New Mexico State Eh

They have not changed their name to “New Canada State,” but the Aggies of New Mexico State have found an unlikely source of talent: Ontario. Meet Paul Weir, the conduit for the recent Ontario pipeline and New Mexico State’s associate head coach.

Weir a Toronto native was the head coach at Don Bosco Catholic High School in Toronto from 1999-2003. Prior to this, he was a regional and city all-star point guard at Iona Catholic Secondary school before going on to play at York University in 1998-99. Weir graduated with honors  from York University in 2004. He then went on to earn a master’s degree from Northwestern State in 2005, a second master’s degree in sports psychology from Iowa in 2010 and a third master’s degree in business administration from New Mexico State in 2012.It is our pleasure to deliver this special Q & A with one of the most influential Canadian NCAA coaches from our native land.

HHC: For those that don’t know you were a city all-star point guard in Toronto but played HS ball for Iona Catholic in Mississauga, Ontario. Any other ballers that you grew up with or enjoyed playing with or against?

PW: Mike Schmidt and Wayne Smith were the best two players in the GTA that I can remember playing with. But my memory is horrible so I could be forgetting some really
good players. But it was also different back then. There was no internet or youtube and the only way to see or even talk about a guy was in person. It made it exciting though. Big high school games and tournaments were electric. It was a special time.

HHC: As a coach you’ve won a Big Ten Championship, Southland Conference regular season title, you also served 4 yrs coaching Don Bosco HS in Toronto?  What would you say is your signature coaching moment?

PW:  I don’t know if you can have a signature moment as an assistant coach but winning the Big Ten Championship was unbelievable considering the players and teams
involved that year. My most rewarding years are still in my times at Don Bosco.
I wasn’t a very good basketball coach back then but the impact you can have on
kids in those years is incredible.

HHC: One of the most intriguing player in all of Canadian basketball is 7’5″ Sim Bhullar. Bhullar was dominant at times in his first season of basketball in nearly two years, becoming the second freshman in history to earn WAC Tournament MVP honors after a averaging 12.3 points and 10.7 rebounds last March in Las Vegas.  What was his X factor?

PW: The most exciting part about Sim is that so many of his impactful abilities you can’t teach. Size, hands, IQ, passing and vision, etc. If he ever gets the things you can change down – stamina, speed, strength – he can be special.

HHC: Younger brother Tanveer. Will the brothers ever step foot on the court at the same time for the Aggies in 2013-14?

PW: It’s a possibility. We are going into fall workouts and practices with an open mind
just as he is. It’s a cost-benefit call we will make collectively.

HHC: Daniel Mullings,  recently on international duty. Made news waves for his poster dunk. For those that are unfamiliar with him how would you describe his game & upside?

PW: He’s a tremendous athlete with great feel on the defensive end and also in an
offensive transition game. In those two areas he’s the best I’ve ever coached.
Where his upside is all depends on how well he can improve his other areas.

HHC: Turbulent final season for Hamilton, ON’s Tyron Watson. Your thoughts on if it tarnishes NMST’s reputation developing young men?

PW: Ty had a 4.0 here last year, graduated, was our team captain, a 3 year starter, and
played in 3 NCAA Tournaments. I don’t think you can name more than a handful of
Canadians ever with that resume at the NCAA level. However, he made a tragic
error in judgment that he has to and will pay for for the rest of his life. How
that impacts his reputation and New Mexico State’s is really up to each
individual and their perspective on what happened.

HHC: Bramptons, Matthew Taylor, they say is explosive with major leaping ability. What’s he like, and in comparison with MullIns?

PW: Matthew definitely has elite athleticism. His shooting ability is ahead of Daniel’s but
Daniel has a relentless motor and burst defensively and in transition that is
very rare. How far Matthew gets is mostly going to be on him and his own
dedication.

HHC: Reynaldo Dixon, a 6’9 forward from Toronto can you talk about his growth at NMST?

PW: Renaldo has definitely become one of our all time favorite Aggies. He rebounds, plays defense, is tough, and never asks what’s in it for him. He is the ultimate teammate and was maybe our most unheralded player on last year’s NCAA tournament
team. We are all hoping to continue this growth for him and propel it into a
professional career.

