Utah State athletics: Stew Morrill and the Aggies aim to keep winning in the WAC

Editor's note: This is the third in a three-part series looking at the state of Utah State University's athletic program. Today we focus on the future of the Aggie men's basketball team.

LOGAN — Stew Morrill's not going anywhere these days. Well, except every March, of course, when he takes his Utah State University men's basketball team to postseason play, and usually earns a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

And the Aggies aren't going anywhere these days, either, when it comes to conference affiliation. At least not for the foreseeable future.

Nope, despite a lot of rumors and hearsay to the contrary a year ago, the Mountain West Conference did not come calling — yet — so Morrill and the Aggies will continue to go about their business of trying to win Western Athletic Conference championships and earning invitations to the Big Dance.

It's something they've been awfully good at since joining the WAC in 2005.

So it's no wonder that, earlier this year, Morrill was given a six-year contract extension which will keep him coaching in Cache Valley until at least 2017, when he'll turn 65 and might start thinking about what he wants to do someday if this basketball coaching career thing ever starts to get old.

After all, hiring Morrill as the Aggies' coach certainly must rank among the most brilliant decisions in the history of Utah State University. And keeping him does, too.

And with so many schools playing musical chairs nowadays when it comes to conference alignment around the country, Morrill's the one constant they can always count on in Cache Valley.

But plenty of change is coming around the bend. After this year, three schools — Nevada, Fresno State and Hawaii — will follow Boise State's lead and leave the WAC to join the Mountain West. (Hawaii's football program will play in the MWC, with it's other sports competing in the Big West Conference).

The WAC will replace them with five much-lower-profile schools — Seattle University, Denver U. and a trio of Texas schools from San Antonio, San Marcos and Arlington.

Morrill is trying to stay positive about all the comings and goings in collegiate athletics, especially since USU is right smack dab in the middle of it.

"I've proven several times that this is where I want to be," Morrill said. "I like living here and coaching here.