2017–18 New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team

The 2017–18 New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team represented New Mexico State University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Aggies, led by first-year head coach Chris Jans, played their home games at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico as members of the Western Athletic Conference. They finished the season 28–6, 12–2 in WAC play to win the WAC regular season championship. In the WAC Tournament, they defeated Chicago State, Seattle, and Grand Canyon to become WAC Tournament champions. They received the WAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament where they lost in the First Round to Clemson.

2017–18 New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball
WAC regular season and tournament champions
NCAA Tournament, First Round
ConferenceWestern Athletic Conference
2017–18 record28–6 (12–2 WAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Lou Gudino
  • David Anwar
  • Jeff Mailhot
Home arenaPan American Center
2017–18 WAC men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
New Mexico State122 .857  286  .824
Utah Valley104 .714  2311  .676
Grand Canyon95 .643  2212  .647
Seattle86 .571  2014  .588
UT Rio Grande Valley68 .429  1518  .455
Cal State Bakersfield59 .357  1218  .400
UMKC59 .357  1022  .313
Chicago State113 .071  329  .094
2018 WAC Tournament winner

Previous season

The Aggies finished the 2016–17 season 28–6, 11–3 in WAC play to finish in a tie for second place. They defeated Chicago State, UMKC, and Cal State Bakersfield to win the WAC Tournament. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament where they lost in the First Round to Baylor.

On April 11, 2017, head coach Paul Weir resigned to become the head coach at New Mexico.[1] On April 17, the school hired Chris Jans as head coach.[2]

Offseason

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Travon Landry0G6'1"184RS JuniorSan Antonio, TXLeft the team due to personal reasons
Jermaine Haley1G6'7"185RS FreshmanBurnaby, BCTransferred to Odessa College
Braxton Huggins2G6'3"184JuniorBakersfield, CATransferred to Fresno State
Chance Ellis3G6'3"217SophomoreQueens, NYTransferred to Prairie View A&M
Ian Baker4G6'0"190SeniorWashington, D.C.Graduated
Matt Taylor5G6'4"173JuniorToronto, ONDeclare for 2017 NBA draft
Tanveer Bhullar21C7'2"285RS JuniorToronto, ONGraduate transferred to Missouri State
Marlon Jones23F6'9"222JuniorChicago, ILLeft Program
Bollo Gnahore34C6'10"258RS FreshmanAbidjan, Ivory CoastLeft Program
Jalyn Pennie35G6'5"185JuniorToronto, ONGraduate transferred to Cal State Los Angeles

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Keyon Jones0G6'2"185JuniorDorchester, MAJunior college transferred from Odessa College
Shunn Buchanan1G6'0"165SophomoreMadison, MSJunior college transferred from NE Mississippi CC
Wayne Stewart2G6'5"170SophomorePhiladelphia, PAJunior college transferred from Lamar CC
Zach Lofton23G6'3"180RS SeniorSt. Paul, MNGraduate transferred from Texas Southern. Will be eligible to play immediately, graduated from Texas Southern.
Leston Gordon24C6'7"225JuniorTunapuna, Trinidad and TobagoJunior college transferred from Lee College
C. J. BobbittF6'7"225JuniorHarker Heights, TXTransferred from Denver. Under NCAA transfer rules, Bobbitt will have to sit out in the 2017–18 season. Will have two years of eligibility left.
JoJo ZamoraG6'2"170SeniorOakland, CATransferred from Utah. Under NCAA transfer rules, Zamora will have to sit out in the 2017–18 season. Will have one year of eligibility left.

2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Robert Brown
#52 PF
Dallas, TX Advanced Prep International 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 78
Gabe Hadley
PG
Launceston, Australia Scotch College 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 177 lb (80 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Jabari Rice
SG
Houston, TX Fort Bend Marshall 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jun 1, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Kortrijk Miles
SF
Dallas, TX Lincoln High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Aug 16, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2017 New Mexico State Basketball Commits". ESPN.com.

