Reggie Theus found a way to free up some scholarships. He chose not to invite four players back on the team.

New Mexico State head coach Reggie Theus announced Friday that junior guard Shon Caston has been granted his release from the Aggie men’s basketball team and will transfer before the start of the fall semester.

Caston (Duncanville, Texas), who joined the Aggies last season as a sophomore, played in 18 games while making one start. He finished the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds as a reserve guard. In an overtime loss to Sam Houston last season, Caston tied a career high with four points as he went 2-for-3 from the field in 21 minutes of action.

“We want what is best for Shon and we wish him well in his future endeavors,” Theus said. “Shon was a good guy to have on this team, but he wants to play more and felt that transferring was the right move for him personally.”

³This team has a lot of great players coming in and I just felt like it would be a better fit for me to go somewhere that I could get more playing time,² Caston said. ³I cherish the time that I was here with this team. I learned a lot, both on the court and off, and I have nothing but respect for all the guys and I am looking forward to seeing them move Aggie basketball to the next level.²

The program has also made the decision not to renew the scholarships of guards Shaun Davis (San Diego, Calif.), Ted Knauber (Albuquerque/Sandia HS) and forward Supo Jegede (Aurora, Colo.). Knauber and Jegede, who are both seniors this fall, will come back to the team as walk-ons while Davis will not return for his final season.

“These are moves that will make us a stronger program in the long run,” Theus said. “It is tough to lose a guy who works as hard as Shaun (Davis) did on the court, but in the end we decided it would be best for him and the program to go our separate ways. I have the utmost respect for Shaun as a basketball player and our program wishes him nothing but the good things as he moves on with the next phase of his life.”

“The great thing for our program is that both of the players leaving us are in school this summer and will leave NMSU in good academic standing so the team will not be adversely effected in terms of our APR score,” Theus. ³We will only lose a total of two points because both student-athlete will leave eligible.²

Davis, who transferred to NMSU as a junior last season, played in all 30 games for the Aggies while making 14 starts in the backcourt. Davis averaged 7.2 points per game and was second on the team with 72 assists. He finished the year shooting 42.8 percent from the field and 32.6 percent from three-point range. On the defensive end, Davis was third on the team with 35 steals while pulling down 2.6 rebounds per contest.

“We are very excited to have Ted and Supo back this season,” Theus said. “They are both quality players and will add to our depth this year. They both have embraced the situation and they want to be part of continuing to make this program a winner once again.”

Knauber, who transferred to NMSU last year after two seasons at Northeastern Junior College, played in all 30 games for the Aggies while making 28 starts at shooting guard. Knauber averaged 6.7 points and 2.2 rebounds per game while finishing second of the team with 42 made three pointers. He ended the season shooting 38.5 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from three-point range.

³I am really looking forward to this season,² Knauber said. ³I am very excited to be able to end my college career with this group of guys. We should have a good team this season and I think we will continue to build this program into the winner it should be.²

Jegede, who was a teammate of Knauber at Northeastern Junior College, played in 14 games for the Aggies while making two starts at the small forward position. Jegede finished the year averaging 2.2 points and 1.5 rebounds per game while collecting six blocked shots. In his first action as an Aggie, Jegede led NMSU to a 74-72 victory over Texas-San Antonio has he posted career highs in points with 11 and rebounds with seven.

³We expect big things from our team this year,² Jegede said. ³I think we will have one of the best teams in the WAC and to be able to host the (WAC) tournament my senior year is really special. I am also close to getting my degree and that is really important to me. I am really looking forward to having fun this year and taking it all in.²

The Aggies now have 10 scholarship players on the roster with one scholarship still available to use.

The Aggies finished last season with an overall record of 16-14, the club’s first winning season since 2002-03.

This season, the Aggies will return four of the team’s five starters from last year, including All-WAC selections Tyrone Nelson (Hempstead, Texas) and Elijah Ingram (East Orange, N.J.). NMSU will also add six new players to the mix, including the 2006 NJCAA National Tournament Most Valuable Player in forward Hatila Passos (Rio Janeiro, Brazil) and freshman guard Jonathan Gibson (Tarzana, Calif.).

Also joining the solid foundation of last year’s team will be juniors Justin Hawkins (Utah), Fred Peete (Kansas State), Martin Iti (UNC-Charlotte) and Trei Steward (Northern Colorado), all of whom red shirted this past season due to NCAA transfer rules.

The Aggies will open the 2006-07 season with an exhibition game in Hobbs, N.M. Nov. 6 against Eastern New Mexico at the Lea County Events Center.

2006-07 AGGIE BASKETBALL PRESEASON ROSTER

No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Exp. Hometown (Previous School)
5 David Fisher F 6-6 220 Sr. 1L Dallas, Texas (Arkansas-Fort Smith JC)
12 Elijah Ingram G 6-0 190 RS-Sr.. 1L East Orange, N.J. (St. John¹s)
14 Ted Knauber @ G 6-3 180 Sr. 1L Albuquerque, N.M. (Northeastern JC)
15 Supo Jegede @ F 6-8 220 Sr. 1L Aurora, Colo. (Northeastern JC)
20 Chris Hall @ G 5-9 165 Sr. 1L Clovis, N.M. (Clovis HS)
22 Jalen Dominguez @ G 6-2 185 Jr. 1L Albuquerque, N.M. (Albuquerque HS)
33 Conrad Ley @ G 6-3 190 Jr. HS Santa Fe, N.M. (NMMI)
34 Kevin Ford F 6-8 220 So. 1L Portland, Ore. (Jefferson HS)
41 Tyrone Nelson F 6-9 210 RS-Jr. 1L Hempstead, Texas (Prairie View A&M)
– Jonathan Gibson # G 6-1 180 Fr. HS Tarzana, Calif. (Calvary Christian Prep)
– Justin Hawkins * G/F 6-5 220 RS-Jr. RS Anaheim, Calif. (Utah)
– Martin Iti * C 7-0 240 RS-Jr. RS Sydney, Australia (UNC-Charlotte)
– Hatila Passos # C 6-9 230 Jr. TR Rio Janeiro, Brazil (Ark. Fort-Smith)
– Fred Peete * G 6-4 200 RS-Jr. RS Memphis, Tenn. (Kansas State)
– Trei Steward * F 6-7 240 RS-Jr. RS Casper, Wyo. (Northern Colorado)

* = Red shirted the 2005-06 season in compliance with NCAA transfer rules
# = Newcomer to the team in 2006-07
@ = Walk-on in 2006-07

Source: www.ktsm.com

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