D-I Independents 2008-09 Preview

by Phil Kasiecki

The landscape among Division I independents has been changing constantly, and that’s no different as the 2008-09 season approaches. With conference affiliation the easiest route to having an opportunity to reach the NCAA Tournament, independent schools have plenty of incentive to find a home. That’s not all, considering the scheduling difficulties they go through, especially when January and February roll around.

Part of that changing landscape continues to involve Division I newcomers, of which there are five this year. Joining the ranks are Houston Baptist, North Dakota, Seattle, SIU-Edwardsville and South Dakota.

But another part of that changing landscape involves conference affiliation, and while that comes into play often, this off-season saw it in a big way. On July 10, the Great West Conference announced that it will form a basketball conference beginning in the 2009-10 season. It welcomed Houston Baptist, NJIT, North Dakota, South Dakota, UT-Pan American and Utah Valley as initial basketball schools. On October 22, Chicago State joined those schools in accepting an invitation to the conference, beginning next season.

While the conference name will seem a misnomer with NJIT in it, it will give schools a shot at the NCAA Tournament one day – as early as 2020. In the meantime, it will have a long footprint, but that’s nothing new; the Big East stretches from Providence to as far south as Tampa and as far west as Milwaukee, Conference USA from Huntington, WV and Greenville, NC to El Paso, the Sun Belt from Miami to Denver, and the WAC from Louisiana to Hawaii.

Among schools that are no longer independent, Presbyterian is now a member of the Big South and Winston-Salem State has joined the MEAC.

Top Independent Players
John Cantrell, Sr. G, Chicago State
David Holston, Sr. G, Chicago State
Ryan Toolson, Sr. G, Utah Valley State
Gordon Watt, Sr. F, Houston Baptist
Kirk Williams, Sr. F, Longwood

Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners (8-21)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Terence Johns (13.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
So. G Donovan Bragg (7.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.4 apg)
Jr. G-F Trent Blakley (9.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg)
Jr. F Santwon Latunde (redshirt)
So. C Cory Brown (4.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Roadrunners have 12 home games on tap, headlined by visits from West Coast contenders Saint Mary’s and San Diego. They play Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge and Utah Valley home-and-home. Highlighting the road slate are the season opener at Wyoming, then a trip to Air Force, and a five-game road stretch in December includes a trip to Fresno State. Later, they travel to take on Oregon State, SMU and Stanford.
Outlook: With just two seniors – Johns and little-used forward Donald Lee – this is a team clearly building for the future. The Roadrunners are fine on the perimeter, with Johns, Blakley and Bragg starting and Alex Johnson likely being the first guard off the bench. Latunde’s return from a shoulder injury should boost a frontcourt that isn’t full of proven holdovers, as he averaged 10.6 points and 6.1 rebounds in nine games before the injury. Brown got thrown into the fire last year and gave workman-like efforts in battling an ankle injury for a lot of the season. Junior college transfer Jose Lara should boost the frontcourt and get immediate minutes.

Chicago State Cougars (11-17)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G David Holston (23.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 5.1 apg, 2.1 spg)
Sr. G John Cantrell (15.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.7 spg)
Sr. F Tawrence Walton (6.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
So. F Carl Montgomery (7.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg)
So. F Nemanja Stankovic (1.2 ppg, 1.2 rpg)
Schedule Highlights: 14 home games are on tap for the Cougars, highlighted by a five-game homestand to close out January. They play five opponents both at home and away, and they also host the Chicago Invitational Challenge in Hoffman Estates. Road games include trips to Marquette, Illinois and Kansas State, and they will also play in the UCF Holiday Classic.
Outlook: The Cougars had the highest RPI of an independent school last year despite their losing record. This year’s team is again highlighted by one of the best players no one knows about in Holston, who teams with Cantrell in a solid backcourt. The frontcourt isn’t loaded with experience or proven players, so that is an area of concern. Holston is capable of leading this team to some victories, and with the backcourt being where the experience is it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that this team could move a little closer to .500 this season.

Houston Baptist Huskies (13-15)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Baron Sauls (13.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.9 spg)
Sr. G Andrew Puzyk (12.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.1 spg)
Sr. G-F Andy Dillon (4.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg)
Sr. F Gordon Watt (16.4 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.2 spg)
Sr. F Emanuel Willis (11.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.8 bpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Huskies will play ten home games, including five against schools they will also play on the road, in a very challenging schedule. Highlighting the home slate are visits from Boise State and Sun Belt favorite Middle Tennessee, the latter of whom they also play on the road. Highlighting the away games are trips to Marquette, Villanova, South Alabama, Iowa State, Ohio State and Fresno State. The Huskies will also play three games in the SMU Tip-Off Classic, where they play the hosts and also get Illinois State, as well as three more in the Duel in the Desert to close out 2008.
Outlook: The Huskies’ roster has 11 seniors, and they will be introduced to Division I in a big way with a very difficult schedule. An all-senior starting lineup should be what they feature, and it’s a good group with Watt and Willis leading the frontcourt as both have spent time in Division I before landing in Houston. Sauls and Puzyk form the backcourt, with Dillon likely to split time on the wing with sophomore Fred Hinnenkamp, who showed promise last season. Demetrus Judge will also see minutes in the frontcourt among the seniors. Even with their frontcourt, the Huskies were out-rebounded last season, and they also turned the ball over more than 17 times per contest, so the Huskies may not be instant winners in their inaugural Division I campaign.

Longwood Lancers (9-22)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Ryan Bogan (11.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.4 spg)
Jr. G Kevin Swecker (8.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.0 apg)
Jr. G-F Dana Smith (redshirt)
Sr. F Kirk Williams (16.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.7 spg)
Jr. F-C Beno Jaekel (1.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Lancers will play 15 home games, including five against teams they will also play on the road. In an oddity, two of those opponents have the home and away games back-to-back, with Texas-Pan American and North Carolina Central. A visit from George Washington highlights the home slate for the Lancers, who will play West Virginia and Kentucky as the first two of four games in the Findlay Las Vegas Invitational. Road games of note are at Virginia Tech, Virginia and Florida.
Outlook: If he can stay healthy, Smith’s return strengthens a team that will probably play a lot of four-out, one-in offense with the perimeter players they have. Before his injury last season, he started all ten games and averaged 10.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Bogan is the top returning guard and may run the show more, with Swecker the most likely to move into the starting lineup full-time. Williams does a little of everything and is the team’s best player, and he’ll be counted on to shoulder a lot of the burden for this team. Cutting down on turnovers would help, as he gave the ball away 3.5 times per outing last year, far and away tops on the team. The Lancers have a lot of unproven bodies inside, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if they get out-rebounded again.

New Jersey Institute of Technology Highlanders (0-29)
Projected Starters:
So. G Tyler Epps (3.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.2 apg)
So. G Justin Garris (7.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.3 spg)
So. G Jheryl Wilson (7.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg)
So. F Paulius Skema (3.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
Jr. C Dan Stonkus (4.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.7 bpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Highlanders will play 14 home games in 2008-09, including a three-game stretch in February and seven against teams they will also play on the road. Early on, they will play in the Philly Classic, with road games against Penn State and Towson before two games in Philadelphia. Notable road games include St. John’s, Rutgers and America East contender Vermont.
Outlook: The Highlanders have nowhere to go but up, and new head coach Jim Engles knows it won’t happen right away. There’s not a lot of talent, although Garris and Wilson have potential and the latter had a good summer. The frontcourt has just two players who stand 6-8 or taller, making improvement on the post difficult. The biggest area for improvement is taking care of the ball, as the Highlanders had more than twice as many turnovers as assists last season. Don’t be surprised if some of the five freshmen get minutes right away and push the holdovers for minutes and starting spots.

North Carolina Central Eagles (4-26)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G J’Mell Walters (4.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.8 apg)
Sr. G Bryan Ayala (13.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.7 spg)
Sr. G Ashton Sauls (7.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg in 14 games)
Jr. F Tremain Holloway (3.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg)
Jr. F Lamar Pittman (junior college transfer)
Schedule Highlights: The Eagles will play ten home games, two coming in the BC Powder Classic that they host in mid-January. Five home games are against teams they also play on the road, including consecutive games against Longwood to close out February. Notable road games in a tough schedule are at Wake Forest, Kent State, Tulsa, Arkansas, Old Dominion, South Carolina, Michigan, Miami and North Carolina State. The Eagles also play in the South Padre Island Invitational and Drake Iowa Realty Invitational.
Outlook: The Eagles had a long season last year and may well be in for another one this season with their lack of size inside and a very difficult schedule. Ayala and Sauls headline the holdovers on the perimeter, while Walters is the other returning starter. Holloway started much of last season, but they need more from him. He could get pushed by junior college transfer Stevy Worak-Ozimo and freshman Nick Chasten. Pittman is a player they are high on, and he should start right away and anchor their inside game.

North Dakota Fighting Sioux (15-15)
Projected Starters:
Jr. G Travis Bledsoe (9.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.1 apg)
Sr. G Darius Joseph (5.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.6 apg)
Sr. F O.J. Harrison (6.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
So. F Derek Benter (4.2 ppg, 1.9 rpg)
Jr. C Ben Lehnertz (2.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.2 bpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Fighting Sioux will play 14 home games in their inaugural season in Division I, along with two more in the UND Independent Tournament that they host on March 7 and 8 with SIU-Edwardsville, Seattle and South Dakota. Highlighting the home slate are a three-game homestand in December and four straight in January. Highlights among road games are trips to Wichita State and Texas A&M, and they will also participate in a tournament at Wisconsin-Parkside as the lone Division I entry. They also play four schools home-and-home.
Outlook: The Fighting Sioux won’t have an easy first season in Division I, as is often the case. Their top two scorers from last season, one of whom also led in rebounding, have departed, but Bledsoe and Joseph are a good backcourt to begin with. Where the questions come in is up front, as there’s enough stability on the perimeter but less experience inside. Benter and Lehnertz should have the first chance to start there, with redshirt freshman Mike Mathison and true freshman Mitch Wilmer possibly seeing minutes as well.

Savannah State Tigers (13-18)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Raye Bailey (5.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.2 apg)
So. G Anthony Jones (8.5 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.2 spg)
Jr. G Patrick Hardy (4.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.0 spg)
Sr. F Chris Linton (8.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.1 spg)
So. F Rod Mitchell (3.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Tigers’ schedule features 16 home games, including four in a row to start and four in a row to finish the season. Three are against teams they also play on the road. Highlighting the road games are trips to Clemson, Michigan, Georgetown, Notre Dame, UAB and Oklahoma State.
Outlook: Bailey and Linton are the only seniors on a team with nine freshmen and sophomores, so youth will be served at times this season. Both are good starting points, and they’ll need players like Jones, who has shown some promise, to emerge this season. Last season’s team struggled to score and didn’t have a single double-digit scorer, something they would surely like to change this season. The lone junior college addition, Glen Izevbigie, is their tallest player at 6’10″ and should get a chance at minutes right away. Freshmen Mark St. Fort and Arnold Louis were high school teammates and could also see minutes right away.

