Go coast to coast with a roundup of news from across the nation.

Here’s a quick recap of all the major NBA decisions from the past week. The NCAA’s deadline for early entrants to remain eligible required players to decide by May 8 if they wanted to remain in the NBA Draft or return to school.

Remaining in the draft:

• Boston College’s Reggie Jackson
• Butler’s Shelvin Mack
• Georgia Tech’s Iman Shumpert
• Kentucky’s Brandon Knight
• Kentucky’s DeAndre Liggins
• Louisville’s Terrence Jennings
• Maryland’s Jordan Williams
• Michigan’s Darius Morris
• Stanford’s Jeremy Green
• Tennessee’s Tobias Harris
• Tennessee’s Scotty Hopson
• Texas’ Cory Joseph
• Texas’ Tristan Thompson

Returning to school:

• Kentucky’s Terrence Jones
• Miami’s Reggie Johnson
• Missouri’s Laurence Bowers
• Missouri’s Kim English
• Northwestern’s John Shurna
• Pittsburgh’s Ashton Gibbs
• West Virginia’s Kevin Jones
• Xavier’s Tu Holloway

1. The biggest news of the past few days is Gary Williams’ retirement at Maryland. The Terrapins’ coach unexpectedly decided to call it a career at age 66 after working at his alma mater since 1989. Maryland moved quickly to court Arizona’s Sean Miller, who passed on the the offer by signing an extension with the Wildcats, according to John Marshall of the Associated Press. That makes Notre Dame’s Mike Brey one of the top choices right now, according to the Washington Post.
2. In other Washington, D.C., area coaching news, George Washington picked Mike Lonergan to be the Colonials’ next coach, according to the Associated Press. Lonergan comes back to D.C. after working at Vermont for five seasons, compiling a 126-68 record. Lonergan coached Catholic University to a Division III title in 2001 and worked with Gary Williams as an assistant at Maryland for a few years.
3. Gonzaga needs to find a new starting point guard after Demetri Goodson announced that he’s leaving the team to play football, according to the Associated Press. Goodson averaged 5.2 points and 2.6 assists per game for the Bulldogs this past season.
4. Michigan State Tom Izzo returned the favor for Spartan fans last week. To help boost student morale during final exams week, Izzo joined other Spartan coaches in serving food at the university’s dining hall, according to Diamond Leung of ESPN.com’s ìCollege Basketball Nation.î That’s a nice way to thank the Izzone fans who help give Michigan State one of the toughest home court advantages in the nation.
5. Speaking of Izzo, the Spartans’ coach might be getting some much-needed backcourt help in Valparaiso transfer Brandon Wood, according to the Associated Press.. The Horizon League’s No. 3 scorer is transferring to Michigan State after completing his undergraduate degree. Because of NCAA rules for graduate transfers, Wood might be eligible to play immediately for a team losing Kalin Lucas to graduation.
6. Jeff Capel has returned to a familiar sideline. The former Oklahoma coach, who was fired after this past season, accepted an offer to become an assistant coach on coach Mike Krzyzewski’s staff at Duke, according to the Associated Press. Capel played four years in Durham and put up more than 1,600 points.
7. The Pac-10 can’t complain about an East Coast bias for much longer. The conference soon to be known as the Pac-12 signed an agreement with ESPN and Fox Sports worth $250 million per season, tops in men’s basketball, according to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press.
8. Wyoming coach Larry Shyatt has recruited his first big name as the Cowboys’ new coach. Larry Nance Jr., son of longtime NBA player Larry Nance, will arrive in Laramie this fall after averaging about a double double as a senior in Ohio this past season.
9. Looking ahead to 2012, Louisville might not have the services of Rodney Purvis, a top-rated shooting guard in the class of rising high school seniors who reopened his recruitment, according to Eamonn Brennan of ESPN.com’s ìCollege Basketball Nation.î Louisville had received a verbal commitment from Purvis, partially thanks to the hard work of assistant Tom Fuller, who left Pitino’s staff recently to work for Frank Haith at Missouri.
10. Former Cyclone John Lamb, a walk-on who left Iowa State mid-season, was arrested last week and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell and a violation of Drug Tax Stamp Act, according to the Associated Press.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE

This section is aptly titled for a Washington, D.C., area writer looking to write a column honoring the importance of recently retired Maryland coach Gary Williams.

In his 22 years at Maryland, Williams helped craft the Terrapins into a perennial ACC contender. His continued success eased the path to the construction of the Comcast Center, which is one of the largest arenas in the conference and has one of the best home court advantages. The 20,000-plus fans who fill the Comcast Center haven’t always approved of the quality of the home team, but they consistently fill the arena with rowdy fans, giving Maryland one of the best home court advantages in the country.

After the turmoil of the late 1980s, it’s amazing that Williams was able to get this program back to the top of the ACC so quickly. Trouble started in 1986 with the death of Terrapin hero Len Bias, who seemed destined to become a national hero as a possible heir apparent to Larry Bird in Boston. However, his cocaine-induced death and the subsequent brouhaha in College Park derailed the program, leading to the ouster of coach Lefty Driesell.

Without Driesell, the team fell into mediocrity — and NCAA violations — during the tenure of Bob Wade. With the program on probation and lackluster performance on the court, Williams returned to his alma mater with a tough task at hand.

It took Williams five seasons, but once he got the Terrapins into the NCAA Tournament, they remained fixtures of March Madness until 2005. That includes a Final Four run in 2001 that ended mercilessly with the team’s fourth loss of the season to eventual national champion Duke. But Williams and Maryland vanquished those demons the next season when the Terrapins won the 2002 title.

