LOGAN — Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun made noise last fall when he took on five freshmen to join his five transfers and five returners.
While those five freshmen were the highest-ranked recruiting class Utah State basketball had ever had, many were surprised to see a consistent Mountain West contender and NCAA Tournament program take that many inexperienced players.
The five first-year players weren't anticipated to see the court a whole lot this season, and three of them redshirted. The remaining two, however — Adlan Elamin and Elijah Perryman — have grown into important pieces for the tournament hopeful Aggies.
"There are not too many coaches in the country who would take five freshmen," Calhoun said prior to the Aggies' Jan. 28 game against Wyoming. "We did it a little bit different. When we heard there were 15 scholarships, we wanted to take and develop guys and get old with guys."
After seeing reduced roles to start the season, which was to be expected, Perryman and Elamin have become important pieces for Utah State — something not many outside the coaching staff anticipated.
Perryman, while not a starter, is typically the first point guard off the bench to replace senior guard Drake Allen and has averaged over 15 minutes per game. In that role, Perryman can frequently provide a needed burst of energy, as he did with a team- and career-high 16 points and seven assists in Utah State's 91-78 win over Fresno State Tuesday night.
Perryman tallied his 16 points on an efficient 5-of-6 shooting, including making a season-high four 3-pointers.
"The biggest thing for me tonight was when they backed off, (I) shot it with confidence," Perryman said. "And really tried to get people open more than just score myself."
Perryman has had other breakout games this year this season, including an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double in a win over San Jose State earlier in the season.
Elamin, conversely, has been in the starting lineup for every game since the Aggies' Dec. 4 loss at South Florida.
Since entering the starting lineup, Elamin has averaged nearly 9 points and over four rebounds per game, with recent breakout games in big conference wins against San Diego State and at New Mexico.
"Adlan Elamin's growth, his development were incredible today. He's just getting better and better," Calhoun said after Elamin's 13-point and eight-rebound performance against the Aztecs.
Elamin, a 6-foot-9 wing with a wingspan over seven feet, also provides Utah State with some depth and versatility Utah State hasn't typically had in previous seasons. Elamin's size and length give the Aggies a long defender that can challenge both small guards and big centers, while his athleticism and play-making ability give them a versatile inside and outside threat on the offensive end.
Elamin shoots over 48% from the floor and 33% from 3-point range, presenting personnel challenges for opposing defenses who hope to guard him effectively.
He is no stranger to being a role player on a talented roster after coming from storied high school St. Paul VI Catholic in Virginia, where he didn't always start for his high school team. After gaining an additional 20 pounds in the fall, Elamin grew into a position where he was ready to contribute for the Aggies.
Elamin's contributions during Utah State's recent winning streak earned him Mountain West freshman of the week honors on Feb. 9, the first time he's won the award.
"He didn't play a lot early at Charleston, and then he goes into the rotation. Now he's starting, and now he's freshman of the week," Calhoun said. "To me, we can't lose that in college basketball. We've got to have development. That's why we took five freshmen; we want to develop those guys."
While the Aggies freshmen have gotten up to speed fairly quickly, development can come at a cost, both mentally in on-court mistakes and physically during the grueling college basketball slate.
"It's a long season. It's definitely different from high school, playing a lot more games, playing a lot more physical guys, faster guys," Perryman said. "Biggest thing for me with the long season is just taking care of my body as much as I can. Staying healthy."
Though still hoping to get meaningful production from the three remaining redshirted freshmen down the road, Calhoun's gamble on youth has paid dividends and deepened an already talented Utah State squad.
With just under a month until the regular season comes to a close, the Aggies are hoping this additional depth can help push the team over the edge come March.