Seattle University Redhawks (18-9)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Shaun Burl (6.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.4 spg)
Jr. G Chris Gweth (10.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.7 apg)
Jr. F Mike Boxley (6.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.4 apg)
Sr. F Michael Wright (9.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.4 spg)
Sr. F Leigh Swanson (7.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Redhawks will play nine home games, as well as one against Loyola Marymount at Key Arena. They open the season hosting their own tournament for two games, and they play three of their home opponents on the road as well. The Great Alaska Shootout is one of two in-season tournaments they will be in, as they also close the season in the North Dakota Tournament. Notable road games include trips to Fresno State, Oregon State, and two games in Puerto Rico in mid-January.
Outlook: The Redhawks return two full-time and three part-time starters from last season’s team, so there’s some experience to build on. Burl is a solid floor leader and Gweth can score, so they’re in reasonable shape on the perimeter. Wright anchors the frontcourt, where the Redhawks are small as their only player taller than 6’8″ is 6’11″ San Francisco transfer Jared Casey, who is sitting out this year. Last season, the Redhawks had good rebounding and turnover margins while shooting over 47 percent from the floor, so there’s reason for optimism in this transition season.

SIU-Edwardsville Cougars (17-11)
Projected Starters:
Jr. G Barry Wellington (junior college transfer)
Sr. G John Edmison (7.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.0 apg)
Jr. G Stephen Jones (3.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.7 apg)
Jr. F Denykco Bowles (junior college transfer)
So. C Nikola Bundalo (6.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
Schedule Highlights: Ten home games are on tap for the Cougars, who open the season in the Charleston Classic and play host College of Charleston in the opener. They play three teams at home and away, and end the season in the North Dakota Tournament. Notable road games are at Wisconsin, Sun Belt favorite Middle Tennessee State, Missouri and Iowa State.
Outlook: It won’t be an easy transition for the Cougars, who have just one senior and six freshmen, and four junior college transfers run the number of newcomers into double digits. Wellington could run the show from the start, with Edmison and Jones the likely other perimeter starters. Bundalo could be pushed by seven-foot freshman Terrance Williams, a local boy who needs to add weight to his 210-pound frame. Only three players stand taller than 6’6″, so there’s not much depth up front. As such, it won’t be a surprise if the Cougars are out-rebound by more than the three per game from last season. If they can keep their positive turnover margin from last season, it would certainly help.

South Dakota Coyotes (22-7)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Jesse Becker (10.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 2.2 apg)
Sr. G Mitch Begeman (7.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.4 apg)
Sr. G-F Dylan Grimsley (14.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.1 spg)
Jr. F Tyler Cain (9.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 2.5 apg, 4.1 bpg, 1.5 spg)
Sr. C Steve Smith (9.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.2 apg)
Schedule Highlights: 15 home games dot the inaugural Division I slate, three of whom they play on the road as well. They open the season at Ivy League favorite Cornell, then head to Cincinnati. Later, they head to Notre Dame. The Coyotes will also play in three in-season tournaments: the Minnesota State Tip-Off Classic, West Texas A&M Tournament, and the Independent Tournament at North Dakota to close the season.
Outlook: The Coyotes bring an experienced bunch into Division I with five seniors, two juniors and just three freshmen. They also don’t lack size or effectiveness in the frontcourt with Cain’s rebounding and shot-blocking along with Smith’s size. Grimsley does a little of everything, and Becker and Begeman give them an experienced and effective backcourt. Less than half of the schedule is against non-Division I schools, so the Coyotes could put together a nice record when it’s all said and done.

Texas-Pan American Broncs (18-13)
Projected Starters:
So. G P.J. Turner (junior college transfer)
So. G Nick Weiermiller (2.4 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 1.2 apg)
So. G Jason Jensen (junior college transfer)
Jr. F Nathan Hawkins (10.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
Sr. F Emmanuel Jones (9.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Broncs have ten home games in 2008-09, including six in a seven-game stretch in February. Five are against teams they play on the road as well, including back-to-back games against Longwood in February. The Broncs will play in four in-season tournaments: Air Force Tournament, Las Vegas Tournament, Drake Iowa Realty Invitational, and one at Southern Miss. Road games of note include trips to UNLV, California, Air Force (separate from the tournament), UTEP and Auburn.
Outlook: The Broncs will play a difficult schedule in a year where they return just one starter from last season’s 18-13 team that earned Tom Schuberth the Independent Coach of the Year award. In particular, the Broncs will be inexperienced on the perimeter, where at least two newcomers will start and Weiermiller is the best holdover and play limited minutes last year. Hawkins and Jones form a frontcourt that has some experience, and junior college transfer Luis Valera should get some minutes as well.

Utah Valley State Wolverines (15-14)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Ryan Toolson (23.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.9 apg)
Sr. G Josh Olsen (7.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.5 spg)
Jr. G Jordan Swarbrick (3.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
Jr. F Jourdain Scoubes (junior college transfer)
Sr. C Brett Ravenberg (1.6 ppg, 1.7 rpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Wolverines will play 16 home games, including seven of their first ten on the season. They will play seven opponents both at home and away, and head to Bozeman, Montana for the 6th Man Club Tournament against Montana State and either Texas-Pan American or Norfolk State.
Outlook: The Wolverines’ final season as a provisional Division I school is one where they will seek to keep alive a streak of winning seasons, as they have not once finished below .500 as a Division I school. The senior backcourt of Toolson and Olsen anchor the team, with Toolson already being the school’s all-time leading scorer. There’s more depth in the backcourt than up front, where there also is little in the way of proven bodies. With a manageable schedule featuring a majority of games at home, another good year may be in store for the Wolverines.

D-I Independents 2007-08 Preview

by Phil Kasiecki

Schools with no conference affiliation don’t have it easy. Their schedules typically include a number of road games, while they don’t have a real vehicle to get to the NCAA Tournament. Indeed, just getting to the NIT is rare without a conference, although Oral Roberts pulled it off a decade ago. Utah Valley State went 22-7 last season and didn’t play a postseason game.

A common thread in recent years among independents is new Division I schools, and that remains for now. Three schools are new to Division I this year, while New Jersey Institute of Technology just joined last season. Three more are expected to join next season, while one newcomer this time around, Presbyterian College, will leave for the Big South.

Only one independent school has a new head coach, as Chicago State fired Kevin Jones and hired former Tulane assistant Benjy Taylor to run the show. The program left the Mid-Continent Conference (now the Summit League) two years ago.

Top Independent Players
Kirk Williams, Jr. F, Longwood
Brian Burrell, Sr. G, Texas-Pan American
David Holston, Jr. G, Chicago State
Paul Stoll, Sr. G, Texas-Pan American
Ryan Toolson, Jr. G, Utah Valley State

Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners (15-14)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Zack Grasmick (6.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.9 apg)
Jr. G Terrence Johns (junior college transfer)
So. G-F Trent Blakley (6.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg)
Sr. F Rick Robinson (5.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg)
Sr. F Demarcus Hall (3.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg)
Schedule Highlights: 14 home games are on tap for the Roadrunners, including two four-game homestands. They play home-and-home with Cal State Fullerton, Weber State, San Jose State, Utah Valley State, Long Beach State and Texas-Pan American. They play Fresno State, Oregon State and Utah State at home and Big West contender Cal Poly and Wyoming on the road.
Outlook: The Roadrunners have a long winning tradition in Division II and will try to carry that over into the Division I ranks. Their inaugural season is one where they bring back just one full-time starter, though Blakley, Robinson and Hall each started at least four games last season. Grasmick looks to be the likely point guard after starting 25 games last season, though not at the point, and Johns is his most likely partner, with Blakley and junior college transfer Ryan Brown likely to split time on the wing. Hall and Robinson have experience in the frontcourt, but don’t be surprised if junior college transfers Santwon Latunde and Donald Lee get a lot of minutes right away or even start. They also have more size with redshirt freshman Cory Brown, who needs to get stronger.

Chicago State Cougars (9-20)
Projected Starters:
Jr. G David Holston (15.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.5 spg)
Jr. G John Cantrell (12.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.4 apg, 2.0 spg)
Sr. G Kevin Jones, Jr. (4.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.8 apg)
Jr. F Tawrence Walton (junior college transfer)
Sr. C Chidozie Chukwumah (3.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.2 bpg)
Schedule Highlights: Ten home games are on tap, highlighted by a five-game stretch in January that includes a game against Northwestern. The Cougars will be in the College Basketball Experience at Michigan State, the Drake Regency Classic in Iowa and the Lou Henson Classic at New Mexico State. They play home-and-homes with Cal State Northridge, Binghamton, Summit League favorite IUPUI, Utah Valley State, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Texas-Pan American (whom they play in consecutive games). Road highlights include Illinois State, MAC contender Miami (Ohio), Indiana and Alabama.
Outlook: Benjy Taylor is the latest to try his hand with this program, one that has had a lot of struggles over the years, and this season doesn’t look to be any different. Chukwumah and Jones, Jr. (the son of the former head coach) are the only seniors on the roster, and they’ll need newcomers to play right away and especially up front. Holston and Cantrell are a good backcourt to start with, and there is some size among the newcomers like freshmen Carl Montgomery, Hajj Martin, Pawel Kielbasa and Nemanja Stankovic, all of whom stand at least 6’7″ and the latter two each at 6’10″.

Longwood Lancers (9-22)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Brandon Giles (5.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.5 apg)
So. G Kevin Swecker (4.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg)
Jr. G-F Dana Smith (redshirt)
Sr. F Lamar Barrett (5.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.8 apg)
Jr. F Kirk Williams (10.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.1 apg)
Schedule Highlights: The Lancers will play 12 home games, including three straight to start the season and highlighted by a visit from Ivy League favorite Yale. They play home-and-homes with Navy, Liberty, High Point, Stetson, Campbell, Savannah State and New Jersey Institute of Technology. They will play in the Chicago Invitational Challenge at Indiana and Kent State, and road games of note include trips to Virginia, George Washington, Boston College and Hofstra.
Outlook: The Lancers lose their top two scorers, including do-everything wing Maurice Sumter, and will have to be more balanced. Giles is a capable floor leader and will have to score more, while Smith started out well in the first three games before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Junior college transfer Ryan Bogan looks like the best of the newcomers on the perimeter. Williams and Barrett are an effective frontcourt, one without a lot of proven depth or size. Freshman Jeff Ryan could get some minutes right away, as could Brandon Evans.

New Jersey Institute of Technology Highlanders (5-24)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Kraig Peters (11.0 pg, 3.6 rpg, 1.3 apg)
Sr. G Courcy Magnus (2.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1.0 apg)
Jr. F Kyle Edwards (redshirt)
Jr. F Nesho Milosevic (8.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg)
So. C Dan Stonkus (5.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.4 bpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Highlanders will play 12 home games, four of them off-campus at the Prudential Center in Newark. Highlighting the home games are America East contender Vermont, Rutgers, Ivy League contenders Columbia and Cornell, and MAAC contender Loyola (Md.). They will play home-and-homes with Chicago State, Texas-Pan American, Longwood and Utah Valley State. They also play in the NIT Season Tip-Off at Washington and the UCF Holiday Classic, and also hit the road to play at Fordham and Ivy League contender Penn.
Outlook: The second Division I season for the Highlanders figures to include more growing pains, as they have just three seniors on the roster and lost their top scorer from last season. Peters is a good starting point on the perimeter, but after him there are questions as Magnus will be pressed into a larger role and the point guard spot is up for grabs among newcomers like freshmen Brendan Lyn and Tyler Epps. The frontcourt won’t have the same questions, as Edwards returns from an injury and Milosevic and Stonkus should hold down the fort inside for the next couple of seasons.