The championship title was a turning point for Williams’ tenure at Maryland. Until then, the critics liked to talk about Williams as one of the greatest coaches to have never won a title — a fraternity no coach enjoys being part of. With that monkey off his back, Williams then had to deal with detractors who bemoaned that Williams failed to use the program’s success to attract the top recruits to College Park.

Recruiting is a touchy subject for Maryland fans. On the plus side, no one has even sniffed an NCAA violation during Williams’ years. But on the other hand, Williams drew the ire of many fans because he couldn’t keep a lot of the talented kids in Prince George’s County, Md., and Baltimore in-state. Highly touted recruits like Kevin Durant, Michael Beasley, Ty Lawson, Rudy Gay, Nolan Smith and seemingly half of Georgetown’s starting lineup each season are all locals. That would be acceptable if Williams had a slew of talented recruits on a conveyor belt to College Park from across the country.

But after three NIT appearances in four seasons, the natives became restless. Williams had the misfortune of dealing with a few disastrous recruits, including the much-maligned post-championship class of Chris McCray, John Gilchrist, Travis Garrison and Nik Caner-Medley. That core failed to meet lofty expectations, and the fans nearly revolted at the perceived inability of Williams to coach a great class. But the players just didn’t work out. It happens.

Williams got Maryland back on track with Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes. He helped Vasquez mature from a sloppy point guard and nearly out of control hothead to a dominant ACC player who was a threat to post a triple double nearly any night. The Terrapins returned to the NCAA Tournament three out of four seasons but never advanced further than the second round.

Heading into this off-seaosn, Maryland was at a cross-roads as another disappointing recruiting class — Adrian Bowie, Cliff Tucker and Dino Gregory — finished their collegiate careers. Jordan Williams, one of the top recruits in recent years to come to Maryland, figured to be the linchpin of next season’s team, but he is heading to the NBA instead.

At age 66, Williams was staring at a complete rebuilding project in an era that makes it increasingly difficult to run a clean and successful program. Williams refused to sacrifice one for the other. That makes now a great time for Williams to step down. To rebuild the Terrapins, Williams would need at least a couple of years to get the right guys around solid building blocks like Pe’Shon Howard and Terrell Stoglin. Williams might be pushing 70 before the Terrapins have another legitimate shot at a deep run.

When I’m pushing 70, I hope have the energy to work more than 60 hours a week recruiting, strategizing and representing a major college program. After such a remarkable, program-defining coaching career, Williams has earned this respite.

Go coast to coast with a round up of the nation’s top stories.

1. Although Phil Jackson seems pretty convinced that there won’t be a next season for the NBA next season, several college players are gambling that they’ll still be making NBA money within a few months. Here are a few of the players who announced during the past few days that they’ll be entering the NBA Draft.

• Arizona’s Derrick Williams, with agent
• Butler’s Shelvin Mack, no agent
• Connecticut’s Kemba Walker, with agent
• Florida State’s Chris Singleton, with agent
• Kansas’ Josh Selby, with agent
• San Diego State’s Kawhi Leonard, with agent
• UCLA’s Malcolm Lee, with agent

2. ESPN.com’s Andy Katz breaks down the NCAA Legislative Committee’s proposal to move up the deadline for declaring for the draft. If the Board of Directors approves the measure, players will need to decide by April 10 whether they intend to declare for the draft — and they can’t turn back. It essentially ends the test-the-waters approach, which isn’t good for the kids, Katz writes.

3. One player who won’t be testing the waters this season is Baylor’s Perry Jones, ESPN.com’s Andy Katz writes. Somewhat surprisingly, Jones will return to the Bears, who had a disappointing season but will return a start-studded team, anchored by Jones.

4. Despite the uproar about the early entry deadline, that’s small change compared to the fiasco in San Diego. The Associated Press reported this week that the FBI is investigating former members of the Toreros program for running a sports betting business, and 10 people have been charged in the case, including the team’s all-time leading scorer, Brandon Johnson. In addition to Johnson, former player Brandon Dowdy is accused of fixing games.

5. Jorts-mania could be coming to a town near you. Kentucky’s Josh Harrellson will be launching a Jorts Tour — after his now-famous nickname — to sign autographs and hawk his clothing line, according to Diamond Leung of ESPN.com’s “College Basketball Nation” blog.

6. As Nebraska prepares to move to the Big 10 next season, the Huskers have reworked coach Doc Sadler’s deal to pay him an extra $100,000 per year, making his salary $900,000 per year through 2015-16, according to a CBS Sports.com wire report.

7. One of Nebraska’s former Big 12 rivals, Iowa State, is dealing with some drama after police arrested freshman center Jordan Railey for punching a man late Wednesday night along a hot spot for Ames restaurants and bars, according to the Associated Press. Coach Fred Hoiberg has suspended Railey while gathering more information about the incident.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE

Man, what a rough week for news in the world of college basketball.

Several players landed in trouble with the law (Nebraska, Florida). An NBA-minded freshman skipped his team’s season-closing banquet to work out in Vegas (Kansas). And speaking of Sin City, the gambling bug apparently migrated south to San Diego, where the very integrity of the game is in question after the FBI unearthed a supposed sports business ring that included former Torero players who are accused of fixing games.

And just to pile on, the NCAA looks pretty selfish and uninterested in the welfare of student-athletes after moving forward with a proposal to give players until about a week after the championship game to decide whether they want to return to school or enter the NBA Draft. Needing only an affirmative vote by the NCAA’s Board of Directors to become official, the proposal applies tortured logic that benefits schools and coaches but not players. And the players already are limited because the NCAA won’t let them profit from their name or likeness in commercial products, such as video games. However, the NCAA is happy to take its cut from those sales.

That’s enough to get you pretty down about the game.

