LOGAN — As a new basketball season gets underway at the Dee Glen Smith Specturm in Logan, there are two truths that Utah State fans should be aware of.

The first is the backcourt duo of sophomore guards Koby McEwen and Sam Merrill. The second is that, due to a season-ending knee injury to center Norbert Janicek, the Aggies are going to be relatively small on the interior.

Let's start with McEwen and Merrill. McEwen is the reigning Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year. The sophomore out of Toronto averaged 14.9 points per game, the most by a USU freshman in school history. McEwen also scored in double figures in 24 games including a 28-point outburst on Jan. 7 against UNLV. The Wasatch Academy alumnus was second on the team in rebounds with 158 and second on the team in assists with 96.

"He becomes a smarter, more efficient player," USU head coach Tim Duryea said. "He does a better job of making his teammates better because his IQ is higher, because he's a better passer, because he sees things out of the pick-and-roll much better … we play a system and a style where everybody has to contribute. Obviously, he instigates a lot of that with playmaking, with scoring, and I'm sure for most people, when they prepare for us, he is the focal point."

Merrill is coming off a stellar freshman season. The Bountiful High product started the final 18 games of the season and led the Aggies in assists with 98. Merrill had an assist to turnover ratio of 3.27. At the end-of-year banquet, Merrill was named the best defender by his teammates. In all, Merrill averaged 9.4 points and 3.1 rebounds to go along with 3.3 assists per game.

"Sam is tremendous," Duryea said. "He reminds me a lot of Tyler Newbold, who could make a lot of plays without making many turnovers, really values the ball. Sam plays in a different style, has to do it a different way … it just comes natural to him. The good thing about that is it rubs off on the rest of our team because Sam's a tremendous shooter, yet he turns down a lot of shots to get his teammate an open shot, and that's a huge part of what we are. He's probably the ringleader in that."

Where will the interior production come from?

It may be a season where the Aggies live by the 3-pointer and die by the 3-pointer. With the 6-foot-11 Janicek going down with season-ending knee surgery over the summer, the cupboard is a little bare for the Aggie frontcourt.

Senior Alex Dargenton and junior Quinn Taylor, both at 6-8, are expected to be the leaders in the paint. Redshirt freshmen Klay Stall at 6-10 and Daron Henson at 6-7 will also fill the void.

The one thing that Duryea reiterated following a 98-54 blowout exhibition win over the University of Providence is that it is going to have to be a collective effort from everyone on the floor to defend and rebound.

Newcomers need to contribute immediately

According to Duryea, junior college transfers DeAngelo Isby and Dwayne Brown Jr. are expected to contribute immediately. Brown had nine points in the win over the University of Providence and Isby had eight points.

The newcomers have to contribute immediately due to the departures of forward Jalen Moore and guard Shane Rector. Moore averaged 17 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while Rector averaged 8.0 points and 2.1 assists.

Freshman guard Brock Miller is expected to contribute offensively as well. The Brighton High product is a sharpshooter who Duryea believes is going to be a key ingredient for the Aggies.

Another true freshman guard is going to get a lot of minutes early on in the season. Crew Ainge, the youngest son of former BYU legend Danny Ainge, is expected to get extended minutes while senior guard Julion Pearre is recovering from a calf injury.

Both Ainge and Miller recently returned from their LDS missions.

The Aggies open up at in-state rival Weber State on Nov. 10 and follow that up with their home opener on Nov. 13 against Montana State and former Aggie Konner Frey. Kyle McDonald is sports fan who loves the Chicago Cubs. Follow him on Twitter at @kylesportsbias

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