North Carolina Central Eagles (13-15 in Division II)
Projected Starters:
Jr. G J’Mell Walters (redshirt)
Jr. G Bryan Ayala (9.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.5 apg, 2.2 spg)
So. F Joshua Worthy (2.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg)
Fr. F Calvin Wright
Fr. F Marius Vaskys
Schedule Highlights: Seven home games are on tap, including the RTP Hilton Classic that they host in late December and half of a home-and-home with Coppin State and Utah Valley State. They will travel for another tournament, the Drake Tournament on November 30 and December 1. The road slate is murderous: Duke, Rutgers, Florida, North Dakota State and Wake Forest just before they come home, then they later go to Davidson, MAC contender Akron, Sun Belt favorite Western Kentucky, Creighton, Nebraska, MAC favorite Western Michigan and North Carolina State.
Outlook: The first season in Division I figures to be a long one for the Eagles, as they play a brutal schedule and have just one senior on the roster and one starter returning. Ayala is the best returning player, though Walters played well in two games before being forced to redshirt. Vaskys is thought to be the best of the newcomers, and he along with the other four newcomers should have plenty of opportunities right away.

Presbyterian College Blue Hose (20-9 in NCAA Division II)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Ryan Lamb (2.3 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 1.8 apg)
Sr. G Pat Kiscaden (6.7 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 1.0 apg)
Jr. F Travis Sligh (4.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg)
Jr. F Bryan Bostic (9.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.8 apg)
Sr. C Martynas Versinskas (7.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Blue Hose won’t play a full Big South schedule this year, but will play five games against Big South opponents, only one of which (Radford) is at home and is part of a home-and-home. All told, they play five home games, three of which come against non-Division I opponents. The rest of the schedule is simply brutal. Early on, they play in the BTI Invitational at New Mexico. Highlights on the schedule are road games at Nebraska, Clemson, UCF, Ohio State, Fresno State, Georgia, Wake Forest, North Carolina State, Georgia Tech, Winthrop, Auburn, Mississippi and Tulsa.
Outlook: The Blue Hose make their Division I debut this season fresh off a nice season last year. They lost five seniors from that team, one of whom is now on the bench as an assistant, but still have some experience. Bostic and Versinskas look to be the top players, while Kiscaden and Lamb will now be pressed into starting roles in the backcourt. This season will establish a base for the team going forward, and it will be quite a challenge with just five home games and a slew of very difficult road games.

Savannah State Tigers (12-18)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Joseph Flegler (10.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.4 spg)
So. G Patrick Hardy (5.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.3 spg)
Jr. F Chris Linton (4.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
Sr. F-C Bjorn Bohley (2.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg)
Sr. F-C Lazarius Coleman (5.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Tigers have ten home games scheduled, including three in a row in late November. They play home-and-homes with Jacksonville, North Florida, High Point, Stetson and Longwood. Early on, they play in the American Youth Classic, which includes three games at Wisconsin that include the host and Colorado. Other road games of note are at Creighton, Northwestern, Nebraska, Marquette, Maryland and Kansas State.
Outlook: The Tigers lose their top two scorers, one of whom also led in rebounding, so they’ll look to be more balanced with a team that has nine juniors and seniors. Flegler is the go-to guy and the point guard, and he’ll need to cut down on turnovers after having more of those than assists last season. Hardy will get a chance to develop off the ball, with classmate Jovonni Shuler right there to back him up and junior college transfer Joel Davila in the mix as well. The frontcourt has veterans who all need to get better for this team to win games, especially against the brutal schedule they play. Most concerning of all, only senior Alvin Edwards had more assists than turnovers last season and the Tigers gave the ball away 19 times per outing.

Texas-Pan American Broncs (14-15)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Paul Stoll (7.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 5.3 apg, 1.9 spg)
Sr. G Dexter Shankle (7.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.2 apg)
Sr. G Brian Burrell (15.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.4 spg)
Sr. F Julius Allgood (4.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
Sr. F Zach Trader (7.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.1 apg)
Schedule Highlights: The Broncs are in five in-season tournaments, starting with the Missouri State Tournament in November, followed by one at Montana State two weeks later, Drake a week after that, the Las Vegas Tournament (starting at Alabama) and the UCF Holiday Classic at the end of 2007. In between them, they will play ten home games, including half of a home-and-home with Texas State, Western Illinois, Chicago State, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Cal State Bakersfield. Other road games of note are at Tulsa, Missouri State (outside of the tournament, as they might not face the Bears in it) and Northwestern.
Outlook: Last season was a good step forward in Tom Schuberth’s first year at the helm, as the Broncs were close to .500 and were over .500 halfway through February before losing four of their last five. This season, they have seven seniors and should start an all-senior lineup. Stoll is a solid floor leader and Burrell is their go-to guy, and he is also their leading returning rebounder after finishing second on the team in that category last season. Sophomore Adinson Mosquera should get good minutes in the frontcourt, giving them some size, while Trader’s younger brother Jacob could get into the mix after redshirting last season. Some improvement defensively could push them over .500, as last season they allowed opponents to shoot over 46 percent from the field. Schuberth looks to have this team heading in the right direction.

Utah Valley State Wolverines (22-7)
Projected Starters:
Jr. G Josh Olsen (3.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 2.1 apg)
Jr. G Ryan Toolson (15.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.8 apg)
Sr. F Richard Troyer (7.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
Sr. F Jordan Brady (6.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.2 spg)
Sr. C Joe Walker III (5.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.1 bpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Wolverines have 12 home games on tap, highlighted by Boise State and San Francisco, both of whom they also play on the road. They also play home-and-homes with Arkansas State, Troy, Cal State Northridge, Chicago State, Cal State Bakersfield, North Carolina Central and New Jersey Institute of Technology. Noteworthy road games are at Marquette, Big West favorite UC Santa Barbara and Southland favorite Lamar, and they will participate in the Gossner Foods Classic at Utah State, opening with the host Aggies.
Outlook: Four starters are gone from last season’s team, but a couple of key reserves return, including Toolson as he came off the bench to lead the team in scoring. Olsen will need to take over the point, while Troyer and Walker look ready to be productive as starters after coming off the bench last season and Brady should anchor the frontcourt. It’s unlikely that the Wolverines will repeat last season’s 22 wins, but they have good class balance and enough experience returning to expect that they can at least top the .500 mark again.

D-I Independents 2003-04 Season Recap

by Zach Van Hart

Well, it’s hard to recap a conference that isn’t a conference. The independents of NCAA men’s college basketball are, as expected, small teams throughout the nation, trying to compete against themselves and other interested teams in the country. Some found a great deal of success during 2003-04, while others struggled on the court and with injuries.

Utah Valley State, playing its first season in Division I, turned out to be the cream of the crop. They only lost one game during the 2004 calendar year and set themselves up for big things in the future. The two Texas teams were very competitive, winning fifteen and fourteen games respectively and reminding many Div. I teams why you don’t mess with Texas.

Northern Colorado was severely stricken with the injury bug, while IUPU-Ft. Wayne and Savannah State simply didn’t have the talent to compete with many of their opponents. In the end, it was a roller coaster ride for the independents of NCAA basketball in 2003-04.

Hardware (Selected by men’s Independent head coaches)

First Team
Brian Evans, Texas A&M Corpus Christi
Ronnie Price, Utah Valley State
Sergio Sanchez, Texas-Pan American
David Simon, IPFW
Corey Lamkin, Texas A&M Corpus Christi

Second Team
Chris Fagan, Texas-Pan American
Travis Bailey, Texas A&M Corpus Christi
Allen Holcomb, Texas-Pan American
Thomas Bailey, Texas A&M Corpus Christi
Vincent Jackson, Northern Colorado

MVP – Evans

Defensive Player of the Year – Bailey

Newcomer of the Year – Fagan

Coach of the Year - Bob Hoffman, Texas-Pan American

Team by team

IUPU – Ft. Wayne Mastodons (3-25)

In early December, the season was filled with promise for the Mastodons. They knocked off Bowling Green and a tough Morehead State in back-to-back games. But they would only win one more game all season and finish a very disappointing 3-25. Along the way the Mastodons dropped several close games, including a 67-66 loss to Kent State when the Golden Flashes hit a 40-footer at the buzzer, as well as losing guard Terry Collins midway through the season for conduct detrimental to the team.

MVP – David Simon

Top scorer – Simon (18.0)
Top rebounder – Simon (9.8)
Top assists – Byron Malone (2.1)

Starters leaving – Keion Henderson (graduating), Jim Kennenich (graduating)

News – Simon entered the NBA draft but withdrew when he tore his ACL. Indications are he will return to the Mastodons, although when he’ll be healthy to play is unknown.

Next season – If Simon is at 100 percent, the Mastodons will only improve. It was Simon’s first season of college basketball and his likely only scratching the surface of his ability.

Northern Colorado Bears (6-22)

The Bears’ first season in Division I was doomed early, as four of the team’s starters were lost to season-ending injuries during the first six games. Eventually, two team managers were added to the roster just so the team could finish the season. Despite all of the injuries, the team performed well and benefited from all the experience its younger players gained.

MVP – Erik Olson

Top scorer – Vincent Jackson (13.6)
Top rebounder – Olsen (7.1)
Top assists – Jackson (3.1)

Starters leaving – none

News – UNC added former University of Colorado standout Shaun Vandiver and Barton County Community College assistant Brian Hancock as assistant coaches.

Next season – With the return off all its injured players and a year of Division I play notched in its belt, Northern Colorado should improve by leaps and bounds this coming season.

Savannah State Tigers (5-23)

The Tigers were not meant for the road. They managed one road win all season and played a 38-day stretch (Dec. 22 – Jan. 29) with no home games. Factor in how young this teams was (only one senior played more than twelve minutes per game) and there’s no wonder Savannah State struggled like it did. The one bright spot of the season came in mid-February, when the team reeled off three straight wins.

MVP – Jamal Daniels

Top scorer – Daniels (12.1)
Top rebounder – Sherard Reddick (6.3)
Top assists – Josh Barker (2.5)

Starters leaving – none

Next season – Practically everyone returns. One would think this team has to improve on last year. Their experience should at least keep them in games, instead of the many blowouts they were involved in.

Texas A&M – Corpus Christi Islanders (15-11)

The Islanders matched their win total from the previous season, while picking up some big wins along the way. Highlights of the season included wins against Texas Tech and Murray State. The trouble came on the road, where they only went 5-8.

MVP – Brian Evans

Top scorer – Travis Bailey (14.2)
Top rebounder – Corey Lamkin (8.6)
Top assists – Evans (4.6)

Starters leaving – Jamal Holden (graduating)

Next season – With a majority of the team returning for 2004-05, the Islanders should eclipse their fifteen wins from each of the previous two seasons.

Texas – Pan American Broncs (14-14)

It was a tale of two seasons for the Broncs. After starting the year 5-13, including losing ten of twelve, Texas – Pan American won nine of its final ten games. The Broncs showed its ability to play slow, low-scoring ball (beating Air Force, 37-35, on Feb. 16) and the ability to score in bunches (beating Central Baptist, 111-62, three days later). The win against Air Force was also the team’s biggest win of the season.

