Throughout the month of March, Tyler Newbold, a senior men's basketball player for Utah State will write a weekly blog on his teams' progress and what it's like to be a student-athlete in-season. Check back each Monday to read a new entry.
Monday, March 28, 2011
This
year the NCAA Tournament has been incredible. There have been many upsets
and great finishes. If anyone predicted this year's final four I would
love to meet them.
I doubt anyone had VCU playing Butler in a final four
matchup. Many thought VCU did not belong in the tournament but they have
proved that theory incorrect. Butler has reached the final four two times
in a row which is incredible. This is why I believe the NCAA basketball
tournament is the greatest tournament in sports. Nearly every Division I
team has a chance to qualify for the tournament and make a run at the national
title.
I will be cheering for whoever wins out of VCU and Butler to win the
NCAA title. I love the idea of a mid-major school winning the
championship. I have had the opportunity to play in three NCAA Tournaments and
I will never forget the experiences I have had. I wish NCAA football
could adopt a playoff system so that every team could prove themselves worth
during the regular season for a chance to win the title.
I am grateful to
be able to have played college basketball at the highest level. I have been
able to win four consecutive WAC regular season conference titles, which has
been amazing. I am grateful to the coaches who have given me the
opportunity to live my dream!!
Monday, March 21, 2011
We finished this season with a disappointing
loss to Kansas State in the NCAA Tournament. We prepared well and played
extremely hard but we did not play extremely well. I am so sad to see my
collegiate career come to an end along with many of my teammates who I love.
I am so proud to be able to say that I played for Coach Morrill all four
years. I got to be a part of the winningest senior class in the history
of Utah State. The memories and lessons I have learned will stick with me
forever. I am so grateful to the fans that have been so supportive!!
Even though my career is over, Aggie Basketball will always be a part of
me. I will miss being on the court when the Spectrum is rocking, but I
will never forget how it feels. Even though many seniors graduate this
year, Aggie Basketball will carry on the great tradition that has been built up
over the years!!
Monday, March 14,2011
March Madness!!!
As the WAC Tournament week came upon us we were excited to finish out the season strong. We headed down to Las Vegas on Thursday night after most teams had already played. We were excited to finally get down and play against a San Jose State team that played extremely well during the tournament. They played us tough and luckily we played an excellent defensive game or else we would have lost. It was nice to get that win under our belt and we knew we would play better in the title game against a Boise State team which had played well as of late. The championship game was so much fun as we came out and played confidently!! The thrill of our students rushing the court was incredible. Winning the WAC by numerous games and completing the year by winning the tournament was the best way to do it our senior year. We celebrated all night with the amazing Aggie fans that packed the Orleans Arena. Making our tournament games feel like home games has been a trend recently for Aggie fans at the conference tournament. We are so appreciative of our fans that are so dedicated and travel with us!! Thank you!!
Winning the tournament means that we punched our ticket to the Big Dance. We had a party on the third floor of our athletic facility to watch where we would be headed. The excitement of waiting for our name to be called is so much fun. I have always dreamed of playing in the NCAA Tournament and this will be the third time I am able to play which has been a dream come true. We found where we are headed during the last bracket announced. We play Kansas State in Tucson on Thursday night. We are excited to play against a really great Big 12 team. We are going to prepare to win and show the country that the Utah State Aggies are for real. We are excited for the opportunity to make a wonderful season even better!!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Hi, my name is Tyler Newbold. I am a senior on the Utah State basketball team. I play shooting guard and small forward for the Aggies. I will graduate this spring with a degree in Public Relations. I chose to play basketball at Utah State because of the great tradition; great coaches and the best home court advantage in the country in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. I grew up loving the game of basketball. My father was a high school coach when I was born. The first event my mom took me too as a infant was to see my dad coaching his high school team. I grew up dreaming of the time I could play in high school. As I grew older, I dreamed of playing college basketball and playing in the NCAA Tournament. I have been lucky enough to live that dream while playing for USU.
This season has been a successful one for us. We are currently 28-3 and just came off a very successful road trip. We defeated Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State on the trip. We have clinched our fourth straight regular season WAC Championship and we are so excited to head to Las Vegas as the #1 seed in the WAC tournament. We are ecstatic for the opportunity to go to Vegas and compete with the rest of the conference for the coveted automatic berth into the tournament. Every team will bring their best shot!!
This season we have an experienced team with 6 seniors who have a lot of experience. We have shown our maturity during the season. We have won many games down the stretch and the experience we have has helped us with these games. We have had many fun and interesting games this season. Tai Wesley breaking a backboard during half-time and a big second half comeback against St. Mary's on the road have happened during the last month. We are excited for March Madness and hope we can do some damage in the WAC Tournament and in the NCAA tournament.
Tyler Newbold