Thankfully, I watched the Harlem Globetrotters play tonight on ESPN. And that evaporated my creeping cynicism. The figure-eight weaves, between-the-legs passes and crowd-pleasing interludes don’t look like traditional basketball. All those fancy moves make for great entertainment, and everyone in the arena is having fun — even the tough-luck Generals.

Basketball is supposed to be fun. Yes, the game can be a means to a career — and a small fortune — for the most talented players. But for the 99 percent of players who don’t come within sniffing distance of an NBA pay check, the game needs to be fun. If it’s not, why play? The Globetrotters take fun to an extreme, but they embody the soul of the game.

Despite the spate of bad news, the game goes on. By November, optimism will be the mood du jour as nearly 350 Division I teams embark on the journey toward a 2012 championship. And with any luck, most of them will have plenty of fun along the way.

FULL COURT SPRINTS

BASELINE TO BASELINE

LAST SHOT

1. Gonzaga avoids disaster with super soph Elias Harris narrowly dodging a torn Achilles tendon, ESPN.com reports.
2. It won’t be pretty, but Oregon State’s turquoise uniforms are part of the team’s participation in the Nike N7 Game against Texas Southern Nov. 21, according to NikeBlog.com. The game is part of the Native American Heritage Month, and Nike uses the N7 fund to support American Indian kids who want to pursue sports.
3. Rough week for Tulsa’s Glenn Andrews — reinjures a knee and gets dismissed from the team, according to InsideTulsaSports.com
4. Chuck will be part of TNT’s March Madness coverage team, according to the Associated Press. Think he’ll have an opinion about which teams didn’t deserve a bid?
5. Former Kansas Jayhawk employees made $3 million to $5 million through a ticket scam that now has five people facing serious charges for conspiring to steal the tickets, according to a CBSSports.com news report.
6. A.J. Moye, who helped guide the Hoosiers to the national championship game in 2002, is in a hospital in Germany for intensive examinations after Moye and a teammate collided in practice, ESPN.com reports.
7. SI.com’s Luke Winn crunches numbers regarding freshmen and comes up with some interesting results. Bottom line: Don’t overhype your young guns.

Nov. 17

Mississippi 77, Murray State 61BYU 78, Utah State 72
Colorado College 60, Air Force 57 OT

Nov. 16

Kansas State 73, Virginia Tech 57

Ohio State 93, Florida 75

San Diego State 79, Gonzaga 76

VCU 90, Wake Forest 69

Nov. 15

Kennesaw St. 80, Georgia Tech 63

Oklahoma 71, NC Central 63 OT

Nov. 14

South Dakota St. 79, Iowa 69

STUDY SESSION

OPENING TIP

Michael Protos writes that the ACC needs some big wins — and soon — to keep pace with conferences such as the Big Ten. Though as Phil Kasiecki points out, Maryland’s close call against the College of Charleston shouldn’t be too much of a surprise.

And we have a few season previews for you:

ACC

Colonial Athletic Association

Missouri Valley Conference Here are some of the best games coming up in the near future.

• Friday: Wisconsin at UNLV
• Sunday: LSU at Memphis
• Monday:
  Gonzaga vs. Kansas State
• Wednesday: VCU vs. Tennessee
• Wednesday: UCLA vs. Villanova
• Thursday: Temple vs. Cal
• Thursday: Georgia vs. Notre Dame

Best possible match up in a holiday tournament:

Duke vs. Kansas State in CBE Classic final.

Yeah, he said it. Portland guard Jared Stohl boldly predicts a win against Kentucky tonight.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE

People take days off from work to attend opening day for Major League Baseball. The NFL has moved the first game of the season to an entirely different day to create a grand spectacle. There’s no reason college basketball can’t have a captivating celebration that generates a week’s worth of anticipation.

In one sense, Midnight Madness actually hurts the hype of college basketball. The expensive and expansive celebrations that coincide with the first official practice occur several weeks before any teams tip off. Fans attend in person or watch on TV, get geeked up for their team…and wait another month for any meaningful results.

In past years, pre-season tournaments attempted to inject early season enthusiasm with exciting match ups. But they occurred on neutral courts, away from packed gymnasiums.

ESPN probably has the right idea with its 24 hours of coverage on campuses from the Northeast to Hawaii. But that should occur on the first day of the season, and no games should occur before that day. In addition, the first official day should be a Thursday or Saturday — not Friday when most people other than myself have better things to do than watch basketball all day.

I’m pretty sure that an infusion of sponsorships to drive competition among the TV networks would be all it takes to inspire a massive blowout befitting the return of college hoops. ]]> http://www.hoopville.com/2010/11/19/full-court-sprints-giving-thanks-to-hoops/feed/ 0 http://www.hoopville.com/2010/10/29/full-court-sprints-scary-good/ http://www.hoopville.com/2010/10/29/full-court-sprints-scary-good/#comments Fri, 29 Oct 2010 10:18:16 +0000 Michael Protos http://www.hoopville.com/?p=1000024624

FULL COURT SPRINTS

BASELINE TO BASELINE

LAST SHOT

1. Is the Grim Reaper pointing toward Iowa City and the Hawkeyes? Leading scorer Matt Gatens is out indefinitely after tearing a tendon in his left hand, according to an Iowa news release.
2. No zombie recruit in Louisville —the NCAA cleared freshman center Gorgui Dieng to play after the NCAA looked into his eligibility, according to a Louisville news release.
3. Yes, recruiting can get messy with the involvement of third parties. But the NCAA isn’t ready to introduce an all-out ban on summer recruiting yet, which could have all kinds of consequences, according to a CBSSports.com report.
4. Nasir Robinson needs about a month to recover from surgery on his right knee, writes Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Robinson started every Panther game last season, averaging 6.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
5. Binghamton will pay former coach Kevin Broadus $1.2 million to just leave and stop haunting university officials, writes John Kekis of the Associated Press. Broadus took Binghamton to the NCAA Tournament, and the team promptly imploded with criminal mischief, recruiting violations and academic shenanigans.

