Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Thursday, November 18th

Preseason NIT: Michigan defeated Colorado 69-60 last night in the second round of the Preseason NIT. Michigan’s Dion Harris scored a career-high 24 points, while Lester Abram and Courtney Sims were also in double-digits, with 12 and 10 points, respectively. The Buffaloes were led by Richard Roby (18 points) and Marcus Hall (16), and almost came back from a 19-point deficit with five minutes remaining, coming within seven with one minute left. Michigan finished on free throws to pull away at the end, leading from start to finish, even though Colorado had 12 blocked shots in the contest. Michigan, who is 17-0 all-time in NIT games at Crisler arena, won the NIT championship last April, and will try to become the only team to win the NIT and the Preseason NIT consecutively.

BCA Invitational: N.C. State was led by Hoopville Pre-Season All-American Julius Hodge’s 21 points as the Wolfpack downed the New Orleans Privateers 92-58 in the BCA Invitational in Raleigh, North Carolina last night. The Wolfpack’s Jordan Collins scored 17 and Engin Atsur had 14 in the victory, while Bo McCalebb led UNO with 21 points. N.C. State will next play Elon, who downed Fairleigh Dickinson 73-59. Elon was led by Jackson Atoyebi (20 points) and Chris Chalko (17), while Scottie Rice and Colin Wyatt each notched 11 in the victory. Chad Timberlake led the Knights with 16 points, who gave up a 20-6 run in the second half that sealed the deal for the Phoenix. In other first round action, East Carolina downed Pepperdine 80-58, and Oregon State defeated Siena 67 in the closest game of the evening. Mike Cook scored 21 for East Carolina, with Tom Hammonds adding 14 points of his own in the victory. Kingsley Costain led the Waves with 15 points. Lastly, OSU freshman Sasa Cuic nailed a three-pointer with four seconds remaining to down the Siena Saints. Cuic scored 17 points, and Michael Haddix led Siena with 26 points. Oregon State will face East Carolina in the second round tonight.

Lobo King in Critical: Former New Mexico head coach Bob King has been admitted to an Albuquerque hospital in critical condition. A school spokesman declined to release any additional details about the 81-year-old former coach, who is in the intensive care unit at the Veterans Administration Hospital. King, who led New Mexico from 1963-1972, compiled an overall record of 175-89, including two WAC titles, 3 NIT tournament and 1 NCAA tournament appearances. King then became an administrator, and was athletics director at Indiana State during Larry Bird’s run. The Pit, the Lobos’ home arena, named the court after King several years ago.

Pettis in Court: Former Fresno State guard Terry Pettis will be in court later today to face murder charges following a drug-deal-gone-bad in April of this year. Pettis, who allegedly killed 18-year old Renee Abbott and wounded Kent Wolf, her 21-year-old boyfriend, on April 27th. According to court documents, an un-named former Bulldog player arranged for a meeting between Pettis and Wolf for the purchase of up to $300 in drugs. Pettis allegedly walked up to the car of Wolf, driven by Abbott, and pulled a gun. As the vehicle pulled away, Pettis allegedly fired, hitting Wolf in the thigh, and Abbott in the head, killing her instantly. Pettis then fled to his hometown of Minneapolis, and was extradited back to Fresno in May. Abbott was a student at Fresno City College, where she was on the golf team. Pettis has plead not guilty to two counts, Abbott’s murder, and attempted murder of Wolf. He could be eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

Miles away from the Tide: Alabama has announced that freshman point guard Glenn Miles has left the team, two days prior to the season opener against Western Carolina. Miles, a Birmingham native, withdrew from school and announced that he intends to transfer. Miles was angling to start as a true freshman, but lost in pre-season competition to freshman Ronald Steele. Steele will now be backed up at the point by walk-ons LaKory Daniels and Brandon Davis, though senior shooting guard Earnest Shelton will probably spell Steele the majority of the time.

Better Sooner than Later: Oklahoma announced that sophomore forward Brandon Foust is now cleared to play in the Sooners’ season opener against Cal State Northridge this Saturday. Foust, who was held out of the Sooners’ two exhibition games due to questions about his academic eligibility, is now back on track. However, head coach Kelvin Sampson had a surprise for Foust – a position change, from low-post forward to small forward. Foust, a 6-6 Ohio native, played in 28 games last season, including two starts, and averaged 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per contest.

Long Beach Pyramid Renamed: Long Beach State has announced that they will be re-naming The Pyramid, home to 49ers basketball and volleyball, after two boosters that have provided a generous donation to the school. Arline and Mike Walter have donated approximately $2.2 million to the school, the largest single donation in school history. The new “Walter Pyramid” will be formally re-named next month, after the 18-story building’s ten year anniversary.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Wednesday, November 17th

Former Cardinal Passes On: Former Louisville star Larry Williams was found dead over the weekend. He was 48. Williams, who escaped the mean streets of Chicago to play for Denny Crum from 1975-79, was found Saturday in a Louisville motel. The cause of death was not announced, though the Jefferson County Coroner’s office announced that there was no sign of foul play. Williams was drafted by the Denver Nuggets, but was later released, and later played professionally in the CBA and in Europe. He most recently was executive director of the Plymouth Community Renewal Center in a Louisville suburb, though he resigned for health reasons a few months ago. Williams’ wife Nancy died in 1990 due to breast cancer, and their son Larry, Jr. currently plays for Chattanooga State Technical Community College.

Top Cowboy Extended: The University of Wyoming has announced that the contract of head coach Steve McClain has been extended for one season, keeping McClain in Laramie through the 2009-2010 season. The school also extended the contract of women’s head coach Joe Legerski one year, through the 2008-09 season. While a raise wasn’t included, McClain will make just over $150k per year, plus the usual package of incentives, side deals, and media appearances. McClain has a 111-69 record in seven seasons for the Cowboys, his first head coaching gig, including one NCAA appearance and 3 NIT appearances. Prior to coming to Wyoming, McClain was an assistant under Billy Tubbs for four seasons at TCU.

Fang Medically Cleared: Coppin State head coach Ron “Fang” Mitchell, who underwent surgery to remove a benign tumor from his chest a month ago, has been medically cleared to coach the Eagles in their season opener against Kentucky on Saturday. Mitchell will be under medical supervision, and is not expected to resume his athletic director position until he receives medical clearance to return to a full schedule, expected next month. Following complaints of shortness of breath, doctors removed a tumor the size of a fist on October 19th at University of Maryland Medical Center. Mitchell, who has been at Coppin State for 19 seasons, is the school’s all-time winningest coach.

Appendix? What Appendix?: Illinois head coach Bruce Weber shocked anyone who has ever had an appendectomy by returning to work less than 24-hours after surgery to remove the inflamed vestigial organ Monday. Weber had the surgery Monday afternoon after a build up of pain over the weekend. Now in practice, no member of the Illini squad is going to be able to opt out due to an injury. While children can recover from an appendectomy in a little as three days, it’s not uncommon for an adult to be out of commission for up to two weeks. Weber will coach the Illini in their season opener against Delaware State on Friday.

Another Bull Gone: The University of South Florida announced yesterday that recent JuCo transfer Maurice Mobley has left the team for undisclosed reasons. Mobley, a 6-5 forward, arrived on campus this fall from Parkland (Illinois) Community College, where he averaged 12 points and almost 9 rebounds per contest last season. In a statement, head coach Robert McCullum said that Mobley was going to focus on academics. This news comes on the heels of last week’s announcement that USF senior guard and second-leading scorer Bradley Mosely will miss the season due to renal cell cancer.

Pirate Suspended, ARRRGH!: East Carolina announced yesterday that senior center Moussa Badiane will be suspended for one game for playing in a non-certified summer league. Badiane, who is the Pirates’ top returning rebounder, participated in the same Raleigh Parks and Rec Chavis League that led to the one game suspension for North Carolina’s Raymond Felton. Two N.C. State players also participated in the league, but were able to show NCAA investigators documents from the league that claimed it was approved by the NCAA, which in fact it was not, something the Parks Department denies. Badiane will miss the opening round of the BCA Invitational later tonight against Pepperdine, at host school N.C. State’s RBC Center.

In Like Finn: Xavier announced that junior point guard Dedrick Finn has been given clearance to resume practice, following a knee injury late last month. Finn, who was suspended earlier this season for violation of team rules, sprained his knee in practice his first day back from suspension. It is likely that he’ll see some action in Friday’s opener against Oakland, but it may be a week or two before last season’s top returning scorer will be able to start.

Boone Still Waiting: As if the Minnesota Golden Gophers haven’t had enough of injury and ineligibility, now Dean Monson’s squad is awaiting word as to whether they’ll ever see senior point guard Adam Boone on the court this season. Boone, who tore his right biceps tendon in practice, is recovering from surgery, and is not expected back until February, if at all. Boone had applied for a medical redshirt status for the season and a sixth year of eligibility, but has not heard yet from the NCAA. If allowed, Boone will sit out the season rehabbing – otherwise he may be able to suit up for a few games at less than one-hundred percent. Complicating the situation is that Boone sat out a year due to transferring from North Carolina. The NCAA is expected to announce their decision before the end of the year.

Seven Keys to a Better Basketball Season

Seven Keys to a Better Basketball Season

by Matt Jones

Recently I came to a realization. I have decided (after much deep thought) that the beginning of October may be the best time of the entire year to be a sports fan. No matter what your favorite sport is, it is filling the air with excitement. Baseball playoffs are beginning, which means that sports fans everywhere can get a measure of fun out of watching Boston fans once again convince themselves that E does not equal MC-squared and that their beloved ‘Sawx will have a chance at a World Series.

The NFL season is in full bloom, as shown by the comforting site of a certain rotund Monday Night Football announcer beginning his annual pilgrimage to worship at the altar of Brett Favre. College football has begun its continued BCS quest towards illegitimacy, pausing only long enough for Lee Corso and the folks at ESPN to do something else to make the Tennessee fans on Rocky Top complain that the network “is always out to get us!”

NASCAR has entered its controversial “Chase for the Championship”, adding dozens of fans in the process and causing many in the Bible Belt to insinuate that this heresy is what happens when you “let liberals like John Kerry run our fair sport!”

NBA training camps are opening, with the only true suspense being what other NBA Players (Greg Ostertag perhaps?) Kobe Bryant told the Colorado police had committed felonies. And (my personal favorite), the world of English Premiership Soccer is going strong, with the mighty Arsenal still unbeaten, and Americans still wondering which team Pele is now playing for.

It is onto this crowded sports landscape that the new season of college basketball is slowly approaching. As a long-time fan, it is easy to become jaded and to think that the glory days of college basketball are behind us. Thinking back to my days as just a meager SEC columnist (last year), instead of a Hoopville Senior Writer (chicks dig the title), it is hard not to think that college basketball is heading towards it nadir, with early exits to the pros, continual coaching scandals and the refusal of Gene Keady to do anything about his hair.

However I refuse to succumb to such gloom and despair so easy. I truly believe that this has the potential to be the best college basketball season since 1998 (when the wonderful NCAA Tournament saved college basketball at a time it was most desperately needed….but that is another column). There are new look conferences on the horizon, the possibility of a loaded ACC and the potential for some true powerhouse teams….a rarity in this day and age. In the coming weeks, I am going to take on the Herculean task of attempting to preview every major conference. These previews will not be long, or even accurate, but I hope to distill for you, the reader, the essence of college basketball in 2004-2005. For now I will just leave you with seven storylines for the upcoming season.

1.Crunch Time for North Carolina

As someone who has had the good/misfortune of having a number of friends who are huge Tar Heel fans, it has been my pleasure for years to hear that the Heels were “just around the corner.” With each new prized recruit/high profile coach, I was reminded that the Heels were on their way back and that the glory days were about to be revived. No more coaches with hair like Cruella Deville, no more losses to inferior squads, no more smackdowns by the Kentucky Wildcats. Yes the Heels were coming back. Well now it is time. This team must showcase its potential and become a national power again this year. Jawad Williams (on the Dante Calabria 12 year college plan), Ray Felton, Rashad McCants, etc. have had their learning years and it is now time to do some big-time winning. Some of their losses over the past few seasons have been inexcusable and I still believe that last season ultimately must be regarded as a bit of a disappointment. Regardless, this is the year that Heels fans have been pointing to and I think it will be a real early test to evaluate the Roy Williams regime at UNC. I fully believe in them and predict that they will be a Top 5 program for most of the season. However if it doesn’t happen, one has to wonder if the glory days of ACC domination have forever left the Chapel Hill area.

2.UConn in the post Okafor era

I must say that I have an immense amount of respect for what Jim Calhoun has done for the UConn program during his stay. For him to be able to continually recruit top-tier talent to Storrs, Connecticut is truly amazing, especially considering the relative decline of the Big East (and no Big East fans, winning two national championships in a row does not excuse the sorry state of the rest of that conference). Last year I thought the Huskies were the only true powerhouse in college basketball (neither Duke, Kentucky nor St. Joseph’s qualified), and they took care of business in the Big Dance. However this is a new year and a bit of a drop could be upcoming. Charlie Villaneuva never completely reached his mammoth potential last year, but many would say it was unnecessary with two lottery picks on the team. However this will be his team this year, and it will be interesting to see what the result of that will be. Either way, Calhoun has officially entered the active coaching Hall of Fame (another future column), and Huskies fans should be ecstatic that he shows no signs of slowing down.

3.Seeds of Change at Georgetown

For my money, the most interesting “below the radar” story in college basketball is the new era of Hoya basketball led by John Thompson III. Love him or hate him, the original John Thompson was great for the sport, combining love and knowledge of the game with a broader worldview that sought to make college sports relevant in the greater cultural scheme. He pressed the NCAA and revealed much of the hypocrisy that is inherent in the institution, and for that (not to mention his 1984 National Championship), he will always be remembered. What now will be interesting is to see how much of the elder Thompson’s legacy will be embraced by the newly minted son. Thompson III comes from a great deal of success at Princeton and early indications are that he is much more reserved than his famous father, but just as talented. Whatever the case, college basketball is better when Georgetown is a force, and we have not seen that since the days of Allen Iverson. Here’s hoping that the new Thompson era reaches the level of success of the old.

4.Georgia Tech, National Power?

All college basketball fans should take a minute and truly appreciate just what a wonderful job Paul Hewitt has done at Georgia Tech. It is easy to dismiss the Jackets’ road to the National title game last year as a lucky tournament run – a la Indiana in 2001 – and to some extent the program did reach a bit beyond its potential. However one should not minimize what a change Hewitt has brought to the program and the potential it has to remain a national force. As Bobby Cremins showed many years ago, Tech is perfectly situated to become a Top 10 program. It is the only ACC school in a major city and has the potential to attract recruits that would shun more rural settings (see Kenny Anderson and Stephon Marbury). With this year’s team, Hewitt has the chance to establish Tech on the Kentucky, Duke, UConn level by building upon their impressive run and taking it to a new level. Most of last year’s group of upstarts are back, and Hewitt added two huge recruits in Zam Frederick and Ra’Sean Dickey. This team can be truly special this year, and it will be interesting to see if Hewitt can seize the opportunity to develop a monster in Atlanta.

5.The World Descends on Winston Salem

In case you have not gotten the memo, the best player in the country resides in the sleepy city that combines the best of two brands of cigarettes, Winston-Salem. Chris Paul is the real deal and it is about time that the nation takes full notice. If you have seen him in action, you know that he is a player who has a deep knowledge of the game, such that a lesser announcer would determine him to be “cerebral”, but combines that with a smooth flow that evokes memories of Jason Kidd in his prime. Most NBA scouts will tell you that this kid has Top 5 pick written all over him whenever he decides to test the draft waters. In the meantime, college fans are in for a treat as he leads the best Demon Deacon team in the past thirty years, a team with a legitimate shot at a national title. Folks should line up for the two Paul-Raymond Felton battles, and I hope to be in attendance for both.

6.Kentucky Kids

For the first time since the 1992 Michigan juggernaut, a top program will be relying on a group of freshman to provide them with the talent to make a move towards the Final Four. Tubby Smith, who has often been unjustly criticized by the overly prickly Wildcat fan base for his supposedly lackluster recruiting, has brought in his best class of his time in Lexington and will rely on them heavily in the coming season. Big man Randolph Morris flirted with the NBA Draft (and a possible first round selection) before deciding to join fellow McDonald’s All Americans Joe Crawford and Rajon Rondo in the beautiful bluegrass state. The timing could not have been better for Smith as he lost four of his primary players to graduation, a group that led the Wildcats to the number 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, two years in a row. While Tubby most certainly is excited about the potential of this group, it remains to be seen how they will react to the defense-oriented coach. Smith tends to do better when his team is led by veterans, even those that are not considered to have the most talent. He has had well-publicized run-ins with some of his other high-profile recruits in the past (see Marvin Stone and Rashad Carruth), but these youngsters do not seem of the same character as these former problem children. Either way however, there is a talent level there that has not been seen in Lexington in a while, and Cats fans are salivating at the thought.

7.Fear the Moustache

For the past few years, I have made it my mission to make jokes at the expense of the Big Ten (and Auburn). To me, the conference has been vastly overrated and is continually lumped in as a powerhouse with the ACC, Big 12 and SEC, even though it is currently a notch below. That all may be changing this year, thanks in large part to the potential at Illinois this season. There are a lot of reasons that the fighting Illini have the look of a national title contender, but first and foremost among them is the artist formerly known as Nick Smith. For those of you that haven’t seen Smith and his pencil-thin moustache, you should run out to your nearest Illinois sports retailer and purchase a team photo. Smith is the most absurd looking major Division I basketball player since the days of Gimel Martinez, and has found a way to bring back a look (the 20 year old pale white guy with a moustache) that most of us thought was forever gone. I am not arguing that Smith has a great deal of talent (he doesn’t), but I am suggesting that the key to my happiness this year is whether he and his moustache get the level of national publicity that they deserve. I will do my part and one thing that my readers can be rest assured of, is that this column will become a place dedicated to helping Nick Smith and his merry moustache become engrained in the minds of all sports fans across the country.

So those are the stories to watch at the beginning of this new season, and I will return soon with my marathon preview of all the nation’s team, culminating in the definitive Preseason Top 25. Until next time…..

Northeastern Midnight Madness

Midnight Madness at Northeastern

by Phil Kasiecki

BOSTON – It’s the night before a victory parade that Bostonians have long awaited. In fact, preparations at nearby Fenway Park are already noticeable if you go by there. Needless to say, attendance expectations for a special version of Midnight Madness at Northeastern probably weren’t very high in light of that, especially since college sports already plays second fiddle in this town.

But on this Homecoming Weekend at the school, a decent though late-arriving crowd composed mostly of students and alumni turned out to see the men’s and women’s basketball teams put on a special version of Midnight Madness two weeks after schools across the country marked the start of practice. The school decided to do this given the success they had last year with it being the same weekend as Homecoming, which was purely a coincidence in 2003.

The evening started around 10 PM with the annual Faculty/Staff vs. Students game. The Students included recent alumni Jamaar Walker and Derrell Keys, while the Faculty/Staff team included all coaches save for assistant Adam Ginsburg as well as athletic director Dave O’Brien. Before the game, four members of the women’s track team did a nice rendition of the national anthem. The game was won by the Faculty/Staff team, with assistant coach Kevin Harris showing he could still play as he did a little of everything, including a couple of fast break blocks of layup attempts and a few three-pointers. (After the game, he said “I had a lucky night” with a laugh.)

The halftime show featured a wonderful show of Double Dutch from the Triple D’s (Dorchester Double Dutch). They are a group of girls who range from the third grade up through high school, and they have participated in numerous competitions on all levels, including the world.

After a few contests and something from the cheerleaders and dance team, the players from both teams came onto the court. During player introductions, the biggest cheer for the newcomers was for local product Jerome Kirkland, a 5’10″ guard who went to nearby John D. O’Bryant High School.

Junior Aaron Davis won the three-point competition over Jose Juan Barea in a close one. Davis, who redshirted last season due to a shoulder injury, shot the ball well all night, making seven of the first eight shots in the semifinal round. That could be a good sign for the Huskies, as he can add another dimension to this team as a guard capable of playing bigger than his size as well as being another sniper to take some defensive attention off of Barea and senior Marcus Barnes.

In the two-ball shoot, a duo of newcomers won easily, as Janon Cole and Sigrid Scherpiet beat out Kirkland and Karoline Alexander, 17-6.

The slam dunk contest was similar to that at other places nowadays – as there is not much that hasn’t been done already, there was nothing terribly original. Sophomore guard Bobby Kelly repeated as champion, winning with a 360 dunk on his last try. For good measure, after being declared the winner, he drove the baseline and threw one down reminiscent of former Celtic Dee Brown when he won the NBA’s Slam Dunk contest as a rookie.

The scrimmage that followed to end the night was nothing special, as the players were clearly in exhibition mode for the fans. Of note was sophomore Bennet Davis scoring on a couple of drives, as well as Kirkland knocking down a couple of three-pointers, the first of which shocked head coach Ron Everhart. As Kirkland launched it, Everhart could be heard saying, “No way”, before it dropped.

All in all, the school did well with the event. Soon we will see if they can continue the program’s resurgence as they try to get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991.

Atlantic Sun Conference Preview

Atlantic Sun Conference 2004-05 Preview

by Darren Lowry

The Atlantic Sun conference is as unpredictable as any other conference this season due to the major roster turnover that occurred conference-wide in the off-season. Several schools will be benefiting from an influx of new talent, whether it be now-eligible transfers or incoming freshmen. However, many of those same schools are also having to cope with the losses of multiple starters.

But perhaps the bigger news of 2004-2005 in the conference is that this year will be the last hurrah in the A-Sun for two schools: Central Florida and Troy State. That’s because both will be moving to different conferences beginning next season. In addition, Georgia State recently announced that they will be leaving the conference in 2006. Florida Atlantic has also committed to switching conferences, with its football team moving in 2005, and all of its other athletic programs, including basketball, moving at an undetermined later date.

While the seemingly sudden departure of four schools sounds foreboding for the conference’s future, it is important to keep in mind that of all of the schools leaving, Georgia State is the only one that does not also currently have a football program. In fact, only two of the remaining eight schools have both a football and a basketball program. Thus, the decision to leave the conferences is most likely a football-related decision. Also, East Tennessee State recently accepted an invitation to join the A-Sun next season, helping to soften the blow. A-Sun officials said that the team would be immediately eligible for the A-Sun championship, as well as the automatic NCAA bid.

However, none of the schools will be thinking about the impending move this season, as the A-Sun will be as wide open as ever. Notably, the defending conference champion Golden Knights will have to replace three of their starters while the Trojans, who earned a post-season NIT berth after winning the regular season championship, will have to replace all five starters from a year ago.

This season may more most come down to the coaching, as many teams will have to rapidly implement their system and quickly develop team chemistry in order to win. With that in mind, here are the pre-season picks for several prestigious awards:

Pre-season All-Conference Team:
Mike Bell F – Florida Atlantic
Travis DeGroot G – Georgia State
Haminn Quaintance F – Jacksonville
E.J. Gordon G – Stetson
Wesley Duke F – Mercer

Pre-season Conference MVP

Mike Bell F – Florida Atlantic

Newcomer of the Year

Travis DeGroot G – Georgia State

Defensive Player of the Year

Haminn Quaintance F – Jacksonville

Most Overlooked Player

Anthony Register G – Stetson

Most High-Impact Freshman

Brian Pfohl F – Mercer

Coach of the Year

Rick Byrd – Belmont

Coach Potentially on the Hot Seat

Sidney Green – Florida Atlantic

Team Capsules: (In order of projected finish)

Georgia State Panthers

(4th overall last season, 20-9 overall, 14-6 in-conference)

Projected Starting Five:
G Herman Favors
G Travis DeGroot
F Kevin Thomas
F Marcus Brown
C Deven Dickerson

Scheduling notables: Very tough non-conference away games at Kentucky and Texas Tech will serve as a litmus test for how Georgia State may do if they indeed make the NCAA tournament this season.

Even after losing three starters from last season, including All-Conference center Nate Williams, guard Lamont McIntosh, and forward Trello Galloway, Georgia State may have the most solid and deep team in the league, making them the favorites. Much of their strength will come from a strong recruiting class made up mostly of JuCo players, including DeGroot, who could easily challenge for conference MVP this year.

The team will return Favors and Thomas as starters from last year’s squad. Thomas averaged just at ten points a game last season.

Other potential impact players include shooting guard Malcom Manier, forward Justin Billingslea, and forward Clark Williams.

Perhaps the team’s only weakness lies in its lack of experience at center. Sylvester Morgan averaged just eight minutes a game last season, and newcomer Dickerson is talented, but unproven. The team may have to rely on the 6-8 Billingslea or even the 6-7 Brown for better depth.

The Panthers’ success will depend on how the team balances its talent with trying to form good chemistry early on in the season.

Projected finish: 1st overall regular season, A-Sun Conference Champs, lose in first round of NCAA tournament

Stetson Hatters

(5th overall last season, 12-15 overall, 10-10 in-conference)

Projected Starting Five:
G E.J. Gordon
G Anthony Register
F Boris Djordjic
F Karl Hollingsworth
C Mark Stiles

Scheduling notables: The team will play five non-conference road games in December, including games against Georgia, Florida, and Florida State, which will be a big early season test for the Hatters.

Stetson is one of the few teams returning most of their starters from last season, with just forward Kevin Craig having departed in the off-season. The returning starters will be led by the stellar backcourt of Gordon and Register, while big men Djordjic and Stiles have come back to man the posts. Newcomer Hollingsworth will look to make the most of his starting time after being a reserve at Tulane University last season.

The Hatters’ biggest change for this season may be their overall size. Incoming transfer forward Ben Bridges is 6-7, and forwards J.J. Hirst and David Kilgore are both 6-8, while center Chief Kickingstallionsims is a whopping 7-1. Look for the Hatters to use their superior height to dominate opponents in the post game this season, freeing up Gordon and Register to play make from the perimeter.

However, the team will have to improve its awful team shooting, ranking last in three point percentage, and next to last in field goal percentage. The better post presence should improve the quality of the shots that the team will take on average, but they still have to make them.