HHC: Is America really taking notice of Canadian basketball these days? If yes? Why do you think?

PW: The Canadian expansion into the U.S. basketball scene has definitely been dramatic the past few years. There’s no question that the players who have recently entered the professional ranks, and are about to, represent an unbelievable era of talent. Everyone has their reason for why this has happened but the reality is that it’s a confluence of multiple factors. From the internet to increased
NCAA budgets to the Raptors, I could go on for days. But until we dominate on an
international level all we have done is become more prevalent in the U.S. scene.
I think the hope is this special class of kids now will be able to do that for
all of us but I am also a big believer of our past and history. And I think if a
lot of our players in previous eras had the dynamics in play that are
encompassing these kids then we would have had more players in the NBA before
now.

HHC: You’ve been a large part of the Aggies winning four championships in your six years with the program. Your entering your seventh with New Mexico State and pretty much the right hand in command since 2011 to the head coach. Is Las Cruces, N.M beginning to feel like home away from home?

PW: It is definitely a home away from home. When I left Canada ten years ago I never
imagined that this is where it would take me. But it’s been an incredible
journey and my time in Las Cruces has been phenomenal. The people, the school,
the community, the weather, all of it has made it impossible for me to look to
leave. We’ve had a great run on the court and hopefully that continues. I can’t
imagine being anywhere else.

HHC: The Aggies’ 193 blocked shots were the most in school history. Can that number increase this year?

PW: Sim and Renaldo’s shot blocking abilities definitely are a great weapon for our defense. Where that will put us nationally I don’t know but they are putting
their mark in the Aggie history books.

HHC: The Aggies return a very talented team. Perhaps the best group since NMSU’s 2010 team that nearly upset Michigan State. Fact or fiction?

PW: Yes, I think we all feel like this the deepest, most talented team we’ve had here. Consistent point guard play is what we will need to match the 2010 squad.

HHC: Last but not least New Mexico State remain the leading NCAA team in terms of active Canadian players what does that mean to Paul Weir?

PW: It’s important to us here but it’s not everything. I am not bringing in players
solely out of some sort of patriotic gesture. I am bringing them here because of
the relationships I have with them and because I think they represent the best
players we can find for our program.

There you have it. Thanks Coach Weir, not only for the willingness to field some tough questions but for what he has done for young Canadian basketball players. Including some who weren’t dealt as good of a hand from a home situation. NMST recognizes that less fortunate kids have just as much potential as any other youth in any other situation. Giving these kids a opportunity to live out their potential is so important and everyone back home must realize that as well. With all due respect to Canada basketball Paul Weir more then merits a staff position within our program. He may be behind the scenes in Las Cruces but in our native land Coach Weir deserves to be a household Canadian basketball name. His work maybe overlooked but Hoops Hype Canada (HHC) recognizes and acknowledges his excellent body of work both on and off the playing court.

Moving forward to this fall NM State returns nine players including three starters from the 2013 WAC Tournament Champions. In 2012-13 the Aggies finished with a 24-11 overall record en route to their second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

FREE THROWS

After an incredible NCAA “live period” in July with YAAACE 15U, Marcus Ottey verified with HHC.tv that he was recently offered by the Aggies. Ottey shared his initial impression of the program from Las Cruces. Marcus Ottey the class of 2016 6 ft 1 guard was a key component in the Canadian AAU programs 19 and 3 record while participating in major AAU tournaments across Indiana, Orlando and Las Vegas. Ottey was also a member of the U16 Canadian Junior Cadet squad that finished 3rd in the 2013 FIBA Americas in Uruguay this past June. Ottey in Canada has a reputation for out of this world hops. His victims list domestically includes fellow Cadet team mate Jamal Murray and the young baller added a few new bodies to the list while on AAU tour of duty. Daniel Mullings, Matthew Taylor, Marcus Ottey. New Mexico State scouting department sure does have a pulse on Canadian Ballers with ultra athleticism.