Don’t get sick at Long Beach State. You might be a bubble boy, but you’re still gonna be practicing your butt off.

This is how they get down in Hong Kong. One-handed three-pointers like it’s not a big deal.

Throwback special! Maybe the best combo of Halloween and hoops in a movie.

STUDY SESSION

OPENING TIP

Wright State opens practice for a night of tricks and treats, including a costume contest. Here’s a contender.

Some ballers are just evil.

Get your undead game on.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE

March Madness, which extends to April, is like Christmas (or Hannukah, etc.) in spring. June brings the NBA and NHL finals, plus the NBA Draft and an occasional World Cup. January has college and pro football playoffs with college basketball conference action getting started.

But October is great across the American sports landscape. College basketball practices get started, and the hype machine gets rolling into high gear as the first polls come out. NBA action returns, and this year couldn’t be more dramatic with the Miami LeBrons drawing more attention than election season races. In the NFL and college football, we’re starting to figure out the contenders and pretenders.

And if that weren’t enough, we have the World Series to demand our attention for almost two weeks. San Francisco and Texas offer a change of pace from the recent East Coast domination, but both teams are worthy contenders.

So sit back and enjoy the moment. ]]> http://www.hoopville.com/2010/10/29/full-court-sprints-scary-good/feed/ 0 http://www.hoopville.com/2010/03/24/bracket-breakdown-pac-10-mid-majors-show-the-big-east-the-door/ http://www.hoopville.com/2010/03/24/bracket-breakdown-pac-10-mid-majors-show-the-big-east-the-door/#comments Wed, 24 Mar 2010 20:39:14 +0000 Alonso Tacanga http://www.hoopville.com/?p=1000024306 It all started with some kid from a Kentucky school not named Kentucky stunning the college basketball world with an odds-defying, game-winning jumper at the buzzer. Thanks to forward Danero Thomas, 13th-seeded Murray State shocked No. 4-seed Vanderbilt, 66-65, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last Thursday.

Racers’ fans went into a frenzy. Many people who had never even heard of the school before celebrated the feel-good upset just because of its own strange nature. Even more people, however, kicked at the ground and muttered curse words because the unexpected result shook up their brackets.

That was just the beginning. Perhaps inspired by the Racers’ Day 1 shocker, a No. 12 seed, Cornell, decided it would ride hot-shooting all the way into the Sweet 16, a similar case to that of No. 10 St. Mary’s, which unleashed its beast of a center, 6-11 Omar Samhan, in the South Region and knocked out second-seeded Villanova to also join the field of 16.

And after No. 9 Northern Iowa’s Ali Farokhmanesh made the most cold-blooded crunch-time 3-pointer in recent tournament memory to cement his team’s Sweet 16 ticket while taking down overall-top-seeded Kansas on Saturday, it was official that at least 90 percent of the country’s brackets had gone more busted than a piñata on Cinco de Mayo.

Putting aside the almighty custom of wagering on tournament predictions, however, March Madness has been splendid so far. Down-to-the-wire games have been numerous, as have been upsets. High seeds Kansas, Villanova, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin and Temple all got axed, but their executioners gave the competition parity and diversity. Entering the Sweet 16, 11 conferences will be represented.

Out of all surprise teams, Cornell has been the most pleasant one. The Big Red’s wins made it the first Ivy League team to make it this far in more than 30 years, and it did so with authority. Cornell smacked around No. 5 Temple in the first round and then did the same to No. 4 Wisconsin in the second while shooting a combined 58.6 percent in the games.

Even better than that, though, has been the performance of St. Mary’s Samhan, who has totaled 61 points through two games while making 24 of 32 field goal attempts. His supremacy has been the reason the Gaels are enjoying the best season in their history while Villanova is already home, lamenting its collapse.

Speaking of failure, that’s been the theme of the postseason for Nova’s conference. The Big East, widely regarded as the best league in college basketball, had a tournament-best eight entrants, but half were done by the end of the first round, and two more followed soon after in the second. Only No. 1-seed Syracuse in the West Region and No. 2-seed West Virginia in the East remain.

First-round meat: No. 6 Marquette, which blew a 15-point lead in the second half and lost to an out-to-prove-the-Pac-10-is-not-that-weak No. 11-seed Washington; No. 3-seed Georgetown, which was blasted by Ohio, a team that had a losing record in the MAC and got into the Dance only after winning its conference’s tournament; Notre Dame, which was zoned out of the tournament by No. 11-seed Old Dominion; and No. 9-seed Louisville, which also got embarrassed by the Pac-10, by Cal.

No. 3-seed Pittsburgh made the second round, but the Panthers couldn’t hang with No. 6-seed Xavier on Sunday and were ousted.

With so many high seeds gone so early, thanks in big part to the Big East, it’d clearly be silly to count any team out. In the East, No. 1-seed Kentucky will have the challenge to cool down the Big Red’s red-hot shooting, and West Virginia will have to remain impressive to get past an also-remarkable Washington. In the South, No. 1-seed Duke, which has made quick work of its rivals so far, will face a Purdue team missing Robbie Hummel, and No. 3-seed Baylor will deal with Samhan, St. Mary’s scary big man.

In the Midwest, Cinderella Northern Iowa will face No. 5-seed Michigan State, ecstatic after its buzzer-beating win over Maryland Sunday, and No. 2-seed Ohio State, the favorite to win the section now that Kansas is gone, will take on No. 6-seed Tennessee. In the West, No. 5-seed Butler, which got a scare from Murray State before advancing via a 54-52 win Saturday, will meet with Syracuse. The winner will play the winner of the Kansas State-Xavier game.