MVP – Sergio Sanchez

Top scorer – Sanchez (12.9)
Top rebounder – Allen Holcomb (6.6)
Top assists – Sanchez (4.1)

Starters leaving – Holcomb (graduating), Andrius Sakalys (graduating)

Next season – Sanchez stepped up big down the stretch, but so did Sakalys, who will be missed. Chris Fagan, who was the Independent’s Newcomer of the Year, will need to step up his play for the Broncs to stay hot going into next year.

News – Head coach Bob Hoffmann resigned in May to become an assistant at Oklahoma. He was replaced by assistant Robert Davenport.

UC-Davis Aggies (18-9)

The Aggies’ strong attack occasionally got itself into a funk during the season, with a three-game losing streak in December and losing 3 of 4 at the end of February accounting for two-thirds of UC-Davis’ losses on the season. However, Gary Stewart’s Aggies had a 12-1 record in-between funks, which is more indicative of the team’s strength heading into a mostly D-I schedule this season. Take away two two-point losses to Cal Poly Pomona and the Big West Conference would be talking up a 20-win new member. Stewart found some key contributors in big man Ryan Moore, who overcame a season-ending injury early in the 2002-03 season to lead the squad in points and rebounding, and Los Angeles guard Fowzi Abdelsamad, who was second to Moore in most offensive categories, and is the team’s leading three-point shooter.

MVP: Ryan Moore

Top Scorer: Ryan Moore, 16.3 ppg
Top Rebounder: Moore, 5.5 rpg
Top Assists: Gus Argenal 2.7 apg

Starters Leaving – Gus Argenal

Next Season – The Aggies return four starters (Moore, Abdelsamad, Robert Ehsan, and Thomas Juillerat) and several additional key contributors including Fresno State transfer Phil Rasmussen and Mesa (AZ) CC transfer JaQay Carlyle. While experienced, the Aggies are small for a D-I program (their tallest player is 6-7), and may run into matchup problems in playing a mostly Big West schedule – a schedule that includes NCAA Tournament teams Stanford, St. Joseph’s, Nevada, and University of the Pacific.

Utah Valley State Wolverines (23-5)

Talk about an entrance. Playing their first season of Division I basketball, the Wolverines dominated with a 23-5 record, including winning 22 of their final 23 games. Ronnie Price became a star, averaging more than 20 points per game. Utah Valley State will definitely enter next season with momentum.

MVP – Ronnie Price

Top scorer – Price (20.2)
Top rebounder – Jon Bell (8.4)
Top assists – Price (3.1)

Starters leaving – Ryan Toolson (graduating), Pierre Thomas (graduating), Brett Ravenberg (graduating)

Next season – Did we mention that this first season was a success? So much that the program is stepping it up for 2004-05. Opponents on the schedule include Boise State, Weber State and Nebraska. It should be a harder second year for the Wolverines.

Look ahead to 2004-05

The Division I Independents were all over the place last season, and this year could likely be more of the same. Look for Northern Colorado to move up a bit, while Utah Valley State and UC-Davis may come back to earth a bit as their schedules become tougher. Savannah State and IUPU – Ft. Wayne will struggle for wins, while the two Texas teams should again play .500 ball.

D-1 Independents Notebook

by Matthew Moll

With no automatic bids for Independents and at large bids needing a high profile rep these schools will play for next year hoping to sign onto a conference or push for a better regular season.

IPFW (4-23)

Building a tough schedule in hopes of being asked into a mid-major conference may have all but back fired for the Mastodons who will finish their season against Mid-Con powers Valparaiso and IUPUI. An early season visit by Dick Vitale gave the school some national pub as he touted the school as “not afraid to play anyone.” It looks as though the Mastodons were not afraid to lose to anyone either dropping all their games against teams in two conferences that they hoped to join the Mid-Con and the Horizon League. Next years team will be led by center David Simon who was named to the CoSIDA District Academic All-American Team and scored 33 points in their most recent loss to Oakland.

Northern Colorado Bears (6-20)

In their first season playing a mixed DI-DII schedule Northern Colorado played 10 games against DI schools including fellow Independents Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and three games against Utah Valley State. The failed to win any of these games but did shows signs in most. The Bears closest Division I contest was a six point loss to Texas State in early December. Sophomore Vincent Jackson scored 17 points for UNC in the 76-70 loss. Northern was also featured on ESPN on Jan 12 against Iowa State. The Bears opened the game with a 23-10 advantage before the Cyclones stormed back and never looked back. Junior Michael Frazier scored a game high 25 points.

Northern Colorado will finish their season in the National Provisional Tournament in Ft. Meyers, Florida.

Savannah State Tigers (4-24)

The Tigers disappointing season came to a close on Wednesday when they lost to TA&M-CC. Prior to losing their last two games of the season Savannah State went on their only winning steak of the season pulling out three straight.

Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders (15-10)

According to collegerpi.com the Islanders have an RPI rating of 167 and will need to stay on their winning ways to have any consideration for the NIT. Last week Murray State defeated CC 73-53 snapping a four-game winning streak. Senior Brian Evans scored 12 points to lead the Islanders. TA&M-CC reverted back to their winning ways over fellow Independent Savannah State. The 82-69 win was a record breaker for the Islanders, breaking their record of wins in a season and road wins in a season. Evans again led the team in scoring with 19 points.

Up Next: The Islanders look to end their regular season with a win on Saturday over the previously mentioned Broncos. Key wins over Top 100 Northern Colorado and Murray State are on their brag sheet, but my not be enough to get into the field of 32.

Texas-Pan American Broncos (13-13)

The Broncos are winners of their last eight games, including a win over Top 50 Air Force. Last week’s 37-35 win over the Air Force Falcons came courtesy of 30 percent shooting by the fly boys. Senior Allen Holcomb scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Broncos. UTPA went on to finish their home regular season schedule with a convincing 111-62 win over Central Baptist. This was the second straight game UTPA held their opponents to less than 40 percent shooting from the field. Ray Castillo led the team in scoring with 23 followed by junior Sergio Sanchez with 17.

Up Next: With a .500 record the need to win their last two games to be eligible for post-season play. According to collegerpi.com the Broncos RPI sits at 226, UTPA will need wins over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Arkansas State in hopes of climbing in the polls and sneaking into the NIT. Although unlikely, losses by upper level teams could make the Broncos a part of the field of 32.

UC Davis Aggies (17-8)

This season the Aggies for the first time played against the ranks of Division I Independents. UC Davis elected to play a Division I-Division II mixed schedule. UC’s season was highlighted by a seven game winning streak from Jan. 30 through Feb. 14. The Aggies were defeated in two attempts against Division I schools. UC was led by freshman Rommel Marentez who put up 21 points in the 84-62 loss to Nevada. UC Davis fell to San Francisco State on Jan. 24 to a tune of 68-59. Ryan Moore led the Aggies with 16 points and eight rebounds. UC Davis will end their season against two teams from the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Friday March 5 Davis will travel to Cal St. Bakersfield and Saturday March 6 the Ag’s will finish off their season against Cal St. Stanislaus.

Utah Valley State College Wolverines (21-5)

The Wolves are currently on a six game winning streak as they prepare for the National Provisional Post-Season Tournament. UVSC lost all of their games against DI schools other than a fellow Independent who they defeated twice. The Wolverines were unable to come within 10 points of any of their three Division I opponents, which included Boise State, BYU, and Cleveland State. The closest game was a 68-80 loss to Boise State on November, 24 2003. Utah Valley State held Team Potato to just 33 percent shooting in the first half and even had a one-point halftime lead, but the Wolves four-minute field goal drought was the difference in the game. UVSC was led by Jon Bell who had 23 points.

The Wolverines will play in the National Provisional Post-Season Tournament, which will be held March 4-5.

D-1 Independents Preview

by Brian Hassler

It isn’t easy being an Independent.

Playing without membership in a conference, and without any big-name recognition, the seven D-1 Independents have managed to piece together solid schedules.

Add to that the diamonds in the rough that many of the coaches have found, and you have the makings of an exciting season of basketball.

Utah Valley State College, the University of Northern Colorado and UC Davis will be making their respective debut’s in Division I athletics, but the excitement of Division I play can also be found with the IUPU-Fort Wayne Mastodons, Savannah State University, Texas-Pan American and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

IPFW Mastodons

IPFW coach Doug Noll will bring a team large in stature onto the court to face those big boys. IPFW enters the 2003-04 season on the heels of a 9-21 finish last year, including a victory over IUPUI, but will have the size to compete.

6-7 Ric Wyand, 6-8 Kyle Thrasher, 6-11 Jim Kessenich, 6-10 Eric Bergstrom, and 6-10 David Simon will provide the size Noll needs to match up against 10 bigger foes this season. With four returning starters, including leading scorer Kessenich (12.5 ppg) and Independent Newcomer of the Year Simon (10.6 ppg). Also returning is the one short man in guard Terry Collins. The 6-0 junior averaged 11.3 points per game, and scored a career-high 36 against UC Irvine.

Forward Keion Henderson is back from a redshirt season, and 6-3 guard Tyler Clevenger will try to replace DeAngelo Woodall, who graduated last year.

Toledo, Oregon State, Washington State, Iowa State, Purdue, West Virginia, the Miami Hurricanes, Air Force Academy, Butler, and Valparaiso highlight the schedule, which may allow the up-and-coming program to approach .500.

Northern Colorado Bears

Like UVSC, the Northern Colorado Bears enters its first Division I season with challenges in scheduling behind it and with a season opening exhibition game against Colorado State University. Games against the University of Colorado, Iowa State and Rutgers will highlight a 2003-04 season.

UNC coach Craig Rasmsuson is returning 10 players from last season’s 11-15 campaign, and will be counting on solid play from Sean Nolen, Vincent Jackson, James Randle and Erik Olsen. Nolen led UNC, averaging 18.1 points per game last season, while Jackson, Randle, and Olsen will need solid seasons in order for UNC to compete against a tougher talent level than the Division II competition it faced in 2002-03.

Savannah State Tigers

When you increase your win totals by 50 percent, normally that’s good. However, since the Savannah State program went from two wins to three – not so much. Savannah State University coach Edward Daniels enters the upcoming season with a tough schedule ahead and will rely on the size of 6-8 Sherard Reddick, the Tigers’ leading rebounder, Jamal Daniels (the coach’s son) and 6-6 Thomas Simpson.

Daniels brought in a lot of new faces as he tries to overhaul the Tigers roster. New faces include point guard Josh Barker, Darien Taylor, JuCo transfer Winston Martinez, and forward Kirk Dunn, from Brooklyn, New York.

SSU’s season highlights will include games against Marquette, University of Utah, Weber State, Miami, Air Force, Colorado, Kansas State, Tulane, Florida State, and will close out its season with a February 25 match up against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Only nine of the Tigers’ games are at home this season.

Texas A&M – Corpus Christi Islanders

Things are looking up in Corpus Christi, as the Islanders were on the verge of a .500 season last year, ending up 14-15. With four starters returning, head coach Ronnie Arrow has announced a goal of a postseason tournament for his squad.

Headlining the Islanders attack are guards Travis Bailey (15 ppg) and Brian Evans (14 ppg), along with forward Corey Lamkin (12 points and 8 boards per game. The squad is going tall, with the addition of Northeast Oklahoma JC’s Jared Holt, a 7-2 center.

The Islanders have a tough schedule ahead to accomplish their coach’s goal, as the Islanders face several Big 12 teams, including Baylor, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, and Kansas State, plus home-and-home games with Air Force and Murray State.

