March 31, 2010
Standley is Available
The last from former McClymonds backcourter Justin Standley had him in Las Cruces, affiliated with the New Mexico State basketball team. But some changes have taken place since then.
Standley will have 3 years of eligibility
After being a member of the Mack squad that went all the way to Sacramento in the 2008-2009 season before falling, Standley headed to the southwest during the late summer to join up with Coach Marvin Menzies’ Aggies. But that became a interminable situation of basketball limbo as the NCAA didn’t clear him to participate and wouldn’t or couldn’t say when such a ruling would occur.
"I was stressing out because I couldn’t participate in or even watch a practice -- I wasn’t allowed to be a part of any team activities," Standley explained.
The first semester was coming to a close so he faced a choice. Tread water further or choose a different direction.
Standley went with the latter.
While still in high school, he received interest from the College of Southern Idaho, specifically assistant coach Russ Beck, who later had moved on to become the head basketball coach at Western Nebraska Community College (WNCC). In fact, the two had stayed in touch to some degree and Beck was interested in having Standley join him.
So he did.
Standley redshirted this season at WNCC. Come the 2010-2011 go around, he’ll be playing the point for the Cougars. Then, with three years of eligibility remaining, he’ll be looking for a D-1 roster position.
"It could be at New Mexico State or it could be elsewhere," Standley offered. "I still talk to Coach Menzies a lot and it may work out there. My leaving was nothing personal."
Thus far, a number of schools are following Standley and want to see him out on the court.
But it will be a different Standley they will see, at least physically. "I did a lot of lifting there (New Mexico State) and here (Western Nebraska) and I’ve gone from weighing 190 pounds to 210."
This summer, he’ll be home and working even more. "I want to improve my athleticism and become better with my lateral quickness," he said, adding "I’ll be training with [Coach] Raymond Young and [Coach] Scott Alexander plus Will Cherry (who just completed his freshman season at Montana), T.J. Taylor, Kiwi Gardner and Bt Shabazz." The latter three will be entering their senior seasons at their respective high schools.