Koby McEwen steps into leadership role at Utah State

Note: This is the ninth in a series of 10 season previews of Mountain West basketball teams.

Jalen Moore built a resume over the past four seasons as one of the best players in Utah State history.

Now he’s gone, and it’s up to 6-foot-4-inch point guard Koby McEwen, last season’s Mountain West Freshman of the Year, to become the leader.

“His work ethic since the day he got on campus has been among the best, if not the best, on the team,” Aggies coach Tim Duryea said. “So that hasn’t wavered at all. I think what I’ve seen from Koby is his basketball IQ has really risen. You would hope that would be the case because he got so many minutes on the floor last year, and I think he learned by experience.

“I think he sees the game better now. Through the first couple of weeks of practice, his passing has been unbelievable. He sees plays now that I don’t think in his mind last year at this time he even knew existed. But now he understands the spacing of the floor. He understands our system offensively.”

McEwen averaged 14.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists last season. He said his focus was more on helping Utah State improve on its 14-17 record from last season than any personal goals.

“I don’t really have any set expectations for myself,” McEwen said. “I’ve been working as hard as I can, and I know the work will speak for itself.”

He now becomes the face of the team with the departure of Moore, who last season averaged 17.0 points and 5.5 rebounds.

“We were fortunate to have Jalen for four years,” Duryea said. “But I think as a team you move on to the next phase, and the team kind of takes on a different mentality based on who your leaders are.”

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.