When Utah State first began recruiting Kyisean Reed, these two photos popped up on the USUFans.com message board.
Many fans were questioning whether on not the photos were real. Can he really jump that high? Is there a little trampoline out of the photo? I think it’s safe to say that Kyisean has answered those questions. The guy is for real. The Gossner Classic has been somewhat of a coming out party for Reed. He has demonstrated his athleticism through a variety of dunks and blocked shots. One of his dunks against UT-Arlington should go down in Aggie lore. If only we could find some video footage of it… Reed completely posterized the UT-Arlington defender making what was an incredible athletic feat seem quite easy. He has also shown an ability to alter and block shots, swatting away five shots in the last three games. Reed has also become one of Brockeith Pane’s favorite targets for alley-oop plays, and we can only hope that continues as the year goes on.
Not only is Kyisean an incredible athlete, but he is also proving to be an incredibly efficient scorer. On the year, Reed is shooting 63% from the field, good enough to place him #7 all-time in Single Season FG% at Utah State. After a slow start to the season, Reed has averaged 14.1 point per game over the last 7 games, including a career high 27 points last night leading the Aggies to a convincing 81-62 victory over a quality Kent State squad. If Kyisean can continue to perform at this high level, there are good things in store for the Aggies this year.
Utah State’s Preston Medlin had a career night on Tuesday in a win over UT-Arlington in the first game of this year’s Gossner Classic (a.k.a. Athletes in Action Classic Sponsored by Gossner Foods). Medlin came out on fire right from the get-go, hitting his first four three point attempts helping build a 20-8 lead for the Aggies. The Aggies never looked back and ended up winning the game 73-69. While the final score is somewhat close, that is mainly due to a flurry of three point makes by UT-Arlington in the last minute of the game. The game was never really in question.
Medlin finished the game with a very impressive stat line. He had career highs in points (27) assists (8), and steals (2), and pulled in 4 rebounds. He was terrific shooting the ball going 8-12 from the floor, 6-9 from downtown, and 5-6 from the free-throw line.
With Brady Jardine out with an injured foot, Preston Medlin has taken on the leadership role for this team. He’s shown confidence, passion, and a will to win. Medlin’s shooting performance also moved him up in the record books. He now ranks #5 all-time in Career 3PT FG% at 44.8%, and #4 all-time in Single Season 3PT FG% at 49.1%.
Danny Berger and Kyisean Reed also moved up in the record books after solid performances last night. Berger went 4-7 from three, moving him into the #6 spot (tied with Brian Green’s 2010-11 season) in Single Season 3PT FG% at 46.9%. Kyisean Reed continued his offensive dominance with another 13-point performance while shooting 4-5 from the field. This moved him into the #9 spot in Single Season FG% at 60.4%.
The Aggies face off against the St. Peter’s Peacocks tonight at 8:05 Mountain Time.
Eamonn Brennan and Dana O’Neil from ESPN.com have recently written an article asking fans to let them know who has the best student section in the nation.
San Diego State’s “The Show” has provided them an overwhelming response including this writeup on their official site as well as a boat load of tweets.
Aggie fans, it’s time to let them know that the Utah State Student Section is for real. Here’s some ammunition to aid in your tweets and campaigns:
Utah State has 4000 student tickets and they make some type of impression on the visiting team and it’s just a party. It is one heck of a party. It’s the best I’ve ever seen. In many, many years I’ve been at Duke and Kentucky and UConn and Syracuse and it’s clearly the best I’ve ever seen in terms of atmosphere.
In an Andy Katz (ESPN) piece from earlier this year, former University of Utah Coach Rick Majerus had this to say:
“It’s the toughest place to play,” said Saint Louis coach Rick Majerus, who coached Utah against Utah State every season of his tenure there and played at the Spectrum every other year. “I’ve been to Duke. I’ve been to the Pit. I’ve been to Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue, Arizona and around the country. I know the dynamic may change since it’s Utah-Utah State.
“It’s not mean-spirited, it’s not like you’re going to get hit with a hot dog or anything. I went to Oakland Raider games. Utah State has an Oakland Raider mentality without the knives and guns.”
Majerus didn’t stop there.
“It’s the only show in town,” he said. “The fans sit right behind you. The arena is really tough. It’s difficult to get to. You have to fly into Salt Lake City and drive in the winter on this treacherous drive that’s like a driveway to death.
Former BYU player, and current Boston Celtics scout Austin Ainge had this to say about the Spectrum:
“I have scouted and played all over the country, and Utah State is the most hostile home-court advantage I have been to. I loved playing there. Utah State-BYU has been more hostile and heated than Utah-BYU in the last 10 years.”
YouTube videos:
Got more quotes, YouTube videos, or pictures to add? Make a comment below!
Adam Thoseby and Preston Medlin have been on fire so far this year from beyond the arc. So much so that they have each entered the Utah State record books for 3 point shooting percentage.