Predictions? We’re not too big on them these days, but the solid candidates to advance are Kentucky, Syracuse, Duke, West Virginia and Ohio State. These teams have been imposing through their first two games. They’re as dependable picks as Kansas was before Saturday.

Since that has not happened, and McCaffery continued to hammer the Crusaders last week in published reports, Willard reluctantly took things to a public forum on his blog. You can read it in its entirety at the link, but here’s one noteworthy excerpt:

“(Fran McCaffery’s) reaction after the game this year shocked me. I have coached over 500 games at the college level, and many more at the high school level, and have never had a coach not have his student athletes shake the hands of an opponent after a game. I knew he had to play Fairfield in less than 48 hrs and had St Peters and Kansas, right after that, and just assumed he was upset about the two injuries happening in a game he probably thought would be a blowout. I saw the game as hard fought, by both teams. I assume, as my mother said, he has a different perspective. That’s fine, and if he wanted to convey that to me that’s fine also. What is not fine is his pronouncements to the media that he knew the intentions of our players, and the characterization of the way we play as being “dirty”, without ever having the professionalism of discussing it with me. The fact that it went on for three days after the game is incredulous to me. I’m not sure what he was trying to accomplish, other than justifying his actions.”

Other Notes

As the Patriot League heads into league play this weekend, the Rookie of the Year race looks to be R.J. Evans’ to lose. The Holy Cross guard has been named Rookie of the Week five times, including four of the last five weeks, and leads all freshmen in the league in scoring and steals and is second in rebounding. He figures to continue playing a significant role for the Crusaders the rest of the way.

Santa Clara came to New England for two games and came away with two losses. Both games highlighted issues Kerry Keating has seen with his team all season long: turnovers and defense. The Broncos turned the ball over 39 times in the two games, forced just six Harvard turnovers. They were better at New Hampshire defensively, but the Wildcats were 5-9 from behind the arc in the second half to pull out the win. Their 19 turnovers in the game hurt even more.

“If we don’t turn the ball over, we usually win, and if we do turn the ball over, it makes it very difficult,” said Keating. “That’s indicative of a young team, an inexperienced team that we have right now that needs to understand that little bit better.”

The Broncos are inexperienced in the backcourt, and that’s showing up at both ends of the floor. Perry Petty was a non-factor Sunday, while Kevin Foster continued to show some promise offensively but also some defensive struggles.

The Broncos begin West Coast Conference play with a bang: at Saint Mary’s, home against Gonzaga and at San Diego for their first three games.

Hofstra head coach Tom Pecora didn’t seem overly concerned about his team following Monday night’s 73-50 blowout loss at Northeastern. He gave the sense that his team gets it, understanding that there are plenty of games left and this can be seen as just an aberration.

“The good thing about college basketball, it’s not college football,” said Pecora. “If you lose one game, your season’s not over. You’ve just got to get yourselves right at the right time. I’ve been down this road before, we’ll keep grinding it out, and we’ll fix things.

“I have no doubt that they’ll be able to do it.”

The struggles have been largely with the guards, who still comprise most of the team’s scoring. Charles Jenkins hasn’t been making shots of late, which is also the case with Cornelius Vines. Tony Dennison has seen his minutes take a dip in the last two games after starting the first 11. The bright spot Monday night came from a promising place, as senior point guard Greg Johnson – their only true point guard – showed some good signs.

“I think he did a pretty good job of getting us into our offense tonight and making some plays,” said Pecora.

Who would have imagined that Arkansas would be in the position it’s in right now? When Patrick Beverly left after being declared academically ineligible, the Razorbacks certainly didn’t look like an NCAA Tournament team. But after Tuesday night’s win over a solid Texas team, they’re well-positioned to be just that as SEC play beckons.

And how many thought California would sweep the Arizona schools, albeit at home? Getting back Theo Robertson after he missed all of last season has been a big addition, but Jerome Randle’s play suggests he should be in the discussion for the conference Player of the Year honors when we get to late February and March. He flat-out knows how to play, and not only has he jumped up his scoring, assists and shooting percentages, but he’s also cut down on his turnovers.

December saw the Dons log some serious road time.  They were at home for just one game, and even that was no picnic as they needed double overtime to knock off Long Beach State.  They went 2-6 in the month, winning only at Boise State among their road games.  And while four of the road games in the month were played in the state of California, two were not close by, and they ended the month more than 2,900 miles away from home.

“It’s tough, and I know it’s tough for our guys, because they’re away from home, they’re away from family,” said head coach Rex Walters.  “They got to spend Christmas morning with their families, then we’re on a late flight to get out here for Holy Cross.”

If there are bright spots after the month-long struggle on the road, one is that the Dons are still 7-7 after Monday’s loss to Boston College.  One win is against a transitional Division II school, but they can still finish non-conference play with a winning overall record as they have one game left against another non-Division I school on Saturday.  Then they begin West Coast Conference play with two straight home games, but neither will be easy as San Diego and Saint Mary’s visit.

“It’s been a long month.  We’ve done some good things, we have a chance to finish with a winning record in the non-conference schedule, and hopefully we’ll be able to do that,” said Walters.  “It will be good to get back home, get on our practice floor, work on some things, and try to make a run.”

The Dons’ game at Holy Cross was a return game from last season, and Monday’s game came about in part from a desire to get another game while in the area.  Additionally, Walters went up against Boston College last season when he was the head coach at Florida Atlantic.

While the Dons clearly have talent, a lot of it is at the offensive end.  The Dons have four players who average in double figures, led by Dior Lowhorn, and they shoot over 38 percent from three-point range and average over 71 points per game.  But they are allowing slightly more at the defensive end, and opponents are shooting close to 45 percent from the field against them.