Most importantly, in order to be successful this season, Stetson must improve its overall defense. The Hatters gave up nearly five more points per game than they scored last season, a statistic they clearly have to improve on this year. However, their overwhelming size will give Stetson a clear advantage over many teams in the conference this season.

Projected finish: 2nd in regular season standings, eliminated in 2nd round of playoffs

University of Central Florida Golden Knights

(2nd overall last season, 25-6 overall, 17-3 in-conference)

Projected Starting Five:
G Kingsley Edwards
G Gary Johnson
F Marcus Avant
F Josh Peppers
C William Bakanowsky

Scheduling notables: The Golden Knights will participate in two non-conference tournaments this season, the BP Top of the World Classic held on Nov. 18-21, which is hosted by Alaska-Fairbanks, and the UCF Holiday Invitational, which is hosted by UCF on Dec. 28 and 29.

Also, UCF upset regular season champ Troy State twice last season, once in the regular season on the road, and the second time in the final round of the A-Sun tournament. UCF will no doubt be looking to extend their success against Troy State at the re-matches this year on Jan. 16 and Feb. 4.

UCF had a wildly successful season last year, garnering a 25-5 overall record that was good enough to place them 14th in the nation in team winning percentage. The team also finished second in the conference with a 17-3 in-conference record, then capped it off by upsetting first-place Troy State in the final round of the A-Sun tournament to advance to the Big Dance. There, the Golden Knights put up a strong fight before falling to #3 seed Pittsburgh 53-44 in the first round of the NCAA tournament last season.

However, when Dexter Lyons and Roberto Morentin graduated, UCF lost a pair of All-Conference players that will be very hard to replace. Their loss along with the departure of Josh Bodden means that the team’s top three scorers have all left, leaving a huge offensive void. Indeed, those three players accounted for nearly 61% of the team’s total points scored last year.

The Golden Knights’ strength was always their defense, as they gave up less than 62 points per game last season. In fact, the team ranked 24th in the NCAA in team scoring defense.

However, not only was Lyons the team’s leading scorer, he was also voted as A-Sun Defensive Player of the Year last season. Thus, the team must quickly learn to adapt to Speraw’s philosophy if they are going to be successful this year.

In addition, the Golden Knights did not add a single new freshman over the off-season. Instead, they will rely on a couple JuCo transfers in guard Anthony Williams and forward Marcus Johnson to make up for their losses and provide depth.

However, all of the players projected to start this season either started or came off the bench for UCF last year, which should give them an early advantage over other schools in developing team chemistry.

The team returned two quality players in Johnson and Avant, both of whom were important starters for the team last year. Likewise, Peppers, Edwards, and Bakanowsky all logged valuable reserve minutes last season. However, none of those three are used to starting at the college level. How they adjust stamina-wise will be key.

UCF must both find a way to replace the offense lost from last year, and must continue to be defensively strong if they want to again go far in the postseason this year. As none of the returning players averaged more than eight points a game, somebody must step up offensively. With the Golden Knights departing for Conference USA this season, the team is no doubt looking to go out with a bang.

Projected finish: 3rd in regular season standings, lose in final round of playoffs

Jacksonville Dolphins (7th overall last season, 13-15 overall, 8-12 in-conference)

Projected Starting Five:
G David Lee
G Aubrey Conerly
F Haminn Quaintance
F Antonio Cool
F Joey Robinson

Scheduling notables: The Dolphins will have to do well on the road in their non-conference games, playing Florida, Tennessee Tech, Florida State in away matches, as well as Savannah State, who will also play one game in Jacksonville.

Jacksonville returns one of the best players in the league in Quaintance, who took the conference by storm his freshman year on the way to winning the A-Sun Freshman of the Year award. He is a stud on both ends of the court, racking up nine double-doubles, good enough for third-most in the league. He also averaged three blocks a game, making him perhaps the most dominating defensive player in the league this year.

Also returning are the starting guard team of Lee and Conerly, who also racked up impressive offensive numbers last season. This year, the team has brought in two JuCo players to improve depth at the position, in Jesse Kimbrough and B.J. Surry, both of whom averaged double digits in points at their respective schools.

Rounding out the starters for the Dolphins this season will be JuCo transfers Cool and Robinson.

However, the team did lose a couple key players, including starting center Jure Lozancic, who signed with a Spanish basketball league this year, as well as starting forward Nolan McBride, who graduated. Valuable reserve guard Woury Diallo, who averaged twelve points a game while also averaging less than eighteen minutes a night, also left in the off-season.

However, the team should not have to worry about depth this season, as they added a conference-high eight new players this year.

Quite obviously, the team will do very well offensively this season. Quaintance will continue to dominate in the post, and the improved depth at the guard position bodes well for the program. In fact, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine them upping their team scoring average by five points per game.

However, the weakness of the team is team defense. Although they averaged 71 points scored a game, they gave up nearly 74 points a game. Clearly, the Dolphins must concentrate on bringing that number down if they are to successful this year.

Projected finish: 4th in overall standings, lose in 1st round of playoffs

Belmont Bruins

(3rd overall last season, 21-9 overall, 15-5 in-conference)

Projected Starting Five:
G Brian Collins
G Jese Snyder
G Josh Goodwin
F Adrian Jones
C Andrew Preston

Scheduling notables: The Bruins will take part in the 2004 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic Tournament from Nov. 11-19, with the first game against St. Marys in Berkeley, California. However, with teams such as Cal and Syracuse also in the tournament, it will be very tough for the Bruins to win it. The team also will play a few other non-conference opponents, including road games against UAB and Tennessee.

The Bruins shocked the basketball world when they defeated Missouri on the road last year on Dec. 30. For that matter, Belmont played extremely well in their entire non-conference schedule, also defeating an Air Force team that ranked tops in the NCAA in team defense. They also traded wins with UCF and Austin Peay, both of whom also were nationally ranked in that category.

In short, the Bruins surprised a number of people last season because other teams underestimated them.

However, the two biggest leaders and best players from the team, Adam Mark and Steve Drabyn, graduated, leaving a void which must be replaced.

Mark was far and away the most acclaimed player on the team, having won numerous awards in his four years both on and off the court. For example, he ranked 6th in the NCAA in field goal percentage, even though he took (and made) far more shots than those who finished ahead of him. In fact, in the entire league, only Connecticut’s Emeka Okafor finished with more field goals made last season. Mark shot 70.8 percent from the floor his sophomore year, good enough for 5th best all-time. He finished 13th in NCAA history for highest career field goal percentage.

Drabyn was another valuable player that the Bruins will really miss this year. He was perhaps the most clutch player on the team, who not only was a strong 3-point shooter, but also tied for 6th-best in the NCAA in free throw percentage.

They will not be easily replaced.

However, the team does have a strong nucleus of returning players, led by Collins, who was named to the A-Sun All Freshman team last season. In addition, Snyder, Goodwin, and Jones all have superb range, as all three are particularly adept at hitting three-pointers.

Preston, whose playing time was limited in large part because of Mark’s success, looked very good in limited playing time last season. He should become one of the better centers in the league this season with his additional playing time.

The team does have some good backups already in place this season in Nick Otis and Michael Modlin, both of whom will have to play significantly more minutes this season. The team also secured a number of promising prospects for the future, including Will Peeples, Justin Hare, and Andy Wicke.

Since much of Belmont’s offense this season will be centered upon taking ranged shots, particularly 3-pointers, and because the team has a number of players who are talented at making them, the team may not suffer a significant drop-off this season like some have predicted.

Also, even with their losses, the team remains strong defensively, something which should keep them in the hunt all season long.

Projected finish: 5th place, lose in 2nd round of playoffs

Troy State Trojans

(1st overall last season, 24-7 overall, 19-2 in-conference)

Projected Starting Five:
G Bobby Dixon
G Xavier Mathis
F Corey Hornsby
F Ryan Heck
C Eddie Baker

Scheduling notables: The Trojans will take part in a three game tournament in the Virgin Islands on Nov. 20-22, and will also face off against Southwest Missouri State, Arkansas, and Ole Miss on non-conference road games. In addition, they will travel to New Mexico on Dec. 28-29 to play in the New Mexico Tournament.

Also, the team will look for revenge against UCF this season after the Golden Knights beat the Trojans in Alabama on Jan. 23 and upset them again in the final round of the A-Sun tournament last season. Both teams likely have Jan. 16 and Feb. 4, the dates of the re-matches, marked on their calendars.

Troy State had an amazing 19-2 showing last season, where they finished first in the regular season standings, many of which were dominating performances of double-digit blowouts. The accomplishment marked the fourth straight year that the Trojans had at least earned a split of the top spot in the regular season standings. The conference recognized the team’s great year when they awarded Maestri the A-Sun Coach-of-the-Year Award.

The team led the nation or placed highly in a number of team and individual categories last year, with many of those accomplishments going relatively unnoticed nationwide. Troy State finished 20th in the nation in overall winning percentage and 13th in average scoring margin last season.

The Trojans just barely missed out on finishing undefeated in A-Sun play by a total of three points, losing by one at Georgia State on Jan. 13, and by two at home against UCF ten days later. The team missed the NCAA tournament by losing to UCF in the final round of the A-Sun tournament last season, a loss which no doubt was devastating.

Much of Troy State’s success last year came from their superior offense, which averaged nearly 85 points a game, again good enough for third in the nation. Most of those points came from outstanding perimeter shooting that the Trojans showcased last year. In fact, Troy State led the NCAA in three pointers made per game, averaging just under twelve a contest.

However, all five starters from a year ago have left the program, significantly damaging the Trojans in 2004-2005. The team will certainly miss forwards Kendrick Johnson and Jerome Stamper and the services of guard Herbert Evans, but the more devastating departures are the loss of guard Greg Davis and forward Rob Lewin.

Davis racked up personal accolades almost as fast as he racked up assists last season. He was named the A-Sun Player of the Year last season and made the All Conference team on his way to leading all of the NCAA in assists and a whopping 8.4 assists per game. He also placed 21st in the NCAA in steals per game. His ten double-doubles ranked him second in the conference.

Lewin, who was named to the All Conference team last season, also was a key offensive player for the Trojans, leading the team in scoring and racking up seven double-doubles in his own right.

Clearly, Troy State will not be able to replace those players overnight. The team is going to be made up of a mix of the five returning players from last year, and the seven (!) JuCo players the school brought in.

Of the incoming players, Baker and Dixon look the most promising, and Heck is clearly the most talented of the returning players.

However, Troy State’s future this season is very uncertain. The team has a very positive past, with their recent history of placing first. However, the Trojans don’t seem to have anywhere near the talent they have had in recent years, especially last year. They will have to lock into Maestri’s philosophy to be successful.

Because Troy State is moving to the Sun Belt Conference after this season, the team is sure to do everything they can to make their last season in the A-Sun a very successful one.

Projected finish: 6th place in regular season standings, lose in 1st round of playoffs

Florida Atlantic University Owls

(8th overall last season, 9-19 overall, 6-14 in-conference)

Projected Starting Five:
G Quinton Young
G Kahleaf Watson
F Mike Bell
F Pierre Tucker
C Robert Williams

Scheduling notables: The Owls will take part in two non-conference tournaments this season, the Florida International on Nov. 19, and the Nevada Tournament on Dec. 17-18. They will also play UNLV in an away game on Dec. 22.

Florida Atlantic has perhaps the most complete player in the league in Bell, who averages nearly a double-double per game. He is very difficult to defend, as he has the size of a forward, but the range of a guard. He’ll be giving opposing teams fits this year.

He’ll be joined by other returning big men in Tucker and Williams, who should help give the Owls a strong presence in the post.

However, the departure of guard duo Earnest Crumbley and Jeff Cowans will be tough on FAU. In fact, Crumbley left as the school’s all-time leader in points, three-pointers, and assists. Watson and Young will have their work cut out for them to replace the production of the two seniors.

Even with Bell, the team has a number of weaknesses. Most glaring is the fact that Bell potentially may be counted on too much for offense, making the team’s offensive attack dangerously one-dimensional. They only have eleven players, so any problems with depth will be much harder for the Owls to compensate for. Also, size is also not a strength of the team, with the 6-9 Bell as the tallest player. Some of the taller teams may be able to take advantage of that.

In addition, the team is a terrible free-throw shooting team, finishing tied for second-to-last in the A-Sun last season in that category. That is one category that must improve if they are to make any huge strides from last season.

If any team in the league has a coach on the hot seat, FAU may be it. Green’s record in four years is 44-104, certainly unimpressive at best. With Florida Atlantic switching conferences to the Sun Belt in the near future, the school may choose to go in another direction for a fresh start.

Despite losing all but two of its last sixteen games last season, FAU did sneak into the playoffs. That makes a coaching change doubtful, but of course, it may depend on how the Owls fare this year. If they go on another prolonged losing streak, a coaching change is possible.

Projected finish: 7th place overall, lose in 1st round of playoffs

Gardner-Webb Bulldogs

(9th overall last season, 9-20 overall, 6-14 in-conference)

Projected Starting Five:
G Josh Chiles
G Tim Jennings
F Brian Bender
F Simon Conn
C Zoran Jelenic

Scheduling notables: The Bulldogs will be put to the test early this year when they face off against Arkansas, Georgia, UNLV, and Colorado, all on the road. Those road games should give Gardner-Webb a good indication of how their young team will do this season.

Even though the team was not going to be eligible for the A-Sun tournament anyway, Gardner-Webb still finished with the same record as the 8th place Florida Atlantic last season.

This season, the Bulldogs will be eligible for post-season play, and are looking to get there largely on the strength of a highly-touted class of new recruits, including four JuCo players.

The most notable new recruit is Jennings, a very talented transfer who was drawing interest from big-name NCAA schools during his high school career. In addition to being a talented scorer, he is also a very strong defender. The Bulldogs will certainly count on his help defensively this season to improve, as they gave up an average of five more points per game than they scored.

Gardner-Webb will also rely on Jelenic, another new recruit, to step right in and play lots of minutes at forward, since only one forward, Bender remains from last season. Interestingly, both Jennings and Jelenic are transferring from the same school, Pensacola Junior College. That previous relationship should help ease the transition for both players.

Also returning is leading scorer Bender, who averaged nearly thirteen points and seven rebounds a game last season. He needs to continue to improve for the Bulldogs this season.

One area of the team that will have to become more consistent is the backcourt. Gardner-Webb had four players who started fourteen games or more last season. Certainly, Scruggs would prefer to rely on two players start more than twenty games this season. The addition of Jennings should make it that much easier for him.

Even though he only played sparingly last season, Conn looked very good in his time, averaging six points a game in just over twelve minutes a game. It will be interesting to watch how he does in an expanded role this year.

The team will be able to rely on a pretty good bench this year as well, with Andre Manning and Chris Gash coming back. Both players started a significant amount of games for the Bulldogs last season. Also, the team believes JuCo transfer T.J. McCullough will do very well in a back-up role.

Gardner-Webb is certainly improved over last season. Indeed, the team is now one of the deepest in the league at the guard position. However, after their starting post players, the Bulldogs are very thin at forward.

Gardner-Webb will use their strength at the guard position to provide a steady aerial attack this season. However, their lack of depth at the forward may hurt them in several games this season.

Projected finish: 8th in overall standings, lose in 1st round of playoffs

Mercer Bears

(6th overall last season, 12-18 overall, 9-11 in-conference)

Projected Starting Five:
G Andrew Brown
G James Odoms
F Wesley Duke
F Brian Pfohl
C Will Emerson

Scheduling notables: Last year, Mercer scheduled a whopping ten non-conference games, an unusually high amount for the conference. This year is no different, as the team has seven non-conference games scheduled, among them a phenomenally difficult road game at Maryland, a match which is sure to push the Bears to their limit.

Mercer will also play in their University Center Arena for a full season this year. The Bears moved into the new building mid-way through the season last year, christening it with an upset victory over Georgia State.

In recent years, the Mercer basketball team has been characterized by major swings in the standings. In 2001-2002, the team had a 6-23 overall record. The very next season, the team went 23-6, marking the single greatest one-year turnaround in NCAA history and earning Slonaker league-wide praise. Last season, however, the team again fell in the standings, finishing 12-18 overall.

This season, though, it doesn’t appear as if Mercer is going to have another major swing in the standings.

On one hand, the program lost their two best players in Delmar Wilson and Scott Emerson, who led the team in many offensive categories including scoring and rebounds.

However, on the other hand, four of the Bears’ starters are returning from last year’s team. The team retained Duke and Odoms, both of whom are solid all-around players who will have to step up as leaders. Much of the team’s success rests in their very capable hands. Both Brown and Will Emerson also played significant roles last season, but neither averaged more than eighteen minutes per contest, and will have to adjust to the additional playing time.

Also, the Bears have one of the most talented incoming classes in the league. In fact, one of the team’s strengths both in this and future seasons will be their depth, both talent-wise and numbers-wise (the team has sixteen players this season). While that might bode well for the future of the program, it remains to be seen how that will affect Mercer for this campaign.

With that being said, it’s not out of the question that some of the new players could make an immediate impact, and help the team improve this year as well as down the road. Several of the freshmen, including Pfohl, won state-wide honors during their high school careers. After signing him in the off-season, Slonaker indicated that the forward will be one of the new players counted on to play significant minutes this season.

Other newcomers expected to make an impact this season are Shaddean Aaron and Sam Dolan.

However, the team will have to make up the offensive production they lost from last season. In addition, last year’s Mercer squad gave up an average of five more points than they scored per game. Again, the team must do a better job defensively if they want to succeed in 2004-2005.

The biggest key, though, is Mercer’s home and away record. The Bears did very well when playing at home last season, with a 10-2 overall home record. However, their away record was a pitiful 1-15. It’s no surprise that record has got to improve this year.

While Mercer’s future again looks bright, this year will probably be an adjustment one. It will be interesting to see if the Bears, with all of their inconsistency and uncertainty, will be able to squeak out a playoff spot again this year.

Projected finish: 9th in overall standings, miss playoffs

Campbell Camels

(11th overall last season, 3-24 overall, 3-17 in-conference)

Projected Starting Five:
G Anthony Atkinson
G Jake Wohlfeil
F Dominique Klein
F Diego Aguiar
F Russ Gibson

Scheduling notables: One thing is for certain: the Camels have absolutely no fear. They have non-conference road games scheduled against N.C. State, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Needless to say, a Camel sweep is unlikely.

The Camels had a season for the ages last year. The Middle Ages. The team lost every non-conference game it played, and also lost every road game it played. They also ranked last or second to last in nearly every team offensive category last season. It is important to note that Campbell was by far the youngest team in the league.

However, it wasn’t just the youth of the team last year that led to the bad record. Campbell has a history of struggling. In fact, in their whole time in the A-Sun conference, the team has only had one winning season.

However, there are signs that the Camels are nearing the end of their long desert wandering.

The team is returning perhaps their most talented player in Atkinson. He named to the All-Freshman team last season after finishing third in scoring among freshmen with eleven points a game and first among freshmen and third in the league in assists with more than four a game.

Also back this season are three talented forwards in Klein, Aguiar, and Colin Hunt. The three players rotated starts last year, but Klein and Aguiar will likely earn the majority of starts this season, and Hunt will probably come off the bench.

The new players, though, will be the key to both this year and the future of the program.

Expected to start are Wohlfeil, a good shooter who should see a lot of time at the 2-guard this season, and Gibson, who is one of the tallest players on the team, but also has better-than-average range for a post player.

Some players who can be expected to play quality backup minutes besides Hunt are incoming guards Stephon Griffin and Ruell Pringle.

Even with the outlook on the future perhaps brighter than in past years, the team is still at least a year away from seriously contending in the A-Sun. The Camels should improve enough to move out of the basement this season, but won’t go much farther than that.

Projected finish: 11th in overall standings, miss playoffs

Lipscomb Bisons

(10th overall last season, 7-21 overall, 4-16 in-conference)

Projected Starting Five:
G James Poindexter
G Brian Fisk
G Jason Guyette
F Matt Jarboe
C Shaun Durant

Scheduling notables: Unlike most of the other schools in the A-Sun, the majority of Lipscomb’s non-conference games are against smaller colleges, except for games at Minnesota, Savannah State, and Arkansas.

The Bisons went through a rough first season, finishing with a 7-21 record, and a 4-16 in-conference mark. Although the school is eligible for A-Sun postseason play this year, Lipscomb is likely to go through more of the same.

The good news for the Bisons is that they have two young, talented guards in Poindexter and Fisk that will again run the offense this year. Even better news is that Fisk is just a sophomore while Poindexter is a junior, meaning they still have plenty of time to get better. Indeed, Fisk earned a spot on the A-Sun All-Freshman team for his solid play.

Because the team often uses a three-guard set in games, Guyette, a JuCo transfer, is expected to be the three guard. Guyette played mostly as a forward in high school, but as a guard at Kaskaskia College, he concentrated on improving his 3-point shot to expand his range and make himself much more versatile.

However, the bad news is that the rest of the team is thin, most glaringly at the post position. What forward depth they had left when Albert Hacker and Chad Hartman graduated, leaving a huge void.

The team will try to replace the losses with Jarboe, who was a good reserve player last season, and Durant, a strong, big-bodied forward who also transferred from Kaskaskia.

While Lipscomb’s starting lineup isn’t bad, the team has practically no depth. Outside of newcomer Brandon Hartwell, the team has nobody they can count on to provide quality backup minutes. That will certainly show throughout the year, especially if the team has a tendency to get into foul trouble.

The team had the second-worst scoring margin in the league, giving up an average of eight more points a game than they scored. The team also ranked last in the conference in free throw shooting. The Bisons must step up and improve in both categories before they can start moving up in the A-Sun.

Right now Lipscomb is going through the adjustment to NCAA basketball, which can make for some rather painful seasons. However, they have a few talented players, and can know that they have a couple players to build a solid, successful program around in a few years.

Projected finish: 11th in overall standings, miss playoffs

The A-Sun conference should be a fun one to watch in 2004-2005. Two teams will be playing their last seasons ever in the A-Sun, while two more will be preparing to also move. Several of the top teams lost key players, while several of the other teams stocked up on prospects.

It should be very interesting to see which teams rise to the top in a conference where parity is now a big buzzword. The teams who establish a strong identity first should be the teams that have the most success this year.

Big East Conference Preview

Big East Conference 2004-05 Preview

by Jesse Ullmann

The vintage throwbacks of Kerry Kittles, Allen Iverson and Ray Allen set a standard for the youth movement, more than they may now realize. Last year the Big East won its second consecutive national championship, matching the ACC as the only other conference in history to accomplish that feat. Eight players this season will grace the elite list of candidates for the pre-season Wooden Award. Even with Miami and Virginia Tech departing for, ah, “greener pastures”, anticipation is as high as ever with UConn, Syracuse, Providence and Pittsburgh your usual suspects.

Yes the defending champion Huskies lost Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon. Yes they lost their best recruiter to off-season legal issues and yes their best recruit has newly discovered health issues but to insinuate that a sub-par performance should be expected in 2004 by the Huskies would be ludicrous. With the second best recruiting class in the country (next to Kentucky), the Huskies return four players with starting experience plus juco transfer and ACC Rookie of the Year Ed Nelson.

Ever so hard did Pittsburgh try to attain No. One last season but they were unsuccessful in doing so and as a result are now terrifyingly determined. Chris Taft returns with Chevon Troutman and Torin Francis to lead the charge. Another combination in Hakim Warrick and Gerry McNamara are back for the Orange, trying to exceed last year’s sweet sixteen appearance. The pairings of these players are enjoyable and fun, however, just two players in the nation return as All-Americans and Providence has one of them. Senior forward Ryan Gomes carries the solo show in the Big East in 04-05 after turning down the NBA life. St. John’s (a.k.a. last year’s rendition of Big Apple Circus) looks to start anew with Norm Roberts guiding the ship. It could be a very foggy ride with inexperienced players and coaching. Chris Thomas, the 2002 Big East Rookie of the Year, is expected to be at full strength as Notre Dame tries to improve on a seventh place finish last season.

Boston College will play in its final season in the Big East. Senior forward Craig Smith will head the campaign while trying to improve on a second round NCAA tournament finish last year. Georgetown has a new coach in John Thompson III, and by the way John, we’re all wondering: is the “white towel over the shoulder” thing genetic?

On paper Villanova looks to be at the top of the heap but the Wildcats are injury prone and suspensions linger from last season. Seton Hall will be without departed senior Andre Barrett while Rutgers returns the sophomore surprise of Quincy Douby. And even though West Virginia rounds out this short summary, they may surprise many with the nation’s third leading shot blocker returning.

The baker’s dozen has depth and an unusual abundance of senior talent. A late run deep into the heart of March will be expected from a number of these schools as they try to one up each other. Nearly five months from now we’ll have it all figured out but where’s the fun in waiting? The following is a look at what to expect.

Hoopville’s Pre-Season All-Big East
Hakim Warrick, Syracuse (MVP)
Ryan Gomes, Providence
Chris Thomas, Notre Dame
Carl Krauser, Pittsburgh
Charlie Villanueva, Connecticut

Honorable mentions: Craig Smith, Chris Taft, Gerry McNamara, Torin Francis

Syracuse Orange

2003-04 record: 11-5, 23-8, 4th Place

Projected starting five:
G: Gerry McNamara
G: Billy Edelin
F: Josh Pace
F: Hakim Warrick
C: Craig Forth

Hakim Warrick and Gerry McNamara may be the most lethal combo in all of college basketball this season. After contemplating a jump to the pros, Warrick has decided to return for his senior season. The Orange will try to build off a sweet sixteen appearance last season and have the firepower returning to do so. McNamara led the conference in three pointers made. Billy Edelin rejoins the team after a lapse into poor-grades syndrome. The NCAA reinstated Edelin, last year’s third best scorer for the Orange, and depending upon coach Jim Boeheim, Edelin or Demetris Nichols will start. Sophomore guard Louie McCroskey, Josh Pace and the highly anticipated arrival of freshman guard Josh Wright will anchor the backcourt. Hakim Warrick, Craig Forth and Demetris Nichols all have NCAA championship experience and intend on sharing the wealth. Anchored by Warrick, the Syracuse strength this season will be down low in the paint being bullish with opponents. 6’9″ Terrence Roberts and 6’11″ Darryl Watkins will come off the bench again this season while junior forward Matt Gorman will look to steal minutes at forward. The Syracuse starting five is concrete barring injuries and the Orange have arguably the deepest bench in the Big East. Expect a big season again in northern New York.

