New coach, new roster, new Aggies: NMSU learning new playing style as summer workouts begin

LAS CRUCES – New Mexico State won’t play a basketball game for four more months, but don’t tell that to first-year head coach Greg Heiar. His intensity during the Aggies’ summer workouts is in midseason form.

And with a team of almost entirely new players and coaches, NMSU can’t afford to slack off, even for a day.

The Aggies began summer workouts June 24, just after its almost entirely new roster of nine players arrived on campus. Only two non-redshirt members of last year’s NMSU team remained in Las Cruces after former head coach Chris Jans departed for Mississippi State following the 2021-22 season, and only one received meaningful minutes for most of the season. So Heiar, there’s no time to waste in building team chemistry and installing a new playing style in Las Cruces.

“Players are made in the summertime, in the offseason. We’re working on a lot of development, skill development, player development, concepts…” Heiar said, adding that he’s generally pleased with the progress the team has made in the first handful of workouts. “The summer is when you learn how to do that, and they’re learning how to do that right now.”

Heiar brought two transfer players to NMSU from NWFSC — Deshawndre Washington and Issa Muhammad — so he understands the program will go through growing pains as new plays, coaching styles and program values are introduced to a squad of more than 75% new players.

The two non-redshirt players from last year’s Aggie team to return to NMSU, Marchelus “Chi Chi” Avery and Mike Peake, are learning a drastically different playing style from what they experienced last year under Jans. Instead of leaning on a calling card of half-court offense, physical defense and the ability to bang in the low post, this year’s NMSU squad is priding itself on “dunks, layups, the free-throw line and of course, (3-pointers)” in a new up-tempo offense.

Its four post players — Peake, Shakiru Odunewu, Muhammad and Bol Kuir — are already going through the playmaking drills Heiar promised to put his big men through in his introductory press conference in March. But there’s a learning curve for nearly all players aside from Muhammad and Washington, who played for Heiar at the junior college level.

“(We’ve got to) build team chemistry, because there’s a lot of guys from different programs that really come from different things. Some of the terms (used) are some of the terms people don’t know. We have to come together and want to help each other,” Peake said. “It’s like this for every new team coming together. You’ve just got to find your rhythm, find your style of play and under Greg Heiar, I think we can do that.”

Roster and coaching staff not yet finalized

But even once the current group of 12 scholarship players comes together the way Heiar expects, they’ll still have to accommodate the addition of LSU transfer guard Xavier Pinson and potentially one more recruit Heiar would like to add before the season starts.

Pinson is the only member of this year’s team Heiar said has not yet arrived on campus. Heiar would additionally like to sign one more post player “that can get double digit (points) in an NCAA Tournament game late, if we can. Not saying that we can, but I’m gonna recruit to try to do that.”

Heiar added that the departure of redshirt freshman guard Kiran Oliver does not change his offseason recruiting strategy and that he will not seek a replacement guard in the transfer portal.

He confirmed the current scholarship roster of players on campus consists of: Chi Chi Avery; Issa Muhammad; Kyle Feit; DaJuan Gordon; Doctor Bradley; Shahar Lazar; Mike Peake; Deuce Benjamin; Jaden Alexander; Shakiru Odunewu; Bol Kuir; Deshawndre Washington and soon Xavier Pinson. Three additional team members will pay their own way this season.

More: New Mexico State men's basketball recruiting tracker

Heiar will consider possibly redshirting players after October.

NMSU’s coaching staff is not yet finalized either. Heiar is still looking to add an assistant coach, which is the only remaining open spot on his staff.

Remaining summer schedule

After the week of July 4, the Aggies will have 10 practices from July 15-28 before leaving for a preseason basketball tour in the Bahamas.