LOGAN — Utah State's Jaycee Carroll will have a stranglehold on the two-guard position for the next three years. Unfortunately, Utah State basketball coach Stew Morrill can't say the same about the point-guard position,
"That's probably the most cluttered one (position) we could talk about," Morrill said. "Other than Jaycee, there's not anything established."
Returners David Pak and Chris Huber and transfers Everett Morgan and Mike Daniels are battling for the point-guard position.
"There's a lot of competition for minutes," Morrill said.
Pak, a senior, started 29 of 32 games last year, but he is not considered a bona fide point guard. Chris Huber started just two games but played 18 minutes a game.
Pak started in Utah State's 66-38 victory over Occidental College last week but struggled. In 16 minutes, he was 0-for-2 from the field, turned the ball over three times and had just one assist.
"The situation last year was we were able to get away with playing him there in his first season not being a natural point because we ran so much offense through Spencer (Nelson)," Morrill said.
Pak also played a little at the two-guard position last year and averaged 6.1 points per game.
Nelson, who is now playing professionally in Europe, led the team with 7.9 assists per game, while Pak and Huber averaged 1.8 and 1.1 assists, respectively.
In the exhibition opener, Huber came off the bench and had three assists and one turnover, and, like Pak, didn't score any points.
Huber's greatest asset is his ability to settle down the team, something he did last year, and so far in the first game this year.
"I said to my assistants the other night that Hubie's got to be one of our points," Morrill said, pointing our Huber's ability to control the team. "The Big West Conference tournament championship game was a great example of that. We were just a little out of sorts and he steadied the ship."
He suffered an ankle injury early last year, and it lingered for nearly half the season. Now he's back at full strength.
Morgan, a transfer from Los Angeles Community College, played 12 minutes and didn't score or record an assist or turnover. Daniels, a transfer from Grayson Community College, had an assist and a turnover but didn't score in 12 minutes. Morgan averaged nine points and six assists last season, while Daniels averaged six points and 2.6 assists.
"For those two new guys, it's really difficult to be a new point in any system and certainly in ours because of all the things we ask. I don't think they're flowing at all yet," Morrill said.
Morrill said he may redshirt either Daniels or Morgan. Saturday's exhibition game with EA Sports will go a long way to aiding in the decision.
An NCAA rule change now allows coaches to play all his new players, even those he intends to redshirt, in exhibition games and they won't lose a year of eligibility.
A total of seven newcomers played in the win over Occidental College.
VERBAL COMMITMENTS: Cyprus High senior Aaron England, along with Ernest Williams (Federal Way HS), have verbally committed to play for Utah State next season. According to scout.com, Brady Jardine (Twin Falls HS) has also verbally committed to Utah State.
GOOD START: Transfer Chris Session scored nine points on 4-of-7 shooting in the win over Occidental College while Chaz Spicer had six points and Nick Hammer added four. Arvydas Vaitiekus chipped in with four points and Durrall Peterson added three. Nate Harris led all scorers with 16 points, while Carroll and Cass Matheus had 12 each.
SCOUTING EA SPORTS: EA Sports, with former Utah State players Cardell Butler and Bernard Rock, concludes it six-game, 10-day road trip in Logan on Saturday. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the Smith Spectrum.
AGS IN THE RANKINGS: Utah State is ranked 46th in the nation in the first Associated Press poll of the season released early this week. The Aggies were ranked 44th in the first ESPN/USA Today poll released last week.
COBBLEY OUT: Sophomore center Steve Cobbley's career is over due to chronic back problems. Cobbley started 13 games at North Idaho College last season and averaged 6.6 points and 3.2 rebounds.
BENDALL ON MEND: Freshman Nate Bendall missed the Aggies' exhibition opener due to a stress fracture in his foot, the same injury that sidelined him during his senior season at Skyline High School. Bendall suffered the injury during individual workouts, and has been unable to practice since. It is undetermined when he will resume practicing.
E-mail: jhinton@desnews.com