Even more troublesome is that the Dons are outscoring teams in the first half, but being outscored more in the second half.  They are also being out-rebounded, something Walters wants to see change, in large part by his team being tougher.

“I don’t know if we’ve out-rebounded any Division I team yet, and we don’t have great size,” said Walters.  (The Dons have actually out-rebounded four Division I schools in 13 games.)  “Coach Wooden, I remember listening to him talk, and he never talked about rebounding.  We’ve got to be a great box-out team, physical and tough.  It can be done; Coach Wooden’s first team didn’t have a guy over 6’6″.”

That, in short, is what he wants in the grand scheme of things.

“It’s got to be a mentality change, a culture change in terms of how we persist,” he added.  “When the ball goes up in the air, tough kids look for someone to hit.  You’re going to figure out a reason not to do it, or you’re going to figure out a reason to do it.  We’ve got to figure out a reason to do it.”

Walters is big on toughness, and knowing that he inherited this team from a prior staff, realizes that this can’t change all at once.  As much as he wants to win now, a little patience is probably necessary.  That was perhaps evident in the loss at Holy Cross, where the Crusaders’ 97 points was the most they have scored since 2002 and the most against a Division I school in almost 13 years.

“We made it too complicated for them,” Walters reflected.  “We’re in a first-year program; I kind of equate it to I was teaching a 400 level class and we’re a 100 level freshman team in terms of experience.”

While the Dons have a three-game road stretch coming up in the middle of January, they are first happy to be heading home.  They won just two games in December, but are still at .500 overall, and are hopeful of making a run in the West Coast Conference.  That won’t be easy, but with more time at home, they’ll be on better footing.

West Coast Conference 2008-09 Preview

by Phil Kasiecki

The 2007-08 season was a historic one for the West Coast Conference, as three teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in its 56-year history. On nine other occasions, two teams from the conference received bids, four of them coming since 2000.

When a conference like the WCC has such a season, one naturally wonders if it can at least repeat that the following season. The answer is a resounding yes. Gonzaga, while the team to beat, won’t be the only reason, as they’ll have plenty of competition. But the big reason to think this season should be better is that eight of the ten all-conference selections from a year ago return, which is a WCC record.

One can also expect the conference to have strength at the top, and a familiar look there as well. The top three teams last season return 12 of their 15 starters and all three return at least 77.2 percent of their scoring and 72 percent of their rebounding, meaning the conference will still be strong at the top. It will be tough for any team to break through those three this season, and adding to it is that a few of the bottom teams are in a rebuilding year.

Besides the great achievements the conference had last season, another hot topic was the coaching ranks. All of a sudden, the conference is full of relative newcomers, as only Mark Few (Gonzaga) and Randy Bennett (Saint Mary’s) have been in their current job for more than two seasons. Three programs have new head coaches this season, and the stories surrounding the departures of the prior coaches all had question marks.

After Eddie Sutton served as an interim head coach for the last two months of the season to get his 800th win, San Francisco hired former Florida Atlantic head coach Rex Walters to lead the program. The school essentially fired Jessie Evans during the season, but didn’t say that was what happened. Before the season was over, Vance Walberg resigned from Pepperdine amidst reports about poor treatment of his players, and the school brought back Tom Asbury as their new head man. Asbury once spent 15 years at the school, nine as an assistant and six as the head coach. Loyola Marymount forced out Rodney Tention after just three seasons at the helm, replacing him with former UNLV head coach Bill Bayno.

It’s clear that programs in the WCC feel more of a sense of urgency to compete for the top consistently. While no coach appears to be on the hot seat because only the most secure ones have been in their jobs for very long, it seems no coach is safe now. And if the young talent on some of the teams projected to finish near the bottom of the conference is any indication, winning is only going to get tougher.

Preseason Awards
Player of the Year: Jeremy Pargo, Gonzaga
Top Newcomer: Decensae White, Santa Clara
Top Freshman: LaRon Armstead, Loyola Marymount
Defensive Player of the Year: Diamon Simpson, Saint Mary’s
Best NBA Prospect: Austin Daye, Gonzaga

All-West Coast Team
John Bryant, Sr. C, Santa Clara
Brandon Johnson, Sr. G, San Diego
Patrick Mills, So. G, Saint Mary’s
Jeremy Pargo, Sr. G, Gonzaga
Diamon Simpson, Sr. F, Saint Mary’s

Gonzaga Bulldogs (25-8, 13-1 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Jeremy Pargo (12.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 6.0 apg, 1.4 spg)
Jr. G Matt Bouldin (12.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.4 spg)
So. G Steven Gray (8.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.5 apg)
Sr. G-F Micah Downs (7.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.4 apg)
Sr. C Josh Heytvelt (10.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg)
Schedule Highlights: This year’s non-conference schedule is exactly what we’ve come to expect from the Bulldogs: no shortage of challenges. Six games are at home in addition to playing Connecticut at Key Arena in Seattle, and they include Memphis (Spokane Arena) and Big Sky favorite Portland. They’ll head to Orlando for the Old Spice Classic, where they open with Oklahoma State and follow with either Maryland or Michigan State, then later play Indiana in the Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge, at Washington State, Arizona, Utah and Tennessee. In WCC play, they open with three straight at home, and at the end of January have a key home weekend with Saint Mary’s and San Diego.
Outlook: The Bulldogs are again favorites, but they’ll get stiff competition from Saint Mary’s and San Diego just like last season. There’s still an abundance of talent, especially on the perimeter as Pargo makes the team go, Gray could become one of the best shooters in the nation and Bouldin has a multitude of talents. Freshman Grant Gibbs gives them another solid body there, and classmate Demetri Goodson is likely to see time spelling Pargo. The frontcourt has plenty of talent, but also some questions. Downs has never lived up to his billing coming out of high school, Heytvelt has been slowed by injuries and an arrest over the last couple of seasons and Austin Daye suffered a knee injury in July that might limit him early on. Sophomore Robert Sacre, who will likely miss some early games with an injury, will need to give them more off the bench, and they could look to get more from senior Ira Brown. In light of that, whether they can repeat their conference-best rebounding margin is a question, and as good as the guards are, the Bulldogs only had six more assists than turnovers last season.

