Aggie men get one signee, another commitment

New Mexico State’s men’s basketball program announced Wednesday it has signed Indian Hills Community College 6-8 forward Ivan Aurrecoechea of Madrid. He comes to NMSU as the No. 10 ranked JUCO player according to JucoRecruiting.com’s most recent ranking that was published in February.

JucoRecruiting.com also tweeted Wednesday that Clayton Henry, a 6-4 guard from Palm Beach State in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., has committed to NMSU. NMSU as of Wednesday afternoon had not received a signed letter of intent from Henry and thus could not comment.

Aurrecoechea helped Indian Hills (of Ottumwa, Iowa) to its fifth-consecutive National Junior College Athletic Association national championship appearance this past season, going undefeated in both the regular-season and regional playoff action before falling in Hutchinson, Kan., in the final to finish 33-1. The Spaniard was named to the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference All-Region FirstTeam for the second-straight year after averaging a double-double this past season, posting 13.1 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.

“We are thrilled that Ivan made the decision to join our program,” Aggies coach Chris Jans said. “Ivan plays with a lot of passion and toughness, and will quickly become a fan favorite for our Aggie fan base. His ability to rebound the ball, score around the basket and team-first mentality will allow him to impact our team immediately.”

Indian Hills is also where University of New Mexico commit Corey Manigault, a 6-foot-9 sophomore center/forward from Maryland who was at Pittsburgh two seasons ago, played this past season.

Aurrecoechea will join Addison Wallace, a high school senior from Cleburne, Texas, on the NMSU men’s basketball roster this coming season as the Aggies look to defend their Western Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles.