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LOGAN — The Aggies began an intense search for Utah State's next men's basketball head coach after losing Ryan Odom to VCU last year. Odom's departure blew open the transfer portal in Logan, as almost every Aggies player put his name into the portal.
That came during a period of already immense transition for the Aggies.
Enter Danny Sprinkle.
Amid the transition, then-interim athletic director Jerry Bovee and then-president Noelle Cockett pulled off an incredible feat. The two made Sprinkle the highest paid coach in program history, offering him a first-year salary of $900,000, which more than quadrupled what Sprinkle had made the year prior at Montana State.
In an interview with The Zone, Sprinkle called Logan and the Aggies the "perfect fit" to get him to leave his alma mater.
A year later, the Aggies boasted an impressive 28-7 record, one of just six times in program history Utah State had reached 28 wins in a season. Sprinkle tied with Craig Smith for the most wins in program history by a first-year head coach.
The Aggies played their way into the Associated Press Top 25, won an outright Mountain West regular season championship, and notched their first NCAA Tournament win in 23 years.
Sprinkle was named the coach of the year in the Mountain West, while guard Darius Brown II and forward Great Osobor, who came with Sprinkle from Montana State, were named to the first team All-Mountain West team. Osobor was named the Mountain West Player of the Year, while Brown set a single season program record for assists and hit what seems like a dozen clutch, game-winning shots.
Osobor and Brown highlighted a lineup full of talent — freshman guard Mason Falslev became somewhat of a hometown hero, being one of the few players from Cache Valley on the team and playing with constant intensity and physicality. Isaac "Big Fish" Johnson had flashes of greatness toward the end of the season, notching a career high in points in the Aggies' first tournament game against TCU.
Ian Martinez showed his impressive ability to create shots, Josh Uduje showed how valuable he can be coming off the bench on both sides of the ball, Max Agbonkpolo added impressive size and experience to the roster before his injury, and Khalifa Sakho showed his athletic ability on defense time and time again.
Now, the miraculous team that showed just how magical "Spectrum Magic" can be is on the brink of completely falling apart.
Before the season, and after pulling together that group of players from across the country, Sprinkle told KSL.com it was getting harder and harder to keep and recruit players in smaller markets like Cache Valley.
Perhaps, the same could be said for coaches, too.
In a statement published by Washington, Sprinkle said that "it was going to take something special for me to leave Logan, and the University of Washington was it."
Those "special" opportunities are becoming more and more prevalent for Aggie coaches, apparently. After sending coaches to Utah, VCU, and Washington, the Aggies' new coach will mark their fourth head coach in a little more than three calendar years.
Sprinkle's departure, less than 24 hours after the end of the Aggies' NCAA Tournament run, marks the end of a short, albeit impressive, era for Utah State basketball.
In the two following days, Falslev and guard Landon Brenchley put their names into the transfer portal. Brown, who became an Aggies hero in his sole year at the school, exhausted his NCAA eligibility and will likely pursue opportunities to play professionally. Many believe other Aggies players will enter the portal, too.
Uncertainty around the head coach position abounds once again, but this time with an experienced athletic director in Diana Sabau and a new president in Elizabeth Cantwell. Bovee remains with the university, as well, under Sabau, providing critical insight to the hiring process.
With a more experienced hiring team and a multi-million dollar contract buyout from Sprinkle, to say nothing of a long culture of excellence and one of the most impressive home court advantages in the Mountain West, the Aggies are well positioned to hire another quality coach, even if they don't keep their roster intact.
It is unlikely the new coach will have to rebuild a roster that returns 0 points, nor that they will be able to replicate Sprinkle's 28-win success as a first-year head coach.
However, one thing is clear: After being picked ninth in the Mountain West in last year's preseason, and after seeing the obliteration of the Aggies' team that they knew and loved, the Aggies faithful continued to support their team.
Even in early games, when the future success of the Aggies was still unknown, fans filled the stands and showed the team what "Spectrum Magic" means.
So, in another frustrating rebuilding situation for the Aggies, so long as the players and future coach demonstrate love for the program and a commitment to excellence, "Spectrum Magic" will be alive and well.
Don't be surprised if the Aggies surprise you.
