New Mexico St. hoops given a boost with Tillman immediately eligible
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (BVM) — The official start date for the 2020-21 college basketball season is still to be determined, but the New Mexico State Aggies at least know they’ll have a key player at their disposal right away when it’s time to play.
The Aggies announced Wednesday that senior forward Donnie Tillman, who transferred from UNLV this past spring, has been granted a waiver from the NCAA, making him immediately eligible for competition.
“We are pleased with the great news we received regarding Donnie’s immediate eligibility,” New Mexico State head coach Chris Jans said in a press release. “Our staff and his teammates are excited to have Donnie on the court this coming season. Donnie has tremendous experience which will bode well for both him and our team all year long.”
Tillman has gained that experience with two other programs in his college career which began at Utah. The Findlay Prep graduate, who was rated as a four-star high school recruit, played in 28 games for the Utes as a freshman and scored 7.8 points per game. The Detroit native made more of a name for himself as a sophomore when he earned the Pac-12’s Sixth Man of the Year award after ranking third on the team in scoring with 10.5 points per game.
Tillman then transferred from Utah to UNLV after his sophomore season and there was thought that he would play one season with the Runnin’ Rebels before turning pro, but that one season in Las Vegas didn’t go quite as well as planned. He struggled with off-the-court issues and although he averaged 10.1 points for UNLV, he started only 11 of the team’s games and by the end of the season he had fallen out of favor with head coach T.J. Otzelberger.
The 6-foot-7 swing man still brings plenty of potential with him to Las Cruces where NMSU has been able to build a consistent winner under coach Jans. The Aggies claimed their third consecutive Western Athletic Conference regular-season title this past season, finishing 16-0 in conference play and 25-6 overall. They were headed for their eighth NCAA Tournament appearance in nine years before the COVID-19 outbreak forced the cancellation of all conference tournaments and the Big Dance.
NMSU will have to replace two of its top three scorers from last season in Trevelin Queen and Ivan Aurrecoechea, and Tillman should provide a needed boost of offensive production whenever the new season begins for the Aggies. Recent reports have the NCAA pushing to start the new season in November, with Nov. 25 being the possible target date.