Texas-Pan American Broncs

Last season, Coach Bob Hoffman experienced a reversal of fortune, seeing his 20-10 record in 2001-02 become a 10-20 record. Hoffman has seen great success since coming to coach the Broncs and this season should be no different.

Two starters return, including scorer and leading rebounder Allen Holcomb (11 points and 7.5 rebounds per game), along with guard Eric Montalvo (9 ppg). Three players will see action after redshirting last season: forwards Chris Fagan and Andrius Sakalys both return from injuries, and forward Matt Berry sat out after transferring from Indiana State. Hoffman went out and recruited some big men as well, landing 7-0 Lithuanian center Alvaidas Gedminas and 6-11 Ryan Lange. Gedminas was all-conference for Kirtland (Michigan) Community College last season, averaging a double-double, and Lange attended Northeast Nebraska Community College.

Hoffman will lead a team that features nine juniors and three seniors and will need that experience to kick in against Rice, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Air Force, and games against fellow Independents IPFW and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. All but four of Pan American’s 28 games are in Texas or a neighboring state.

UC Davis Aggies

Leaving behind the comfort of their successful Division II trappings, the Aggies will be led by new coach Gary Stewart and returning members Ryan Moore, Fowzi Abdelsamad, Gus Argenal, and center Madison Butts.

In nine games last year Moore averaged 16.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest, and will be expected to lead this young team into the rigors of Division I play. Games against Nevada-Reno and San Francisco State highlight UC-Davis’ schedule.

Utah Valley State Wolverines

The UVSC Wolverines finished the 2002-03 season with a 26-7 record overall, good enough for second place in conference play. It was Coach Dick Hunsaker’s first season at UVSC and UVSC’s final season in the SWAC.

It was a tough off-season, as UVSC lost all but four members of the 2002-03 squad, but the returning members will bring a much-needed spark. 6-1 Ronnie Price will lead UVSC’s offense and pace the young team, while Pierre Thomas will run the show at the point position and 6-6 Jon Bell will man the low post for UVSC. Freshman Ryan Toolson showcased a hot hand from the outside in UVSC’s sole exhibition game against the Salt Lake Metro All-Stars, and a strong season from 6-8 Carl Lee will be needed to get UVSC through a solid first year schedule.

Despite UVSC’s lack of RPI, actually there is no RPI, coach Hunsaker was able to schedule games with Idaho State, Kennesaw State, Boise State, Brigham Young University, Cleveland State and two games against the University of Northern Colorado.

All challenges aside, a lack of television appearances will stay with UVSC throughout its first Division I season. It appeared that the November 29 UVSC and BYU game would be played in front of a television audience, but BYU decided against the televised game.

In all, it will be six years before UVSC will be able to compete in NCAA tournaments, but the necessary changes will require that much time for UVSC to fully prepare for the big move.

So there you have it folks. Something old, something new, and a little blue. The challenges that face the smaller Division I school seem to be too large to handle, but the opportunity for a big upset is too juicy to pass up.

Welcome to the Club

by Brian Hassler

If building a team and schedule from scratch wasn’t hard enough for UVSC men’s basketball coach before the beginning of the 2002-03 season, it hasn’t been any easier since Hunsaker has had to repeat that task again in preparation for the 2003-04 season.

Granted, Hunsaker had the reassurance that his team already had guaranteed games due to its membership in the Scenic Western Athletic Conference, but the 2003-04 season brings with it the challenge of being a first year Division I team without a conference and with only three returning starters.

Since leaving the University of Utah to be UVSC’s first Division I coach, Hunsaker has led UVSC to a 26-7 record, including a 12-0 mark at home, but being a non-counter in an RPI driven college basketball world has made scheduling and recruiting a challenge for the second year coach.

“It was a real challenge to find the games, to get the schedule completed,” Hunsaker said. “Secondly was putting a team together. We hoped to be competitive. As we made the transition from a junior college we had some of our players that thought they were way better than a junior college level and didn’t want to be on the ground floor of a four-year program.”

“And then we had, frankly, the rest of the team not being Division I caliber players. They weren’t good enough to be, if you’re going to step up and play in D-I, there’s a big difference in junior college and Division I.”

But unlike Hunsaker’s first year at the helm, the coming season will showcase the play of returning starters Jon Bell, Pierre Thomas, and Ronnie Price. Bell’s play at center improved throughout his first season at UVSC and was nearly enough to push UVSC into the NJCAA tournament. Price and Thomas will give UVSC a solid one-two scoring punch, and should provide the leadership needed with the eight new members of UVSC’s first Division I squad.

Despite being RPI-less, Hunsaker was still able to schedule games against Kennesaw State, Boise State, Cleveland State, and Brigham Young University. While most of the focus is on UVSC’s game against BYU, a game that could be the beginning of a beautiful rivalry, a November 21 game against Kennesaw State will feature a similar challenge.

Kennesaw State is lead by a familiar face, former BYU coach Tony Ingle, and lost to a Middle Tennessee State team that came within a game of the 2003 NCAA tournament.

“Kennesaw State will probably be the most talented non-Division I school we play all year,” Hunsaker said. “He’s (Ingle) got a potential top 25-team, Tony Ingle’s done a terrific job of assembling wonderful personnel and they’re well coached. That’s going to be a great challenge for us, as we embark in our first step as a four-year school in four-year competition. They were one of the top two or three teams in an extremely talented Division II conference in Georgia.”

So here we are.

Once again Hunsaker will bring a team to the court that is low on experience, once again Hunsaker had to create a full schedule under poor circumstances, and once again all eyes will be on Hunsaker’s squad as it takes its first steps into Division I play.

Even more eyes could follow that step if the proposed television deal for the November 29 BYU/UVSC game goes through, but either way the excitement is there.

“We’re all excited, everyone has a great anticipation for the upcoming year, and again, playing as a Division I institution, four-year basketball,” Hunsaker said. “There’s so much newness about everything for everyone. I know there’s that feeling, and again anticipation amongst the team and coaches, and hopefully our student body has enthusiasm to the transition.”

A Conversation with Gary Stewart

by Adam Shandler

You’ve heard of the University of California-Davis, I know you have. Perhaps you caught a glimpse of the campus during last year’s edition of MTV’s Sorority Life. (Yes, I admit it. I watched the show. Happy now?) On that reality-based program, cameras followed around a bunch of young coeds aspiring to sisterhood with the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi sorority. Ah, college. Or maybe you’ve stumbled upon a featurette about Davis in Sports Illustrated’s Top 250ish Division I institutions. The Aggies program was named the finest in Division II.

Gary Stewart

But D-II will soon be a designation of the Aggies’ past. This academic year marks the first for UC Davis Athletics in Division I. The Aggie program will spend the 2003-04 season as a provisional member of D-I, meaning some of the school’s teams will be playing a partial Division I schedule, while still honoring its membership as a member of the D-II CCAA.

When the basketball program officially goes Division I, it will do so as a member of the Big West Conference. However, in a Kafkaesque stroke of NCAA classification, the Aggies will not be eligible for Big West postseason eligibility until the 2007-2008 season. Still, the program will play a mostly D-I hoops schedule from the 2004-05 campaign until 2007, so fans can get their big-time hoops feet wet even if the Aggies don’t go a trottin’ to the dance for a few years.

Gary Stewart, who spent last season as the Director of Basketball Services for UCLA, is a big part of the athletics makeover at UC Davis. The college hoops veteran of 17 years was named head coach of Aggie Basketball, and he’ll be asked to transform the program into a D-I contender.

In this edition of Conversations with Adam, I talk with Coach Stewart about his new job, UC Davis’s decision to go D-I and why he believes it will work.

Adam Shandler: So how does it feel to be one of the more visible parts of the UC Davis athletics makeover?

Gary Stewart: I don’t tend to focus on it or look at it that way. [Going D-I] is a collective effort of 25 athletic programs at UC Davis trying to make this move. I’m just happy to be part of it. Certainly basketball is one of the more high profile sports in NCAA athletics and we’ll be one of the more visible parts of the transition, but I don’t feel that I’m any different from any of the other coaches in this program.

AS: You were Director of Basketball Services for UCLA last season, but before that you had been coaching since the age of 24. Why return to the sidelines?

GS: I don’t think I ever left the sidelines in my mind. I might’ve left in position, but in my mind and heart I was still a coach. Ever since I starting coaching at 24 at (Division III) La Verne, I’ve always operated in the mindset of never leaving the sidelines.

AS: What, in your opinion, made going D-I attractive to the UC Davis administration?

GS: Philosophically this just fit within our academic mission. We looked at some of our sister schools – Irvine, Riverside, Santa Barbara – schools with the same philosophy, and saw that it could be done. It just made sense if you looked at our mission as an academic institution. With our academic reforms and doing what was best for the university, there was a correlation in going Division I.

AS: UC Davis Hoops is a provisional member of Division I this year and won’t be eligible for the D-I postseason for a few years. Is this a more comfortable way for an institution to make the transition to D-I? Y’know, spending a few seasons trying on D-I instead of just being thrown to the lions in the first year?

GS: Y’know, Adam, I don’t think there ever is a proper way to do it. Legislation is always changing, institutions are always changing, conferences are always changing. If you look at some of the other schools that tried to do this, they were confronted with challenges. There are a lot of differences structurally between Division I and Division II, so it’s going to take some time to put things in place anyway.

AS: I saw that Davis’s past rosters have been graced with predominantly local players. Not that that’s a bad thing. But has the announcement of going D-I helped you land players from other parts of the country or the world?

GS: : I could probably better answer that after the early signing period. I wasn’t here prior to the announcement of our going Division I.

AS: But going D-I certainly has to help in the recruiting process.

GS: I don’t think there’s a question there. Being Division I can only help in our involvement in the recruiting process, which also includes [our reputation] as an institution and [athletics] program.

AS: What have been your first few orders of business as new coach of the Aggies?

GS: We changed some things right away. We implemented an overhaul of our team academics and [last quarter] we had the highest quarter in the history of [UC Davis] men’s basketball.

I had a little over a month to address weight training and conditioning and lay down an understanding of what’s expected.

AS: Is the UC Davis community excited about your arrival?

GS: It’s been really overwhelming how thoughtful and kind everyone here has been. I really couldn’t be happier with the way I was welcomed.

AS: I know it may be way too early to be asking this, but given the commitment of the administration and the size and reputation of UC Davis, do you think you’ll break the mold of schools who tried to make the D-I transition and failed?

GS: When an institution looks at making a move like this, it has three areas it needs to address. First, is there a philosophical fit with the mission of the university? We felt that there was. Number two, looking at the school’s fiscal responsibility and budgets, can we effectively go Division I with all the teams we have in the athletic department? The students passed a referendum that allowed this move to happen from a fiscal standpoint. Third, does the university have a place to go? We wouldn’t have made this move if we didn’t have a conference to go to. I think we have an unbelievable situation in going to the Big West Conference.

Adam, we have one of the biggest college towns here at Davis and an academic reputation that’s unique, and unlike some of those other schools [that went Division I and struggled] we have football. Football will be playing in I-AA. This year they’ve got four I-AA teams on the schedule. (UC Davis Football will also be a provisional participant of Division I until 2007.) If you look at some of the more successful Division I institutions from an athletics standpoint, you’ll see that the excitement from football really helps the other sports.

I’m not saying our best days are ahead, but we’re definitely going to have some wonderful days ahead.