Pittsburgh Panthers

2003-04 record: 13-3, 31-5, 1st Place

Projected starting five:
G: Carl Krauser
G: Antonio Graves
F: Chevon Troutman
F: Mark McCarroll
C: Chris Taft
Pittsburgh takes a huge loss in Julius Page and Jaron Brown but the loss is forgotten because Big East Rookie of the Year Chris Taft and All-American candidate Carl Krauser are back. The Brooklyn sophomore Taft is a bruiser nearly averaging a double-double in his inaugural season with Pitt. He will pair with 6’10″ senior forward Mark McCarroll and the 6’7″ Troutman while Aaron Gray and Levon Kendall will come off the bench to give Taft and Troutman their necessary breaks. Juco transfer John DeGroat and 2003 redshirt sophomore Dante Milligan are expected to battle for minutes at forward.

Freshmen guard Keith Benjamin and Ron Ramón will adapt quickly under the junior guard Krauser, who had an excellent season last year leading the team in scoring, free throw percentage and assists. Guard Antonio Graves is back to use the interior pass to get the ball down low to Taft. The one problem Pitt may face is depth in the backcourt. Marcus Bowman and Charles Small bring very little experience from last season and Benjamin and Ramón may be too young to throw in the mix immediately. Senior guard Yuri Demetris averaged 8.6 minutes per game last year but never started.

Connecticut Huskies

2003-04 record: 12-4, 33-6, 2nd Place

Projected starting five:
G: Marcus Williams
G: Rashad Anderson
F: Denham Brown
F: Charlie Villanueva
C: Josh Boone

The former “almost-there” team of the Connecticut Huskies have turned into two-time national champions from Storrs. With all of the weight that follows a returning champion, the Huskies will bring back a lot of firepower. Rashad Anderson will again be the long-range target shooter and Villanueva is a Wooden Award candidate for his low post presence. Brown must prove his tendonitis and inconsistency problems have gone away. Where the Huskies will lack is at guard. Marcus Williams, a sophomore who sat last season because of poor grades, will start the season at point. From there it gets messy. Freshman guard AJ Price, a top 20 recruit, may be out for the year with a brain hemorrhage so another newcomer, Antonio Kellogg from California, will play backup to Williams. The coaching staff has been very impressed with Kellogg in practices so far.

Perhaps the most excitement in Storrs will generate around Ed Nelson, former ACC Rookie of the Year and Georgia Tech transfer. He sat out last year battling Emeka Okafor in practice time and gaining valuable experience. He will split ample time with Marcus White. Josh Boone and Hilton Armstrong fill to capacity the void inside. Freshman forward Rudy Gay, an explosive shooting guard, is expected to battle for minutes. The Huskies may have to battle the injury bug this season with Boone, Gay and Brown.

Providence Friars

2003-04 record: 11-5, 20-9, 3rd Place

Projected starting five:
G: Donnie McGrath
G: Dwight Brewington
G- Gerald Brown
F: Ryan Gomes
F: Tuukka Kotti

Once again, Providence returns with yet another assortment of colorful players. Senior All-American Ryan Gomes was spectacular last season carrying this team while averaging 18.9ppg and 94rpg. Marcus Douthit is gone, drafted in the second round by the Los Angeles Lakers this past summer so Gomes loses a bit of help in the post, which may leave one confused regarding the starting lineup. Tuukka Kotti and Herbert Hill will fill in for Douthit. However with more experience invested in their backcourt head coach Tim Welsh may indeed choose to go with a smaller five. You may see a number of different combinations this season.

6’4″ junior guard Donnie McGrath has excellent handle and will start at point for the Friars again this year. The only concern with McGrath is his tendency to play flashy basketball occasionally instead of using his head to play the game. McGrath has endurance and will again average close to 35 minutes per outing. Sophomores Gerald Brown and Dwight Brewington will carry the load as well while freshman Robert McKiver takes notes. “Rob Mckiver,” says assistant coach Steve Demeo, “has looked incredible from what we’ve seen and heard so far.” The coaches are really impressed with this kid and the current situation may allow McKiver to see increased minutes in his rookie season. The rest of the freshmen class includes 6’7″ forward DeSean White from Philadelphia and 6’7″ forward Jeff Parmer from Niagara High. A talented freshman center Randall Hanke and the forward Charlie Burch round out the group of newcomers.

Boston College Eagles

2003-04 record: 10-6, 24-10, 5th Place

Projected starting lineup:
G: Louis Hinnant
G: Sean Marshall
F: Craig Smith
F: Jared Dudley
F: Nate Doornekamp

Craig Smith, being the only sophomore on the All Big East First Team last season was a crowning achievement while the Eagles finished impressively at 10-6 (24-10). As of now, Smith’s shooting percentage is second best in league history, behind Patrick Ewing, no joke. The emergence of the bulky forward in 03-04 has brought hope to a program that will leave the Big East following the conclusion of 04-05. The junior Smith loses a big piece to the puzzle in Uka Agbai but will team with 6’7″, 220-pound Jared Dudley as his replacement. 6’6″ sophomore guard Sean Marshall will have to learn to play forward because besides him, BC has nowhere else to turn. The Eagles are young this season with four solid freshmen but just two seniors.

Junior guard Louis Hinnant will run the show up top alongside Sean Marshall who should be starting again this season. Steve Hailey and Jermaine Watson will be utility players mostly helping with ball handling duties and perimeter shooting.

Notre Dame Fightin’ Irish

2003-04 record: 9-7, 19-13, 7th Place

Projected starting lineup:
G: Chris Thomas
G: Chris Quinn
F: Jordan Cornette
F: Dennis Latimore
F: Torin Francis

Mike Brey knows what it takes to get the wins. After all, he has Chris Thomas. But Thomas has suffered a long string of injuries and year after year it seems as if a question mark hovers above his head like a halo. Once again his status is unclear. He finished last season with knee problems and underwent arthroscopic surgery this past summer. If healthy, which some people are saying he is finally, the Irish backcourt of Thomas and Chris Quinn will be scary. Quinn spent the entire off-season working on body muscle. He understands his height, or lack of it, cannot undermine his ability and Quinn will be a force this season. Sophomore guard Colin Falls will be the go-to backup for Quinn and Thomas. 6’11″ Torin Francis returns for his junior season and will give the likes of Warrick, Gomes and Craig Smith a tough time down low. 6’10″ senior forward Jordan Cornette is the only other player returning to the Irish with valuable game experience. Notre Dame has significant size in the paint with three guys in Dennis Lattimore, Rob Kurz and Omari Israel over the height of 6’8″. Kurz is the only player in this year’s recruiting class.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

2003-04 record: 7-9, 20-13, 9th Place

Projected starting lineup:
G: Ricky Shields
G: Quincy Douby
F: Marquis Webb
F: Adrian Hill
C: Byron Joynes

The Scarlet Knights reached the 20-win plateau last season for the first time in two decades. Senior guard Ricky Shields is the Scarlet Knights leading scorer and offensive threat Quincy Douby should promise after five solid starts last season including an impressive postseason showing. Look for Rutgers to improve on last season’s 7-9 conference record. The Scarlet Knights do not lose at home and they host Connecticut, Providence and Syracuse this season at the RAC. Rutgers have a dilemma though. They are particularly small this season because that is where their better players will be. They may have to choose to go with a smaller starting lineup, which in the long term will hurt them against Big East foes. Marquis Webb and Juel Wiggan will help Shields and Douby in the backcourt. An injured Adrian Hill is the only player returning in the post with valuable playing experience. Sophomore center Byron Joynes will hope to share minutes with two transfers, forwards Jimmie Inglis and Frank Russell. The coaching staff has sophomore Aaron Washington and two freshmen to fall back on for post positions.

Villanova Wildcats

2003-04 record: 6-10, 18-17, 11th Place

Projected starting lineup:
G: Allan Ray
G: Randy Foye
G: Mike Nardi
F: Curtis Sumpter
F: Will Sheridan

The suspension and injury-plagued Wildcats are anxiously awaiting the pieces to fall in place. Head coach Jay Wright enters his fourth year in Philly and again this could be a future-altering season for the Armani-clad coach. People around the country have been impatiently waiting for Wright’s junior class to blossom, however, less than one month before this season’s opener, there’s yet another major setback. Jason Fraser, plagued by injuries and suspensions, underwent possible season-ending knee surgery in mid-October. Fraser was a definitive starter and now the Wildcats are left with a big gap inside. The two other juniors Curtis Sumpter and Randy Foye are expected to produce at full strength. Sumpter spent the summer with USA Basketball playing with the most elite group of college hoopsters in the country. Foye averaged double figures last season and will look to improve. The 7’0″, 220-pound Chris Charles will also fight for minutes. Junior guard Allen Ray led the team in scoring with 17.3ppg last season and should be a force again from the perimeter. He teams with Mike Nardi in the backcourt.

Seton Hall Pirates

2003-04 record: 10-6, 21-10, 6th Place

Projected starting lineup:
G: Donald Copeland
G: JR Morris
F: John Allen
F: Andre Sweet
C: Kelly Whitney

The loss of Andre Barrett will cripple the Pirates starting lineup but they still have some forces in Andre Sweet, Kelly Whitney and John Allen. Whitney averaged 13.6ppg and 6.9rpg as a interior force. Whitney will log many minutes but has some backing from sophomore center Grant Billmeier. The role of junior center Alex Gambino will depend on his off-season improvement. He played sparingly last season and can be a force if and when he decides to learn Louis Orr’s system. Seton Hall has young sophomore forward Mani Messy and freshman Marcus Cousin in the middle as backups.

SHU landed a big recruit in point guard Justin Cerasoli from Chicago. He comes with credentials and can play a vital role in the guard rotation. Copeland is 5’10″ and injured and may be replaced by Cerasoli while sophomore Jamar Nutter is back after a year of prep school. The guard rotation is suspect. The forward positions will be their strength. Morris averaged double figures coming off the bench last season and Allen is the team’s second best returning scorer. Also freshman forward Brian Laing may have an extended role of the bench in his first season.

West Virginia Mountaineers

2003-04 record: 7-9, 17-14, 10th Place

Projected starting lineup:
G: Jarmon Durisseau-Collins
G: Johannes Herber
F: Tyrone Sally
F: Kevin Pittsnogle
C: D’or Fischer

More than 40 years ago in autumn of 1956, West Virginia introduced a youthful Jerry West onto the court. Any fair comparison to him would be ill conceived however the Mountaineers, because of a splendid recruiting job by John Beilein et al, are more optimistic than they’ve been in a while. With all five starters returning including D’or Fischer and Tyrone Sally, West Virginia is hoping to compete this season with the upper echelon of the Big East conference.

Entering his third year head coach John Beilein accumulated more wins in the postseason last year than WVU has manufactured in the last six. The senior forward Sally came on late in the season to average 10.2ppg and 5.2rpg while Fischer leads all returning players with 10.8ppg and 6.2rpg. Fischer, a transfer from Northwestern State, finished third in the nation last year in blocked shots and spent a week this summer at IMG Academy surrounded by NBA scouts. They told him he must develop a spot-up jump shot and improve his left-handed dribble. Fischer and Sally along with 6’11″ Kevin Pittsnogle will be tough to deal with in the post, particularly on defense.

Georgetown Hoyas

2003-04 record: 4-12, 13-5, 12th Place

Projected starting lineup:
G: Ashanti Cook
G: Ray Reed
F: Darrel Owens
F: Brandon Bowman
C: Amadou Kilkenny-Diaw

Remember the days when Villanova and Georgetown and Syracuse were the bullish teams in the Big East? This is obviously not the case anymore. Brandon Bowman returns to lead yet another weak Hoyas team. New head coach John Thompson III will have his hands full with five freshman and, perhaps even worse, just one senior with playing experience in Darrel Owens. Owens is a two-position combo player and will play mostly with Bowman at starting forward. Amadou Kilkenny-Diaw and Serbia & Montenegro native Sead Dizdarevic should see increased playing time.

St. John’s Red Storm

2003-04 record: 1-15, 6-21, 14th Place

Projected starting lineup:
G: Darryl Hill
G: Dexter Gray
F: Lamont Hamilton
F: Rodney Epperson
F: Ryan Williams

Do not rule out Norm Roberts. Not yet. Roberts has gained more credibility in five months than Mike Jarvis had gained in five years from both players and the local city high school coaches. The program was in such disarray and in need of finding closure from last year’s abysmal situation that to say 04-05 will be a “rebuilding season” is understating the situation.

5’11″ sophomore guard Daryll Hill returns as the teams leading offensive threat. Hill average 14.8ppg last season. After that quite frankly, the Storm has little to no help at the two or coming off the bench as a backup guard. The other three guards are all freshman. Lincoln’s Eugene Lawrence is an impressive player but he absolutely will not hold up versus Big East talent. Sophomore forward Tyler Jones saw action in 22 games last season with three starts. The assets the Red Storm has are on the wings. Lamont Hamilton brings valuable playing experience at forward/center while Phil Miserre brings senior leadership. Juco transfers Jermaine Maybank, Williams, and Epperson will fight for minutes. It will be a long season in Queens for Roberts and his coaching staff.

Missouri Valley Conference Preview

Missouri Valley Conference 2004-05 Season Preview

by Neal Heston

It’s pretty likely that almost every team in the Missouri Valley Conference is going to experience some highs and lows. In fact, with the conference looking this competitive, it’s certain that every team will hit a high and several lows. Four teams enter the season with logical reasoning to believe an MVC title is in their future. No team appears more set for this honor than Wichita State though. The Shockers return too many good players to not be considered the favorite.

Right behind Wichita State in the 2-3-4 positions should be Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa and Southwest Missouri State. It’s impossible to guess which one will finish ahead of the other, but for the sake of predictions, I put them in that order. The rest of the pack, excluding Bradley, will duke it out for fifth through ninth place.

Teams to look out for in 2004-05: Drake, Illinois State and Indiana State. These teams are no longer doormats. Drake and Indiana State have excellent defenses, and Illinois State has the best 3-point threat in the conferece. Evansville should rise up in the standings too.

Look for Creighton to fall to reality and Bradley to fall nearly off the standings. Both lost too much to make any run at the postseason. Only the genius of Dana Altman gives any hope for Creighton.

In short, there are no gimmee games in the Valley this season. A game between No. 1 and No. 2 is probably going to be just as close as a game between No. 1 and No. 10.

Hoopville’s Preseason Awards

All-MVC Team
Darren Brooks, Southern Illinois
Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa
Marcellus Sommerville, Bradley
Trey Guidry, Illinois State
Lonnie Randolph, Drake

Player of the Year:

Darren Brooks, Southern Illinois

Newcomer of the Year:

Kyle Wilson, Wichita St.

Coach of the Year:

Mark Turgeon, Wichita St.

Here’s a run-down of what to expect in the Valley during 2004-05 . . .

Wichita State Shockers

2004-05 Prediction: First MVC, NCAA Tournament
2003-04: 21-11, 12-6 (3rd), NIT opening round

Projected Starters:
Jamar Howard
Randy Burns
Rob Kampman
Paul Miller
Kyle Wilson

Yes, Southern Illinois returns as the three-time defending MVC champions, and yes, the conference will be very competitive again this season, but the Shockers have the edge this year. It will be tough to begin though as Jamar Howard won’t be with the team for the first three to six weeks. It was announced on Oct. 29 that he suffered a back injury. That could be critical for Wichita State and will allow the rest of the league to see just how important Howard is to this team. To the Shockers advantage though, Howard should be back for the majority of the MVC schedule.

Tabbed for a championship last year, Wichita State struggled out of the gates and again towards the end of the season. A 21-11 record sounds good, but when considering that the Shockers led the league in points per game, field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage and rebounds, you have to wonder what could have been. That 21-11 record could have easily been 26-6 or 27-5, which coming from the MVC, undoubtedly would have sent the Shock into the NCAA Tournament instead of another NIT.

The main ingredient for a championship is the maturity and health of Jamar Howard. Howard was arguably the best player in the conference last season, but his head didn’t always stay in the game. He will be a huge factor in whether the Shockers hoist an MVC crown or whether they finish in the middle of the pack.

Joining Howard is probably the most experienced lineup in the Valley. Other four-year starters Randy Burns, Rob Kampman and Paul Miller return for a do-or-die season in Wichita. With those returning four players also returns 43.8 points per game along with 21 rebounds per contest.

This lineup is too talented not to bring in an MVC championship. With Fridge Holman being the only significant loss from last season, the nucleus is there.

Southern Illinois Salukis

2004-05 Prediction: Second MVC, NCAA Tournament
2003-04: 25-5, 17-1 (1st), NCAA first round

Projected Starters:
Darren Brooks
Stetson Hairston
LaMar Owen
Jamaal Tatum
Josh Warren

Southern Illinois enters the 2004-05 campaign in almost the same situation as Wichita State. Starters wise, there aren’t many significant losses from last season to talk about. Brad Korn, Sylvester Willis and Bryan Turner were lost to graduation. With them, leaves 21 points per game, but there are several other players on the roster who will fill in the holes nicely.

If Wichita State isn’t able to accept its title, Southern Illinois will be next in line to grab its fourth consecutive championship. Too many veterans are on this roster for the Salukis not to finish either first or second.

MVC Player of the Year Darren Brooks highlights the returning crowd along with fellow seniors Stetson Hairston and LaMar Owen and sophomore Jamaal Tatum. Brooks led the conference in scoring last season with 16.5 PPG and also grabbed 5.7 RPG and 60 steals.

For the third time in three seasons, the Salukis begin with a new head coach after Matt Painter departed for Purdue earlier this year. Nothing against the fantastic work of Painter, but his replacement, Chris Lowery, will have no trouble continuing the success of this program, especially with the roster he has control of.

It’s important for Southern Illinois to forget how last season finished and instead continue building on that amazing run. After reeling of 16 consecutive wins, the Salukis stumbled down the stretch, losing three of their final four.

Northern Iowa Panthers

2004-05 Prediction: Third MVC, NIT
2003-04: 21-10, 12-6 (2nd), NCAA first round

Projected Starters:
Ben Jacobson
Erik Crawford
Brooks McKowen
Grant Stout
Vincent Polakovic / Eric Coleman

Last season was the most successful season at UNI in more than a decade. It was the first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1990 and was also the first winning campaign for the Panthers since 1996-97. The UNI-Dome became a scary place for MVC opponents as three nationally-ranked foes (Iowa, Creighton and Southern Illinois) walked in undefeated only to get back on the bus with their first loss of the season.

Expectations are high this season, but be careful before setting them. The “twin towers,” David Gruber and Matt Schneiderman, departed last season. Leaving with them was a bulky 23 points and 14 rebounds per game. Grant Stout, as he did towards the end of last season, will need to step up to fill in one of the created holes. Vincent Polakovic of Slovakia and Eric Coleman may be competing for the other spot.

The returning roster is fast and guard-heavy. MVC Tournament MVC, Ben Jacobson, tops the returning roster. Joining him are Erik Crawford and Brooks McKowen, followed by bench players Chris Foster, Pete Schmit and Jon Little. Foster also started in several games last season, and the same could happen in 2004-05. Any of these six players still carry the potential to put up double figures any night.

Barring injuries, this team shouldn’t finish any lower than fourth place and with another late-season surge, could play in its second consecutive NCAA Tournament.

Southwest Missouri State Bears

2004-05 Prediction: Fourth MVC, NIT
2003-04: 19-14, 9-9 (5th), lost in MVC Tournament Championship

Projected Starters:
Blake Ahearn
Anthony Shavies
Tamarr Maclin
Nathan Bilyeu
Deven Mitchell

Along with UNI, this is one of the most competitive young teams in the conference. Yet expectations will be high at SMS after the team’s run at the MVC Tournament title last March. The Bears are in pursuit of their first postseason appearance since qualifying for the NIT in 2000. That appears to be the destiny of the squad this season. They will be good, but an NCAA appearance may be asking a little too much right now.

SMS is a team to be reckoned with in the 2004-05 campaign. Players such as Blake Ahearn, who doesn’t know how to miss a free throw, and great defenders such as Anthony Shavies and Tamarr Maclin return from last season’s squad that nearly beat Kent St., almost won at Southern Illinois and then beat Creighton and Southern Illinois back-to-back in the MVC Tournament.

Merrill Andrews and Monwell Randle both departed, and with them leaves 20 points per game. That will be the big question mark in Mizzou this season. The Bears struggled mightily on offense as it was last season, canceling out one of the Valley’s best defenses. The offense has to score more than 65 points per game to place in the top half of the Valley. One thing SMS has going for them is experience. Twelve players on the roster averaged at least 10 minutes per game last season. Eight of them return. That doesn’t even include center Drew Richards, who is already getting high expectations from MVC followers.

SMS’s fate seems to be the same as Northern Iowa right now, and that means NIT with an NCAA berth possibility from a late-season surge.

Drake Bulldogs

2004-05 Prediction: Fifth MVC
2003-04: 12-16, 7-11 (6th), lost in MVC Tournament QF

Projected starters:
Klayton Korver
Chaun Brooks
Lonnie Randolph
Pete Eggers
David Bancroft

Defense. If the Bulldogs can somehow find a way to scrounge up some big defensive plays, it’s almost certain the team can finish as high as third in the Valley.

Drake was third in the conference in scoring last season with 70.3 points per game. The only problem was the defense was yielding 71.8 points per game – second to last in the MVC. The team also sat dead last in the defensive categories for field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage and rebounds.

Steals were the only defensive highlight last season as the Bulldogs had three players in the MVC’s top five for the category (Lonnie Randolph, Nick Grant and
Chaun Brooks – all back with Drake this season). Those three were huge contributors to the MVC’s fourth team ever to record more than 300 steals in a season.

The Bulldogs were very close to a winning season in 2003-04 – 12 points away to be exact. Twelve more points would have given Drake a 15-13 record and a 9-9 MVC record, which also would have given the Bulldogs its highest Valley finish since a fifth place showing in the 1992-93 campaign.

You can read through all the statistics about this team but just remember two things. This team is fast, and they will put points on the board. They will be the
MVC’s surprise team as long as the defense can step up.

Creighton Bluejays

2004-05 Prediction: Sixth MVC
2003-04: 20-9, 12-6 (4th), NIT opening round

Projected Starters:
Nate Funk
Johnny Mathies
Tyler McKinney
Kellen Miliner
Jimmy Motz

If Creighton makes another run at the postseason, Dana Altman deserves Coach of the Year. The Bluejays just seem like they lost too much. Brody Deren, Joe Dabbert, Michael Lindeman and Mike Grimes are all gone. With them leaves a huge amount of points and rebounds per game – 33 and 20 to be exact. Defense will be a big concern in Omaha this season. Deren ranked fourth in the Valley in blocks, two spots behind Dabbert. Deren also sat third in rebounding.

Nate Funk, Creighton’s leading scorer last season, and Johnny Mathies need to step up to fill in at least some of the holes. Both look promising as leaders, scoring 11.1 and 7.8 points per game in the 2003-04 campaign, respectively.

A good streak came to an end last season when the Bluejays didn’t make the cut for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998. Two more could very well end this season – seven consecutive appearances in the postseason and six consecutive 20-win seasons. Unless the leadership of Funk and Mathies can carry the team, Creighton looks destined to finish in the middle of the pack.

Illinois State Rebirds

2004-05 Prediction: Seventh MVC
2003-04: 10-19, 4-14 (10th)

Projected Starters:
Trey Guidry
Vince Greene
Gregg Alexander
Greg Dilligard
Levi Dyer

Okay Redbird fans, first the good news, then the bad news. The good news – four starters from last season’s team return. The bad news – that’s about all who return. Seven letterwinners left or graduated this offseason, and five newcomers are welcomed into the system. The team won’t be deep.

The starters who do return give ILS a good nucleus to work with. Trey Guidry hopes to lead the Redbirds to a top-half finish in the conference after the team played so well towards the end of last season. Guidry was tops in 3-point field goals in the Valley last season and sat fifth in the conference in scoring with 15.2 points per game. Seniors Vince Greene and Gregg Alexander also return for one last round with the ‘Birds.

These starters make up a lineup that could have easily won 15 games last season instead of going 10-19. Five of the team’s losses were by five points or less, which included setbacks to powerhouses such as Illinois, Utah St., UNI and Creighton. With the players comfortable in a Redbird uniform now, those close losses could very well turn into wins and propel Illinois State to a fourth- or fifth-place finish.

It all depends on the starters though. If injuries occur and inexperienced bench players have to step up, it could be a long season in Normal.

Indiana State Sycamores

2004-05 Prediction: Eighth MVC
2003-04: 9-19, 5-13 (8th)

Projected Starters:
David Moss
Amani Daanish
Eric Gray
Tyson Schnitker
Jerod Adler

“Will dance for offense.” If the Sycamores had that last season, who knows what would have happened. Indiana State had one of the conference’s best defenses, allowing only 61.7 points per contest, but the offense rarely took advantage with a mere 57.9 points per game – dead last in the Valley.

One advantage going for this team is the returning cast. David Moss, Amani Daanish and Eric Gray return, keeping intact the strong defense. As they return, the offense should get better too, so the Sycamores can put a little more than nine wins in the books. If the offense is able to get anything going at all – even if it’s only scoring about 65 points a game, watch out. This defense will carry ISU up the ladder in the MVC. The Sycamores held 13 opponents to less than 60 points last season but lost more than half of them.

The record from this team last season was deceiving. The story should be a little different this time around. The defense is too good, and the offense will get better. Look for as many as eight or nine wins in the MVC schedule.

