Thank You, Aggie Nation
Thank You, Aggie Nation
With the new journey in Conference USA, arguably the most vocal fan base of WAC Hoops Digest is going to be moving on
For the past eight years, I have covered Utah Valley basketball. It first started as a staff writer for the UVU Review while I was attending Utah Valley University. Then, it became more as I started a fan site called One Team All Green.
That is where this all starts, really. That winter of 2016-17.
It was there that I realized I was gaining more traffic from fans of other WAC schools than I was of my own school.
Power rankings articles seem to have a way of doing that, especially when a certain school was not always at the top.
New Mexico State Aggie fans became extra vocal in regard to the power rankings articles I was writing. Especially when I would put GCU at the top or some other school ahead of the Aggies.
As those debates went on, and during the offseason in 2019, I got an inkling for an idea.
As much as I love Utah Valley and as much as I bleed green, I felt like I could do something a little bigger.
Thus, the idea behind WAC Hoops Digest began. There were a lot of stories around the league that were not being told. Sure, the WAC was not filled with big names and such. New Mexico State dominated the conference up to that point. 2016 and Dedrick Basile’s buzzer-beater were the only time the Aggies did not go to the NCAA Tournament up to that point.
2017, 2018 and 2019. Aggies, Aggies, Aggies. It was a dominant time.
As I was sitting in the pre-practice press conferences at the 2019 NCAA Tournament in Salt Lake City, the idea kept creeping in. I had the fortune of getting a credential to cover New Mexico State in the Round of 64 that weekend. It’s the lone time I have been to an NCAA Tournament.
Sitting court side watching the New Mexico State practice, Chris Jans came over and shook my hand, speaking with me for a few moments.
“Anything you need, just let me know.”
The next day, then-NMSU SID John Wu sent me a text saying he had a better seat for me.
When I saw where it was, right behind the scorers table, just to the left of the Aggie bench, the inkling that I had to do something a little more for the WAC got a little bigger.
Live tweeting that instant classic set the stage in the months to come.
Aggie fans were flooding my timeline with responses, quote tweets, and at times, DM’s.
In fact, I think on my personal Twitter account, I had more Aggie followers than my own school. That’s not to say anything bad about UVU fans and so forth. It’s simply a testament to a much bigger, more passionate fan base. A fan base that, if we are being honest, was pretty damn vocal.
Sure, at times, some of the responses I received were quite annoying. The arrogance was also interesting to watch. Anger at things, as you have seen from any rivalry talk, is always on my radar.
Sometimes, the responses are quite astounding. And, there are other times when there are blinders on some of the Aggie fans. It makes sense. A decade of dominance can do that.
However, that passion was a big reason WAC Hoops Digest came about. Sure, there were sites such as Mid-Major Madness that wrote periodically about the WAC. But, there wasn’t something solely dedicated to college basketball in the Western Athletic Conference at the time.
Why would there be? When you have teams such as Kansas City, CSU Bakersfield, Chicago State, Seattle U, UTRGV, Utah Valley, and Grand Canyon mixed in with New Mexico State, that doesn’t scream ‘this is the conference to watch.’
But, there were still stories to tell. Fans wanted to know more about these teams, coaches and players.
There was a niche that needed to be filled.
So, WHD began. And in the beginning, Aggie fans were the ones driving traffic, supporting the coverage even when they weren’t happy with some of the write-ups. They began the following in September, 2019 when WHD launched. And the majority of those early followers are still following to this day.
Perhaps you have noticed at times, some Aggie fans are even asking for a CUSA Hoops Digest. Or they say that I need to put my name in the transfer portal.
I know I stir the pot with Aggie fans at times. GCU is not a rival. I will be the first one to admit that. Although, it is the school Aggie fans are most vocal about. There is no denying that.
UTEP and UNM are the rivals. Perhaps now that Jason Hooten has taken over at NMSU, Sam Houston will become somewhat of a rival, as well.
With the 2022-23 basketball season winding down, and the Aggies moving to Conference USA, I don’t know how many Aggie fans will continue to follow WAC Hoops Digest. It’s understandable.
But, from the Wasatch Front in the Beehive State, I just want to let Aggie Nation know that I appreciate all the support, even a little animosity at times, over the past eight years.
From the handshakes during my trip to Las Cruces in 2022, to meeting and talking with other Aggie fans in WAC Vegas, to Sylvia Grijalva and other Aggie fans yelling ‘Hi, Kyle’ in Las Vegas this past November, it sure has been a pleasure.
Take care of your new head coach. Jason Hooten is one of the best.
Thank you, Aggie Nation. Thank you!
It looks like it’s time for you to expand as well and start a C-USA Hoops Digest for us!! We are easy to write about and you are good at your craft….. let’s keep the party moving and enjoy the new challenges we all face.
You'll always be an honorary Aggie, no matter what conference you write for sir.
#AggieUp