Learn more about Gary Stewart at the UC Davis official site.

D-1 Independents 2002-03 Season Recap

by Stephen Murphy

The 2002-03 season was like most other independent basketball seasons -
unawardful. No conference tournament to write about, no post season glamour.
The NCAA does not keep official statistics for Independent teams, so while
we’re paying attention, and giving tribute, most Athletic Directors wish
some Conferences were.

Birmingham Southern has just finished their
provisional status, and will be an official member of the Big South
Conference next season. Centenary is ecstatic to join the Mid Continent
Conference, and more elated to officially compete in that conference
immediately. Some Independent teams are new to D-1 so the struggle
they ensued was expected, as no Independent team finished above .500.
Centenary earned the highest marks at 14-14. Andrew Wisniewski was named the
Independent Men’s Basketball Player of the Year and was one of three players
from last year’s team to earn repeat honors.

The Islanders (Texas A&M
Corpus-Christi) were left with sour tastes in their mouths just missing the
.500 mark at 14-15. Texas Pan-American was the closest after those two with
a dismal 10-20 mark. Each year that goes by without earning an acceptance
into a conference a team is left to wither in anguish.

For some it seems
that there is no direction to go but down, an unfortunately for Morris Brown
not only were they pointed that way, they were expeditiously stripped of
their athletics for failing to meet the requirements.

In a decision not embraced by the Wolverine athletic staff at Morris Brown,
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools denied the historically
black college request to restore its accreditation in April. Morris Brown
has suspended its sports programs; all of the coaches were laid off. A lack
of Financial constancy caused MB to lose its accreditation in December, the
school has since just lost its appeal at the hands of the SACC. Morris Brown
is the only black college founded by blacks in Georgia, and they just lost a
trial for their athletic livelihood. It was certainly a season of streaks
for the coach Thompson and the Wolverines, and unfortunately those streaks
will come to an end.

Morris Brown was forced to fight in the final stage of the modern war on
horseback, and the result was inevitable. Morris Brown has been dealing with
rising debt of about $27 million, $10 million of which is supposedly due in
a couple of weeks. There are also accusations by Federal investigators that
the school illegally received millions in student financial aid and used it
to pay debts.

As a result of the loss of accreditation, Morris Brown no
longer qualifies for federal financial aid unfortunately relied upon by
nearly 90 percent of its students. Oh, by the way, the school’s membership
in the United Negro College Fund will be removed, and students will be
scrambling to find a University to accept some credits they obtained during
their tenure at MBU for transfer.

For some this comes as no surprise, In 2001 the situation was So bad
financially that the basketball team spent $3.5 million against $1.9 million
in revenues. Coach Derek Thompson forked out $1,500 from his own pocket
trying to recruit. Thompson had to take the place of the team trainer, and
tape ankles, also wash uniforms, The reason: One of his assistants had
resigned during the trip, the other was suspended, and the school (for
budget reasons) had forbidden the manager and trainer from traveling with
the team.

Hoopville’s All-Independent Awards

Player of the Year

Andrew Wisniewski, Centenary

Defensive Player of the Year

Corey Lamkin, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Newcomer of the Year

David Simon, Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne

Freshman of the Year

James Poindexter, Lipscomb

Coach of the Year

Kevin Johnson, Centenary

First Team All-Independent:
Brian Evans, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Amien Hicks, Morris Brown
Corey Lamkin, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Kevin Mitchell, Texas-Pan American
Andrew Wisniewski, Centenary

Second Team All-Independent
Travis Bailey, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Michael Gale, Centenary
Ryan Roller, Lipscomb
Chad Hartman, Lipscomb
Ric Wyand, Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne

Centenary

The Gents finished with the best record of any Independent team at 14-14,
not bad for smallest NCAA Division I school in the country. Centenary was
the cream of Independent crop, and hands down had the best player in the
conference in Andrew Wisniewski. Wisniewski finished the season as the
Independent player of the year, and was a selection on the all-Independent
team for the 2nd year in a row. Wisniewski started all 28 games for the
Gents and led the team in minutes, points, assists, and steals. Coach Kevin
Johnson is thrilled to have Andrew back for another season, as the Gents
aren’t losing a player to graduation.

Centenary won’t get complacent, as Kevin Johnson has announced that Cody
Hopkins has signed a letter of intent to play for the Gents beginning in the
2003-04 season. Hopkins is a 6’6″ small forward from Texas who comes from
Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa. Hopkins can light it up from the arc
and can create shots off his dribble, which can give the Gents an additional
scoring option next season. Hopkins joins fall signees Stanley Turner and
Troy Williams in this year’s recruiting class. Centenary will become the
ninth member of the Mid-Continent Conference beginning in the 2003-2004
season, and the school will be eligible for conference championships and
NCAA tournament automatic bids immediately. With the return of their star
Wisniewski, and their four other starters, Centenary will have colossal
impact on the Mid Continent Conference. The Gents might have a small
enrollment of just 890 students, But Wisniewski and clan will be sure to
make their entrance is felt. Centenary will by far be the smallest school in
the Mid-Con.

Key players returning:
Senior guard – Andrew Wisniewski
Senior guard/forward – Michael Gale
Senior forward – Shawn Davis
Senior guard – Rickey Evans
Junior guard – Josh Thibodeaux
Senior guard/forward – Aaron Moseley

Texas A&M – Corpus Christi

A&M was the Independent’s second best team just finishing under the .500
mark at 14-15 this season. Head Coach Ronnie Arrow developed a reputation
for up-tempo, high scoring teams. Arrow’s fast pace style is what guided A&M
to a semi-successful season. Arrow and company will not stop there, the
Islanders envision something, and it is not prefaced with “semi” like their
supposed successful season. Arrow will keep ingraining his up-tempo style,
imploring his guards to push the ball up court. Whether or not the
comprehension and talent will come forth remains the question at large. The
good news for A&M is that the Bailey brothers will be back for their senior
season. The Bailey’s have adjusted well to Arrow’s fast pace, and can be a
prolific scoring combo for the Islanders next year. Thomas Bailey is a small
forward who can play the 2 (SG) Tracy Mcgrady like in his size for his
position, George Gervin like with his finger-roll style. Thomas has yet to
reach his potential, and lacks physical presence.

Derrick Murphy is a
contrast to Bailey. Murphy is more the blue-collar physical type, the 6’7″
Jr. power forward who has a knack for getting the ball, and puts up the most
consistent effort for the Islanders. The good news is that Murph is back,
the bad, outdated news is that Murph did not have the success the Islander
staff envisioned, and they aspire larger things for Derrick in 2003-04. With
all that said, the real news is that Brian Evans the floor General is also
back for the upcoming season, and he is the integral part in this run and
gun style. Second in scoring to Travis Bailey but the Islander leader in
assists, he will prove invaluable in the season to come where A&M will
return ALL of their starting lineup.

Key returning players:
Travis Bailey, forward – SR
Brian Evans, Guard – SR
Thomas Bailey, Forward – SR
Aaron White, Guard – SO
Derrick Murphy, Forward – SR

Texas Pan-American

UTPA finished the season with a 10-20 mark, slightly disappointing after
last season’s 20-10 finish, which left most Bronc fans livid after not
getting a NIT selection. The worst loss will be forthcoming for Coach Bob
Hoffman’s staff due to the graduation of Kevin Mitchell. Mitchell was an
immediate impact for UTPA upon arrival. Mitchell was named first team
All-Independent as the 2002-2003 A repeat winner after being named second
team All-Independent last year. Mitchell led the Broncs in scoring this
season, averaging 14.7 points per game, was tied for the team lead with 48
steals, and was second with 97 assists. One of two players to start every
game, Mitchell scored 20 points or more in a game eight times, and was in
double figures in scoring 22 times, including a stretch of 12 consecutive
games, a stretch that included only two home games. He broke the UTPA
all-time single-season record by playing 1,072 minutes and ranks fourth on
the all-time single-season list with 79 three-point field goals and 222
three-point attempts during the 2002-2003 season. He also is tied for fourth
on the all-time career list at UTPA with 134 three-point field goals, and is
fifth on the all-time career list with 351 three-point attempts.

UTPA will
also miss defensive minded guard James Davis, who Sparked the Broncs
defensively playing in 29 of the Broncs’ 30 games last season. Hoffman, to
the Bronc’s content decided to stay at UTPA, withdrawing his name in
consideration from Campbell University. Hoffman then quickly went on the
recruiting trail adding more recruits for the fall. Alvaidas Gedminas, a
seven-foot center from Plunge, Lithuania, Gedminas hopes to prevent the
Broncs from taking another plunge like they did this year. UTPA also landed
Ryan Lange, a 6-11 center from Inwood, Iowa will join the Broncs this fall.
Both Gedminas and Lange will enter as juniors, with two years of
eligibility. Gedminas averaged a double-double last season for the
Firebirds, scoring 12.6 points per game and pulling down 12 boards per game.
Gedminas ranked fifth in rebounding in Division I of the National Junior
College Athletic Association. Alvaidas will bring size and strength to a
Bronc team on the rebound next season. Also signing were two players from
Temple College in Texas. Sergio Sanchez, a 5-10 guard, and his Temple
teammate Ray Castillo, a 6-5 guard, will join the Broncs this fall. Both
players are from San Antonio, TX and South San Antonio HS. Sanchez and
Castillo will enter Texas-Pan American as juniors, with two years of
eligibility. Castillo was the leading scorer for Temple in conference play,
averaging 16.3 points per game.

Key players returning:
junior guard Eric Montalvo junior
Senior forward Allen Holcomb
Senior guard Prince Thompson

Indiana Purdue – Ft. Wayne

The Mastodons failed to improve on a 7-21 season the prior season. The
season got off to a very torpid start for the Mastodons, which saw them drop
their first five games, before finally earning a victory November 30th at
home versus Eastern Kentucky. IPFW defeated Lipscomb in their very next
game, but went on to drop their next eight. Things were so bad in FT Wayne
that they only had two wins by January 7th. Coach Knoll knew he had a
struggle on his hands, that’s why IPFW hired assistant Coach Cliff
Levingston in the off season to help his young Mastodon team in the low
post. Deangelo Woodall is out of eligibility, and Terry Collins had a
disappointing season for coach Noll, and staff. Knoll went on the recruiting
trail in 02-03 and landed standout guard Quinton Carouthers, and forward
Kyle Thrasher. The two only averaged 3.8 points combined last season. Next
seasons success is going to be attributed to the basketball augmentation of
those two. The ball is going to go through forward Ric Wyand, and center Jim
Kessinich. Kessinich is athletic for a big man who can stretch out defenses
with his outside ability, and can also run the floor well for a big man.
Wyand shot 42% from beyond the 3-pt arc, and was the second leading Mastodon
scorer. The Mastodons only lose one starter in Jeremy King. Simon was the
newcomer of the year in Independent play.

Back to the recruiting trail to help improve on 10 wins in the past two
seasons. Noll inked point guard Lewis Cass Bauer to play Basketball at IPFW.
Bauer led his team to a perfect 26-0 record this season, including a State
Championship. He led his team in points, assists, rebounds, and steals.
Bauer will be a point guard of the future, and can compete with Carouthers
for the point slot. Joining Bauer in this year’s recruiting class is Eric
Bergstrom, a 6-10 center out of Milaca, Minnesota. Bergstrom averaged 18
points and 9 rebounds per game in his senior year. Other recruits include:
Byron Malone, 6-0 guard out of Indianapolis North Central, Pete Campbell,
6-7 forward from Yorktown, Indiana, and Garrett High School standout Justin
Hawkins. Hawkins averaged 16.5 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game for
the Railroaders, as they went 18-5 this season.