Evansville Purple Aces

2004-05 Prediction: Ninth MVC
2003-04: 7-22, 5-13 (9th)

Projected Starters:
Andre Burton
Lucious Wagner
Kyle Anslinger
Matt Webster
Bradley Strickland

Much like Indiana State, Evansville won’t lose as it did last season. Look for about seven or eight wins from the Purple Aces. Clint Cuffle graduated last year, leaving a hole for 13 points and six rebounds a game. Several quality starters return from a team last season that lost five games by five points or less. Andre Burton and Lucious Wagner both return, and both are capable of putting up double figures any night. Also joining the starting roster are Matt Webster and Bradley Strickland. Webster tallied just less than eight points per contest last season, and Strickland was named to the MVC All-Freshman Team. Look for a lot of competitiveness from the Purple Aces this season, and a few more wins too.

Bradley Braves

2004-05 Prediction: Tenth MVC
2003-04: 15-16, 7-11 (7th)

Projected Starters:
Marcellus Sommerville
J.J. Tauai
Brandyn Heemskerk
Michael Rambert
Montana Heisman

Marcello Robinson – gone. James Gillingham – gone. Phillip Gilbert – gone. What does this translate into? Well, 37 points and about 20 rebounds left with these Braves standouts. MVC Newcomer of the Year Marcellus Sommerville is going to have to carry this team. Too many unfamiliar faces fill the starting roster. Sommerville, who was named MVC Newcomer of the Week six times last season, has a tough leadership role ahead of him. If anybody can do it though, it’s the leading rebounder from the MVC last season.

It still appears as if the 2004-05 campaign is going to be a long one for the ‘Dogs. A bottom-half finish in the Valley seems inevitable.

Southland Conference Preview

Southland Conference 2004-05 Season Preview

by Matt Isam

The 2005 season in the Southland Conference should be very entertaining with recent powerhouses falling and new teams starting to earn the respect and compete at the top of the conference.

Of course there will be some familiar teams such as University of Texas-San Antonio, Sam Houston State University, Southeastern Louisiana University and University of Texas-Arlington battling for the conference crown, this season could be full of surprises with teams such as Lamar University rising up and Teams such as Stephen F. Austin falling down.

Also, the conference as a whole got great news this off-season landing a multi-year corporate sponsorship agreement with O’Reilly Automotive. O’Reilly will be hosting the championship tournament along with being the feature television sponsor for the SLC. This is a huge boost to the 11 team conference and O’Reilly Automotive.

Hoopville All-Southland Conference Team
Senior forward Joe Thompson, Sam Houston State
Senior guard Raymond Anthony, Lamar
Senior guard Willie Depron, Nicholls State
Junior guard Jermaine Wallace, Northwestern
Senior center Nate Lofton, Southeastern Louisiana

Conference MVP

Senior guard Raymond Anthony, Lamar

Honorable Mention

Senior forward Joe Thompson, Sam Houston State

Freshman of the year

Guard John Ford, McNeese State

Newcomer of the year

Junior guard Jeremy Long, Lamar

Defensive player of the year

Senior center Nate Lofton, Southeastern Louisiana

Most Improved Player

Senior forward Eddy Fobbs, Sam Houston State

Coach of the Year

Billy Tubbs, Lamar

Team Previews (In projected order of finish)

Texas San Antonio Roadrunners

(19-14 overall, 11-5 SLC)

Projected starting five:
Sophomore guard Kurt Attaway (last year’s freshman of the year in SLC and led the team with 105 assist)
Senior guard David President (led team with 55 steals last season)
Senior forward Raphael Posey (second on team last season with 11.4 ppg)
Senior forward John Millsap (started 16 games in ’03, has tremendous upside)
Senior center Anthony Fuqua (led the team with 42 blocked shots)

Coach Tim Carter is really going to miss the SLC’s leading scorer LeRoy Hurd from last year’s championship squad, but he has four returning starters and a lot of depth on the bench. Add that with junior college transfers center Ray Salvage, guard Andre Owens and high school recruit Adam McCoy and you get another SLC championship. Many polls and sports gurus have the Roadrunners earning another NCAA tournament bid and I have to agree, because in my mind they are still the champions until another team beats them for the SLC crown.

Sam Houston State Bearkats

(13-15 overall, 8-8 SLC)

Projected starting five:
Junior guard Chris Jordan (9.8 ppg last season)
Junior guard Marcus Ebow (top ten in assist in SLC last season with 3.9pg)
Senior forward Joe Thompson (led the team last season with 15.3 ppg)
Senior forward Wilder Auguste (led the team in field goal pct. with .573 last season)
Senior center Eddy Fobbs (very dominant post player, comes back after a medical red shirt last season)

This team is for real; they led the nation in assists last season and return four starters. Bearkat fans are pumped to have Eddy Fobbs back who has something to prove after missing last season with an injury. This team could be very dangerous this year and will be one of the only teams who can knock off UTSA. Coach Bob Marlin recruited a great freshman class with forward Ryan Bright leading the way.

Lamar Cardinals

(11-18 overall, 5-11 SLC)

Projected starting five:
Senior guard Raymond Anthony (15.5 ppg last season could be conference MVP)
Senior guard Teddy Davis (13.2 ppg last season but could lose starting job to Jeremy Long)
Junior forward Alan Daniels (NJCAA All-American last season)
Junior forward Thomas Fairly (Junior college transfer with loads of talent on the inside)
Junior center Jason Grant (led SLC with 71 blocked shots last season)

Coach Billy Tubbs has finally turned this program into a powerhouse this year. The Cardinal’s have two of their top three scorers returning and this could be a great defensive year for Jason Grant. Tubbs recruiting class has been ranked as high as third in the nation. The class includes junior college transfers center Nashid Beard, forwards Thomas Fairly and Alan Daniels who are expected to contribute immediately, and guard Jeremy Long who could very well take over the starting spot from Teddy Davis. Also Tubbs brought in freshman standouts guard Chuck Foster and forwards John Mertz and Larry Handy, who will all see playing time this season. There is also some experience coming off the bench with sophomore guards Blake Whittle and Kevin Smith. This team is my surprise pick this season and could give all the tops team trouble during the championship run.

Texas Arlington Mavericks

(17-12 overall, 11-5 SLC)

Projected starting five:
Junior guard Jarrett Howell (Started last 9 games averaging 7.7 ppg and 3 apg last season)
Junior guard Brady Dawkins (Considered most dangerous threat from outside and was second in SLC in three point pct. last season)
Junior forward Steven Thomas (Lone starter from last season, all-SLC honors, 12.1 ppg and 5 rpg)
Sophomore forward Stephen Floyd (Considering a scoring threat from perimeter)
Sophomore center Jay Neukomm (Played in final 18 games last season)

This could be a good year for the Mavericks even though they only have one returning starter. They get senior forward Stevin Ozier back after sitting out because of transferring. Ozier was freshman of the year in the 2001-2002 season while playing for Stephen F. Austin. Also this could be the best recruiting class coach Eddie McCarter has ever had at UTA. The class includes guards Roderick Epps, Myles Guidry, Baron Sauls and forwards Larry Posey and Jermaine Griffin. Not to mention the returning lettermen Senior forwards Chris Hairfield and DeMarcus James. I predict the Mavericks to be near the top of the standings when it’s all said and done.

Southeastern Louisiana Lions

(20-9 overall, 11-5 SLC)

Projected starting five:
Senior guard Jonathan Patton (6 ppg last season)
Senior guard Neil Berry (2.6 ppg but brings experience)
Junior forward Ricky Woods (Junior college transfer, 18 ppg and 8rpg last season)
Junior forward Jonathan Walker (Started 26 games last season)
Senior center Nate Lofton (Averaged a double-double with 13.2 ppg and 10.9 rpg, which was fourth in the nation)

Well the Lions had a great season last year finishing first in the regular season but losing in the SLC tournament. Nate Lofton is poised to dominate the boards this season and junior college transfer Ricky Woods is expected to start immediately. Also J/C transfers Chris Lee and Leonard Harden are expected to see significant minutes as well as freshman recruit Thomas Woods. This should be another successful season for the Lions but I see a couple of teams pushing them out of the way by the end of the season.

Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks

(21-9 overall, 10-6 SLC)

Projected starting five:
Junior guard Marcus Clark (9.4 ppg, 117 assists vs. only 53 turnovers last season)
Junior guard Jerry Cheves (Junior college transfer, 19.3 ppg and 4 rpg last season)
Senior forward Taylor Moore (9.9 ppg and 6.3 rpg last season)
Junior forward Anthony Paez (Junior college transfer, 17.3 ppg last season)
Senior center Hank Rivers (7.2 ppg and 5.1 rpg last season and started the final 18 games)

The Lumberjacks will have a tough time this season defending the nations longest home-winning streak at 30 games. Coach Danny Kaspar has to find replacements for the top scorer and top rebounders from last year’s team. He might have found some hope though in junior college transfers Anthony Paez, Jerry Cheves, Justin Thomas along with freshman recruits Scott Weaver and Matt Kingsley. Also returning role players Josh Porter, Rodrigo Segantin, Patrick Hannaway and Leonard Brown should add some help off the bench. I predict SFA will be a good team, just not as good as last year.

Texas State Bobcats

(13-15 overall, 8-8 SLC)

Projected starting five:
Senior guard Josh Naylor (11.3 ppg last season)
Junior guard Andre Oupoh (Junior college transfer, 13 ppg, 7 rpg last year and earned 1st team all-Conference honors)
Senior forward Anthony Dill (led team in rebounding last season with 4.7 pg)
Junior forward Terrell Broussard (Junior college transfer, 12 ppg and 8 rpg last season and earned 1at team all-Conference honors)
Senior center Zach Allison

Coach Dennis Nutt has some promising talent this season with three returning starters and junior college transfers Andre Oupoh, Terrell Brousard and Rory Green, who can play either one or two guard. All three are expected to contribute immediately to a team that hung in there with the best of them last season. Freshman recruits Roderick Adams and Matt Canady are also expected to see some playing time while developing under coach Nutt’s wing. I think that the Bobcats will finish in the middle of the pack and make the SLC tournament, but I don’t see them beating the tops teams, but you never know.

Northwestern State Demons

(11-17 overall, 8-8 SLC)

Projected starting five:
Junior guard Jermaine Wallace (15.5 ppg last season and was on all -SLC team)
Junior guard Kerwin Forges (6.7 ppg last season)
Sophomore forward Demetrius Bell (4.9 ppg last season)
Junior forward Clifton Lee (13.2 ppg last season and was on all-SLC team)
Junior center Byron Allen (8.3 ppg last season)

This season the Demons have a lot of young talent with a lot of experience. I pick this team to surprise some people and win games, but I don’t pick them to win the whole thing. There just aren’t enough talented role players behind Wallace and Lee. However Coach Mike McConathy would probably disagree and argue the fact that he has recruited a few players and made it to the SLC tournament last season.

Louisiana Monroe Indians

(12-19 overall, 8-8 SLC)

Projected starting five:
Senior guard Aaron Branch (4.5 ppg and 2.1 apg last season)
Sophomore guard Roshon Jacobs (two sport standout, 4.5 ppg last season as a freshman)
Sophomore forward Isaac Gay (only returning starter and teams best defender as a freshman last season)
Senior forward DeAndre Alexander (top returning scorer with 6 ppg last season)
Junior F/C Daryl Mason (team’s most promising junior college transfer)

Coach Mike Vining has won more championships and games than any other coach this season has a very tough job. How his team plays this season depends heavily on their talent, which the Indian’s have plenty of. With two sophomores Isaac Gay and Roshon Jacobs gaining more experience this season, the Indians will be a force in the SLC for the next couple of seasons. Vining is also pumped about his junior college transfers including guard Cecil Hood, center Darien Bynum, and forwards Gary Robinson and Adrian Harper.

McNeese State Cowboys

(11-16 overall, 7-9 SLC)

Projected starting five:
Senior guard Edward Garriet (14 ppg and 4.1 rpg last season and ranked among the nation’s top three point shooters)
Sophomore guard Ryan Price (8.3 ppg last season)
Senior forward Ronald Dorsey (4.4 ppg 3.2 rpg last season)
Junior forward Lance Hood (Junior college transfer who averaged 21 ppg and 8.5 rpg last season)
Junior center Darrius Manciel (Junior college transfer who averaged 15 ppg and 15 rpg last season)

This is a rebuilding year for head coach Tic Price and the only thing good coming out of this season will be for his team to gain experience for the 2006 season. He brought in two junior college transfers who are expected to start immediately. He also recruited high school phenom guard John Ford, and he has guard Troy Aaaron back from last year’s sit out because of transferring from Tulane. Love me or hate me Cowboy fans but I think it will be a long season for your team and I predict them to finish close to last.

Nicholls State Colonels

(6-21 overall, 1-15 SLC)

Projected starting five:
Senior guard Willie Depron (15.4 ppg and 5.7 rpg last season)
Junior guard Cyril Djoukeng (Junior college all-American last season with 16.7 ppg and 7.8 apg)
Senior forward Jason Wilkins (11.1 ppg last season)
Senior forward Dominique Gleason (6.4 ppg last season)
Sophomore center Kieran Gleeson (Big body, lots of talent and potential to excel)

Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse for the Colonels, their head coach Ricky Blanton resigned for personal reasons on Oct. 18th. Man o Man, they are going to have a long season. Top assistant J.P. Piper was tabbed as the new head coach. Piper has been at the school for two years, and prior to that was a successful high school coach for eight seasons. They do have some talent, and they do have a great freshman recruit Adonis Gary, but they don’t have a chance this season and whoever inherits the head coaching job will probably pull his hair out by the season’s end.

(Ed note: Just yesterday, November 8th, center Kieran Gleeson and forward Maurice Veal were ruled academically ineligible for the entire season.)

Overall Conference Outlook

This will be a very exciting season for SLC men’s basketball fans. I see a lot of teams being able to fill in hole with junior college players right away, and on the flip side I see some teams having disastrous seasons. When it’s all said and done, every fan should applaud the winner of the SLC crown because this year it won’t be a cakewalk.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Wednesday, November 10th

Cincinnati Short-handed: Cincinnati soundly thumped Northern Kentucky in the Bearcat’s opening exhibition game, but injuries and eligibility issues limited the Bearcats to 10 players in uniform. Freshman Vincent Banks missed the game because of academic-related matter, which coach Bob Huggins said he is not allowed to discuss. Senior guard Jamaal Lucas sat out with a bruised foot, and freshman center Asrangue Souleymane joined him on the bench with flu-like symptoms. Senior guard Nick Williams, a crucial member of Cincinnati’s lineup, has not practiced with the team this fall following surgery on his left thumb in October.

Air Force Forward in Trouble: Air Force officials discovered that a handful of students cheated on an online test last spring, and they recently named two athletes among the possible violators. The Falcons suspended backup running back Eddie Moss and projected starting small forward Dan Nwaelele. Both players could face expulsion, pending the decision of an honor board. Even if the students remain at the academy, Falcon officials may decide to ban them from playing sports. Nwaelele averaged 2.4 points per game last season, but he showed that he had the potential to be a major contributor in Air Force’s bid to repeat as Mountain West champion.

NCAA Makes Anderson Wait: An apparent misplaced transcript will force Jackson State fans to wait to see their prize recruit, Charlie White. NCAA Clearinghouse officials are reviewing White’s eligibility to ensure he met their standards in high school. But White’s transcript somehow made it to the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis and not the NCAA Clearinghouse in Iowa. Barring miracles by FedEx or UPS, Jackson State must keep White out of the starting lineup against Spring Hill in exhibition play. Tiger fans can’t wait to see one of the most highly touted players to come through in a long time. White originally orally committed to Mississippi State but opted to stay closer to home at Jackson State. By most accounts, White is one of the nation’s top 100 recruits and one of the top 15 points guards in the freshman class.

Bulldog Feels the Pain: Butler guard Avery Sheets probably asks the same questions thousands of Americans do each year: Does the appendix do anything else other than cause trouble? Sheets underwent an emergency appendectomy last week, but he hopes to be available for the Bulldogs’ season opener Nov. 19 when Butler plays South Dakota State. Sheets is crucial to the Bulldogs’ success as the top returning scorer. He averaged 11 points per game last season.

$5,000 in Pants?: Memphis players Clyde Wade, Rodney Carney, Richard Dorsey and Arthur Barclay share an apartment in Memphis, and they also share the losses of a recent burglary. The four Tigers lost more than $30,000, causing some to question how college students – whether they’re athletes or not – could afford such luxury. Coach John Calipari credited their wealth to a federal grant and summer jobs. Some of the possessions stolen include $6,000 in shoes, $4,000 in custom shirts, $2,500 in diamond earrings and $5,000 in pants. $5,000 in pants! All of the pants in Wal-Mart aren’t worth $5,000.

CIAA Gets Some Respect: Unless you’re privy to basketball at every level of play or you’re a resident of North Carolina or Virginia, odds are you’ve never heard of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. But ESPN devotees will this basketball season. The CIAA is an increasingly popular conference in Division II, and ESPN will broadcast five regular season games during the regular season on the cable network’s regional channels. ESPN Classic will show seven CIAA tournament games, which attracted more than 100,000 to the tournament in Raleigh, N.C., in 2004. The CIAA is the oldest black athletic conference, and its members include Bowie State, Elizabeth City State, Fayetteville State, Johnson C. Smith University, Livingstone, North Carolina Central, St. Augustine’s, St. Paul’s College, Shaw, Virginia State, Virginia Union, and Winston-Salem State. And you never know if one of these schools might produce the next Ben Wallace – the Detroit Pistons star attended Virginia Union.

Gardner-Webb Promotes Holtmann: Gardner-Webb officials announced late last week that Chris Holtmann will become an assistant coach for the team, replacing Bruce Evans, who accepted the head coaching offer at Lander University. Holtmann will be responsible for developing Gardner-Webb’s post players and leading recruiting efforts. He has experience as an assistant coach at Taylor University.

WAC Offseason News

Pac-10 Conference 2003-04 Season Recap

by Scott Allen

Rice, SMU, Tulsa and UTEP are leaving the WAC at the end of this season for Conference USA, with New Mexico State, Utah State and Idaho set to fill their vacancy.

Reno will host the WAC tournament for the first time this season and will do so again in 2006. Reno has hosted Big West Conference tournament in the past.

The third annual Bracket Buster Saturday on February 19 will feature 11 nationally televised games selected from an expanded pool of 64 teams, including all 10 WAC schools. The 11 match-ups for Bracket Buster Saturday will be determined from the pool of 64 teams by ESPN in conjunction with the conferences approximately three weeks prior to the event.

Boise State Broncos

Despite protests from student and faculty, Boise State’s home court, formerly known as The Pavilion, is now Taco Bell Arena. Activist groups were initially incensed at the announcement, citing the alleged exploitation of Taco Bell’s tomato farm workers in Florida. Boise State officials responded to criticism by explaining that the Boise-area Taco Bell does not use produce from the Florida farms in question. The naming deal included the installation of a new basketball floor at the arena. While not entirely blue like its unique football brethren, the hardwood includes two huge Bronco logos inside each of the three-point arcs.

Head coach Greg Graham signed a five-year contract extension worth more than $1.3 million. Graham led the Broncos to a 23-10 record last season in advancing to the third round of the NIT.

The Broncos incoming class includes several JuCo recruits. Kareem Lloyd, a 6-foot-7 forward, who averaged 13.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game last season at New Mexico Junior College is perhaps the most heralded. The Broncos also signed Seth Robinson, a 6-foot-6 forward, who averaged a true double-double (10.6 points and 10.6 rebounds per game) while at Scottsdale Community College. Antonio Fitzgerald, a 6-foot-9 forward from Kilgore College (Tex.), Rob Pankowski, a 6-foot-8 forward from Walla Walla Community College and Tezarray Banks from Cerritos College in Norwalk, California will also suit up for the Broncos this season.

Fresno State Bulldogs

Terry Pettis, who played parts of two seasons for Fresno State before being suspended and ultimately dismissed from the team, was arrested for the deadly shooting of Rene Abbott, 18, on April 27 in Fresno. Pettis was a high school standout in Minnesota, but his adolescence was marked by run-ins with the law, including previous charges for vandalism, battery and substance abuse. Pettis was extradited to California to face murder and robbery charges.

On a lighter and happier note, former Fresno State basketball star Rod Higgins was named general manager of the Golden State Warriors. Higgins played at Fresno State from 1979-82 and averaged 15.1 points per game in leading the Bulldogs to the Sweet 16 his senior year.

Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors

Longtime University of Hawai’i volunteer assistant men’s basketball coach Art Woolaway passed away in his home in Houston on August 21. The 92-year-old had been associated with the men’s basketball program for more than 30 years. His fervor for Hawai’i basketball was slowed for the past few years by the effects of skin cancer, and Woolaway would return to his home during the WAC season. “Art was a supporter of every coach here at UH,” head coach Riley Wallace said. “He was a friend of every player and taught both the coaches and players what Hawai’i was all about. He made sure that we all knew about the aloha spirit.”

The Rainbow Warriors signed Kris Groce, a 5-foot-9 point guard from Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Wash., who averaged 21.4 points and 7.2 assists per game. The Rainbow Warriors will also welcome Deonte Tatum, a 6-foot-2 point guard from Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa. Tatum averaged 8.4 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game and had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.28. Groce and Tatum will join fellow junior college transfers Chris Botez, Matt Gibson and Matt Gipson in Honolulu this fall.

Junior point guard Logan Lee, who started 26 games and averaged 4.2 points and 3.6 assists per game last season, left the Warrior program. Lee wanted to transfer to a school closer to his home in San Antonio.

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Louisina Tech inked junior college transfers Daevon Haskins and Michael Wilds, who join early signee Marcus Elliott as head coach Keith Richard’s 2004 recruiting class. Haskins, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard, played the past two seasons at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, where he averaged 10.6 points per game and 5.6 assists per game as a sophomore. He helped lead the team to a 24-9 record and a Final Four berth in the NJCAA Region 5 Tournament. Wilds, a 6-foot-7, 230 pound forward, averaged 12.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Chipola during the 2002-03 season and was named to the All-Panhandle Conference team. The Los Angeles native is a surprisingly solid outside shooter, as is fellow signee Jason Bray, a 6-foot-4 guard out of Collin County Community College in Plano Texas. There, Bray sunk 108 three-pointers last season and led the Express to back-to-back North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference championships. Bray averaged 15.8 points per game last season and shot 38 percent from long range. Two hours before the deadline for the late signing period, the Bulldogs inked Clarke Hale, a 6-foot-2 guard out of Azle High School in Texas. Hale averaged 27.3 points and 5.3 assists per game.

Nevada Wolf Pack

Already without their three best guards from last season, the Wolf Pack recently lost the services of Marcelus Kemp, who tore his ACL during a pickup game in August. He played every game last season, averaging 4.6 points per game.

After Trent Johnson departed to take over the head coach position at Stanford, Nevada named assistant Mark Fox their new court general. Fox, who was associate head coach under Johnson for the past four seasons, was also an assistant under Johnson at Washington in the early 90′s, and was an assistant at Kansas State for seven seasons until rejoining Johnson in 2000-01. Fox signed Dedrique Taylor as an assistant coach on his staff. Taylor was most recently an assistant coach at Portland State and also worked as an assistant at Loyola Marymount and UC-Davis, his alma mater.

The Wolf Pack also inked forward Mo Charlo, a 6-foot-7 forward from Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, Calif. Charlo averaged 18.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game during his sophomore season at Diablo Valley. Nevada also signed Lyndale Burleson, a 6-foot-3 point guard from Franklin High School in Seattle, Wash., where he averaged 19.1 points, 5.0 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 3.9 steals per game as a senior.

Rice Owls

After strongly considering moving to D-I AA or even I-AAA with an athletic department deficit of $10 million, Rice will remain D-I for the immediate future.

Shawn Respert was hired as Rice’s Director of Basketball Operations after spending last season as an assistant volunteer coach at Prairie View A&M. Respert replaces Carlin Hartman, who is now an assistant coach at Louisiana Lafayette. The No. 8 overall pick by Portland in the 1995 NBA draft, Respert played for five NBA teams over four-and-a-half years after a decorated career at Michigan State. With the Spartans, Respert scored 2,531 points (21.3 ppg), which ranks second all-time in the Big Ten Conference. He was a unanimous first team all-America as a senior and was named the Big Ten Player of the Year with a 25.6 scoring average.

San Jose State Spartans

The Spartans signed guards Kenny Smith and Alex Elam and forwards Mark Fresby and Menelik Barbary to National Letters of Intent. Smith averaged 16.3 points per game last season at Seminole (Okla.) Junior College.

Elam played two seasons at Cowley County Community College in Arkansas City, Kan., where he averaged 12.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Fresby comes to San Jose from Mesa (Ariz.) Community College, while Barbary played two seasons at Bakersfield College.

That group will join guards Eric Bloom and Donta Watson and forward Matt Misko as members of the 2004 Spartan recruiting class. The 6-foot-4 Bloom averaged 18.8 points and 4.9 rebounds a game last season and the 5-foot-10 Watson poured in 21.0 points to go along with 4.4 assists per game. Misko, a 6-foot-10 forward/center, played at College of the Sequoias.

SMU Mustangs

New head coach Jimmy Tubbs, who was hired two seasons after he left to be an assistant at Oklahama, named Dean Christian an assistant coach on his staff. Christian has coached at the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School since 2001 and also served as athletic director at the school. He previously was an assistant coach at the Air Force Academy for four seasons. Tubbs, who spent 12 years on SMU’s staff before leaving to join the Sooners, also named Tim Heskett as his Coordinator of Basketball Operations. Heskett comes to Dallas after two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Clemson, serving under coaches Larry Shyatt and Oliver Purnell.

Tubbs replaces Mike Dement, who poasted a 138-120 record in nine seasons in Dallas. The Mustangs did not make an NCAA Tournament under Dement.

UTEP Miners

Doc Sadler replaced Billy Gilepsie, who took over the coaching vacancy at Texas A&M, as head coach of the Miners. Gillespie left a tough act to follow after guiding UTEP to a 24-8 record, second-place WAC finish and NCAA Tournament appearance. Sadler named David Anwar as the Miners Director of Basketball Operations. Anwar, who spent the past four seasons as an assistant at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, worked with Sadler when Sadler was head coach. UTEP also hired James Holland as an assistant coach. Holland was a scout for the NBA’s Washington Wizards this past year and has previous coaching experience as an assistant at Georgia, South Carolina-Spartanburg, North Carolina-Asheville and San Diego State.

