Aggies Among Us: What 300 Hours of Community Service Looks Like in Las Cruces

For years, our broader community had little reason to know the names of more than a couple of Aggie basketball players at any given time. Every season produces a standout. Occasionally, we’re gifted a “local” player to root for. We all knew Johnny McCants. We knew Albert “Slab” Jones, Randy Brown, and more recently, Pascal Siakam. Names like Billy Keys and William Benjamin—forever associated with their time at NMSU—became familiar only after they stepped off the court and into our community as neighbors and friends.

Pascal Siakam driving to the basket over Saint Mary’s Dane Pineau in the First Round of the 2016 National Invitational Tournatment. Siakam scored 19 points for the Aggies in a close 58-56 first-round loss. (Photo: Courtesy NMSU Athletics)

As a self-described basketball town, wins and losses have long been tallied for the end-of-season grist mill. The success or failure of any given year’s team boiled down to two questions:

• Did the Aggies win 20?
• Did they make the NCAA Tournament?

Of course, there are members of the 6th Man Club, alumni, and boosters who swim knee-deep in Aggie lore. They are the exception. One might even argue they are what keeps alive the small but intense flame that justifies Las Cruces being considered a basketball town at all.

Until recently, there was little incentive—structural or cultural—for athletes to venture beyond the institution. A jersey signaled little more than membership on the roster, not identity. After all, it isn’t just any jersey that gets framed and mounted on the wall of a local sports bar—but few could tell you whose number it was without a program in hand.

Dormitory life, bound tightly by practice schedules and the familiar triangle of cafeteria, gym, and classroom, defined the student-athlete experience. Any deviation carried risk—mainly institutional. Before the era of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), overt community engagement by athletes was quietly discouraged. Too much familiarity with boosters invited suspicion. There could be no hint of pay-for-play. So basketball players, in particular, were sequestered—visible on game nights, largely invisible otherwise.

Times have changed.

Welcome to the NIL Era at NMSU

Much of the controversy surrounding NIL has focused on the “professionalization” of college athletics. Critics warn that larger schools will simply buy better players. The issue has been debated in classrooms on the NMSU campus itself, with students weighing compensation against the intrinsic value of a university education.

But as the financial dimensions continue to sort themselves out, another, less discussed consequence of NIL has quietly taken shape—one that benefits everyone involved. Promotion of student-athletes within the community has shifted from discouraged to expected. There is no longer a need to hide athletes away, to keep them at arm’s length until graduation grants permission to belong.

For New Mexico State University, this has been a genuine game changer.

At the beginning of the school year, Coach Hooten gathered with the NMSU basketball team at Corbett Center to meet the student body. “Thanks to everyone who rolled through to meet this year’s squad!” (August 20)

The men’s basketball program, navigating NIL realities, the transfer portal, and significant roster turnover, returned only two players from last year’s squad: sophomores Jae’Coby Osborne and Gabe Pickens. In another era, this level of turnover would have made any meaningful connection between team and town nearly impossible.

But these are not traditional times—and this is not a traditional team.

Being full members of the student body means showing up. This Aggies squad has been visible across campus, supporting fellow athletes in football and soccer, even hosting a Hoopin’ event during pregame tailgating ahead of the football matchup against Tulsa to draw broader community participation.

“Aggies supporting Aggies!” NMSU Basketball players sit among a gathering crowd of fans to watch New Mexico State’s Soccer team take on Sam Houston on September 20. (The match finished tied, 2-2.)

Their engagement has extended well beyond athletics. Early in the semester, the team embedded itself in a campus Army ROTC event—military transport vehicle included. Despite being assembled from places as distant as the Congo, Nigeria, Poland, and Australia, these young men folded into campus life as though they had always been Aggies.

“Had a great time supporting NMSU Army ROTC at the Rio Grande Rivalry game ball send-off as [Aggies Football] gets ready to take on Lobos this Saturday in ABQ!” (September 25)

But they have proven to be more than students excelling at being students.

And Welcome to Our Broader Community

“Grateful for the opportunity to give back at El Caldito Soup Kitchen today! Thank you for welcoming us and allowing us to serve alongside you in support of our community “(September 13)

Off campus, the Aggies went to work.

They volunteered at the local soup kitchen, helping feed neighbors facing food insecurity. They participated in National Walk to School Day, walking alongside children on their way to class—a simple, telling act of presence. They spent time shooting hoops and building relationships at Boys & Girls Clubs in Roswell and Hobbs. When Thanksgiving arrived, they were there again, helping distribute meals to families in need.

Thank you Mesilla Park Elementary for letting us join in on National Walk to School Day alongside the kids! (October 2)

“Big thanks to DACC for letting us be part of their Thanksgiving meal delivery and help serve the students and families!” (November 18)

And as the fall semester gave way to December, the scope of their commitment became unmistakable.

By mid-month, the NMSU men’s basketball team had logged more than 300 hours of community service—a collective effort spanning schools, youth programs, and community organizations across the region. In December alone, players visited Zia Middle School, interacting with students and personally handing out tickets for an upcoming home game. Days later, they were back with younger children at the Boys & Girls Club, not for appearances, but for time—conversation, laughter, and attention.

“Our players stopped by Zia Middle School to hand out tickets for Sunday’s game vs. Sam Houston. Big thanks to Ms. Steward for allowing us to stop by and making the visit possible!”

Had a great time hanging out at the Boys & Girls Club and giving out tickets for Sunday’s game!

These weren’t isolated gestures. They were continuations.

The 2025 NMSU men’s basketball team has not merely arrived in our community. They have joined it. They have become more than the next rotation of players. They are neighbors.

So the next time you see a photo in Las Cruces Digest, or glance at a roster, take a moment to learn the faces—and remember the names. Chances are you’ll see them again, not just under the lights of the Pan American Center, but out in the community, doing the unglamorous work of belonging.

Oh—and in case it bears mentioning—these young men can really play basketball.

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