Key returning players:
Jim Kessenich – F/C SR
Ric Wyand – F JR
Terry Collins – G JR
David Simon – C JR
Quintin Carouthers – G SO
Kyle Thrasher – F JR

Morris Brown

We can talk all day about the aforementioned budget dilemma that has caused
Morris Brown to suspend all athletics indefinitely. In a lesser dilemma the
Wolverines finished the season 8-20, a slight improvement over their prior
season. The dream is gone most likely for most MBU players; organized
basketball has come to a crashing end for members of this Wolverine squad.

Coach Dereck Thompson was gong to miss Amien Hicks anyway, Hicks led all
Independents in rebounding with an astounding 12.4 rebounds per game
average, that’s four more rebounds than Corey Lamkin who is second on the
list. Hicks was second in the nation, in rebounds per game, averaging 2.4
more than Nick Collison, and only .2 less than leader Brandon Hunter of
Ohio. Coach Thompson knew in the season prior that he had to get help on the
boards, that is why he was able to bring in some football players from MBU.
I suppose Hicks knows how to get into a 3-pt stance, as he had a lot of help
from members of an opposite sport. Guard Anthony Adams was second in
Independent scoring in points per game with 16.8. The Wolverines were
noticeably better, the team was coming together, although they were still
scheduling games with the elite (USC, Clemson, Rutgers) MBU was able to pull
together during the second half of the season. The Wolverines won for their
first time this season in their second contest; they would subsequently drop
their next 12 games before finally obtaining a victory over Clark Atlanta to
start a four game winning streak. Needless to say their eight victories
were three more than the five they earned in 2002. The Purple in Black will
no longer be allowed to assay their talent or try to elevate their games
against superior competition, and we salute Morris Brown for playing with
passion, and playing to win.

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong
man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The
credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred
by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short
again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and
spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the
triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails
while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and
timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

- Theodore Roosevelt

Lipscomb

Youth was a big concern with ten freshman and sophomores last season. The
learning curve was hard to adjust to, as we wait to see if the adjustments
can be made for some sophomores next year. The Bison had anything but a
successful season. Coach Scott Sanderson was signed to a contract extension
last year, and brought in two solid recruits in Craig Schoen, and James
Poindexter to battle out for the point guard slot. 8-20 is not what Lipscomb
had envisioned in 2003. Schoen, Poindexter, and Jeff Dancy (their best
athlete) are all returning next season. Lipscomb unfortunately will be
losing its senior leader, and scoring leader in Ryan Roller who averaged
13.1 points a game last season. Roller was named to the All-Independent
second team. 6’10″ SR. center Albert Hacker needs to throw his body around
and be a double-double threat. Hacker started 18 games, averaged only 7.4
points, and pulled down just under five rebounds per game, something he
should improve on in his Senior season. The bench should be improved this
season with Cameron Robinson, and. Charlie Jenney, a 220-pound freshman
center who return for their sophomore seasons ready to provide adequate
support.

Like all Independents, the Bison’s schedule as rugged. Kansas State, and
Pepperdine tuned up against the Bisons at home before Christmas, then it was
on to Nebraska where Lipscomb was handed a modest ten-point Husker defeat.
The schedules stay the same; it’s the execution that needs to excel. The
Bisons are geared up at the guard position with Dancy returning at the SG
slot, and with Schoen, Poindexter, and G/F Chad Hartman returning for his
Senior Season. With most of the Bison starters back next season, and
hopefully a steady point guard, and bench, a double digit win total may not
be out of the question.

Key returning players:
Chad Hartman – G SR
James Poindexter – G SO
Craig Schoen – G SO
Jeff Dancy – G JR
Albert Hacker – C SR

Savannah State

Rumors are starting to swirl that the transition to Division-1 will soon
have similar effects on SSU, as it had on Morris Brown. SSU finished the
season with a dismal 3-24 record, and is 6-47 combined in the last two
seasons. To cap it off, the Tigers have aren’t in double figures in wins
over the last three seasons (9-71). The school formerly known as Georgia
State, they were officially accepted to D-1 on September 1, 2002. Even with
the impressive playing resume of Head Coach Edward Daniels Jr., who played
at Indiana for two years, before transferring to Marquette (runners up in
73-74), SSU is still radically behind pace. Two of the three Tiger victories
have come over Independent teams, a 67-58 over a now defunct Morris Brown
team, and a 10 point win over Lipscomb. Of course the season came to an
immediate struggle as SSU opened against Florida State, and two games later
would face the Hurricanes of Miami. The good news is the Tigers are only
losing one player to graduation, or eligibility, as they will return 4/5 of
their starting line-up in 2003-04. Two of their three top scorers were
freshman in Jamal Daniels, and Sherard Redick. SSU did not have a senior on
their roster; experience was lacking and now can play into Daniel’s hands as
they try to keep their focus on Athletics, and off rumored fiscal
difficulties.

Key returning players:
Jamal Daniels – G SO
Sherard Redick – F SO
Christopher Daniel – G SR
Donald Carson – F JR
Brian Boatwright – F JR

D-1 Independents Notebook

by Stephen Murphy

Do you remember the days when it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing to be an independent? Do you remember David Robinson, Kelly Tripucka, Bill Laimbeer, and David Rivers? Colleges such as Notre Dame, Navy and Air Force were free to schedule whomever they chose. If an independent team were to go the NCAA tournament they would not be obligated to share their profits with anyone. That was then, and unfortunately for these teams this is now.

Birmingham Southern

We still consider BSU an Independent, the NCAA for now considers the Panthers provisionally independent. We have informed you of their official transfer to the Big South Conference, which happens next season.

Josiah James tallied 22 points, and 10 boards, and BSC withheld a season low in scoring by Jacob Siguardson as they held off Elon 64-52 for BSC’s 11th win of the season. The Panthers were riding high in High Point, NC a few days ago. Derrick Williams made four free throws in the final 35 seconds to seal the deal in a 64-60 win over High Point Saturday. The win is noteworthy due to High Point being a future Big South Conference rival.

James led BSC, 10-6, with 17 points, followed by Corey Watkins with 11 and Williams with 10. BSC is now 4-2 against future league opponents this season; the Panthers have won four of their last five. Danny Gathings led High Point with a game-high 22 points and had 11 rebounds. BSC shot 58 percent in the first half on the way to a 35-26 half-time lead. High Point would come out hot in the second half to take a 45-42 lead, but BSC was able to hold down the fort. A one-handed dunk by James six minutes into the contest sparked Birmingham-Southern on a 14-3 run.

Centenary

The Centenary Gents forced 32 turnovers by Texas-Dallas while committing only seven of their own and breezed to a 98-57 victory. Four players scored in double figures for Centenary led by Andrew Wisniewski’s 24 points. Wisniewski also dished out ten assists for his second consecutive double-double and earned six steals. Rickey Evans came off the bench to score 19 points, while Michael Gale had 18 points, including four electrifying dunks in the second half. Paul Buettner earned his first points at Centenary, going 2-for-4 at the free throw line, while Derek Sallis hit his first career shot from the field, a three-pointer with 44 seconds left in the game.

In a close Independent match-up, the Gents fell short against the Islanders of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The game was a typical see-saw battle reminiscent of every game played between the two teams. The Islanders came back from an eight-point second-half deficit and then held on to defeat the Centenary Gents, 93-92. Centenary took a 58-50 lead with 11:16 remaining in the second half, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi went on a 24-9 run over the next six minutes to take a seven-point lead of its own. The Islanders led by seven with one minute left to play before the Gents made a final push. Wisniewski scored four points to bring the Gents within three with 39 seconds left to play. The Islanders go to guard Brian Evans made one of two free throws, Michael Gale was fouled and hit both of his shots from the free throw line to make it a 92-90 game. Wisniewski led all scorers with 35 points and ten assists. He shot 12-of-26 from the field, including 5-of-10 from the three-point line, and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Gale also notched a double-double for the Gents, scoring 18 points and grabbing ten rebounds. Centenary finishes the Month of January with two games at home against Lipscomb, and Texas College.

Lets take a dip into the realm of the rest of the independent world.

Texas Pan-American looks to avoid their 10th Straight loss against Southern at home as are struggling with a 4-16 record. We stay in Texas momentarily as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is working toward a .500 record. The Islanders are 7-10 after a 100-73 loss to Arkansas State after their thriller over Centenary. A&M prepares for their in-state rival UTPA on the 25th. IPFW men’s basketball team used a 13-0 run in the second half, sparked by David Simon and Brad Noll (Coach Doug Noll’s son) to beat Chicago State 67-63 to improve to 4-15. Chicago State started out with a nine point run at the 10:50 mark when Rubeen Perry stole the ball from IPFW’s Noll and connected on a jumper giving the Cougars a 20-9 lead. The Mastodons would battle back heading into the locker room at the half trailing by a point 36-35. IPFW returns home to play Loyola University January 25th.

David Lipscomb fell to 4-15 after a loss to Derek Thompson’s Morris Brown squad. Lipscomb also dropped their contest to Savannah State (enough said) on Jan. 11th. The Bisons’ wins this season have come at Tennessee State (with the knucklehead coach Nolan Richardson III), Campbell, Milligan, and New Orleans.

Morris Brown has actually picked up the pace since the last time we checked in. This was a team that had to recruit players off their football team last year due to lack of depth, and still was out-rebounded by their opponents by more than five per game. The Wolverines have won two of their last three and already have one less win that all of last season. Coach Derek Thompson is a realist; he preaches a hard work ethic. Things will take time, and the Wolverines have to go out and seek their fortunes because no big name team will go to play them in Atlanta. This is not a risk factor; it’s a matter of worth to some big name schools who find no benefit unfortunately in playing MB in Atlanta.

And last but not least . . . at least we hope one day . . . Savannah State won their first game of the season against Lipscomb on January 11th. Coach Edward Daniels’ like Morris Brown is one win away from matching last seasons total.

D-1 Independents Notebook

by Stephen Murphy

Centenary

The Gents are keeping themselves tense, as they are having trouble on the defensive. With the exception of the Western Michigan game, Centenary finds itself on the losing end of teams breaking out of slumps. Centenary is now 5-8 after dropping their latest contest at TCU 102-89. The Horned Frogs opened the scoring and led wire-to-wire in the contest. TCU, which led by as many as nine in the opening stanza, held a 44-39 advantage at half time. TCU increased its lead to 15 at the 14:26 mark of the second half and the Frogs were able to keep Centenary at bay the rest of the way. For the second straight game, five TCU players reached double figures and the Frogs reached the 100-point mark. It was the first time that TCU has posted back-to-back 100-point games since Feb. 15-17, 2001. Star guard Andrew Wisniewski tried to keep pace offensively with a game high 28, while center Josh Thibodeaux chipped in with 19 points.