Guard James Fontenet and swingman Shelton Johnson plan to walk on to the Miner basketball program. The 6-2, 180-pound Fontenet played one season at New Mexico State (2002-03) and spent the last year at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College. The 6-3, 200-pound Johnson played at Colorado State for the last two seasons. Both players will have two years of eligibility at UTEP, but Johnson will have to sit out the 2004-05 season. Fontenet averaged 18.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.6 steals at Scottsdale Community College last season. Johnson started 28 games for the Rams, including 15 last season. He averaged 4.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Tulsa is set to makes its third appearance in the preseason NIT. The Golden Hurricane stormed through to the semifinals in 1996, knocking off UCLA and Oklahoma State before losing to Duke. Tulsa will face Wright State in the first round of this year’s tournament and will face the winner of Arizona-San Diego.

The Golden Hurricane signed prep star Deion James, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound point guard from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who averaged 17.5 points and four assists per game. James led his Brewster Academy team to a 22-6 record, a runner-up finish in the State Prep Class A Championship and a No. 4 national ranking among prep schools. Tulsa also signed junior college forwards Yusuf Baker and Vernell Davis to National Letters of Intent. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound Baker averaged 12.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game at the College of Southern Idaho, where he played for one season after transferring from the University of South Florida. In high school in Orlando, Baker was named the Florida Gatorade Player of the Year, and was a first-team Class 6A all-state selection his senior season. As a senior, he was widely considered the second best big man in Florida behind NBA first-round draft pick Amare Stoudemire. Davis, who is also 6-foot-8, 220 pounds, played at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. A two-year starter, Davis averaged 9.7 points and 6.8 rebounds last season.

Sophomore guards Trevor Meier, a 6-foot-4 guard who played sparingly during his two seasons at Tulsa, and Kenneth Kelley left the program. Kelley played in all 29 games as a freshman and averaged 5.8 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. The reason for his departure was not disclosed.

SWAC Offseason News

Southwest Athletic Conference 2004 Offseason News Recap

by Ryan Lyle Commings

It’s been a long summer for the Southwestern Atlantic Conference. Some losses of good friends and some fresh new faces, the SWAC is prepping up to elevate the conference to one of the major, mid – majors in the country.

Conference News

A teleconference featuring the men’s and women’s basketball coaches of all 10 Southwestern Athletic Conference teams will start the 2004-05 season off for the SWAC’s basketball programs. The teleconference will be on October 20, at 11 a.m. Eastern time.

Alabama A&M

The 2004-05 season could mark the first year the Bulldogs get a bid in the Division I NCAA tournament since moving up to the Division I level in 1998. There wasn’t really any big news for Alabama A&M. They lost two starters and have three returning ones as the enter head coach, L. Vann Pettaway ‘s 17th season as head coach of the Bulldogs.

Alabama State

Alabama State assistant coach Courtney Stephens will return to the Army to serve his country. Stephens was reactivated after finishing his tour of duty 10 years ago. After leaving the Army as a specialist in communications, he played basketball and earned a degree at Alabama State. Stephens has been an assistant at Alabama State for the past four seasons.

The Alabama State Hornets have a new Director of Athletics. Patrick Carter has assumed the role after eight seasons working for the offices of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Brother of NBA rookie Chris Bosh, Joel, has signed with Alabama State along with 5’10″ point guard Dustin Richmond from Memphis.

The 2004-05 schedule for Alabama State was just released and they are facing a very difficult non conference slate. This includes six teams that made the NCAA Division I tournament last season. They open regular season play on the road at NCAA runner up from last year Georgia Tech. They will also face Alabama, who was exited late in the tourney last year, by eventual champion UConn. They will also play the University of Tennessee and play in the Sun Bowl Tournament.

Alcorn State

The Braves are optimistic about the 04 – 05 season after a strong run in the conference tournament last year. The only real news about the Braves is that they have been announced in the field of the Guardians Classic. This is a twelve team field and it takes place November 15 and 16. Missouri, Creighton, and Ohio State will host opening rounds.

Arkansas – Pine Bluff

The University of Arkansas – Pine Bluff has a news Athletic Director and a new men’s college basketball coach. Craig Curry was the assistant AD at the University of South Carolina before taking the helm a UAPB.

Curry has just recently appointed a new interim head coach, Van Holt. Holt has served as an assistant for the Golden Lions for the past six years.

And Pine Bluff received some discouraging news as the Sporting News ranked the city the worst out of 369 sporting municipalities. A 1-26 record playing in the 31st-rated Division I college basketball conference made the Golden Lions’ hometown reappear after claiming the same distinction in 2002. Greeley, Colorado was worst in 2003.

Grambling State

A former forward for the Grambling State Tigers, Paul Haynes was named the Most Valuable Player in the 2004 Black College All – Star game. It took place in Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The game was a showcase of the best players from historically black colleges around the country. This was the first time a black all – star game was held in an NBA arena.

Jackson State

After a 12 – 17 finish in the SWAC conference the Jackson State Tigers are looking to turn things around for the 04-05 season. In the second year of head coach at Jackson State, former Murray State Golden Racers coach Tevester Anderson is already making moves for his program to implement a more aggressive and effective style of play.

Jackson State just signed the 2003 Mr. Basketball for the state of Mississippi after months of speculation. Charlie White a standout point guard from Provine High School signed with the Jackson State Tigers. He is the big name in a group of newcomers who are looking to return Jackson State basketball back to supremacy under their fairly new coach.

Mississippi Valley State

MSVU head coach and the SWAC coach of the year, Lafayette Stribling shared coaching duties for the West team at the Black College All – Star game in Cleveland. He shared coaching duties with Fred Watson from Benedict College. Six players from the SWAC Conference played in this all- star event.

It has also been a very sad off season for the Delta Devils as their former leading scorer in school history, Alphonso Ford died of leukemia at age 32. He had been battling leukemia while playing in Europe. He died less than two weeks after announcing his retirement from professional basketball. He was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1993.

Prairie View

Three members of last years Prairie View Panthers received Southwestern All – Conference honors. Panthers’ freshman Tyrone Nelson was named to the all – conference second team and was also named the SWAC’s freshmen of the year. Seniors Kevin Cooper and Roderick Riley received ALL – SWAC Conference Honorable Mention.

However, Tyrone Nelson fled Baylor last season in the wake of the Patrick Dennehy slaying and the NCAA investigation of former coach Dave Bliss’ rules violations. He arrived at Prairie View A&M, where he started his career prior to transferring to Baylor. He was the Southwestern Athletic Conference freshman of the year and, in his second stint at Prairie View, he averaged 15 points and eight rebounds per game. Now, Nelson has transferred to New Mexico State and hopes he can call the school home for more than one season.

Southern

Things have been very quiet in Baton Rouge for the Southern Jaguars. Nothing major has occurred. They have four starters returning and are hoping to rebound from a sub par 12 – 16 record. They have four newcomers all JuCo transfers.

Texas Southern

Things have been relatively slow in Houston for the Texas Southern Tigers. Nothing really exciting or big going except for the signing of four newcomers. Two guards, a swing man, and a forward will bring a quicker more versatile look to the
Tigers’ backcourt.

Mountain West Offseason News

Mountain West Conference 2004 Offseason News Recap

by John Eisel

Late Night with the MWC: The Mountain West Conference announced they were unable to leave their ESPN “Big Monday” contractual obligation, keeping the conference showcase late at night (midnight-2 AM Eastern). The conference, which wanted to explore a Wednesday or Thursday televised conference game of the week, cited coaches complaints in trying to make a switch. MWC coaches have been critical of the game time because it led to sleepy players going to early Tuesday classes, and fans not leaving some arenas until after midnight. The league’s seven-year, $48 million deal with the sports cable network runs through 2006.

Must See Mountain West TV: If you’re looking for Mountain West Conference basketball games, you’ll soon need to tune in to College Sports Television. Conference officials reached an agreement on a seven-year, $77 million contract that will put the conference’s games on CSTV beginning in 2006. Until then, conference sports can be seen on ESPN, which declined to match CSTV’s offer. ESPN officials sought a longer deal than Mountain West officials were willing to sign. CSTV has deals with DirecTV, Comcast, Time Warner and Adelphia to broadcast the cable network’s around-the-clock coverage of collegiate athletics. With the switch, Mountain West games will appear in potentially 40 million fewer homes as CSTV has a reach of about 52 million homes while ESPN’s juggernaut spans to 90 million.

CSTV and the MWC will also collaborate on the first-ever College Conference Regional Sports Network, to be called Mountain West TV, launching in the fall of 2006. The Mountain West, who recently got out of a deal with ESPN as part of their Big Monday package, will incorporate all conference-related media, and will also feature MWC-sponsored educational programming. The deal was made in part by CSTV’s acquisition of Dave Checketts’ Sportswest Communications, based in Salt Lake City. Sportswest owns broadcast rights to six of the eight MWC member institutions. TCU joins the Mountain West effective July 1, 2005.

Air Force

Air Force lands a new coach: Just 24 hours after former head coach Joe Scott left for Princeton, the Air Force Academy promoted Chris Mooney to head coach of their men’s basketball team. Mooney, 31, has been in Colorado Springs for four seasons, the last two as an associate head coach. Prior to Air Force, he coached at Beaver College in Glenside, Pa., for two seasons. The Falcons won a school-record 22 games last season and won their first Mountain West regular season title. After losing in the conference tournament, the Falcons still played in their first NCAA tournament since 1962 and would lose to North Carolina in the first round. Mooney hired Kevin McGeehan from Springfield (Pa.) High School to be an assistant men’s basketball coach to fill out the staff.

Wounded Falcon: Air Force stormed the nation last season with a combination of painfully precise offense and oppressive defense. Nick Welch, the Falcons’ leading scorer and rebounder, was a crucial piece of that Mountain West-winning team, and he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to alleviate swelling and soreness. Doctors expect Welch to be ready for the team’s first practice Oct. 16, and the team cannot afford Welch to miss any significant time if the Falcons want to repeat as conference champions.

More television for Air Force: Kroenke Sports Enterprises’ regional sports network — and the Air Force Academy announced a multi-year telecast agreement to present live Air Force Falcons athletic events on Altitude.

Under the agreement, Altitude will televise annually a total of up to six men’s basketball and football games, as well as other intercollegiate athletic events. Altitude will also televise the Academy’s Wing Open Boxing Championships.

Altitude, a Denver-based cable sports channel, broadcasts the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and has a deal in place with the Big Sky Conference.

BYU

Cougars bring in JUCOs: Josh Reisman, a 6-1 combo guard from San Jose City College in San Jose, Calif., and Keena Young, a 6-6 guard/forward from South Plains College in Levelland, Texas will play for the Cougars this fall.

Reisman averaged 14.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists as a sophomore at San Jose City College during the 2003-04 season. Playing with an injured hand for much of the season, Reisman shot 43 percent from the floor, 33 percent from three point range, and 71 percent from the free throw line while helping the Jaguars to a 19-9 record. He posted season highs of 28 points, six rebounds and six assists playing primarily the shooting guard position.

Young averaged 9.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists as a freshman at South Plains College in 2003-04. A good mid-range shooter, the 6-foot-6 swingman shot 47 percent from the floor.

The Raptors’ choice: The Toronto Raptors selected former BYU All-American center Rafael Araujo with the eighth overall pick in the first round of 2004 NBA Draft Thursday, making Araujo the third-highest BYU player ever selected in the annual draft and the sixth Cougar to be taken in the first round. The 6-foot-11 Araujo came to the United States four years ago from Sao Paulo, Brazil, spending his first two years at Arizona Western College.

Araujo started all 62 games at BYU for coach Steve Cleveland while helping the Cougars achieve back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. An all-conference player both years he played in the Mountain West Conference, Araujo led BYU and finished second in the MWC in rebounding during the past two seasons (10.1 and 8.9). He was 11th in nation in rebounds per game in 2004 and boasted the fourth-highest combined scoring and rebounding average nationally. He posted career highs of 32 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, five blocks and five steals as a Division I player under Cleveland’s tutelage at BYU.

Colorado State

Robinson Tears Achilles: Colorado State junior forward Freddy Robinson is out indefinitely after partially tearing his right Achilles tendon. Team medical officials stated that Robinson had successful surgery on the injury, but there is no timetable for his return, nor a forecast as to whether he can play this season. Robinson, who averaged 8.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per contest last season, was practicing during drills in preparation for the Rams’ five-game exhibition trip to Mexico.

Colorado State Hires Miller: The Colorado State Rams hired Owen Miller, a former associate coach at Texas-San Antonio, as an assistant coach. His responsibilities will include on-court coaching, recruiting and program organization and administration. He has coaching experience at Mississippi State, having served as an assistant for three seasons.

South of the Border ball: The Rams went at least 3-0 during an August trip to Mexico. The Rams crushed Universidad LaSalle 108-35, Universidad Anahuak 86-53 and edged professional team Pachuca 96-94.

New Mexico

Lobos leave the pack: Justin Benson, Lenny Miles, Mikal Monette and Collins Ferris all left the New Mexico program over the summer. Benson is going to play at Oklahoma Baptist, Ferris will concentrated on academics, Miles will play football at Colorado and Monette transferred to Eastern New Mexico. None of the players made significant contributions on the court last season.

Frosh gets in international play: Incoming freshman Bombale Osby played with the Score International All-Star Basketball team as they swept four Dominican Republic teams. Osby averaged 7 points, 12 rebounds and a block per game.

Lobos sign one of their own, JuCo point guard: Darren Prentice, a 6-0 guard from Alamogordo (N.M.) High School and Kris Collins, a 6-2 point guard from Iowa Western Community College, signed to play at New Mexico in the fall. Prentice had agreed to walk-on for the Lobos then receive a scholarship starting with the 2005 spring semester. However, with the elimination of the NCAA’s 5/8 rule, Prentice’s scholarship is now effective the fall of 2004. He was a first-team all-stater, averaging over 23 points, five assists and five rebounds per game.

Collins is rated as one of the top-10 junior-college point guards by various recruiting analysts and will have two years of eligibility remaining with the Lobos. Last year Collins averaged 14.8 points and 3.8 assists per game as the starting point guard for Iowa Western.

San Diego State

Aztecs add guard, JUCO center: High School player Matt Thomas and JUCO center Mohammed Camara signed with SDSU over the summer.

Thomas, a 6-4 guard who attended Riverside’s Martin Luther King High, averaged 16.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 5.0 steals as a senior.

Camara, a 6-11, 260-pound center from Louisville, Ky., signed with the Aztecs. He attended Riverside Community College the last two years, averaging 9.4 points, 10.7 rebounds and connected on 51.0 percent of his field goal attempts in 2003-04.

Grant going back to NBA: Assistant coach Gary Grant has resigned his position to purse a similar role with an NBA franchise. Grant, a collegiate All-American and a 13-year NBA veteran, served as an assistant coach this past season with the Aztecs.

San Diego State turns back the clock: When Steve Fisher last had Mark Hughes on his team, the Michigan Wolverines won the 1989 national championship. Now, Fisher hopes Hughes can produce similar magic at San Diego State as an assistant coach. Hughes has assistant coaching experience under Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers when Rivers coached the Orlando Magic.

Stokes Won’t Start: San Diego State point guard Wesley Stokes is academically ineligible to play for the Aztecs when the season starts and cannot play until the fall semester ends Dec. 18. Until then, coach Steve Fisher hopes the former Missouri transfer will get his grades in order because Stokes averaged 12.1 points per game and dished out 175 assists last season. He was the second-most efficient point guard in the Mountain West Conference, and Stokes is the linchpin to the Aztecs’ success this season.

Aztec Struggles to Score in Class: San Diego State recruit Jabbar Young, a beastly center who weighs close to 300 pounds, is academically ineligible to attend the school and will return to San Bernardino College. The sophomore enrolled as an Aztec in 2003 after attending San Bernardino, but his grades forced him back to the college. If he raises his grades, San Diego State can recruit him again, and he would have two years of eligibility remaining.

UNLV

Kruger names his staff: Marvin Menzies, Steve Henson, Lew Hill and Mike Shepherd were hired as assistant coaches and director of basketball operations, respectively, for UNLV. Hill comes to UNLV from Texas A&M where he was an assistant coach from 1998-2003 and served as the program’s associate head coach last season.

In the spring of 1996, Shepherd followed Kruger to Illinois from Florida, where he served as an assistant coach. In 1999-2000, Shepherd joined the Tulsa women’s basketball program.

Henson comes to UNLV after spending one season as an assistant coach at the University of South Florida. He spent time as an assistant coach as well as an advance scout for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks from 2000-03 working under Kruger and then Terry Stotts.

Henson also worked for Kruger at Illinois as an assistant coach in 1999-2000.

Menzies comes to Las Vegas after spending one year as an assistant coach with the USC men’s basketball program. As the head recruiter at San Diego State, Menzies signed nationally ranked recruiting classes in 2001 (Top 25) and 2000 (Top 40). He signed the program’s first-ever McDonald’s All-American and also signed former Aztec Randy Holcomb, who was taken by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2002 NBA Draft.

Rebels sign JUCO players: Dustin Villepigue, a 6-9 forward from Dixie State College in St. George, Utah, Joel Anthony, a 6-9 center from Pensacola Junior College, and Ricky Morgan, a 6-0 guard from Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Mich., all signed to play with the Rebels.

At Dixie this past season, Villepigue played in 25 games, started 20 and averaged 9.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He led the Scenic West Athletic Conference in field goal percentage at 64.9 percent. Villepigue, from Simi Valley, Calif., attended Gonzaga before transferring to Dixie. He redshirted at Gonzaga during the 2001-02 season as a freshman and played in four games the following year (2002-03) for the Bulldogs. Anthony averaged 9 points, 7 rebounds and 3.5 blocks for Pensacola this past season.

At Schoolcraft this past season, Morgan averaged 8.9 points, 6.1 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game in leading the school to a 27-4 record, the league title and the Michigan state junior college championship.

Morgan, from Pontiac, Mich., attended Iowa State in 2001-02, playing for the Cyclones as a true freshman. At ISU, Morgan tallied a team-high 91 assists, tying for third on the ISU freshman assist chart. He played in 29 games, started eleven, and averaged 3.1 apg, 2.6 ppg and 1.9 rpg.

Rebels go 4-0 in Canada: The UNLV Rebels swept their four games in Canada in August. The Rebels beat the Burnuby Mountain All Stars 83-53, Fraser Valley 103-62, University of British Columbia 89-71 and Langara College 70-58.

Utah

Utah loves Raymond: Utah hired Ray Giacoletti as its new head men’s basketball coach. iacoletti was head coach at Eastern Washington for the past four years.

Named the 2003-04 Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year, Giacoletti led Eastern Washington to its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth this past season. The Eagles, finishing 17-13 overall and 11-3 in conference play, won 14 of their last 18 games-including 11 straight victories-to capture the Big Sky regular season and tournament titles.

Giacoletti, 41, went 69-50 in four seasons at Eastern Washington. His .707 winning percentage (41-17) in Big Sky Conference games ranks first among league schools. Giacoletti is 117-83 in seven years as a head coach. Before taking over at Eastern Washington, he was at North Dakota State for three years (1997-2000), directing the NCAA Division II program to a 48-33 record.

Giacolleti hired Randy Rahe, Marty Wilson and Mike Score as assistant coaches. Chris Jones became director of men’s basketball operations.

Tough Break for Rupp: Despite leading Utah to a Mountain West tournament championship and NCAA tournament berth after Rick Majerus resigned for health reasons, Kerry Rupp will not return to the Utes in any capacity next season. New coach Ray Giacoletti said he respects the job Rupp did in a tough situation but will not retain him as an assistant coach. Rupp later took a job with Indiana.

Jackson back for Utes: Marc Jackson, who left the Ute men’s basketball team last April, has announced his intent to return to the program for his senior season in 2004-05 after meeting with new head coach Ray Giacoletti.

Jackson, a 6-1 guard from Olympus High School, most recently played with the Utes in 2002-03 and earned second team all-Mountain West Conference honors. He averaged 9.3 points in 22 minutes per game while appearing in 29 contests. Jackson ranked second in the Mountain West Conference in three-point percentage (44.8), second in free throw percentage (84.2) and ninth in assists (2.76 apg). In Utah’s two NCAA Tournament games, Jackson scored 13 points in the first round win over Oregon and had 19 points versus Kentucky in the second round.

Utes get another from down under: Luke Nevill, a 7-0, 240-pound center from Perth, Australia, has signed a national letter of intent with the Utah men’s basketball program. The announcement came today from head coach Ray Giacoletti.

Nevill has been living in Marietta, Ga., this year as an exchange student. While playing for Kell High School, Nevill averaged 17.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.7 blocked shots and 2.5 assists per game. He shot 70 percent from floor and 68 percent at the free throw line.

Bogut on Wooden list: Andrew Bogut, a 7-0 center/forward who will begin his sophomore year at the University of Utah this fall, has been named to the John R. Wooden Preseason All-American Team.

Bogut, along with the other Top 50 candidates named by the Wooden Award committee, will be considered for the Midseason Top 30 list and the national ballot for the John R. Wooden Player of the Year Award.

In his first season with the Utes, Bogut was named the 2003-04 Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year and second team all-conference. The Melbourne, Australia, native was Utah’s second-leading scorer (12.5 ppg), top rebounder (9.9 rpg) and best shot-blocker (44) last season.

Wyoming

Watson Leaves Wyoming: The circumstances appear fishy, but rising sophomore Mikel Watson is returning home to San Diego after a misunderstanding between him and the Wyoming coaching staff. Coach Steve McClain said that Watson failed to meet the standards he sets for the team. Neither would expound on the situation. Watson figured to be a major player in Wyoming’s attempt to compete in the ever-improving Mountain West conference. He averaged 5.9 points and 1.6 assists as a freshman.

Two out of three ain’t bad: James Ebert of Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Kevin Lewis of Compton Community College in Compton, Calif.; and Steve Neal of Minneapolis all signed with Wyoming. However, Neal couldn’t make grades and is attending a junior college. He is expected to join the Cowboys next year.

James Ebert is a 6-2, 195-pound guard from Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Ebert was named a Second Team National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American in Division II. The native of Iowa City, Iowa, also earned First Team All-Region honors and was named the Region 11 Most Valuable Player. He averaged 17.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game during his sophomore season. An outstanding outside shooter, Ebert converted 40.9 percent of his three-point field goals, and hit 79.1 percent of his free throws.

Kevin Lewis is a 6′ 6″, 190-pound guard/forward from Compton Community College in Compton, Calif. Lewis averaged 14.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game his sophomore season at Compton, while shooting 48 percent from the field and 41 percent from three-point range.

Neal is a 6-5, 180-pound guard out of Patrick Henry High School in Minneapolis, Minn. Neal was ranked among the Top 100 college prospects in the nation his senior season. To take his place, Wyoming signed freshman guard Abdullah Lawal of Plano, Texas.

TCU

TCU Coach Rewarded for Success: TCU coach Neil Dougherty will be around in Fort Worth, Texas, for several more years. The school has not released the terms of the deal, but officials hope that by the time his tenure comes to a close, TCU will be a powerhouse in the Conference USA. Last season, TCU won its first game against a Top-10 team and first conference tournament victory since 2000. Dougherty is 21-36 in two seasons at TCU, but last season’s improvement inspires hope for this program. The Horned Frogs will join the MWC in 2005.

Big Ten Offseason News

Big Ten Conference 2004 Offseason News Recap

by John Sahly

The Big 10 had an relatively quiet offseason when compared to the rest of the NCAA. Only one scandal, no adding or subtracting teams, no breaking television deals. Instead, the Big 10 put together a team for a foreign tour to Europe. That team won its first 2 games before dropping the last two. The team showcased the future of the Big 10, as seven of the 12 players had completed two or fewer years of college basketball. The conference is also preparing for the celebration of its 100th season of conference play. The Big 10 saw three standout players go in the NBA Draft this year, Wisconsin’s Devin Harris, Minnesota’s Kris Humphries, both first-round selections, and Michigan’s Bernard Robinson, Jr., a second-round selection

Illinois Fighting Illini

In a surprise move, senior forward Roger Powell declared for the NBA Draft after averaging only 11.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. He also did so without telling coach Bruce Weber. Fortunately for the Fighting Illini, Powell woke up and withdrew his name from the draft list. Sophomore forward Warren Carter represented Illinois on the Big 10 Foreign Tour Team, and averaged 9.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Freshman forward Aaron Spears announced his decision to transfer Highland Community College in Freeport, Ill., and was released from his scholarship. Spears scored 21 points in 20 games last season. Junior guards Deron Williams and Daniel Brown were named to the Wooden Award pre-season watch list.

Weber also hired Tracy Webster as an assistant coach on the Fighting Illini basketball staff. A native of Harvey, Ill., Webster comes to Illinois after serving this past season as an assistant at Purdue. Prior to coaching in the Big Ten Conference, Webster spent three seasons as an assistant at Ball State from 2001-03. While in Muncie, Ind., he helped Ball State to the school’s first outright Mid-American Conference West Division Championships and the Elite Eight in the 2002 NIT.

Illinois State junior forward Marcus Arnold transferred to Illinois. The 6-8, 240 pound forward was second on the Redbirds squad last year in scoring at 12.3 ppg, made the Missouri Valley Conference Most Improved Team and was a conference honorable mention. Arnold will sit out the upcoming season but will have two years of eligibility as a member of the Fighting Illini.

Indiana Hoosiers

The Hoosiers named a new assistant coach in the offseason, Donnie Marsh brings 25 years of experience to the Hoosiers and his tenure has included stops at: Florida State, Virginia Tech and most recently as the head coach of Florida International. He replaces Ben McDonald, who resigned in May.