Saint Mary’s Gaels (25-7, 12-2 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
So. G Patrick Mills (14.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.8 spg)
Jr. G Wayne Hunter (redshirt)
Sr. F Ian O’Leary (7.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
Sr. F Diamon Simpson (13.4 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 1.8 bpg, 1.2 spg)
Jr. C Omar Samhan (10.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.3 bpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Gaels will hit the road often in non-conference play, as their tough schedule has just five home games. They will host Fresno State, a BracketBusters game and two games in the Shamrock Office Solutions Classic. Notable games away from home begin with the 76 Classic in Anaheim, where they open with Wake Forest and then get either UTEP or Cal State Fullerton, then likely a high-major opponent in their last game. They also head to Kent State, play San Diego State in the John Wooden Classic, travel to Oregon, and play Southern Illinois in the John Wooden Tradition in Indianapolis. Three of the first four WCC games are at home, and they could easily be 4-0 before heading to San Diego and Gonzaga to begin a three-game road stretch.
Outlook: Hopes are high for the senior-laden Gaels after a banner year last season, and Mills’ performance in the Olympics for his native Australia only adds to that. Mills is one of four starters who return, and Hunter started 24 games in 2006-07 before having to redshirt last season. The frontcourt is anchored by Simpson, an excellent player who might now be a bit overshadowed by Mills but hasn’t become any less effective, especially on defense. Samhan is a fine complement to Simpson and one of the conference’s most underrated players, while O’Leary is the other returning starter. There is better depth up front with Indiana transfer Ben Allen and senior Yusef Smith, as senior Carlin Hughes is the best backup guard. All in all, the Gaels have enough to challenge for the top spot in the conference once again, and they’ll have enough chances in non-conference play to get a couple of quality wins to be in play for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as well.

San Diego Toreros (22-14, 11-3 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Brandon Johnson (16.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.2 spg)
So. G Trumaine Johnson (5.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 2.7 apg)
Jr. G De’Jon Jackson (7.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.3 apg)
So. F Rob Jones (9.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.3 apg)
Sr. F Gyno Pomare (14.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.3 bpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Toreros’ non-conference schedule is challenging and features eight home games. They open up at UNLV, then host Nevada, and a trip to the Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam follows. Once they return, notable home games include New Mexico, Boise State, Marshall and a BracketBusters game. Road games of note are at Oregon (at the Rose Garden in Portland) and Mississippi State. In WCC play, they have a three-game homestand in mid-January balanced out by three straight on the road in mid-February.
Outlook: With all five starters back from last season’s team, expectations are naturally high for the Toreros. There’s plenty of experience up and down the roster and no freshmen on the team, but don’t expect much change in the starting lineup. The perimeter of Johnson and Johnson as well as Jackson, who hit the game-winner against Connecticut in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, will be deep and supported well by senior Danny Brown, sophomore Devin Ginty and junior swingman Chris Lewis. Pomare is a solid post player, and the hope is that the one newcomer, junior college transfer Roberto Mafra, will help inside. Jones had a nice freshman season complementing Pomare, and classmates Clinton Houston and Nathan Lozeau should be in the mix as well. One area for improvement is taking care of the ball, as the Toreros had more turnovers than assists on the season but improved in conference play to have more assists. It would help if they continued that trend into this season.

Santa Clara Broncos (15-16, 6-8 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
Jr. G Perry Petty (junior college transfer)
Sr. G Calvin Johnson (4.6 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1.0 apg)
Jr. F Decensae White (transfer from Texas Tech)
So. F Ben Dowdell (8.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.9 apg)
Sr. C John Bryant (18.0 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.5 bpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Broncos will play seven home games in non-conference play, including two in the longest-running in-season tournament, the Cable Car Classic, against Belmont and either UTEP or James Madison. Right before that, they host Stanford. The Broncos will also play in the NIT Season Tip-Off against UAB and either Arizona (regional host) or Florida Atlantic, and also hits the road for a game at UNLV and makes a northeast swing to start 2009. The conference schedule starts with a bang: the first three games are at Saint Mary’s, home against San Diego and at Gonzaga.
Outlook: With big personnel losses on the perimeter, the Broncos may take a step back this season, especially with the top three teams all returning most of their starters. The frontcourt doesn’t figure to have issues, although Bryant was stabbed in September but should be ready to go by the beginning of the season. Dowdell and White should complement him well, and redshirt freshman Scott Thompson and sophomore Andrew Zimmerman make this a fine unit. Thompson could one day be a star in this conference. Johnson figures to be one starter, while Petty is the most likely to replace departed Brody Angley. Little-used sophomore Michael Santos is the only other experienced guard on the team, which doesn’t bode well for a team that last season had the worst turnover margin in the conference.