The Gents could not stop Texas A&M as Antoine Wright scored 22 points and Bernard King added a double-double as the Aggies rolled past Centenary 90-66. Texas A&M went on an early 13-0 run to take a 15-2 lead and never trailed. King posted his second double-double of the season, scoring 17 points with 10 assists. This was the third loss in a row for Centenary who was outscored by 24 points for the second straight game. Wisniewski scored 23 first half points for the Gents to cut an early Aggies lead to 39-36 at half-time. Centenary cut the lead to one on the opening possession of the second half. Texas A&M responded with a 15-0 run early in the half to take a 54-38 lead. Wisniewski picked up his third and fourth fouls in the first seven minutes of the second half and did not score the entire period as A&M cruised through the final 20 minutes. It was Western Michigan’s defense that played a key role in a 72-52 win Saturday over Centenary. Junior center Anthony Kann scored 16 points, but it was The Broncos, with the nation’s seventh-ranked defense yielding an average of 54.3 points per game, forced Centenary into 24 turnovers. Centenary point guard Andrew Wisniewski, who entered the game averaging 22 points, was held to just 12 as he turned the ball over seven times. Things get increasingly worse for Centenary as they take on Missouri, before heading home for two games, then traveling to Baton Rouge to take on LSU.

Birmingham Southern

Santa was kind; I guess he could have been better to the Panthers, as the month of December was a decent one for basketball. Stetson, Texas College, Louisiana Lafayette, those were prefaced with W’s for wins in the Panthers Schedule. Then came the Seminoles of Florida State, who’s second half lifted the Seminoles over BSC 56-47. Birmingham-Southern led by as many as 10 in the first half and eight at half-time. Corey Watkins led the scoring for the Panthers with 13 points. Head Coach Duane Reboul is not getting the production out of the center position that he feels the panthers could use. Michael Bilostinnyi, and Shema Mbyirukira average only 6.4 PPG and 5 rebounds combined. The Panthers are ecstatic about officially joining their new conference next year while playing a full Big South Schedule this season. So far the Panthers have struggled. Torrey Butler, the pre-season Big South Conference Player of the Year, scored 26 points and pulled down five boards as the Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina defeated BSC 74-64. Derrick Williams led three Panther players in double-figures with 17. Josiah James and Jacob Sigurdarson each added 15. CCU held the Panther shooters to 35.3%, 18-of-51, for the game, and out-rebounded BSC 35-30. Coastal Carolina’s bench scored 22 points, with BSC’s reserves offered only three.

BSC got off the Big South snide as they dominated the second half and defeated rival Charleston Southern69-61. Josiah James led all scorers with 18 points as four Panthers scored in double digits. Derrick Williams and Grant Davis each added 12. Jacob Sigurdarson chipped in 11 with six rebounds. Josiah James, and Grant Davis have been doing their part to make up for the absence in the middle “For any team to be consistent, they have to have a solid inside game, and an inside presence,” Panther Head Coach Duane Reboul said. “That will allow our perimeter players to have more confidence

IPFW

After opening the season with five straight losses, the Mastodons thought they turned the page putting together their first win streak. IPFW took down Eastern Kentucky, and Independent foe David Lipscomb but they haven’t won since. The Mastodons lost their eighth straight as Dalron Johnson scored 21 points to lead UNLV 74-62. Johnson was 7-for-10 from the field and had seven rebounds. Marcus Banks added 20 points for UNLV, making 12-of-13 the free throws. He also had eight steals and five assists. IPFW fell to 2-13 so far this season committing 16 turnovers on the night and UNLV had 12 steals, six from Banks in the first half. The Mastodons’ David Simon led all scorers with 23 points, and had 10 rebounds. Prior to that the Mastodons suffered their 7th Straight setback against San Diego St., as Mike Mackell scored 11 points and reserve Evan Burns added 10. “They came out and put us under pressure for the first seven minutes and it was downhill from there,” said Head Coach Doug Noll. “They pretty much had their way with us in the first half. I thought we competed well in the second half, we started four freshmen in the second half and they gave us some energy.” Jim Kessenich scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half to lead the Mastodons, who suffered their seventh straight setback. Terry Collins added 10 points but went only 2-of-12 from the field. The Mastodons’ Brandon Jennings had 12 rebounds.

“I thought Brandon Jennings had a terrific game with nine points and 12 rebounds, he was our heart and soul and he played like we want all of our young kids to play,” stated Noll. The Mastodons committed 14 of their 17 turnovers in the first half. The Mastodons thought they had an adequate bench going into the season, but it is they who have been outscored by the reserves. It seems like an international conflict how many reserves get called into action to shoot down a Mastodon. Senior forward Jordan Harris and junior forward Stanislav Zuzak scored 18 points each off the bench to lead six UC Irvine players in double figures as the Anteaters defeated IPFW, 96-79, at the Bren Events Center Saturday night. Sophomore guard Terry Collins led the Mastodons with 36 points, hitting 11-of-18 from the field, including 9-of-13 from three-point range. Kessenich added 13 points for IPFW. The 2-15 Mastodons play home in the I-game against IUPUI, then travel to Utah, Morehead State, then Chicago University.

David Lipscomb

The Bisons are 2-8 since the beginning of December, and 3-11 on the year. In one of their few wins junior Chad Hartman marked up his second consecutive double-double as the Bisons rolled on to defeat the University of New Orleans Privateers 81-76 in Allen Arena. The winning ways would not last long as Kansas State placed four players in double-digits and went on to defeat the Bisons 88-64 in Manhattan, Kansas. Lipscomb managed to put only two players in double-digits. Freshman center Charlie Jenney led all Bison scorers with 15 points going 5-of-10 from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. Senior Ryan Roller finished with 11 points going 4-of-7 from the field and 2-of-4 from behind the three-point arc. Lipscomb lost to Troy State University by 12, the start of Hartman’s solid performances of late, but was still lingering from their overtime loss a game earlier. Earl Bullock led the University of Tennessee at Martin Skyhawks by scoring 24 points in a 99-90 overtime win over the Bisons. In their last game on January 4th Lipscomb guards James Poindexter, Ryan Roller, Eric Broomfield and Craig Schoen combined for only seven field goals on 25 attempts. The Bisons were far from perfect on the offensive end in an 83-71 loss to the Sacramento State Hornets of the Big Sky Conference in Allen Arena. “When you make six field goals the whole second half and shoot 27 percent you aren’t going to beat anybody,” said Lipscomb coach Scott Sanderson. “We’re having to junk the game up and switch defenses and stuff. “It’s hard when you have to be perfect offensively. With our personnel we can’t stop anybody.” Nebraska, Independent Savannah State, and Stetson await a hungry Bison squad.

Morris Brown

20 boards against Tennessee State, 15 against Rutgers, 19 against Alabama A&M, and a sub par 10 against Pac-10 giant USC. I’m talking about Amien Hicks your nations 7th leading rebounder. Not too much other than that to be proud of, the Wolverines are on a 10 game losing streak. Their latest defeat was a 58 point loss to Tulane to fall to 1-11 on the year (Hicks did have 15 boards against the Green Wave) Senior guard Anthony Adams leads the Wolverines with 13.8 points, and Hicks grabs 11.4 rebounds per game. Florida A&M, Clemson, and Independent Savannah State lie ahead for the Wolverines.

Savannah State

We can’t explain enough the misery that has thrust itself upon the Tiger University. We thought IPFW had sorrow, then were swayed away by Morris Brown’s failure. The Tigers have hit the bottom of the barrel in their 2nd season trying to adjust to division 1 play. Aleem Muhammad led five Mercer players in double figures with a game-high 14 points as the Bears handed winless Savannah State its ninth loss of the season, 84-66, Thursday night. Muhammad scored 12 in the first half, and Mercer took a 39-28 lead into intermission. Sherard Reddick led the Tigers with 12 points. In other notes Air Force’s top-ranked defense held Savannah State to 28.3 percent shooting as the Falcons coasted to a 56-33 victory on Monday. (Jan 6th) Air Force entered the game averaging just 54.5 points allowed, lowest in the nation. Savannah State’s 33 points was the fourth-lowest Air Force has ever allowed and the lowest since holding Regis to 19 in 1978. The Green Wave of Tulane ripped the Tigers by 56 points; SSU has not played one single game this season that was decided by less than 12 points.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

The Islanders are hanging around and stand at 6-7, recently coming off a loss to FSU. Florida State overcame horrid shooting in the first half and put the clamps on a potent Texas A&M-Corpus Christi offense in a 72-56 victory, at the Leon County Civic Center. The Seminoles used a 12-0 run at the midway point of the second half to break open a three-point game and were never seriously challenged the rest of the way. The Islanders were coming off a predicted victory over Savannah State, and downed Oakland prior. Travis Bailey pumped in a game-high 26 points to pace Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to an 80-72 victory over Oakland in the finals of the Third Annual Flint Hills Resources Islander Classic, Saturday. Bailey, who also dished off 5 assists and registered 2 steals, hit 7 of 18 shots from the floor and drained 8 of 9 free throw attempts in the victory. Brian Evans chipped in 12 points, while Corey Lamkin and Sean Cole added 11 as the Islanders led from start to finish. Aaron White recorded 10 in a reserve role. The biggest drought this season has been four games and coach Arrow needed a solid performance from Aaron White. White came through as he netted a career-high 24 points to pace Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to a less than convincing 84-68 victory over Howard Payne. The freshman drilled 8 of 13 field goal attempts, including netting five three-pointers to help the Islanders snap a four-game winless skid. Derrick Murphy, Pre-season all Independent Brian Evans, and Thomas Bailey added 12 points apiece. Oklahoma State, Sacramento State, and Centenary await the Islanders in their next three games to come.

Texas-Pan American

The Broncs dropped their latest against Baylor who used a 24-10 run at the end of the first half to build a 15-point halftime lead and went on to defeat UTPA 78-50, at the Ferrell Center. The Broncs got three lay-ups from junior forward Allen Holcomb and led, 12-11, midway through the first half. Baylor center R.T. Guinn made a lay-up and a three-pointer as the Bears scored six consecutive points and took a lead that they would never relinquish. Texas-Pan American then used a three-pointer by senior guard Kevin Mitchell, and a jump shot by senior forward Tomas Sitnikovas to close to within nine points at 28-19, but BU scored nine of the final 11 points of the half to take a 37-22 lead at the intermission. The loss was the Broncs’ fifth in succession, and their record dropped to 4-12 as a result. Baylor improved to 8-2 with the victory. Prior to the Baylor defeat Chicago State dropped the Broncs. Point guard Craig Franklin banked in a shot from half-court at the final buzzer to give Chicago State a 57-54 victory over The UTPA in a consolation game at the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic. The Cougars, who received the ball in their back court with 2.1 seconds left, got the ball to Franklin at mid-court. He launched his shot, and it hit the backboard and went in as the final buzzer sounded. Franklin’s last-second basket erased a stirring comeback by the Broncs, who rallied to take the lead in the second half. The Broncs trailed, 54-53 with 14.3 seconds remaining. UT Pan American twice got the ball to senior forward Tomas Sitnikovas), but he was fouled each time by CSU’s Rubeen Perry. The Broncs got the ball back with 7.7 seconds left, and got the ball to senior guard Kevin Mitchell, who was fouled while attempting a three-point basket. Mitchell’s first two free throws went in and out, but he connected on the third try to tie the game and set the stage for Franklin’s game-winning shot.

Senior guard Kevin Mitchell leads UTPA with 14 points per game, with Allen Holcomb behind him at 11.1 PPG. Centenary, Texas Southern, and New Mexico State lie ahead for the Broncs as they get well into the new year.