Kerry Rupp, who stepped in for former Utah coach Rick Majerus when he resigned in January, will work with Indiana coach Mike Davis to return the Hoosiers to national prestige. Davis hired Rupp, adding a quality coach who led the Utes to the Mountain West Conference tournament championship. Despite his success at Utah, the school did not interview him as a candidate for the permanent job to replace Majerus. Rupp replaces former assistant John Treloar, who took a similar position at LSU.

When Auburn forward Marco Killingsworth withdrew from the NBA Draft, he also withdrew from Auburn in search of a new home. He has found one in Indiana where Killingsworth will play for coach Mike Davis and the Hoosiers after sitting out a year, as mandated for all transfers by the NCAA. Killingsworth led the Tigers last season with 13.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Killingsworth should help lift Indiana from the middle of the Big Ten pack toward the top of the conference standings.

Junior guard Marshall Strickland played on the foreign team and averaged 10.4 points per game. Incoming freshman center Robert Rothbart opted to forego his remaining years of eligibility to pursue playing in a professional league overseas. Rothbart is a native of Yugoslavia and played his high school ball in California. With a scholarship available from Rothbart, Davis recruited Lucas Steijn, an 18-year old incoming freshmen, who was cited for underage drinking in September. Steijn, one of seven people to be cited in an SUV driven by Hoosier walk-on Kyle Taber, had only been on campus two days when the incident occurred. The Notre Dame Academy (Middleburg, VA) alum averaged 12 points and 8 boards last season, and previously was a member of the Dutch national team.

Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa director of basketball operations Sam Alford will retire Aug. 1, ending a 40-year career and leaving the school with only one Alford on the staff. Alford’s son, Steve Alford, is the Hawkeyes’ coach and said he has learned much from his father. Sam Alford coached his son in high school and served as an assistant to Steve for four seasons at Southwest Missouri State. Sam Alford is a member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame for his years of success as a high school coach.

To replace Alford, Iowa officials looked to the NBA to fill their open assistant coach position. Craig Neal, a former assistant coach and scout for the Toronto Raptors, will replace Sam Alford.

Southern Miss and Iowa have already started to battle, long before their scheduled meeting in the Gazette-Hawkeye Challenge this season. According to Iowa officials, Southern Miss copied Iowa’s logo by introducing a redesigned Golden Eagle in January 2003. They claim that the stylish Golden Eagle bears too close of a resemblance to Iowa’s Tigerhawk, which has been the team’s logo since 1979. Iowa officials have asked Southern Miss to change the logo. In response, Richard Giannini, Southern Miss’ athletics director, said “the only thing in common is the bird head and our colors. Ours is more stylistic and realistic. Theirs looks like a stencil.” Maybe the schools should raise the stakes for the upcoming game this year – winner takes the rights to the logo.

Iowa will return to the Maui Invitational in November, facing a first round opponent in Louisville. Iowa won the tournament in 1987. The Hawkeyes announced its neutral site-neutral site deal with Texas Tech will end with the two teams going at it in the United Center in Chicago. Sophomore Adam Haluska played on the foreign team and scored in double figures in three straight games.

Iowa basketball radio broadcaster Bobby Hansen was arrested early Friday morning for public intoxication. Hansen, who was in Burlington, Iowa for a charity golf tournament, became belligerent outside a bar when getting into a cab, including punching the cab’s windows. The driver returned him to the bar, where Hasen wandered off and was arrested several blocks away, after failing a field sobriety test. Hansen played for Iowa in the early 80′s, helping them to a Final Four appearance in 1980, and played in the NBA for Utah, Sacramento, and Chicago, where he won a championship for the 1991-92 season. Hansen was released after posting $325 bond, and is scheduled to appear in court September 27th. Hansen pled guilty to public intoxication and was fined $50.

Michigan Wolverines

The reigning NIT champions saw Bernard Robinson Jr. selected by the expansion Charlotte Bobcats in the 2nd round of this year’s NBA Draft. For the second straight year, junior guard Daniel Horton was named to the Preseason Top 50 listing for the John R. Wooden Award All-American Team. Michigan also announced former Wolverines star Glen Rice will have his No. 41 jersey retired Feb. 20 against Indiana. Keeping it in the NIT, Michigan will host Binghamton on November 15th to open the Pre-Season NIT Tournament.

Wolverine fans got a scare in July when it was rumored that Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was headed to LA for the Lakers job. Head coach Tommy Amaker, who started coaching under Krzyzewski, was on the short list to replace him, as well as Quin Snyder and Johnny Dawkins.

Michigan’s junior guard Daniel Horton was named to the Wooden Award pre-season watch list.

Former Wolverine and current NBA guard Jalen Rose gave $240,000 to Michigan to start a scholarship for incoming freshmen, particularly those from inner cities. The scholarship will be awarded annually to one incoming freshman and will provide $10,000 to cover the student’s tuition and other expenses. Students can reapply for the scholarship in subsequent years if they meet specific requirements.

When former head coach Steve Fisher last had Mark Hughes on his team, the Michigan Wolverines won the 1989 national championship. Now, Fisher hopes Hughes can produce similar magic at San Diego State as an assistant coach. Hughes was co-captain of the Wolverines championship team with Glen Rice. He spent several years bouncing around the NBA, Continental Basketball Association and European leagues. Hughes has assistant coaching experience under Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers when Rivers coached the Orlando Magic.

Michigan will be retiring the No. 41 jersey of Glen Rice. Rice, an All-American who led the Wolverines to the 1989 NCAA championship, will be the fourth Wolverine to have his jersey retired, joining the aforementioned Cazzie Russell, Rudy Tomjanovich, and Phil Hubbard. Michigan’s all-time leading scorer, Rice set an NCAA Tournament record with 184 points in six games, and was named tournament MVP. Rice was the No. 4 overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat, and played a total of 15 seasons with six teams. Rice is the Heat’s all-time leading scorer, and won an NBA championship with the 2000 Los Angeles Lakers. The ceremony will take place during halftime of Michigan’s February 20th game against Indiana.

Michigan State Spartans

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo has officially declared that he is staying with the Spartans for the long haul. Despite semi-aggressive overtures from the Toronto Raptors to fill their head coaching vacancy, Izzo told two Lansing radio stations that he is committed to the MSU hoops program, according to the Detroit Free Press. If Izzo were interested in the Toronto job, the coach would have been reunited with former Spartan Morris Peterson, with whom he won an NCAA championship in 2000.

Michigan State has announced the promotion of Doug Wojcik to associate head coach on Tom Izzo’s staff. Wojcik, who joined the Spartans last season, had served as an assistant at North Carolina, Notre Dame, and Navy, his alma mater. Wojcik, known as a recruiter and an assistant on the rise, recruited current UNC stars Sean May, Raymond Felton and Rashad McCants, and Notre Dame’s Chris Thomas. The Spartans also named Kevin Pauga video coordinator. Pauga, a four-year student manager, replaces Paul Rivers, now the video coordinator with the San Antonio Spurs. Doug Herner, a teacher and coach at Lansing Sexton High School, was named assistant video coordinator.

Sophomore forward Delco Rowley played on the foreign team and finished as the team’s leading rebounder, averaging 5.6 boards per game. Junior center Paul Davis was named to the Wooden Award Pre-season watch list.

Minnesota Golden Gophers

First, the Gophers saw freshman standout Kris Humphries leave for the NBA. The Utah Jazz with the 14th pick selected Humprhies. Then, Maurice Hargrow, a senior guard who transferred from Minnesota to the University of Arkansas in January, decided to come back to Minnesota. Hargrow petitioned to the NCAA to play in the upcoming season but his request was denied. This forces Hargrow to redshirt this season and he will have one remaining year of eligibility for the 2005-2006 season.

Minnesota point guard Adam Boone could miss the entire season rehabilitating from surgery to repair a torn biceps. The former North Carolina transfer will be missed by the Gophers especially with the loss of Humphries and Hargrow.

Coaching veteran Jim Molinari has joined the Minnesota men’s basketball program as an assistant coach. He will replace Mike Petersen, who exits for the women’s head basketball coaching job at Wake Forest. After a ten year with DePaul, Molinari was named head coach of Northern Illinois, where he posted an impressive record of 42-17. In 1991, Molinari joined the Bradley program as head coach, spending 11 years in Peoria and leading the Bears to an NCAA berth in 1996. Molinari was an NBA scout for the Raptors and Heat the past two seasons.

Northwestern Wildcats

Head coach Bill Carmody welcomes two outstanding transfers. Former Kentucky forward Bernard Cote will be transferring to Northwestern. Cote, who was a reserve for two seasons for Tubby Smith’s Wildcats, averaged 1.4 points in 6 minutes of play per game last season, seeing action in 27 games. Cote will sit out this upcoming season due to NCAA transfer rules, and will form a formidable frontcourt with fellow Northwestern-bound transfer Michael Thompson, a 6-10 forward from Duke that transferred in June. Cote was recruited by NU head coach Bill Carmody, and will be reunited with high school teammate from Champlain-St. Lambert High School (Quebec) – guard Mohamed Hachad.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State fired coach Jim O’Brien for NCAA violations that occurred during his tenure. The violations include a payment of $6,000 to Alex Radojevic five years ago. Radojevic was a Buckeye recruit from Serbia and Montenegro who never made it to Ohio State because he was ruled ineligible for receiving money to play in Europe. O’Brien’s career at Ohio State ends with a 133-88 record that includes a Final Four trip in 1999.

The investigation of improper behavior by coaches at Ohio State now contains an allegation of grade-fixing. Kathleen Salyers, who housed and assisted former Buckeye Boban Savovic, said she contacted a couple of his professors and asked them to change Savovic’s grades. She said former Buckeye assistant coach and current Wright State coach Paul Biancardi called her and informed her that Savovic would be thrown in jail and abused if he had to go back to his home, Yugoslavia. Savovic had earned a failing grade, but Salyers convinced the professor to change it to a D by telling the same dramatic story that Biancardi told her. Salyers believes the professors changed Savovic’s grades to preserve his eligibility as a student at Ohio State and not as a basketball player.

The Dayton Daily News has uncovered that over 600 telephone calls were made from a phone account for former Ohio State assistant Paul Biancardi to a New York sports agency. While it’s not against NCAA rules for coaches to contact agents, they are not allowed to use agents to help recruit student athletes. Buckeye head coach Jim O’Brien was fired last month for allegedly giving cash to a recruit in 1999, and an NCAA investigation is likely.

Former Ohio State player Boban Savovic issued a statement claiming that Kathleen Salyers’ lawsuit is riddled with inaccuracies. Salyers is suing two Ohio State boosters for not paying her money that she claims they promised her for taking care of Savovic. She said that she housed Savovic and provided him with $24,000. In response, Savovic said that he did not live with her and accepted mere pocket change on occasion, which he believed was within the rules of the NCAA. Savovic likely misunderstood the rules, however, because NCAA players cannot receive cash gifts from people outside of their family. He added that he spent several weeks at Salyers’ home during one summer because he needed a place to stay before moving into an Ohio State dormitory at the beginning of the year

Finally, Xavier head coach Thad Matta accepted the job after interviewing with Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger, president Karen Holbrook and members of the search committee. Matta, who was 78-26 in three seasons at Xavier after a 24-8 record in one season at Butler, was interviewed on campus along with Rice’s Willis Wilson and Vanderbilt’s Kevin Stallings. Interim head coach Rick Boyages was scheduled to interview, but apparently did not. Matta had a contract at Xavier running through the 2012-2013 season.

Cincinnati assistant Dan Peters left the school to accept an assistant position at Ohio State under new coach Thad Matta. Peters was Cincinnati’s interim coach during the suspension of Bob Huggins, who was on paid leave after a drunk driving conviction. Peters has head coaching experience at Walsh College, St. Joseph’s and Youngstown State.

Junior guard Ron Lewis transferred from Bowling Green to Ohio State. After sitting out a season, per NCAA rules, Lewis will have two years of eligibility for Matta and the Buckeyes. Lewis averaged 4.7 points and three assists per game last season at Bowling Green.

Junior guard J.J. Sullinger, who was arrested for drunken driving Labor Day weekend, has been disciplined and that there are no plans to suspend him. Sullinger, 22, had a blood-alcohol level of .099, above Ohio’s .08 limit, when he was arrested by Columbus police. Sullinger averaged 10 points in 30 games last season, one year after transferring to the Buckeyes from Arkansas.

Penn State Nittany Lions

The Nittany Lions announced they would play in the BCA Classic with Marquette and Mississippi starting Nov. 14.

Penn State head coach Ed DeChellis did not make the trip to Europe as part of the Big Ten Foreign Tour as expected, as he underwent successful surgery on his bladder on August 7th. DeChellis was admitted to Mount Nittany Medical Center with discomfort, and had the surgery the next day. In a statement, Penn State announced that DeChellis recovered satisfactorily, and the recovery would preclude him from traveling for two weeks. Penn State assistant and former Drake head coach Kurt Kanaskie will led the team for five exhibition games in France and Italy.

Kevin Reynolds was hired as director of basketball operations on head coach Ed DeChellis’ staff. Reynolds was most recently an assistant at Drake for six seasons under Kurt Kanaskie, who is now a Penn State assistant. Reynolds, from Bethlehem, PA, served last season as Director of International Sports Marketing for And 1 clothing manufacturer. He is a Bloomsburg (Pa.) graduate, and earned an MBA from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he was graduate assistant for two seasons. Reynolds replaces Brian Allen, who left in March to pursue a position in the private sector.

Junior guard Brandon Cameron has transferred to IUPUI. The 6-foot, 190 pound guard played in five games last season for the Nittany Lions, averaging 3.2 points and 2.6 rebounds. As a freshman, Cameron appeared in all 28 games, averaging 1.7 points and 1.3 assists per contest. Additionally, the Nittany Lions lost Robert Summers, a 6-foot-11 center from Columbus, Ohio, who transferred to West Virginia.

Purdue Boilermakers

The Boilermakers hired what appears to be the likely successor to Head coach Gene Keady in former Southern Illinois coach Matt Painter. Keady begins his 25th season at the helm and Painter, a former Boilermaker himself, was hired specifically to take over after Keady leaves following this season. Painter led the Salukis to the NCAA Tournament with a 25-5 record. Assistant coach Tracy Webster also left the Salukis with Painter.

Purdue also hired Paul Lusk as an assistant coach and announced that assistant Todd Foster has been reassigned. The 31-year old Lusk served under Painter in his lone season at Southern Illinois.

Senior guard Brandon McKnight was one of the leaders of the foreign team and averaged 9.0 points per game, along with 4.4 rebounds per game. Purdue swingman Melvin Buckley has transferred to South Florida, where he will sit out next season and have two years of eligibility. The 6-foot-7, 205-pound Buckley obtained his release from Purdue, where he averaged 5.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in 27 games last season, with one start.

Wisconsin Badgers

Maurice “Boo” Wade was arrested just after the season ended on the misdemeanor charge of bail jumping. This coming two months after an arrest on the felony charge of substantial battery to a 19-year old woman. Wade pleaded no contest to both charges as a part of a plea and had to enter the First Offender’s Program. Wade left the team in October for personal reasons.

The Badgers lost Big Ten Player of the Year in point guard Devin Harris, when we skipped his senior year to go to the NBA draft. Harris was drafted by the Washington Wizards with its No. 5 pick, but then was traded to the Dallas Mavericks.

The Badgers also made a personnel change by promoting assistant coach Rob Jeter to the position of associate head coach. Jeter was also Head coach Bo Ryan’s top assistant when the two were at UW-Milwaukee.

Big 12 Offseason News

Big 12 Conference Offseason News Recap

by Zach Ewing

The air is starting to get cooler, the leaves are turning yellow and college basketball season is just around the corner. That doesn’t mean, however, that nothing happened in the Big 12 Conference since Oklahoma State was eliminated in last spring’s Final Four. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty:

Big 12 Conference

Not much news coming from the league front, except the locations of upcoming Big 12 Conference Tournaments. This coming season, the tourney is headed to Kansas City for the first time in three years. That, of course, is a distinct advantage for the northern teams, with Kansas, Colorado, Iowa State and Missouri among them. In 2006, though, the tournament is headed back the American Airlines Center in Dallas, its home for the last two seasons. Obviously, advantage to the Texas schools there. The Big 12 will go halfway in between in 2007 by sending the tournament to Oklahoma City. It will be the first time the city will host the Big 12 basketball tournament, which is exciting news for the folks in Norman and Stillwater.

Now, on to the teams, where two (Baylor and Missouri) certainly have the most off-the-court news.

Baylor Bears

Unfortunately for the Baylor camp, most of the news coming out of Waco this offseason was either players leaving or the lingering aftermath of the Patrick Dennehy debacle.

First, players leaving: Post presence Harvey Thomas, perhaps BU’s best player last year, declared himself eligible for the NBA draft and signed with an agent, preventing him from coming back next year. Then, starting point guard Carl Marshall, along with reserve Cory Herring, decided to transfer. Marshall went to the junior college ranks, while Herring wanted to move closer to his Buffalo, N.Y., home. That leaves the Bears with only player with extensive game experience, and that’s Tommy Swanson, who averaged 6.4 points per game.

As if that weren’t bad enough, 7-foot freshman center Mamadou Diene, perhaps Scott Drew’s most heralded recruit, will not enroll at the school for the first semester because of personal reasons. He is due to join the team after the first semester. Also, Frank Fallon, the “Voice of the Bears” for more than 40 years, died April 30 at the age of 78 from complications of Parkinson’s disease. Fallon was also the public address announcer at the Final Four from 1978 until 1998.

Most of the news from the Dennehy front centers around suspect Carlton Dotson. As you recall, in the summer of 2003, Dennehy, a player who had transferred to Baylor, was found dead. Investigators linked the apparent killing to Dotson, also a former Bear. Eventually, Dotson was found in a Maryland grocery store, complaining of the voices he heard in his head. The trial was originally set for late summer 2004, but Dotson’s lawyers have pushed an insanity or incompetence defense.

Two psychiatrists confirmed that Dotson was indeed incompetent and the trial date as pushed back until October 11, but the judge is seeking a third psychiatrist opinion. If the third opinion agrees with the first two, Dotson will spend 120 days rehabilitating in a mental hospital; if it is a dissent from the two previous opinions, then Dotson will have a competency trial. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Perhaps as a result of the fiasco, Baylor has implemented a new program in which prospective student-athletes in all sports must complete a background check and supply three character references before enrolling at the school.

Like last year, Scott Drew and Baylor probably can’t wait to get back on the court, where basketball is all they have to worry about.

Colorado Buffaloes

Don’t worry, not every team in the Big 12 had that bad of an off-season. In Boulder, there were only slight tidbits of news. The first came in late July, when a mystery was finally solved. Emmanuel Fisher, who fired shots through the front door of a house party in Boulder in December and hit Buffaloes’ player Chris Copeland in the arm, turned himself in. Fisher pleaded guilty to charges of menacing with a deadly weapon and will likely receive probation.

The only other news from the Colorado front is the hiring of a new assistant coach. Paul Sather will replace Terry Dunn as one of Ricardo Patton’s right-hand men. That means CU can get ready for the season without much distraction. The Buffaloes open the season in the preseason NIT, which also includes Wake Forest, Arizona and Michigan.

Iowa State Cyclones

Although he is no longer connected with the Iowa State program, former Cyclone assistant coach Randy Brown pleaded guilty to child pornography charges in April and was sentenced to a 2-year jail term.

Meanwhile, the Cyclones went on a Mexican playing tour, in which they were supposed to play three games against Monterrey Tech. ISU defeated the Mexican team 68-53, lost the second 81-79 and the third was cancelled.

Kansas Jayhawks

Bill Self’s team looks to be one of the top five in the country next year, but it might have been even better if it weren’t for some off-season departures. Omar Wilkes, a seldom-used guard, transferred from KU to Cal, citing lack of playing time as his reason. The big loss, though, was that of sophomore-to-be center David Padgett, who contributed key minutes and points in the middle last season. Padgett, who averaged 6.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and led the team in blocked shots, would have challenged for a starting spot this year. Instead, he transferred to Louisville. He said he was unhappy with Self’s use of him as a player. Additionally, Self suspended back-up point guard Jeff Hawkins indefinitely in August without citing specific reasons.

It could have been a lot worse for the Jayhawks, though. Moulaye Niang, rarely used last year but a player who could become important with Padgett’s departure, was thinking of transferring to either Texas Christian or San Diego State, but decided to stay in Lawrence. Alex Galindo and Chester Giles will also be on the court for KU this season. Galindo and Giles are two highly-touted freshman who had committed to other schools that had coaching changes. Because of the coaching change, the NCAA allowed them to pick another school. Both ended up in Kansas. Additionally, last year’s freshman stud J.R. Giddens and Darnell Jackson, another player, were involved in a car accident in which Jackson’s car flipped. Neither, however, was seriously hurt.

All of this still leaves the Jayhawks with a great team for this season. KU took a four-game excursion to Canada in August and left with four wins and an average margin of victory of 36 points. Kansas opens the season in a newly-formatted Coaches vs. Cancer tournament, along with Duke and Syracuse. Longtime Jayhawk fans may have to pay more to see their team, though. New athletic director Lew Perkins implemented a plan in which fans who have contributed the most money to the athletic department have priority for the best seats in Allen Fieldhouse. Therefore, current ticket holders would have to match those contributions to hang on to their premium seats. Although this practice is used at many schools, KU fans were in an uproar over it. A Douglas County (Kan.) district court ruled, however, that this is legal.

Kansas State Wildcats

A couple of losses and a gain summarize K-State’s basketball offseason. The gain is a new playing surface. The new floor at Bramlage Coliseum will be maple with a new, huge representation of KSU’s “Powercat” logo in the middle, much like KU’s new court with the giant Jayhawk symbol at center court.

The losses in Manhattan are a little more serious. Last year’s back-up point guard Dez Willlingham will not return to the team this season. He was going to play an increased role for Jim Wooldridge, but will not be present. Also, former KSU coach Lowell “Cotton” Fitzsimmons died from lung cancer at 72. He led the Wildcats to a Big Eight Championship in 1970.

Missouri Tigers

The summer was spent finalizing and recovering from the Ricky Clemons fiasco in Columbia. On May 11, the NCAA finally sent its 19-page notification of violations to Missouri, citing recruiting and improper benefits violations. The report did not however, include any major violations, including academic fraud or lack of institutional control. Both of these things had been intimated in public accusations by Clemons after he was dismissed from the program last summer due to an assault conviction.

Two days later, on May 13, it became clear who was to take the fall for the wrongdoing. Assistant coach Lane Odom resigned and assistant Tony Harvey, who Clemons specifically alleged gave him $250, was put on paid suspension. On June 18, Harvey also resigned, although he continued to deny that he ever gave Clemons the cash. About a week later, it was unveiled that MU bought out both Harvey’s and Odom’s contracts, giving them a total of $136,000. In exchange, the newspaper report said, Harvey and Odom agreed to resign and refrain from suing the school.

The Tigers formally responded to the NCAA allegations on July 1 by saying that Quin Snyder unintentionally violated rules but that the school wouldn’t challenge the NCAA allegations. Snyder was put on 2-year probation and his team will lose one scholarship for the 2005-06 season. In all, MU got off very lucky in this ordeal. Losing one scholarship is nothing compared to a postseason or television ban, which the NCAA easily could and would have levied for a major violation.

The Tigers look as if they will be more careful in the future. They spent the rest of the summer replacing assistants with coaches with a good reputation in graduating athletes and following the rules. The first was former Charlotte and Texas A&M coach Melvin Watkins. Then it was former Liberty coach and Butler assistant Jeff Meyer. Finally, Jay Spoonhour replaced Brian Grawer, who had no connection with the Clemons incident, as graduate assistant.

Surely, this is another team that wants to put off-the-court troubles behind and start play in a brand new arena. The Paige Sports Arena has sold out all of its season tickets and will begin its history when MU hosts a Guardians Classic game in November.

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Three main points of news for the Huskers this off-season: the first is a contract extension for coach Barry Collier, who led NU to the NIT last year. He is now signed in Lincoln through 2008. The second is a basketball tour through Australia taken by Collier’s team. Nebraska went 3-3 down under. The last bit of news is surprising: guard Jason Dourisseau, who saw extensive playing time last year and was Nebraska’s second-leading scorer in Australia, announced he will redshirt this season to work on his strength and his game.

Oklahoma Sooners

A team looking to return to elite status after a one-year hiatus didn’t get good news from De’Angelo Alexander, an inside presence who gave the Sooners 10 points and five rebounds per game last season. Alexander announced after last season that he was transferring. OU will play in the Great Alaska Shootout in late November, with its first game against High Point. Alabama, Washington and Utah will also be in the tournament.

On the coaching front, assistant coach Jimmy Tubbs left to Southern Methodist and was replaced by former Houston and Ball State head coach Ray McCallum. Meanwhile, head coach Kelvin Sampson was out proving that he is one of the game’s best, leading the USA Young Men’s team to a gold medal in an international tournament in July and August. The team included Texas forward P.J. Tucker.

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Most of the off-season news for this Final Four team centers on head coach Eddie Sutton, who has said publicly he would like to coach several more seasons. OSU gave his son and assistant coach, Sean Sutton, word that he would be next-in-line to take over the program when his father retired. The choice seemed only natural, considering Sean’s involvement with the program and its players for many years. The elder Sutton, however, was questioned about the move at the trial of Norm Richardson. Sutton felt that the lawyer questioning him had hinted that the decision was based on race, since Norm Richardson also had ties with Sutton. Eddie exploded and began to yell. He was told to calm down and subsequently apologized. The decision to make Sean Sutton the next coach at Okie State stands.

That wasn’t the end of the story for Eddie Sutton, though. While in LA for the taping of the ESPYs, he fell on an escalator in the airport had a cut on his nose that required stitches. He was OK, which was good news for Cowboy fans. More good news came in the form of a recruit. JamesOn Curry, a former North Carolina recruit who ran into problems with drugs, cleaned himself up and is headed to Stillwater. OSU will need the help: it lost Tony Allen last year and opens the season in the Jimmy V Classic against Syracuse.