Our good friends over at The Sagebrush Spot have written another great article on Spectrum Magic and have pulled an all-nighter to provide us with one of the most EPIC Aggie Basketball videos ever made. But before we get to that, let me just say this….
Aggie Students, It’s Time! Time to forget about the apology letter. Time to forget about the miscommunication and ridiculous (non-existent) “new rules”. Time to come out with a VENGEANCE on Tuesday night against Utah Valley University. This team is lacking some confidence and leadership right now and the best 6th man in the country needs to bring it full force and provide that for them. The Spectrum has risen to unprecedented heights over the last several years. ESPN has announced us as one of the best atmostpheres in college basketball. And many coaches that have brought their teams to the slaughter house have gone one step further. After playing (and losing) in Logan two years ago Wichita State’s coach Greg Marshall had this to say:
Utah State has 4000 student tickets and they make some type of impression on the visiting team and it’s just a party. It is one heck of a party. It’s the best I’ve ever seen. In many, many years I’ve been at Duke and Kentucky and UConn and Syracuse and it’s clearly the best I’ve ever seen in terms of atmosphere.
In an Andy Katz (ESPN) piece from earlier this year, former University of Utah Coach Rick Majerus had this to say:
“It’s the toughest place to play,” said Saint Louis coach Rick Majerus, who coached Utah against Utah State every season of his tenure there and played at the Spectrum every other year. “I’ve been to Duke. I’ve been to the Pit. I’ve been to Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue, Arizona and around the country. I know the dynamic may change since it’s Utah-Utah State.
“It’s not mean-spirited, it’s not like you’re going to get hit with a hot dog or anything. I went to Oakland Raider games. Utah State has an Oakland Raider mentality without the knives and guns.”
Majerus didn’t stop there.
“It’s the only show in town,” he said. “The fans sit right behind you. The arena is really tough. It’s difficult to get to. You have to fly into Salt Lake City and drive in the winter on this treacherous drive that’s like a driveway to death.
Many players on this year’s team, as well as recruits that have committed to become Aggies in future years have committed to Utah State for one reason. SPECTRUM MAGIC. Let’s give it to them like never before and make this year’s basketball season unforgettable!
Preston Medlin and Adam Thoseby put on a shooting clinic in Pocatello tonight leading the Aggies to a 75-62 victory over the Idaho State Bengals. Medlin had a career night pouring in 26 points going 9-13 from the field and 8-11 from downtown. His performance placed him in the top 4 all-time for three pointers made in one contest. The hot shooting didn’t stop with Medlin as Adam Thoseby was also on fire. Thoseby who made his first start for the Aggies as a true freshman, had a career night dropping in 16 points going 6-8 from the field and 4-6 from downtown.
Idaho State’s gameplan of using a zone defense led the many open looks from outside, and the Aggies made them pay. Overall Utah State shot 68.4% from the three point line going 13-19 for the game.
The win was a welcome one for Aggie Nation after suffering one of the most devastating losses in recent memory at the hands of Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
Up next for the Aggies
Utah State will welcome a good Denver squad to the Spectrum on Wednesday night. Last year a not-so-good Denver team gave the Aggies all they could handle, with Utah State pulling out a 61-53 victory in a game that was closer than the final score might indicate. Denver recently laid a beat down on perennial WCC powerhouse St. Mary’s, and has started the season 4-1. Their only loss this year came to #18 California.
The #OccupyTheSpectrum movement proved to be successful Friday night as the Utah State Aggies defeated the BYU Cougars in front of 10,270 rabid fans in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Over 1,400 die hard Aggie students set up tents and camped out just outside the Spectrum beginning on Tuesday night, and were rewarded with a very satisfying victory on Friday night.
The game was a good one from the very start as BYU and Utah State exchanged buckets for the majority of the first half. The Aggies took a two point lead into halftime up 30-28. BYU’s height advantage and disciplined zone defense proved difficult for the Aggies to handle in the first half. In the second half things began to change as Utah State made halftime adjustments to go on a 17-2 run and take a commanding 55-44 lead with just over five minutes remaining in the contest. BYU made several late game buckets to keep the contest somewhat in reach, but Utah State continued to knock down clutch free-throws (for the most part) and came away victorious.
USUStats.com players of the game
1 – Brockeith Pane. After starting off a bit shaky with some ill-advised shots and passes in the first half, Brockeith showed exactly why he was picked by the media as the preseason WAC player of the year. His defense, passing, and scoring ability led the Aggies to a huge second half effort. Brockeith also receives the play of the game in our book with his suffocating pressure of BYU point guard Brock Zylstra. On several consecutive possessions in the second half Brockeith caused Zylstra to either turn over the ball, or get flustered enough to disrupt the offensive flow resulting in either a turnover, or ill advised shot. After causing a huge turnover and breakaway points, a panicked Dave Rose called timeout. The Spectrum faithful remained animated and on their feet as the players returned to the floor only to see Brockeith immediately smother Zylstra in the backcourt, stealing the ball, and driving in for a layup. This was the beginning of the end for the Cougars.