    Roster

    2017–18 New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    G 0 Keyon Jones 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)207 lb (94 kg) JrMilton HS
    Odessa JC
    Dorchester, MA
    G 1 Shunn Buchanan 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)170 lb (77 kg) SoMadison Central HS
    Northeast Mississippi CC
    Durant, MS
    G 2 Wayne Stewart 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)185 lb (84 kg) JrPhiladelphia Military Academy
    Lamar CC
    Philadelphia, PA
    G 3 Gabe Hadley 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)195 lb (88 kg) FrTemplestowe College Melbourne, Australia
    G 5 Kortrijk Miles 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)180 lb (82 kg) FrLincoln HS Dallas, TX
    G 10 Jemerrio Jones 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)200 lb (91 kg) SrMelrose HS
    Hill JC
    Memphis, TN
    F 11 Johnathon Wilkins 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)230 lb (104 kg) RS SrLa Lumiere HS Lille, France
    G 12 A. J. Harris 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)170 lb (77 kg) RS SoDunbar HS
    Ohio State
    Dayton, OH
    G 13 Sidy N'Dir 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)190 lb (86 kg) RS JrWest Oaks Academy Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire, France
    G 15 Joe Garza (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)185 lb (84 kg) SrLas Cruces HS Las Cruces, NM
    F 22 Eli Chuha 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)230 lb (104 kg) RS JrRedlands East Valley HS Redlands, CA
    G/F 23 Zach Lofton 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)180 lb (82 kg) RS SrColumbia Heights HS
    Texas Southern
    Saint Paul, MN
    C 24 Leston Gordon 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)215 lb (98 kg) JrTunapuna Secondary
    Lee CC
    Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago
    F 35 Johnny McCants 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)220 lb (100 kg) RS FrOñate HS Las Cruces, NM
    F C. J. Bobbitt (I) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)225 lb (102 kg) JrHarker Heights HS
    Denver
    Killeen, TX
    F Robert Brown  6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)238 lb (108 kg) FrAdvanced Preparatory International Dallas, TX
    G Jabari Rice  6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)160 lb (73 kg) FrMarshall HS Houston, TX
    G JoJo Zamora (I) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)175 lb (79 kg) SrNewark Memorial HS
    Utah
    Oakland, CA
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)

    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster
    Last update: November 9, 2017