Texas Longhorns

Forward Jason Klotz, who single-handedly kept Texas in a game with Oklahoma State last year and showed flashes of brilliance throughout the season, made a poor decision in July. He allegedly slapped and punched his girlfriend after the two got into a fight in early July. When a warrant was issued for his arrest on July 26, Klotz turned himself in and was charged with misdemeanor assault. Although the crime is punishable by up to four years in prison and/or a $4,000 fine, it appears Klotz will get significantly less. It was reported that he is taking stress and anger management courses to avoid further punishment, and is listed on UT’s roster for the upcoming season.

On the court, point guard Edgar Moreno will transfer. He averaged 2.9 points and 2.5 assists per game last year. It was perhaps a wise choice, because Rick Barnes has one of the country’s best recruiting classes coming in this year. Perhaps its centerpiece, LaMarcus Alderidge, made it the best when he decided to withdraw his name from the NBA draft and come to Austin. The Longhorns also added former Georgia assistant coach Ken McDonald to the program and will play in the Maui Invitational in November, along with BYU, Iowa, Louisville, North Carolina, Stanford and Tennessee.

Texas A&M Aggies

A&M fired coach Melvin Watkins before the season was over last year after he led the Aggies to a winless Big 12 season. He was replaced with UTEP head coach Billy Gillispie. He has already shown a great enthusiasm for the program with a 12,000-foot parachute jump onto A&M’s football Kyle Field. He named Buzz Williams as an assistant coach right after the jump. Gillispie has also landed Steve Forbes as an assistant coach. Forbes formerly landed a top-10 recruiting class at Louisiana Tech.

Gillispie has had some problems keeping past players on the team, though. Marcus Watkins followed his father to Missouri, and neither sophomore Keith Blanks nor recruit JaMarcus Ellis reported to class in the fall.

Texas Tech Red Raiders

As always seems to be the case, the news in Lubbock followed the ever-entertaining Bobby Knight. The General was mentioned as the subject of a sitcom early in the summer. Then, he was signed to a three-year contract extension to coach the Red Raiders through 2009 for $250,000. He trails Dean Smith for the all-time lead in wins by just 48. After the extension, he promoted his son Pat to associate head coach.

Then things really got interesting. We all know contract extensions in college sports rarely mean anything and that was almost the case here. Knight, who has strong ties with the Big Ten and especially with Ohio State, was immediately mentioned as a candidate to replace Jim O’Brien and coach the Buckeyes. Rumors flew for a matter of weeks, but in the end Ohio State announced that it wouldn’t pursue the all-time great, and so he stays in the Big 12 to give us some more fun in the upcoming season.

Atlantic 10 Offseason News

Atlantic 10 2004 Offseason News Recap

by Nate Beardsley

Don’t be surprised if the familiar faces of Dayton, Saint Joseph’s and Xavier are not at the top of the 2004-05 Atlantic 10 standings.

Graduation has hit each of these programs hard, and they don’t have proven, experienced players who can step in and fill the shoes of those who left.

George Washington has emerged as the clear favorite to win the A-10 West while Temple, Massachusetts and Rhode Island all have legitimate shots at stealing the East title from Saint Joseph’s.

Two first-year coaches, Xavier’s Sean Miller and LaSalle’s John Giannini, will have two completely different objectives.

Miller has a tough act to follow in Thad Matta, who compiled an impressive 78-23 record in three years as Musketeers’ coach.

Giannini just hopes to establish some sense normalcy to a program that lost its head coach and three players this summer due to rape allegations involving said players.

A-10 West

Dayton

Flyer fans have been spoiled with two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, but it appears that their luck will run out this season.

Dayton lost its top three scorers (Sean Finn, Ramod Marshall and Keith Waleskowski) from 2003-04 to graduation and have just one senior on its roster.

That senior, guard Mark Jones, is the team’s leading returning scorer with 9.1 points per game. The Flyers’ other returning starter, junior forward Marques Bennett, is known for his defensive prowess, and only averaged 2.9 points per game last season.

Dayton, who out-rebounded its opponents by 6.9 boards per game last season, only has one player taller than 6’8″ on its roster.

That player, 6’11″ sophomore center James Cripe, will have to have a big year and stay out of foul trouble for Dayton to be successful.

The future does look bright for the Flyers, however, as their seven freshmen have garnered national praise as a top recruiting class.

Duquesne

Although the Dukes lost three two-year starters from last year’s 12-17 squad, a strong backcourt may enable them to make a move in an uncharacteristically weak A-10 West.

Senior point guard Martin Osimani returns after leading the A-10 in assists with 5.9 per game. One of his favorite targets figures to be junior guard Bryant McAllister, who is Duquesne’s top returning scorer with 11.1 points per game.

Junior guard Jack Higgins transferred from Cleveland State last season, but was not eligible until December. Higgins made a splash early and often, finishing the season with 9.1 points per game and a 45.4 three-point percentage.

If sophomore center Kieron Achara, a Scotland native, can fill in for graduated big man Ron Dokes, Duquesne may make some noise in conference play.

LaSalle

Newly hired head coach John Giannini inherits a program in turmoil, as rape allegations involving three Explorer players have caused them to no longer be affiliated with the school.

One of those players, guard Gary Neal, led LaSalle in scoring last season with 17.9 points per game.

Guard Mike Cleaves and forward Dzalfo Larkai also will not return to the Explorer lineup, which leaves them shorthanded with only nine players, four of whom are freshmen.

With Neal no longer a part of the picture, junior forward Steven Smith is LaSalle’s top offensive weapon. A year ago, Smith averaged 17.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. At 6’8″, Smith can score from anywhere on the floor, shooting 32.7 percent from beyond the arc last season.

Not much can be expected from LaSalle this season, but their young players will gain valuable experience that may pay dividends in the future.

George Washington

The Colonials are the hands-down favorite to capture the A-10 West this season, as they return all five starters from last year’s team that finished second in the division.

Junior point guard T.J. Thompson’s 13.2 points per game leads a balanced offense that had six players average between eight and 14 points per contest.

GW also expects good things from junior forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu, who was the recipient of the 2003 Chris Daniels Award, given to the A-10′s most improved player. Mensah-Bonsu averaged 11.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in just 21.2 minutes per game, and was almost automatic from the field, converting 62 percent of his field goal attempts.

The Colonials also bring highly-touted freshman Maureece Rice into the fold. Rice scored 2,681 career points in high school, breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s Philadelphia high school record by more than 400.

Perhaps the only thing in GW’s way this season will be their tough schedule, which pits them against as many as 15 teams who advanced to postseason play in 2003-04.

Xavier

The Musketeers lost both their head coach and the core of last year’s team that made an improbable run at the Elite Eight.

Thad Matta resigned at Xavier to fill the coaching vacancy at Ohio State, and Romain Sato (16.3 points, 8.0 rebounds per game), Lionel Chalmers (16.6 points per game) and Anthony Myles (10.6 points, 6.9 rebounds per game) were lost to graduation.

Two of last year’s starters, junior guard Dedrick Finn and sophomore forward Justin Doellman return and will be the Musketeers’ main offensive threats.

Finn led Xavier in assists (124) and steals (55) last season while shooting 37.8 percent from three-point range.

Doellman, a 6’9″ 210-pound rangy forward, poses matchup problems for defenses because of his ability to step out and hit the three-point shot. His 42.5 percent three-point shooting in 2003-04 led the Musketeers.

Doellman and Finn are capable of having a huge game every time they step on the floor, but this Xavier team is probably a year away from being A-10 West champs.

Richmond

The Spiders’ chances of returning to the NCAA Tournament in 2005 do not appear to be very good, as its three top scorers from last season have graduated.

Richmond is the last team that could afford to lose scoring, as they finished 11th in the A-10 last season in scoring.

Gone are sharpshooter Mike Skrocki (16.1 points per game), Tony Dobbins (11.1 points) and Reggie Brown (7.5 points), and only two players that scored five or more points per game return.

The Spiders’ defense is usually stingy, but this year may be different. Dobbins was also the A-10′s Defensive Player of the Year last season, and Richmond may miss his ability to guard the perimeter and pressure ball handlers.

Sophomore Gaston Moliva turned some heads in his rookie season, averaging 5.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in just 19.1 minutes a contest.

Sophomore transfer T.J. Paterick may soften the blow of losing both Skrocki and Dobbins, but the former Washington State guard will not be eligible until January of next year.

Richmond will probably struggle this season, and much like Dayton, Xavier and Saint Joseph’s, have a hard time returning to the big dance.

A-10 East

Fordham

The Rams have been hapless in the last two seasons, winning just eight games. Six of those wins came last season, and it appears that Fordham will again finish near the bottom of the A-10 East.

Some good news for the Rams is that guard Derrick Breland and forward Mushon Ya-akosi return for their senior seasons with 44 combined starts from a year ago. Sophomore Dominic Osei and junior Jermaine Anderson also have some starting experience for the Rams, which will be very valuable on a team with seven newcomers. Anderson played for the Canadian national team this summer in the Four Nations Basketball Tournament, held in China, so it’s obvious that he has some talent.

Ya-akosi and freshman Bryant Dunston are the tallest players on the team at 6’8″ so the Rams may struggle against Temple and Saint Joseph’s, who each have tall frontlines.

Although a weaker A-10 may improve Fordham’s record this year, the Rams will still struggle to climb out of the cellar.

Massachusetts

Many have tabbed the Minutemen as the favorite to win the A-10 East, and with good reason.

Junior forward Rashaun Freeman burst onto the A-10 basketball scene last year, leading UMass in scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounds (8.5 rpg).

Freeman, along with five other players who started at least one game in 2003-04, return for this season.

With seasoned head coach Steve Lappas returning for his third season at Massachusetts, all the pieces are in place for UMass to make a run at the NCAA Tournament.

The offensive combination of Freeman’s inside presence and the outside shooting of senior guard Anthony Anderson should frustrate opposing defenses all season. In 2003-04, Freeman connected on 55 percent of his field goal attempts while Anderson sank 82 shots from beyond the arc.

If the Minutemen can shape up their defense which allowed 73 points per game last season, you can expect to see UMass at the top of the A-10 standings in March.

Rhode Island

The Rams struggled in conference play last season at 7-9, but recorded an impressive 20 wins overall.

With the losses of Dustin Hellenga, Brian Woodward and their 24.5 combined points per game, senior guard and returning scorer Dawan Robinson must step up his game to repeat the successes of 2003-04.

Robinson, a 6’2″ point guard, has often been criticized for making poor decisions, and his 99 turnovers was most on URI last year. His other stats are impressive, though, as he led the Rams in scoring (15.1 ppg), assists (3.5 apg), steals (1.5 spg) and was second in three-point percentage (.403).

How Robinson will fare with no other proven scoring threat remains to be seen, however.

Senior forward Scott Hazelton, despite not starting a game last year, played well in limited time, averaging 6.1 points and 3.6 rebounds in just 15.8 minutes per game.

For a smaller team, the Rams rebounded amazingly well last season, leading the A-10 in rebounding margin. That tenacity around the glass is enough to keep URI in any game they play, but their lack of firepower will make it hard for them to win a lot of games.

Saint Joseph’s

Jameer Nelson is gone. Delonte West is gone. Tyrone Barley is gone. Almost every player from SJU’s brilliant backcourt has graduated or moved on to the NBA, leaving the Hawks with an identity crisis.

Last season, SJU relied on the quickness of their backcourt to create opportunities on offense (either by penetrating and kicking it out to jump shooters or by getting to the basket off the dribble) and to dictate the tempo on defense. Without the same personnel, the Hawks will have to figure out new ways to put points on the board.

If anyone can do that, it’s SJU head coach Phil Martelli. A large part of the Hawks’ success this season will be based on his performance, as SJU does not have the talent that it did last year.

Senior forward Pat Carroll returns as the Hawks’ only double-digit scorer, and led the A-10 in three-point percentage (45.8 percent) last year. Many of those shots came from the defense collapsing on West or Nelson, so he may not get as many clean looks at the basket.

Another key player this season for SJU will be junior center Dwayne Jones, who led the A-10 in blocks last season with 1.97 rejections per game. Jones recorded three double-doubles last season, but the Hawks will need him to be a consistent offensive threat to be successful.

SJU will not repeat the success of last year’s team, but if they gel and Martelli can get them to play at their absolute best, the Hawks could challenge Massachusetts for the A-10 East crown.

St. Bonaventure

Wunderkind point guard Marques Green has graduated as the Bonnies’ all-time career leader in points, assists, steals and three-point field goals and accordingly left a huge hole in St. Bonaventure’s offense.

Another key part of last year’s squad that finished 7-21 is Maurice Young, SBU’s third-leading scorer with 11.7 points per game.

The departures of Green and Young will allow other players, such as talented junior swingman Patrick Lottin, to spend more time on the floor. Lottin only started 11 games last season, but averaged 13.3 points and pulled down 4.5 rebounds per contest. How he recovers from ACL surgery in May will have a huge impact on the success of the Bonnies.

SBU returns three starters from their 2003-04 that allowed 79.3 points per game and shot only 39.3 percent from the field.

With only five returning scholarship players, a walk-on and four newcomers, it appears that 2004-05 will be another rebuilding year for the Bonnies.

Temple

Much like Saint Joseph’s and St. Bonaventure, Temple is losing a large part of its offense from a year ago. David Hawkins, the nation’s fourth-leading scorer last year with 24.4 points per game, accounted for nearly 40 percent of the Owls’ offense.

Back to pick up the slack are junior guard Mardy Collins, senior center Keith Butler and junior forward Antywane Robinson.

Collins, who has started every game since enrolling at Temple two years ago, is the A-10′s second-leading returning scorer at 15.5 points per game.

Butler, at 7-foot-1, is a force in the paint, and finished second in the A-10 in blocks game last season (48).

Robinson averaged just 4.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game at power forward last season, but showed flashes of talent late in the season, averaging 8.3 points and 6.3 boards over TU’s last four games.

The Owls have some talent returning, but its brutal schedule will be its worst enemy. Temple has non-conference games against Duke, Maryland, Wake Forest, Auburn, Alabama, South Carolina, Penn, Villanova, Georgetown and Princeton.

The only way the Owls will be dancing in March is if they salvage half of these games and the selection committee rewards them for their strength of schedule.

SEC Offseason News

SEC 2004 Offseason News Recap

by Thomas Beisner

Another hot, sticky summer came to an end in the Southeastern Conference and after the haze cleared there were some serious changes to some teams.

Alabama

The only real news at Alabama over the summer was the appointment of coach Mark Gottfried to the John R. Wooden Board of Governors. Also, Kennedy Winston was named to the pre-season Wooden Award list for National Player of the Year.

The Crimson Tide will also be headlining the November 24th Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage, and will be facing the host school, Alaska-Anchorage. Washington and Utah also are in the field.

Arkansas

Things were relatively slow in Fayetteville after another tough year, albeit an improved one. The only major noise out of the Hogs was the extension of Stan Heath’s contract through the year 2009. Heath lost the services of recruit Al Jefferson, who eschewed Fayetteville for the NBA. Jefferson was drafted 15th overall by the Boston Celtics.

We could also give you an update on all of the Nolan Richardson lawsuit proceedings, but we really are tired of that story. See the Morning Dish archives for a blow-by-blow.

Point guard prospect Dontell Jefferson was cleared to begin the college application process after completing his junior college classwork, and will be eligible for the Razorbacks team. The 6-foot 6-inch, 190-pound guard played at Atlanta Metropolitan College. He averaged 16.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 3.4 steals, and Heath expects him to compete for the starting point guard slot. The NCAA Clearinghouse approved the academic record of Arkansas freshman center Darian Townes, who also can participate in practice.

Auburn

There plenty of comings and goings in Auburn this summer, most notably the arrival of head coach Jeff Lebo and his staff. Lebo arrives in Auburn after leaving Tennessee-Chattanooga, where he led the Mocs to a 40-20 record in two seasons. Lebo was the coach at Tennessee Tech prior to stopping in Chattanooga.

Auburn’s basketball program was put on two years’ probation, with the NCAA cutting one scholarship but clearing the university of major rules violations. The university was cleared of accusations involving large amounts of money and expensive cars given to high school prospects as recruiting tools. The school, which denied the accusations, already had issued its own penalties, including the loss of one scholarship for the upcoming 2004-’05 season. The NCAA then cut a scholarship for the 2005-’06 season, but did not ban any postseason play or televised games.

Along with this change at the top came changes to the roster as well with the transfer of three players. Center Dwayne Curtis announced that he would be transferring to Ole Miss and after withdrawing his name from the draft, leading scorer Marco Killingsworth said he would be playing next at Indiana. Point guard Lewis Monroe followed Killingsworth’s lead and made the move to Bloomington as well.

Florida

After another surprisingly early exit from the tournament, Billy Donovan and the Gators went into the off season with changes to be made and problems to be solved. They hope they have done both with the addition of Larry Shyatt as an assistant coach. Shyatt is the former head coach at Clemson and Wyoming and Donovan is hoping that he can teach the Gators some defensive toughness. Matt Herring should also help with this as he was added as the conditioning and strength coach. Shyatt replaces former assistant Tom Ostrom, who accepted a similar position at South Alabama.

Also, forward David Lee and guard Anthony Roberson were named to the Wooden award watch list.

Georgia

It was a rough offseason in Athens.

As expected, the NCAA announced penalties yesterday against the Georgia basketball program, placing the school on probation. The unexpected part was that the probation was for four years. The probation is due to rules violations under former coach Jim Harrick, and assistant Jim Harrick, Jr., including academic fraud, unethical conduct and improper benefits. The (only) good news is that the NCAA didn’t add to the Bulldogs’ self-imposed post-season ban, an act that Georgia voluntarily did at the end of the 2003 regular season – recusing themselves from the SEC and NCAA Tournaments – even though the squad was ranked No. 22 in the nation. The Bulldogs, now under former Western Kentucky head coach Dennis Felton, will lose one scholarship each of the next three seasons, and forfeit 30 victories, including the 2002 NCAA appearance, from the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons. The athletic department is also “on notice” for the next five years – and must run a clean ship through 2009 – as the school is considered a repeat violator, due to a 1997 football probation penalty.

For those that don’t recall, former Bulldog player Tony Cole told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Jim Harrick, Jr. had wired $300 to a friend to cover Cole’s expenses, including a new television. Upon further investigation, a class in basketball strategy taught by Harrick, Jr. was an academic sham, granting “A’s” to three Bulldog players that never attended. Harrick, Jr., also encouraged two other players to lie to NCAA investigators about the allegations. Six players were also allowed to skate on personal long-distance bills totaling over $1,500. Harrick, who last month was named the head coach of the ABA’s Vancouver expansion franchise, must get NCAA permission to pursue any sports-related position at any NCAA-governed school. Prior to the Georgia debacle, Harrick was faced accusations of wrongdoing at both Rhode Island and UCLA, where he won the 1995 National Championship.

The University filed an official appeal to the NCAA on August 20th in regards to the sanctions placed on the team, especially the “repeat violator” tag. Under the announced violations, only Georgia assistant Jim Harrick, Jr. was cited (multiple times) for academic fraud, unethical conduct and improper benefits, while head coach Jim Harrick, Sr., fired after the 2002-03 season, was not named in the report. Harrick, Jr. must now get permission from the NCAA before getting any athletic-related gig at any of its institutions. Georgia hopes to have three of the 16 penalties revoked, including the forfeiture of 30 games, loss of one scholarship, and the four-year probation period. The NCAA likely won’t hear the case until December at the earliest.

On the heels of the probation news, the athletics department announced a $12 million shortfall as part of the anti-Michael Adams campaign led by UGA boosters. Adams, the Georgia president, did not extend former football coaching legend and athletics director Vince Dooley’s contract last year, and as a result 154 prominent boosters donated 34 cents each – Herschel Walker’s number – for $52.36, leading to the shortfall. Athletics donations fell from $14.7 million to $2.9 million, while non-athletic donations increased by $14 million. Other boosters have organized petition campaigns with 60,000 signatures for Adams’ firing.

The University of Georgia is involved in a messy break with a private fund-raising foundation, and the fallout may affect the school’s official name. The “University of Georgia” trademark lapsed and the foundation applied for the rights to all things labeled “University of Georgia.” The foundation indicated that it did not apply for the trademark to take over the school or its name, just as a protective measure. The foundation raises funds for the University, covers some of the school’s costs, endows scholarships, and has an agreement to license UGA products.

And to make sure that things are as bad on the court as off, top recruit forward Robert Dozier, considered second best big man in the state of Georgia behind Dwight Howard, failed to meet NCAA requirements. Dozier, from Lithonia High School, averaged 16.9 points and 10.2 rebounds last season for the state Class 5A semifinalists. Dozier will attend a prep school in the fall, leaving Georgia with only 8 scholarship players.

Head coach Dennis Felton finally signed his contract. Felton has been working on a good-faith agreement for the past year. Felton recently signed a six-year contract that pays him $700,000 per year, retroactive to last season. Until now, he said, he has been too busy to sign a contract. In other news, Coach Dennis Felton brought Rhode Island’s Desmond Oliver on board as an assistant coach.

Kentucky

It was a fairly typical off season in the Tubby Smith era at UK. There was a player named to the pre-season Player of the Year list, and an inside player transferred. Reserve big man Bernard Cote (6-9) was the latest big man to transfer from UK when he left for Northwestern and forward/center Chuck Hayes was named to the pre-season Wooden award list. Forward Sheray Thomas prepared for his upcoming sophomore season by playing for the Canadian National Team in the Global Games.

The trials of junior guard Kalenna Azubuike continued, as his father is facing over 40 federal charges of wire, bank and bankruptcy fraud in Azubuike’s native Tulsa.

And it was bad news for former Wildcats, however. Former SEC Freshman of the Year Jason Parker entered the NBA Draft after three major knee surgeries. He was not selected. And former Kentucky recruit Michael Southall will be spending the next year in prison on violations of his drug arrest probation. Southall was arrested in the spring of 2000 and never enrolled at Kentucky, but was the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year for Louisiana-Lafayette, before being arrested a second time.

Tubby Smith’s son Saul, who played four seasons with the Wildcats, was named as an assistant at Tennessee Tech, where he originally was recruited. Saul had spent the past two seasons on the Wildcat coaching staff. Meanwhile, Tubby’s youngest, Brian, signed a letter of intent to play for Mississippi.

In separate news, Ravi Moss and his father had all charges against them dismissed on a disorderly conduct charge stemming from a disagreement with a security guard at a high school football game last fall. And Kentucky officials will consider a plan by a development company to build condominiums that will house wealthy Wildcat fanatics across the street from Rupp Arena. The proposed 15-story building would include retail stores, a sports restaurant and underground parking garage in addition to the condos, which would range from $145,000 efficiencies to $800,000 three-bedroom penthouses.

LSU

It was a very busy off season in Baton Rouge with all kinds of changes made to John Brady’s staff. Brady had two coaches leave the program, Michael Giorlando and Rickey Broussard, for administrative positions. Broussard moves into LSU’s athletic department staff while Giorlando became the athletic director and head basketball coach at Loyola University in New Orleans. To replace them, Brady tapped John Treloar from Indiana University and Nikita Johnson from New Orleans. Former director of basketball operations Larry Cordaro was hired as an assistant at Texas-Arlington

Additionally, Associate men’s basketball coach Butch Pierre was a front-runner for the head coaching vacancy at Louisiana-Lafayette, but withdrew from consideration in early May. Brady also received a $25,000 raise for this coming season, but he did not receive a contract extension to go with it. And Brady also discovered that former LSU player and 8-year NBA veteran Randy Livingston is not eligible to be a student assistant. Livingston, who is back in school to earn his degrees, had his 5-year window close in 1999 (he enrolled in 1994).

The biggest news, however, might have been freshman sensation Brandon Bass withdrawing from the NBA draft and returning for his sophomore season. Bass, the SEC Freshman of the Year, also had minor arthroscopic surgery on his knee in late September. He should be ready for the season.

His new teammate, LSU recruit Glen Davis, a 6-foot-8, 310 pound forward from University High School in Baton Rouge, has completed his coursework needed to meet NCAA standards for freshmen. Davis, recruited nationally for both basketball and football, averaged 26.3 points and 14.3 rebounds per game last season, leading his school to the Louisiana State Championship.

Mississippi

The Rebels made a few changes to their coaching staff to help them improve on last year’s record. After Wayne Brent resigned as an assistant, head coach Rod Barnes brought back former player Michael White from Jacksonville State and hired Tracy Dildy who had previous stops at Auburn and DePaul. Dildy, who recruited the nation’s top class in 2001 while at DePaul, will try to strengthen Ole Miss’ recruiting.

The Rebels also landed former Auburn center Dwayne Curtis, who transferred intra-conference to Oxford in May. The Chicago native played in 19 games with five starts and averaged 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per game

Mississippi State

The Bulldogs took their regular season conference title into the off season and pretty much stayed put. The only real news to report out of Starkville was that Lawrence Roberts was named to the Wooden award list, after withdrawing from the NBA draft. He is the only returning first team All-American and should be a favorite to win the National Player of the Year Award. The Bulldogs also agreed to play in the Wooden Award Classic on December 5th in Anaheim, where MSU will facing a field of Arizona, Boston College, and UCLA.

Head coach Rick Stansbury promoted Mark White to assistant coach and hired Marcus Grant as coordinator of basketball operations. White has been a member of Stansbury’s staff for three years, and Grant is a former Bulldog star who graduated in 1995. The moves must be approved by the school’s board of trustees before they become official. White takes over the position held by Sam Weaver, and Grant fills White’s former position.

South Carolina

Dave Odom’s Gamecocks spent the off season wanting to get better and if their two best returning players, Tre Kelley and Brandon Wallace do so, then the team should too. Both Kelly and Wallace spent their summer working on their game playing for the SCORE All-Stars in the Dominican Republic.

South Carolina announced that head coach Dave Odom has signed a two-year contract extension, which will keep him on the sidelines through the 2007-08 season. Odom, the SEC coach of the year this past season, receives a $10,000 raise, up to a base salary of $160,000. That of course does not include the “other” salary from radio and television shows, shoe endorsements, etc., which will also get a bump. Odom led the Gamecocks to a 23-11 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance, the school’s first since 1998. He has a 57-42 record at South Carolina, and is 335-216 overall in 18 seasons as a head coach, including stops at East Carolina, Virginia, and a 12-year span at Wake Forest, where he was national coach of the year in 1995.

