What Is An Aggie

#89 Utah State Aggies: College Basketball 111 in 111

Welcome to The Sports Bank ’s second annual college basketball season preview series.  Last year we looked at 99 teams in 99 days.  This year, we are being slightly more aggressive and expanding to 111 teams in 111 days.  We will rank the 74 power conference teams and top 37 mid-majors in reverse power ranking order.  We’ll break down rosters, non-conference schedules, and pick a player to watch for each team.

To be completely honest, I struggled putting the Utah State Aggies this low due to their stellar past decade-plus and recent dominance in the WAC .  However, since the Aggies lose so much from last year’s team, I have to knock then down. First off, the projected depth chart is a total crapshoot.  With so much turnover from last year’s roster, only returning starter Brockeith Pane and key reserve Brady Jardine appear to be sure things in the starting five.  After that, there is going to be competition all across the roster to see who earns minutes.

Pane made an immediate impact last season after transferring in from Midland Junior College.  He will take on an even larger role running the Aggies’ offense but also more than likely being relied on as the go-to scorer.  After Pane, E.J. Farris is the only returning contributor from a year ago and he only played in 21 games.

Utah State did have a pair of guards redshirt last season in Preston Medlin and Antonio Bumpus.  Medlin saw decent playing time as a freshman during the 2009-2010 season while Bumpus was a former third team National Junior College Player.  Both players should see significant minutes this season while a host of newcomers will try to work themselves into the rotation.  The transfer of talented point guard James Walker leaves freshman Sam Orchard as the Aggies only true back-up point guard.

On the interior, Utah State will miss the physicality and experience of WAC Player of the Year Taj Wesley and Nate Bendall.  Jardine will have to pick up the slack.  He is an effective back-to-the-basket player and a terrific rebounder.  The concern is who else will step into a significant role?

Morgan Grimm is the only other Aggie with Division One experience and he only saw eight minutes per game last year as a junior.  JUCO transfers Kyisean Reed and Igor Premasunac will try to step in right away and contribute off the bench.  Reed relies on his athleticism while Premasunac is more of a physical presence.  6-10, 270 pound freshman Jordan Stone adds some much needed size and muscle into the equation as well.

Online calculator helps homeowners preserve lawns while saving water

Dr. Guy Fipps, Texas AgriLife Extension Service irrigation engineer, holds an Aggie Catch Can in his left hand. The device is used to accurately measure the amount of water a sprinkler irrigation system applies in a given amount of time. In his other hand, Fipps holds a special rain gauge available from some water utility companies designed to do the same thing. (Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Jose Lopez)

COLLEGE STATION – Drought or no drought, homeowners typically overwater their lawns, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service irrigation engineer.

It’s an expensive practice anytime, but during an extended drought, it’s particularly wasteful “and may lead to further water-use restrictions by communities if done by everyone, which is often the case,” said Dr. Guy Fipps, AgriLife Extension irrigation engineer.

Moreover, it’s unnecessary as there is an online calculator that will allow Texas homeowners to apply within a tenth of an inch of exactly the amount their turf grass needs, said Fipps, who is also the director of the Irrigation Technology Center at the Texas A&M University College Station campus.

“I guess a lot of people don’t know this sort of information and tools exist,” he said.

There is also a lot of misinformation circulating about, Fipps said.

“Look at garden sections in newspapers and elsewhere, you’ll typically see recommendations like water 1 inch to 2 inches a week, or that you should water infrequently and deeply — vague concepts like that,” he said.

There are lots of reasons such an approach isn’t appropriate, Fipps said. One reason is climatic variation.

“For example, this year we are having a very hot and dry summer, and water requirements are 30 percent to 50 percent higher than they would be in a more normal year,” he said.

In reality, the amount of irrigation a given variety of turf grass needs at any time depends upon many factors, such as temperature, humidity levels, wind, solar radiation and, of course, recent rainfall, if any, he said.

“The way you determine how much water grass actually needs is a fairly complex process, but fortunately, we have this website that does all that for you,” he said. “All you need to do is put in a little info about your location, the type of grass you’re growing, and what your goal is.

The Insider's Guide to the Colleges 2011, Students on Campus Tell You What You Really Want to Know

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