The rollercoaster ride that was 2016/17 for New Mexico State sophomore Jermaine Haley will be something he’ll remember for a long time.
The Burnaby native, who requested his release from the NCAA basketball program last month after the Aggies lost their coach to the cross-state rival University of New Mexico, can look back at a conference title and a short but electric taste of NCAA March Madness and feel a sense of achievement.
Now comes the hard part.
The six-foot-seven guard is mulling his options, and expects to choose his next step in what he hopes is a path to the NBA.
“I haven’t decided yet,” the 20-year-old Haley told the NOW. “My coach (fellow Canadian Paul Weir) left and he was the one who brought me there.
“I can’t lie, it’s been tough. Once I find the right place for me, I will feel a great relief and get comfortable to play again.”
After having red shirted his first season at the Las Cruces campus, Haley made the jump to the Aggies roster this past year, posting a 3.9 points per game average. Although often coming in off the bench, Haley still racked up 46 assists over 34 games. He started half the team’s 30 games and averaged almost 22 minutes per contest.
That run saw the team capture the Western Athletic Conference title for the fifth time in the past six years, before bowing out in the opening round of the NCAA championships in a loss to No. 3 seed Baylor.
New Mexico actually led 40-38 at halftime, but Baylor ramped it up in the second half en route to a 91-73 decision.
They finished with an impressive 28-6 record in Weir’s first season as a head coach, after serving 10 years as an assistant.
Going from a practice player as a first-year student to a crucial role player last season was an intense learning experience, Haley said.
“It was incredible. I went to play at a conference championships and March Madness. Those are two experiences we achieved as a team and things I’ll never forget.
“We came together from all over the place, different places but everyone got along great.”
Among the highlights included a season-high 16 points in February against Northern New Mexico, and a 15-point performance Jan. 12 against Grand Canyon University.
But Weir’s decision to leave after one season and join the Aggies’ hated rival in Albuquerque has sent a ripple effect through the program, resulting in the hiring of a new NMS coaching staff and the loss of a handful of Weir’s recruits.
New Mexico State can block any inter-conference transfer requests, making it unlikely that any player will follow him north from Las Cruces.
The focus now for the Burnaby South alumnus is to find a place where he can quickly prove his worth and mesh well in a new program.
“I had a lot more responsibility, I gained a lot of confidence and learned a lot thanks to my coaches and teammates. ... I improved myself and worked hard.”
For now, he’s trying to stay focused on the end goal, which is to continue building his game to a level where a pro opportunity is on the horizon.
“I just want to go somewhere they’ll treat me how I want to be treated, and help me prepare for the next step and my dream of playing in the NBA,” he said.