In June, Two South Carolina basketball players have run afoul of the law. Senior Carlos Powell, who had a run-in last season with domestic violence charges, was pulled over for driving over the center line, and was subsequently arrested for driving with a suspended license. His license was suspended for excessive points, and he’ll be in court this Friday. Last week, guard Josh Gonner crashed his car in a single-vehicle accident, and ended up spending two nights in jail. Unlike Powell, Gonner’s license wasn’t suspended. In fact, he didn’t even have one. Head coach Dave Odom said that the athletes wouldn’t be punished further, as both were traffic violations, though easily avoidable.

Tennessee

Coach Buzz Peterson announced over the summer that Justin Albrecht is going to forgo his final season of eligibility and focus on his studies. Albrecht played two seasons for the Vols after transferring from Western Iowa Community College.

Peterson is also prepping his Vols for an appearance in the Maui Invitational, set for November 22nd at the 2,400-seat Lahaina Civic Center. In addition to the Vols, BYU, Chaminade, Iowa, Louisville, North Carolina, Stanford, and Texas will appear. Tennessee is the only school in the field that is a first-time participant, and will face Stanford in the first round.

Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt’s biggest off season loss was the graduation of “Mr. Everything” Matt Freije, but they picked up some help along the way. Derrick Byars announced that he will become a Commodore after leaving Virginia. He averaged 7.5 ppg and 3.4 rpg for the Cavaliers. Unfortunately, the roads aren’t all one-way inbound, as Vanderbilt lost junior guard Adam Payton, announced that he was transferring to William & Mary. Payton played in 29 games last season, averaging 2.2 points and 0.7 rebounds.

Additionally, head coach Kevin Stallings is now a hot commodity, as he was named as a potential replacement for ousted Ohio State head coach Jim O’Brien – interviewing twice – prior to the hiring of Xavier coach Thad Matta to the position. Vanderbilt was able to sign Stallings to a contract extension on September 12th.

West Coast Offseason News

West Coast Conference 2003-04 Season Recap

by Noah Godwin

Gonzaga became the first team since Pepperdine in 1992 to run the table in the West Coast Conference. The departures of Blake Stepp and Corey Violette have done little to get the Zag faithful down. Senior forward/center Ronnie Turiaf has continued his tradition of getting better every summer and is a candidate for the Wooden Award.

Do-it-all sophomore forward Adam Morrison spent his summer competing on the USA Young Men’s team with the likes of North Carolina’s Sean May and Indiana’s Bracey Wright. Morrison averaged eight points and two rebounds in 13 minutes a game. He shot sixty percent from the floor in helping Team USA win gold. Morrison said Kelvin Sampson’s grueling practices and love of two-a-days have him ready to fill a larger role for Head Coach Mark Few.

In San Francisco, exciting home games like Stanford and St. Joseph’s and the arrival of a new head coach in Jessie Evans have season tickets selling in numbers that promise crowds like the Dons haven’t seen since Bill Russell was roaming the paint. Evans joins San Francisco after seven seasons with Louisiana-Lafayette (132-81) and is coming off three consecutive twenty-win seasons. Evans spent nine years with Lute Olson at Arizona, including the 1997 national championship team.

The new coach got some welcome news this summer when the NCAA granted John Cox a sixth year of eligibility. Cox was an all-WCC performer in 02-03 before straining his MCL in the first game last season against Tennessee-Martin in the Guardian’s Classic. Cox averaged 19 points a game during his junior campaign.

Pepperdine was at the end of last season a team with a plethora of guards and limited big men. After the departure of starting freshmen point guard Shaun Davis and super-sub guard Terrance Johnson, the Waves now have more questions than answers in the backcourt. Davis never really gelled with the team and transferred to a junior college in San Diego. Johnson left the Waves for academic reasons after an exciting career with the Waves.

Pepperdine fans will not be able to quickly forget the early departure of one its team leaders. Johnson transferred to Cal-Baptist: Pepperdine hosts Cal-Baptist in a preseason game Nov. 9th.

One bright spot for the Waves this summer has been the play of freshman point guard Kingsley Costain for Canada’s under-20 team. Costain handled himself well on both ends of the court and wowed scouts with his ability to accelerate with the ball in transition. His Achilles’ heel, as with most young point guards, was too many turnovers. But that same scout pointed out that when you face Chris Paul, turnovers are going to happen.

Portland made big strides last season on the court to be more competitive in conference play. Then the Pilots became even more optimistic about the future when Oregon State big man Kevin Field decided to transfer to Portland. Field will sit out this season but will be a big (he’s 6-11, 275) part of the Pilots’ interior game in years to come.

Santa Clara returns one of the best backcourts in the conference in Kyle Bailey and Doron Perkins, both natives of Alaska. The Broncos had a long summer to think about how close they came to beating Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament. Turiaf’s tip-in basket and the subsequent Kyle Bailey miss allowed the Zags to survive the semifinal game 63-62.

The biggest news out of Santa Clara this summer was the sad yet appreciative induction of Pat Tillman into the Athletic Hall of Fame. Also joining Tillman in the hall this year was former Bronco star Kurt Rambis.

Loyola Marymount went 5-0 in its summer tour of Europe, but Damian Martin, still recovering from a broken wrist suffered last season, did not play in any of the five games. Martin was a WCC All-Freshman performer for the Lions last season.

The departure to Creighton by Brian Fish, the top assistant last season for Head Coach Brad Holland, created some shuffling in the coaching staff at San Diego. All of the other coaches and team managers received promotions to fill the vacated spots. The Toreros’ signing of Michael Shepherd, a 6-8, 225 power forward transferring from Odessa College in Texas bolstered a frontcourt already anchored by junior center Brice Vounang and junior forward Brandon Gay.

No news was good news this summer for St. Mary’s, a team returning all five starters from last season’s second-place team. Shooting guard Paul Marigney averaged over twenty points a game in conference play. E.J. Rowland takes pressure off of Marigney with solid point guard play, and Daniel Kicker provides the muscle up front for a team coaches picked to finish second in the conference. The Gaels received three first-place votes (the remaining five went to Gonzaga).

Noah Godwin is a Hoopville Staff writer living in California. This is his first article for Hoopville.

Pac-10 Offseason News

Pac-10 Conference 2004 Off-Season News Recap

by Scott Allen

Arizona State

Junior Ike Diogu, the Pac-10′s leading scorer last season, has been named a Top 50 Wooden Award candidate. The Garland, Texas native could be in the running for the award given to the “Most Outstanding Collegiate Basketball Player of the Year” after the list is whittled down to 30, then 10 and finally one on April 9, 2005. Diogu averaged 22.9 points per game last season and has scored in double digits in all 59 games of his college career. The two-time Honorable Mention All-America was also named to Playboy’s 10-man Preseason All-American team for the second consecutive year.

Arizona State hired former first-round NBA draft choice Brooks Thompson as an assistant coach. Thompson guided Yavapai College to a 55-14 record over the past two seasons, earning the former Oklahoma State star and NBA journeyman back-to-back NJCAA Region 1 Coach of the Year honors. Sun Devils head coach Rob Evans also promoted Tony Benford to Associate Head Coach.

Arizona

The Wildcats learned they might have to wait a little longer than expected for the arrival of Nigerian signee Charles Okwandu. The 7-foot-2 center was still taking high school classes in Lagos and was not expected to meet the Arizona August 23rd enrollment date for the start of classes. Wildcat officials are not worried about Okwandu’s academics, just the timing, as Nigerian school years run into the fall, delaying Okwandu’s expected arrival in Tucson. Once high school is completed, then Okwandu can be enrolled at Arizona. However, Okwandu must then go through the NCAA clearinghouse, and get a student visa from the U.S. State Department, plus obtain the exit visa from Nigeria. The best-case scenario is that Okwandu can start playing in time for the Winter semester in late December, but he may have to redshirt the season. Sophomore Kirk Walters might also redshirt the season.

Channing Frye was has been named a Top 50 Wooden Award candidate.

California

Reigning Pac-10 Freshman of the Year Leon Powe was named a Top 50 Wooden Award candidate. Powe averaged 15.1 points per game last season and his 9.5 rebounds per game led the conference. It will be awhile before Powe can back up his inclusion on the list on the court, as he underwent reconstructive knee surgery on September 8. Powe had an initial bone graft performed on April 21 and waited for the graft to heal before undergoing his most recent surgery.

Cal graduate George Nessman was named an assistant coach on Ben Braun’s staff after spending the past two season’s as head coach at Bakersfield College. Prior to his stint in Bakersfield, Nessman coached at Porterville College, where he was named California Community College Coach of the Year in 2000.

Los Angeles native Omar Wilkes transferred to Cal after playing last season at Kansas. Under NCAA rules, Wilkes will sit out the 2004-05 season but will have three years of eligibility remaining when he can begin suiting up in the 2005-06 season. Wilkes averaged 1.4 points and .9 rebounds per game last season and averaged only 3.5 minutes off the bench.

Former Cal standout Amit Tamir, who averaged 12.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a senior last season, signed a two-year contract to play with PAOK Thessaliniki in Greece. Undrafted, Tamir played in three games for the Orlando Magic summer league team.

Oregon

The Ducks signed 6-foot-6 shooting guard Malik Hairston, a McDonald’s High School All American. Hairston was also considering Kansas or jumping straight to the NBA after averaging 22 points per game as a senior at Renaissance High School in Detroit. Hairston is the prized jewel of head coach Ernie Kent’s sparkling incoming class that includes Marty Leunen, Chamberlain Oguchi, Bryce Taylor and JuCo transfer Kenny Love.

Consensus All-American Luke Jackson was taken with the 10th overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, becoming the highest drafted Duck since Greg Ballard went No. 4 to Washington in 1977. Jackson, who led the team in points (21.6), rebounding (7.3) and assists (4.5) last season, signed a three-year deal worth $6.37 million.

Former Louisville standout and first-round NBA draft choice Kenny Payne was named an assistant coach.

Oregon State

Aleksandar “Sas?” Cuic (chew-itch), a 6-foot-10 forward out of Rijeka, Croatia, is the newest member of the Beavers basketball team. Cuic averaged 14 points and 6.4 rebounds in 35 games for Rotterdam of the Eredivisie League during the 2003-2004 season. A scholarship opened up after senior forward Jim Hanchett joined the football team this fall. Hanchett will be considered a walkon when he rejoins the basketball team.

Stanford

Stanford’s interesting offseason began when Mike Montgomery announced his resignation as the men’s basketball head coach at Stanford after 18 seasons to become the new head coach of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. Montgomery is the winningest coach in Stanford history and his success with the Cardinal included 16 postseason appearances (12 NCAA, 4 NIT), four regular season Pac-10 titles, a 2004 Pac-10 Tournament crown and a record of 393-167 (.702).

Enter Trent Johnson. The 47-year-old Johnson, a Stanford assistant coach for three seasons from 1996-99, and head coach at Nevada for the past five campaigns (1999-2004), was named the 16th men’s basketball head coach in Stanford history.

Josh Childress was picked sixth overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2004 NBA draft and signed a three-year deal worth about $6.7 million.

Chris Hernandez was named a Top 50 Wooden Award candidate. Hernandez, a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, averaged 10 points per game while leading the Pac-10 in free throw percentage (.914) and three-point field goal percentage (.460) last season.

The renovation of storied Maples Pavilion that began at the conclusion of last season is moving ahead of schedule and will host its first game when the Pepperdine women’s team comes to Stanford on Dec. 10. The renovations include a four-sided scoreboard hung over center court, a 360-degree concourse and new seats.

UCLA

Junior center Ryan Hollins underwent arthroscopic right knee surgery in July to remove loose cartilage and anticipated a full recovery by the time practice begins on October 16. Hollins has started at center for the Bruins for the last two seasons.

Senior guard Ryan Walcott is transferring to Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. Walcott averaged 3.5 points and 1.8 assists per game in 80 career games with the Bruins. The 6-foot-1 guard and Phoenix native is eligible to play for the D-II Antelopes this season but said he will be a part-time student this year and play as a senior during the 2005-06 season. Walcott indicated that being close to home was the reason for his decision to transfer.

USC

Dwayne Shackleford, a JuCo All-American first teamer from Washington D.C., signed a letter of intent to play for USC. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound guard averaged 21.4 points for Allegany College in Cumberland, Md., as a sophomore in 2004, earning NJCAA Division I All-American and All-Maryland JUCO first team honors.

Highly touted recruit Nick Young, a 6-foot-6, 195-pound swingman, is headed to USC. Young averaged 27.2 points and 10.8 rebounds as a 2004 senior at Cleveland High in Reseda, Calif., earning 2004 CIF L.A. City Section, Los Angeles Times All-City and San Fernando Valley first team honors.

Washington

University of Washington junior Nate Robinson was named a Top 50 Wooden Award candidate.

Junior Anthony Washington is leaving the Washington men’s basketball team and will transfer to another school the team announced in September. The 6-foot-9, 245-pound center played 27 games last season, averaging 10 minutes per contest. He averaged 3.3 points and 2.1 rebounds.

Washington State

Tony Bennett was promoted to Associate Head Coach.

NEC Offseason News

Northeast Conference 2004 Offseason News Recap

by Matthew Lefebvre

Central Connecticut State Blue Devils

Newcomers:
Ingo Beaudet, C, Forestville, CA/Santa Rosa CC
Tristan Blackwood, G, Toronto, Canada/Eastern Commerce
Andre Brooks, F, Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills (Hagerstown CC)
Jason Hickenbottom, F, Philadelphia, PA/Simon Gratz
Jermaine Middleton, C, Inglewood, CA/South Kent (CT)

Off-Season News:
The Blue Devils had a busy summer, adding five new players to a roster which will be without the graduated 2003-04 NEC Player of the Year, Ron Robinson. The team’s all-time leading rebounder and All-American Honorable Mention has since gone on to sign a professional contract to play in Belgium. He is the last CCSU player to sign a professional contract since Corsley Edwards was drafted by the Sacramento Kings with the last pick in the 2002 NBA Draft.

Head Coach Howie Dickenman enters his ninth season on the CCSU, accumulating a 112-92 record.

Fairleigh Dickenson Knights

Newcomer:
Bernell Murray, G, Stillwater, OK/Stillwater

Off-Season News:
The Knights were the least active of all the NEC teams during the off-season, only landing one newcomer in Bernell Murray. He averaged 14 points, five and a half rebounds and three steals per game as a senior.

Head Coach Tom Green is entering his twenty-second season at the helm of the Knights, complying a 321-255 mark.

Long Island Blackbirds

Newcomers:
Kellen Allen, F, Mansfield, TX/Mansfield Summit
Albert Forbes, F, Bronx, NY/All Hallows
Randy Jones, G, West Palm Beach, FL/Notre Dame Prep (MA)
Paulius Morkeliunas, F, Roanoke, VA/Roanoke Catholic

Off-Season News:
LIU is moving forward with their youth movement. A year after the team sported a league high seven freshmen, the team has added five new faces to the locker room, making 12 of their 14 players either a freshman or sophomore. The Blackbirds are backing their next three seasons on this young core of players.

Head Coach Jim Ferry is entering his third season on the bench for the ‘Birds and has a 17-38 record during his tenure.

Monmouth Hawks

Newcomers:
John Bunch, C, Randallstown, MD/Lincoln University (Red-shirt 2004-05)
Chris Shovlin, G, Wilkes-Barre, PA/GAR Memorial
Brent Wilson, F, Chanute, KS/Dodge City CC

Off-Season News:

The Hawks took their show on the road over the summer. They crossed the pond for a five game trip to Spain where they planned a host of teams. Monmouth finished 1-4 on the trip, picking up their lone victory in the last game against Celso Miguez, 76-66. The Hawks had dropped the previous four games by scores of 86-58 (Puzuelo), 73-31 (CB Rayet Guadalajara), 74-60 (Basquet Muro) and 97-79 (Basquet Inca).

Head Coach Dave Calloway is beginning eighth season in West Long Beach, NJ. He has achieved a 95-94 record in seven seasons.

Mount Saint Mary’s Mountaineers

Newcomers:
Joseph Gates, F, Bayside, CA/Arcata
Jason Loughry, C, Odenton, MD/Archbishop Spalding
Markus Mitchel, F, Virginia Beach, VA/Salem
Chris Vann, G, Woodbridge, VA/Gar-Field

Off-Season News:
The Mount added to its bench this summer, but not just on the playing end where they signed four incoming freshmen. They also signed Tyrone Perry to be an assistant to Milan Brown and his staff. Perry, who had been an assistant coach at the University of Delaware for the last five seasons, will replace former assistant Kirk Saulny who left Mount St. Mary’s in order to pursue other business ventures.

Head Coach Milan Brown is entering his second campaign with the Mountaineers.

Quinnipiac Bobcats

Newcomers:
Gerry Corcoran, G/F, Norwell, MA/Worcester Academy
Da-Shawn Dwight, G, Bloomfield, NJ/Bloomfield Tech
Jason Holeyfield, F, Bridgeport, CT/Globe Institute
Kevin Jolley, F, Cheverly, MD/Hutchinson CC
John Winchester, F, Stamford, CT/ University of Tennessee (Red-shirt 2004-05)

Off-Season News:
The Bobcats added five players to its roster over the summer and none was bigger than prized transfer John Winchester who departed from the University of Tennessee. The new players will be welcomed with open arms as two of Quinnipiac’s big men from a year ago, Adam Tancredi (Cal-State Fullerton) and Jerry Fiefie (Manhattanville) both transferred. The team also will be without assistant coach Darren Savino this season who left to pursue other coaching positions.

Head Coach Joe DeSantis is entering his ninth campaign in Hamden, CT and has accumulated an 82-140 record for the ‘Cats thus far.

Robert Morris Colonials

Newcomers:
Cori Boston, G/F, Boston, MA/Charlestown (Northfield Prep)
Jakeel Gary, F, Linden, NJ/Coffeyville CC
A.J. Jackson, F, Monessen, PA/Monessen (East Tennessee St.; Red-shirt 2004-05)
Tony Lee, G, Boston, MA/Charlestown

Off-Season News:
The Colonials were busy in the off-season, upgrading their coaching staff significantly, with the signings of Jeff Boals (associate head coach at Charleston), Jason Dowling (assistant coach at Marymount University) and Jared Franz (assistant coach at Christian Brothers Academy in TN). They also signed four new players including East Tennessee State transfer A.J. Jackson who averaged 3.7 points and 2.4 rebounds per game playing behind the Southern Conference Player of the Year Zakeek Wadood.

Head Coach Mark Schmidt is in his fourth season at RMU and has a 36-50 overall record.

Sacred Heart Pioneers

Newcomers:
Brice Brooks, F, Silverside, WA/Central Kitsap
Ryan Howard, F, Bronx, NY/Holderness School
Eugene Pettway, F, Bridgeport, CT/Warren Harding
Drew Shubik, G, Stoystown, PA/North Star

Off-Season News:
The Pioneers added four players to a roster that did not lose a player to graduation a year ago. They will have two seniors on the team this year however. Scared Heart will not be receiving the services of former assistant head coach Kevin Vulin, who has departed from the program.

Dave Bike is back at Sacred Heart for his twenty seventh season, the longest tenure of any active head coach in the conference. He has tallied a 412-348 mark during his stint in Fairfield, CT.

St. Francis (NY) Terriers

Newcomers:
James St. Roberts, F, Copiague, NY/Copiague
Nicola Traykov, G/F, Sofia, Bulgaria/Lebanon (PA)
Jamaal Womack, G, Bronx, NY/Our Savior Lutheran

Off-Season News:
The Terriers added three players to their already deep roster over the summer while only losing one, Brian Franklyn, to graduation.

Head Coach Ron Ganulin just completed his thirteenth season for the Terriers and has compiled a 174-192 mark for St. Francis (NY).

St. Francis (PA) Red Flash

Newcomers:
Garrett Farha, G, Concordia, KS/Concordia (Cloud County CC)
Winston Robinson, F, Knoxville, TN/Bearden (Allegany CC)

Off-Season News:
The Red Flash upgraded both the coaching and playing ends of their bench over the summer months by adding John Pigatti and R.C. Kehoe to the staff. Pigatti comes from Kent State who posted a 22-9 record a year ago and received an invitation to the NIT. Kehoe had been an assistant coach the last two seasons at Shippensburg University.

Head Coach Bobby Jones is entering his sixth campaign with the reigns of the Red Flash in hand and has amassed a 52-86 career record at St. Francis (PA).

Wagner Seahawks

Newcomers:
Justin Drummond, F, Baltimore, MD/McDonogh
Joey Mundweiler, G, Olathe, KS/Olathe East
Mark Porter, G, Atlantic City, NJ/ St. Augustine Prep
Jason Rudakas, F, Jupiter, FL/St. Thomas More (CT)
Jamal Smith, G, Baltimore, MD/Towson Catholic
James Ulrich, F, Mt. Laurel, NJ/Camden Catholic

Off-Season News:
The Seahawks were arguably the busiest NEC team during the off-season, signing six players to letters of intent instantly making them one of the youngest and deepest teams in the NEC. These players will need to step in immediately to help fill the shoes of graduated Nigel Wyatte who was a formidable presence in the paint for the Seahawks in recent years. The team does return Sean Munson, how took part in an exhibition tour for the NIT All-Star team in China.

Head Coach Mike Deane will be entering his second season in Staten Island at the helm where he directed the Seahawks to a 13-16 mark in his first season.

Mid-Con Offseason News

Mid-Continent Conference Offseason News Update

by Paul Oren

“Everything changes, but everything stays the same.”

A quote which applied to the Mid-Continent Conference last season. Once the dust settled from three schools bringing in new head coaches and a new school joining the conference, Valparaiso continued to sit atop the Mid-Con mountain, winning the regular season championship and defeating IUPUI in the Mid-Con Tournament final to advance to the NCAA Tournament. The Crusaders have long been the dominant force in the Mid-Con, but have missed out on the NCAA Tournament in 2 of the last 4 seasons despite winning the regular season title. Is Valpo slipping? Or is the competition gap getting narrower? The 2004-2005 Mid-Con season should provide the answers.

For the first time since 1995-96, all of the head coaches return. Homer Drew (Valpo) has the most wins at 523 while Derek Thomas (Western Illinois) has the least with 3. Greg Kampe has coached at Oakland for 20 straight seasons as he is one of 7 Mid-Con coaches who have only had 1 head coaching job. Drew and UMKC’s Rich Zvosec are the only two coaches in the conference who have coached at another college, and it is perhaps Zvosec who has the toughest coaching job of all this season.

UMKC must replace All-Time Mid-Con Scorer Michael Watson and Oakland must do the same with 2nd All-time Mid-Con Scorer Mike Helms. Watson played with the Boston Celtics during the NBA summer leagues. Watson and Helms were only two of the top scorers in the Mid-Con last season. 4 of the nation’s Top 12 in scoring came from the Mid-Con (IUPUI’s Odell Bradley and Centenary’s Andrew Wisniewski were the other two), however all have graduated. Only Chicago State, Oral Roberts, and Valpo return their leading scorers from a year ago.

The off-season brought the addition of several players to teams and the return of a big one to Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles, who figure to be Valpo’s top competition, return senior point guard Luke Spencer-Gardner from a deep bone bruise in his knee. ORU also adds JUCO All-American Larry Owens who was one of the nation’s top scorers and rebounders at Yavapai (AZ) CC. Western Illinois adds the largest class with 8 newcomers including Troy Okeson, whose brother Todd grabbed national headlines last season for guiding Nevada to the Sweet 16. Valpo added some much needed depth with 6’9 forward Aris Williams and they hit the Chicago pipeline by landing Jarryd Loyd and Vincent Humphrey. Loyd was known as one of the quickest players in the Windy City and is close friends with current Crusader point guard Jimmie Miles.

Along with the graduation of some of the Mid-Con’s best players, came transfers, injuries, and suspensions. ORU lost Schulyer Thomas to a torn Achilles in a summer pickup game. Thomas was projected to have a big impact in the paint for the Golden Eagles. Valpo has health concerns with their big man, Kenny Harris, who went from 400 pounds last season to 310. Doctors discovered a herniated disc and Harris is going through rigorous rehabilitation, red-shirting is not out of the question. It would be a big hit to the Crusaders depth which was damaged when starting guard/forward Oumar Sylla transferred to Richmond. Sylla was thought of as the Crusaders best defender. Oakland may open the season with uncertainty following a pick up fight in which Rawle Marshall, the team leader, punched newcomer Kris Krzyminski and broke his nose. Marshall has been suspended indefinitely, a blow to a team that was in turmoil for all of last season. Oakland also lost contributor Shawn Hopes to a transfer.

The Mid-Continent Conference has been and will continue to be a one-bid NCAA Tournament conference and the only way to get that bid is to win the Mid-Con Tournament. This season the task gets easier for ORU as the tournament is being moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma. The past two seasons, the tournament has been held in Kansas City at the Municipal Auditorium, a “home court” advantage that never amounted to success for UMKC. However this season, the two favorites are ORU and Valpo, and Valpo has never won a game against ORU in Tulsa.

Mid Con coaches spent a lot of their off-season being very ambitious in their scheduling. UMKC opens their season with 6 of the first 7 games being against teams which made post-season tournaments last season. Overall the Mid-Con has 26 teams on their schedule that played in the NCAA or NIT tournaments last season. Some of the bigger regular season games include both Valpo and Oakland taking on Cincinnati and Illinois. Duke travels to the United Center in Chicago to play Valpo in what will be considered a home game for the Crusaders. UMKC plays at Mississippi State and Centenary plays at both Texas and Texas Tech.

The season figures to be exciting and with all of the scheduling done, the recruiting in the books, the off-season conditioning complete, it is time to put the ball in the air and get the season underway. Will Valpo hold on? Does ORU have enough to get over the hump? Will UMKC or IUPUI have enough firepower to reload their losses and move to the upper echelon?