transfer portal. Guards Elijah Elliott and Jayland Randall have each averaged double figures in points at their former schools, while Chris Terrell averaged 21.2 points per game at Division II Delta State. Forward Kyrese Mullen shot 44.9% over three seasons at Hampton, and freshman guard Omarr Smith is coming off a senior high school season that saw him average 20.4 points per game.
Scoring was the Aggies’ biggest weakness last season, evidenced by their CUSA second-worst 69.7 points per game mark. Hooten hopes that flips.
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“For the most part, you try to go out and you try to replace those deficiencies that you thought your team had, and scoring was what we missed,” Hooten said at the CUSA Basketball Tipoff on Oct. 14. “I felt like we got some guys that can score the basketball, and I think we’re better in that area.”
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Mims looks to be stretch forward
Mims believes he can bring more than just defense.
“I can rebound the crap out of the ball. I can guard one through five. I would say I can stretch the floor a little bit on the perimeter,” Mims said at the CUSA Basketball Tipoff.
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Mims led Idaho in both shooting percentage at 66.1% and rebounding average at 6.3 per game. He’ll look to restore quality 3-point shooting, as he went just 25% from beyond the arc last season compared to 33.3% in his 2023-24 campaign.
MORE BASKETBALL: What New Mexico State’s teams had to say at the Conference USA Basketball Tipoff
Mims was primarily a center at Idaho, but Hooten says he’ll play mostly at power forward for NM State.
“Julius is just going to bring us such athleticism at that power forward spot. I’m excited for him,” Hooten said at the CUSA Basketball Tipoff. “He did that his junior year… at Idaho, and had a really good season in that position. We really feel comfortable with him playing there, but he’s also got versatility. We always know that we can swing him over, and he can also play that five spot and make us a lot more dynamic as well.”
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Pickens, Osborne return
Guard Gabe Pickens and forward Jae’Coby Osborne are the only returners from the Aggies’ 2024-25 team and could be featured in larger roles this season.
Both showed flashes in the time they got last season. Pickens ranked second on last season’s NM State team with 58 assists, while Osborne led last season’s Aggies with a 63.9% shooting mark. There can be improvements, though, mainly in Pickens taking better care of the ball, as he had 40 turnovers in 338 minutes last season.
Hooten is challenging both Pickens and Osborne to lead more with their words this season.
“I think both guys need to be more vocal and lead,” Hooten said. “They definitely lead every day with their effort and their toughness, and they bring that to the table on a consistent basis. I’m excited about them. Both of them get an opportunity to maybe be in a different role than what they were in last year.”
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: NMSU basketball: Why peers expect more from Aggies this season
