This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Logan • Utah State unveils its new-look men's basketball team Friday night, when the Aggies play their only exhibition game against Southern Virginia at the Spectrum.
Utah State returns only four players from 2015-16, although the group includes two-time leading scorer Jalen Moore.
A senior out of Sky View High School, Moore is expected to play his natural position of small forward because the Aggies will be much bigger than they were a year ago.
"I expect Jalen to excel in all phases of the game — from rebounding the ball, to scoring and to shooting percentages," coach Tim Duryea said. "I see him improving in all of those areas — playing the position where his future is as a basketball player."
Utah State other returnees include senior point guard Shane Rector, junior shooting guard Julion Pearre and sophomore forward Quinn Taylor.
Rector and Pearre played particularly well late last season, when the Aggies crushed Wyoming in the Mountain West Conference tournament before nearly upsetting top-seeded San Diego State.
The exhibition game will also be the debut of Utah State's heralded freshman guard Koby McEwen. As a senior at Wasatch Academy, he averaged 18.7 points, 5.4 assists and 4.6 rebounds while leading the Tigers to a 29-4 record against a national-caliber schedule.
Utah State's opening opponent, Southern Virginia, is a Division III school. The Knights, who went 9-17 last season, have five Utah high school products on their roster.
The group includes freshman wing Brandon Hill (Layton), sophomore wing Jace Edmunds (Mapleton), freshman forward Jacob Fisher (Brighton), freshman guard Alec Johnson (Herriman) and sophomore center Sam Banks (Pleasant Grove).
Twitter: @sluhm —
Utah State vs. Southern Virginia
Friday, 7 p.m.
At the Spectrum