2 – Brady Jardine. Brady’s leadership and athletic ability proved valuable in the victory. Anyone remember the St. Mary’s game last year? Anyone remember “The Dunk”?
Brady’s breakaway dunk against BYU last night was reminiscent of the nail-in-the-coffin play that made every SportsCenter highlight reel last year, and culminated with a eardrum shattering roar from the Spectrum crowd. His defensive pressure on BYU’s two quality big men, Brandon Davies and Noah Hartsock helped push the Aggies to victory.
3 – Preston Medlin. Many of you will remember how huge Preston was in the 2009 game against BYU. As a true freshman, Medlin provided a spark off the bench, coming up with two huge three pointers and the confidence and desire to win that the Aggies needed that night. One of my all-time proudest moments in the Spectrum was watching Preston give it his all in boxing out BYU’s center Chris Miles despite weighing 70 pounds less than him. Here’s a quick video reminder of that great moment:
Moving ahead to 2011… While his shot wasn’t falling in the first half last night, Preston made a huge impact on the game in the second half, once again hitting a huge 3-pointer to give the Aggies the lead for good at 45-42. He capped it off with another three late in the game and finished with 15 points.
4 – Mitch Bruneel. Talk about huge! Just when it seemed like no one on the Aggies could hit a shot in the first half, Mitch checked into the game and proceeded to hit two huge three pointers and another jump shot to give the Aggies some confidence just when the game seemed to be slipping away. Despite not starting the first half, Mitch got the nod to start the second due to his maturity and veteran leadership. The man he replaced, Steven Thornton also came up with a big play in the second half with a Pooh Williams-esque slashing drive to the hoop for two. It will be fun to watch this one-two punch develop over the season. Who will get the start next game? That’s anyone’s guess at this point.
5 – Morgan Grim. The hatchet man had another solid game for the Aggies last night providing hard-nosed play, and solid defense on BYU’s big men. While Morgan’s game doesn’t always look pretty, he seems to quietly get the job done. His veteran leadership helped keep the team together and seal up another Aggie home victory.
Up next for the Aggies
Yes, the Aggies came up with an ENORMOUS victory to start off the season, but things will not get easier from here. In a few short days, Utah State will travel to The Purple Palace in Ogden to take on the Weber State Wildcats. Weber State is a formidable foe, picked as the preseason favorites to win the Big Sky. Brockeith Pane will have another challenge on his hands with Weber State’s star point guard Damian Lillard. Not only that, but the Ogden squad is coached by a Stew Morrill disciple in Randy Rahe. There will be no surprises in the offensive or defensive schemes. If the Aggies can go into Ogden and come out victorious… well… let’s just say that I will be extremely happy and excited for the rest of the season. Hopefully the #occupythespectrum crew will fire up the Spectrum on Wheels and make the short trip to Ogden and cheer the Aggies on to victory.
The are Aggie fans, and there are AGGIE FANS. Our good friend Matt “Fafner” Sonnenberg definitely falls into the second category. After spending several years sitting on the front row of Section F in the Spectrum (also known as “The Bullpen”), Fafner has graduated and moved on. Luckily for us, he’s still a rabid Aggie fan, and has created a blog!
Fafner was the main force behind several amazing endeavors at Utah State. When he wasn’t writing new issues of The Refraction or The Bull Sheet, he was coming up with new and amazing ways to coordinate the chaos in the Spectrum and at Romney Stadium. Here are a couple of the by-products of that effort:
Head on over to the new blog and check out the latest Aggie news, all written in a familiar style by an Aggie legend!
The last issue of the Bull Sheet was a precursor to Utah State scoring touchdowns on it’s first 9 drives of the game, thrashing the Wyoming Cowboys 63-19. Let’s hope for more of the same result this week against The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. After last week’s disappointing loss to Fresno State, this week’s Bull Sheet revisits an unfortunate topic “Bad Dave” (Baldwin). Also read about Ry Bay’s epic new football into video, our chances of going bowling this year, the latest in the #Occupy movement, #OccupyRomney, and as always, a game preview and scouting report of LA Tech.
If you like what you see, please use the “Donate” link to contribute to printing costs. The Bull Sheet / Refraction crew have to pay out of their own pocket to print this thing. Any donations are greatly appreciated.
Utah State’s Preston Medlin had a career night on Tuesday in a win over UT-Arlington in the first game of this year’s Gossner Classic (a.k.a. Athletes in Action Classic Sponsored by Gossner Foods). Medlin came out on fire right from the get-go, hitting his first four three point attempts helping build a 20-8 lead for the Aggies. The Aggies never looked back and ended up winning the game 73-69. While the final score is somewhat close, that is mainly due to a flurry of three point makes by UT-Arlington in the last minute of the game. The game was never really in question. 
Eamonn Brennan and Dana O’Neil from ESPN.com have recently 
Our good friends over at 