Japeth Aguilar Update

Horn feels good after first practice
By ROB HERBST, The Daily News, rherbst@bgdailynews.com
Saturday, October 13, 2007 12:12 AM CDT

It’s only taken Western Kentucky’s offseason workouts and a first practice Friday night for WKU coach Darrin Horn to notice something different.

“There’s just a different feel and confidence with this team,” Horn said after the Hilltoppers’ first practice at E.A. Diddle Arena. “There’s a maturity and confidence that comes with being in a system multiple years.”

Horn attributed the confident vibes to an experienced squad that returns four starters and six seniors.

But even with a veteran club, Friday’s beginning was a time to start slow - or as slow as possible, with the regular-season opener against Kennesaw State looming on Nov. 9.

“We’re trying to take it as slow as we can, but the schedule makes that pretty hard,” Horn said. “We have a game in less than a month and they come pretty fast from that point on.

“But the first few weeks is more about building on what we did this fall and focusing on great defensive energy and having the mentality of attacking on both ends of the floor.”

The intensity was unlike anything freshman center D.J. Magley had been through.

Magley is one of three freshmen, including B.J. Frazier and Steffphon Pettigrew, who went through their first WKU practice, and the 6-foot-9, 260-pounder said it didn’t compare to his days at Bradenton (Fla.) Christian.

“I loved it,” Magley said. “It was intense the whole time and that was really different than high school. Exciting is the word that keeps coming to mind.”

While learning the practice ropes at the college level will be a transition, WKU senior Courtney Lee said the transition of blending newcomers and veterans has been a breeze.

“We have leadership and people talking to them and telling them what to expect and I think (the freshmen) did pretty well today,” Lee said. “There was a lot of excitement for them.”

Magley is part of a freshman class that, according to Horn, should contribute this year alongside Western’s large group of veterans.

“I think the thing that’s unique about this class is physically, they’re all ready to play right now,” Horn said. “Maybe they’re not used to the grind and intensity, but physically just with their bodies, they are ready to play.

“They’re all picking up very well. They’re going to have their freshman moments but I think they’re all going to be able to contribute and help.”

It also helps the Hilltoppers that a few of their newcomers - including junior center Japeth Aguilar, who practiced with WKU but redshirted after transferring from Ateneo de Manila in the Philippines - play in spots where Western had its most glaring holes last year.

“We’re much more athletic and can pressure and defend the way we’d like to,” Horn said. “We know the hole we had in there last year. We were pretty good on the perimeter athletically last year, but we just have more depth and athleticism on the inside which is where our issues came with stops and getting rebounds last year. We hope the ones we have now will help take care of that.”

Friday was a unique first practice in the sense that it didn’t have the pomp and circumstance of past years.

Instead of debuting with Hilltopper Hysteria - a public kickoff to the season - as it had the past few years, Western’s first public viewing will be at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 25 with an autograph session followed by a Red-White scrimmage at Diddle Arena.

“We got a lot more done (tonight), that’s for sure,” Horn said. “And I think we’ll get more done tomorrow too, which is a positive.

“When we do hold our scrimmage on Oct. 25, I think the fans are going to enjoy it more because we’ve had some time to teach and practice. And I think we’ll get more out of it as a team because we put that time in.”