    Schedule and results

    Date
    time, TV
    Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Exhibition
    Nov 1, 2017*
    7:00 pm
    Southeastern Oklahoma State W 90–83 
                    Pan American Center 
    Las Cruces, NM
    Nov 5, 2017*
    12:00 pm
    vs. Texas Tech
    Charity exhibition benefiting
    Greater Houston Community Foundation
    L 54–84 
                    Chaparral Center 
    Midland, TX
    Regular season
    Nov 10, 2017*
    7:00 pm
    East Central W 81–55  1–0
     25  Lofton  19  J. Jones  6  Harris  Pan American Center (3,920)
    Las Cruces, NM
    Nov 13, 2017*
    8:00 pm, CHN
    at No. 21 Saint Mary's L 74–93  1–1
     18  Lofton  10  J. Jones  4  Harris  McKeon Pavilion (2,811)
    Moraga, CA
    Nov 17, 2017*
    7:00 pm
    New Mexico
    Rio Grande Rivalry
    W 75–56  2–1
     28  Lofton  16  J. Jones  2  6 tied  Pan American Center (6,839)
    Las Cruces, NM
    Nov 22, 2017*
    7:00 pm
    Colorado State W 89–76  3–1
     30  Lofton  8  Lofton  5  Harris  Pan American Center (3,883)
    Las Cruces, NM
    Nov 25, 2017*
    7:00 pm
    UTEP
    Battle of I-10
    W 72–63  4–1
     21  Lofton  8  Lofton  4  J. Jones  Pan American Center (6,069)
    Las Cruces, NM
    Nov 30, 2017*
    8:00 pm, Stadium
    at UTEP
    Battle of I-10
    W 80–60  5–1
     18  Harris  13  J. Jones  3  N'Dir  Don Haskins Center (7,078)
    El Paso, TX
    Dec 3, 2017*
    4:00 pm
    Prairie View A&M W 69–57  6–1
     18  J. Jones  12  J. Jones  4  Harris  Pan American Center (3,591)
    Las Cruces, NM
    Dec 6, 2017*
    7:00 pm
    San Diego L 60–65  6–2
     16  N'Dir  11  J. Jones  3  Tied  Pan American Center (3,798)
    Las Cruces, NM
    Dec 9, 2017*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    at New Mexico
    Rio Grande Rivalry
    W 65–62  7–2
     22  Lofton  10  Tied  3  Harris  Dreamstyle Arena (12,768)
    Albuquerque, NM
    Dec 12, 2017*
    7:00 pm
    Eastern New Mexico W 84–62  8–2
     29  Lofton  11  J. Jones  11  J. Jones  Pan American Center (3,431)
    Las Cruces, NM
    Dec 16, 2017*
    6:00 pm, BTN
    vs. Illinois
    Lou Henson Classic
    W 74–69  9–2
     23  Lofton  13  J. Jones  3  Chuha  United Center (5,695)
    Chicago, IL
    Dec 22, 2017*
    9:00 pm, ESPNU
    vs. Davidson
    Diamond Head Classic quarterfinals
    W 69–68  10–2
     13  Tied  8  Tied  3  Chuha  Stan Sheriff Center (7,669)
    Honolulu, HI
    Dec 23, 2017*
    8:00 pm, ESPN2
    vs. No. 6 Miami (FL)
    Diamond Head Classic semifinals
    W 63–54  11–2
     15  Lofton  9  Lofton  3  Lofton  Stan Sheriff Center (5,946)
    Honolulu, HI
    Dec 25, 2017*
    4:00 pm, ESPN2
    vs. USC
    Diamond Head Classic championship game
    L 72–77  11–3
     28  Lofton  11  J. Jones  8  J. Jones  Stan Sheriff Center (6,062)
    Honolulu, HI
    Dec 28, 2017*
    8:00 pm
    at UC Irvine W 65–60  12–3
     17  Lofton  14  J. Jones  4  J. Jones  Bren Events Center (2,036)
    Irvine, CA
    Jan 6, 2018
    1:00 pm
    at Chicago State W 97–60  13–3
    (1–0)
     18  J. Jones  16  J. Jones  8  Harris  Jones Convocation Center (563)
    Chicago, IL
    Jan 11, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    at Grand Canyon W 70–59  14–3
    (2–0)
     29  Lofton  15  J. Jones  3  J. Jones  GCU Arena (7,521)
    Phoenix, AZ
    Jan 13, 2018
    8:00 pm, ESPN3
    at Cal State Bakersfield W 66–53  15–3
    (3–0)
     28  Lofton  8  J. Jones  6  Harris  Icardo Center (3,326)
    Bakersfield, CA
    Jan 18, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Seattle W 75–62  16–3
    (4–0)
     15  Lofton  11  J. Jones  5  Harris  Pan American Center (5,035)
    Las Cruces, NM
    Jan 20, 2018
    4:00 pm, ESPN3
    Utah Valley W 86–59  17–3
    (5–0)
     24  Lofton  10  J. Jones  6  J. Jones  Pan American Center (6,046)
    Las Cruces, NM
    Jan 27, 2018
    6:00 pm
    at UMKC W 73–48  18–3
    (6–0)
     19  Lofton  15  J. Jones  3  J. Jones  Municipal Auditorium (1,410)
    Kansas City, MO
    Jan 30, 2018*
    7:00 pm
    Northern New Mexico W 71–45  19–3
     14  J. Jones  16  J. Jones  6  Buchanan  Pan American Center (4,094)
    Las Cruces, NM
    Feb 3, 2018
    4:00 pm
    Texas–Rio Grande Valley W 90–67  20–3
    (7–0)
     34  Lofton  20  J. Jones  6  Lofton  Pan American Center (5,115)
    Las Cruces, NM
    Feb 8, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Cal State Bakersfield W 69–43  21–3
    (8–0)
     14  Lofton  20  J. Jones  3  Tied  Pan American Center (4,206)
    Las Cruces, NM
    Feb 10, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Grand Canyon W 74–70  22–3
    (9–0)
     27  J. Jones  20  J. Jones  2  Harris  Pan American Center (12,989)
    Las Cruces, NM
    Feb 15, 2018
    7:00 pm
    at Utah Valley L 79–86  22–4
    (9–1)
     19  Lofton  6  J. Jones  6  N'Dir  UCCU Center (4,271)
    Orem, UT
    Feb 17, 2018
    2:00 pm
    at Seattle L 63–73 OT 22–5
    (9–2)
     26  Lofton  12  Lofton  5  Lofton  KeyArena (2,270)
    Seattle, WA
    Feb 22, 2018
    7:00 pm
    Chicago State W 78–67  23–5
    (10–2)
     15  N'Dir  11  J. Jones  4  J. Jones  Pan American Center (4,404)
    Las Cruces, NM
    Feb 24, 2018
    7:00 pm
    UMKC W 82–58  24–5
    (11–2)
     15  Tied  23  J. Jones  7  J. Jones  Pan American Center (5,989)
    Las Cruces, NM
    Mar 3, 2018
    6:00 pm
    at Texas–Rio Grande Valley W 86–71  25–5
    (12–2)
     18  J. Jones  13  J. Jones  7  Harris  UTRGV Fieldhouse (1,203)
    Edinburg, TX
    WAC Tournament
    Mar 8, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    (1) vs. (8) Chicago State
    Quarterfinals
    W 97–70  26–5
     21  Lofton  15  J. Jones  8  Buchanan  Orleans Arena (1,521)
    Paradise, NV
    Mar 9, 2018
    9:30 pm, ESPN3
    (1) vs. (4) Seattle
    Semifinals
    W 84–79  27–5
     31  Lofton  22  J. Jones  3  Harris  Orleans Arena (2,739)
    Paradise, NV
    Mar 10, 2018
    8:00 pm, ESPNU
    (1) vs. (3) Grand Canyon
    Championship game
    W 72–58  28–5
     21  Lofton  18  J. Jones  2  Harris  Orleans Arena (3,065)
    Paradise, NV
    NCAA Tournament
    Mar 16, 2018*
    7:57 pm, truTV
    (12 MW) vs. (5 MW) No. 20 Clemson
    First Round
    L 68–79  28–6
     29  Lofton  14  Jones  4  Jones  Viejas Arena (10,092)
    San Diego, CA

    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest Region.
    All times are in Mountain Time

    Source[3].

    References

    1. Glen Rosales, The Associated Press (2017-04-11). "College basketball: New Mexico hires NMSU's Paul Weir as head coach". NCAA.com. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
    2. "New Mexico State hires Wichita State assistant Chris Jans to replace Paul Weir". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
    3. "New Mexico State Athletics - 2017-18 Men's Basketball Schedule". Nmstatesports.com. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
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