Utah State basketball: Aggies happy relying on Tai Wesley

LOGAN — During the countless driveway and neighborhood basketball games Tai Wesley played in as a youngster, he got posted up, beaten down and abused by his older and larger brothers.

He also got educated.

"There were many, many, many battles in the Wesley house," Tai said, recalling the hoop wars waged against Mikeli, Tika, and Russell among others. "They usually got the best of me. I had to work my way up to being able to play with them."

All those backyard brawls — and rest assured, the Wesley boys aren't afraid of a little physical contact — have paid off handsomely for Wesley and Utah State.

And they've helped lead the Aggies to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Friday afternoon, Wesley and the Ags take on Texas A&M in Spokane.

One thing's for sure, USU coach Stew Morrill is thrilled to have Wesley playing at the 4 spot.

"He was obviously well-coached in high school by (Provo High) coach (Craig) Drury," Morrill said of his leading scorer. "His fundamentals were outstanding when we got him. He was way ahead of the game coming out of high school."

Wesley, a 6-foot-7, 240-pound junior, is not the tallest, the quickest or the highest leaper on the USU roster. But even on a team filled with cerebral players such as Jared Quayle, Tyler Newbold, Nate Bendall and Pooh Williams, Wesley stands out with his on-court intelligence.

"I really think he is one of the smartest players I've ever coached," Morrill said. "He's just got a great feel for the game. He understands everything you need to do to get ready for a game."

Wesley is the latest in a long line of stars playing at the 4 position for USU. Much like Shawn Daniels, Desmond Penigar, Spencer Nelson and Nate Harris before him, Wesley is often the point of attack for Utah State's offense.

Though Jared Quayle is the point guard and triggers each play, Wesley is often the focus of that play.

"We run just about everything through the 4," Morrill said. "With Tai, he has such an amazing awareness and his hands are so good. He catches just about everything thrown at him and he is such a great passer. He makes our offense so much better."

Averaging 13.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, Wesley was honored by WAC coaches last week when he was named a first-team all-conference player.