Portland Pilots (9-22, 3-11 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
Jr. G Nik Raivio (12.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.1 apg)
Jr. G Taishi Ito (5.3 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 3.2 apg)
So. F Luke Sikma (6.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.1 apg)
Jr. F Robin Smeulders (9.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg)
So. F-C Kramer Knutson (4.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Pilots will play seven home games in non-conference play, including three straight early on. They open with Washington visiting the Chiles Center, then later host Nevada and Idaho of the WAC. Road dates include Big Sky favorite Portland State, Brigham Young and Oregon, and they will play in the Golden Bear Classic against Air Force and either Dartmouth or California (host). In conference play, the highlight is a three-game homestand starting late in January against the three powers: San Diego, Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga all visit the Chiles Center in that stretch.
Outlook: The Pilots look like a sleeper team with four returning starters, but they also have no seniors, which will make moving up a challenge in this conference. Size will be on their side, as the addition of freshman John Hegarty gives them five players who stand 6’8″ or taller and all three frontcourt starters will be at least 6’8″. Sikma, the son of a former NBA player, had a nice freshman season and should anchor the frontcourt, while Smeulders and Knutson complement him. The big question is in the backcourt, where Raivio can’t shoot like his brother but is their best scorer, and Ito could be pushed by junior college transfer T.J. Campbell. The Pilots had over 100 more turnovers than assists last season, a stat made more problematic by the fact that they forced the fewest turnovers in the conference. The Pilots look to be a year away from making a serious bid at the first division.

San Francisco Dons (10-21, 5-9 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
Jr. G Dontae Bryant (junior college transfer)
Sr. G Manny Quezada (13.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.5 spg)
Jr. F Blake Wallace (junior college transfer)
Jr. F Dior Lowhorn (20.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg)
Jr. C Hyman Taylor (3.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
Schedule Highlights: Five home games are on tap in non-conference play, including a three-game homestand to close out November. The Dons will head to Hawaii for the Verizon Wireless Tip-Off Classic against the host Rainbows and Texas State, then head to California, USC, Big West contender Pacific, Boise State, and cross the country to close out December with games at Holy Cross and Boston College. The Dons begin WCC play at home, but with tough ones as San Diego and Saint Mary’s visit.
Outlook: The Dons aren’t lacking talent, especially on the offensive end as their inside-outside attack of Lowhorn and Quezada should only be better this season. Not only are both better, but Quezada should be able to move off the ball with the addition of Bryant to run the show. Junior Christian Hernandez is the only other experienced guard on the team. Up front, Lowhorn will be complemented by Taylor and Wallace, the latter of whom played his freshman season at Pepperdine. James Morgan, who is one of two seniors on the team (Quezada is the other) should also be in the mix after starting six games last season. The Dons must improve defensively if they are to move up in the standings, as opponents shot over 47 percent from the field against them last season, and they were out-rebounded as well. The former was more pronounced in conference play, as WCC opponents shot over 48 percent against them.

Loyola Marymount Lions (5-26, 2-12 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
So. G Vernon Teel (junior college transfer)
Sr. G Corey Counts (6.1 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 2.8 apg)
Fr. F Ashley Hamilton
Fr. F Kevin Young
So. F Tim Diederichs (8.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.2 apg)
Schedule Highlights: The Lions managed to get six home games in non-conference play, including a couple of good ones. First, they head on the road for three games in the World Vision Classic at Iowa State. Then they get Notre Dame at home, and later host Wyoming and Tulsa. Notable road games include Arizona, UCLA and New Mexico State. Conference play starts out with the challenge of three straight games on the road, including Saint Mary’s and San Diego.
Outlook: New head coach Bill Bayno has quickly moved to raise the talent level of this team, and while they’ll be young this season, some pieces will be in place to contend before long. Diedrichs and Counts are likely to be the only holdovers to start this season, and LaRon Armstead could push Counts out of the starting lineup at some point this season. Hamilton and Young are promising freshmen in the frontcourt, and Marko Deric is a role player who will be in the mix there as well. Two good transfers are sitting out this season, and the Lions already have two solid commitments for next year, so this year will give fans an idea of what to expect going forward.

Pepperdine Waves (11-21, 4-10 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Rico Tucker (10.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.2 apg, 2.2 spg)
Sr. G Ryan Holmes (6.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.1 apg)
So. F Mychel Thompson (8.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.6 spg)
Fr. F Taylor Darby
Fr. C Andy Shannon
Schedule Highlights: Eight home games are on tap in non-conference play, a very good number for a school in this conference. They open with three straight at home, ending with Brigham Young, then later host Big West contender Pacific and Georgia Tech. Notable road games are at New Mexico State, Arizona State and USC, and they will also play in the Rainbow Classic. Conference play starts with a bang: after hosting Loyola Marymount, they play at San Diego and Saint Mary’s, then host Gonzaga. A three-game road swing is also in the mix.
Outlook: The Waves are in full rebuilding mode after a coaching change and the roster being gutted by transfers, notably of their top two scorers last season. New head coach Tom Asbury has a tough job in front of him, but will at least have some experience in the backcourt with two seniors starting and a promising sophomore in Thompson to build around. The Waves will be young up front, which isn’t necessarily bad since last season’s team was next-to-last in rebounding margin. There are many areas for improvement, with defense being one of them as opponents shot over 48 percent against the Waves last season. They could also take better care of the ball after giving it away 17 times a game last season.

Conference Outlook

The 2008-09 season figures to be a case of the haves and have-nots in this conference. The top three teams will battle for supremacy right down to the wire, while the other five teams are either rebuilding or a year away from possibly contending. In particular, Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount are basically starting from scratch. The top three could go any which way, and teams four through six could as well. This doesn’t figure to hold for long, as the bottom teams are already taking steps to get better, and the conference as a whole looks like it’s only going up.

West Coast Conference 2007-08 Preview

by Phil Kasiecki

The West Coast Conference has basically been Gonzaga’s to lose for a while now. Yes, the conference has had seasons with other NCAA Tournament teams, and they’ve gotten an occasional push either during the season or in the final (as Loyola Marymount can attest), but at the end of the day, was there ever any doubt about the Zags? They were going to the NCAA Tournament anyway just about every year, but they also rolled through the West Coast Conference most of those years.

Don’t expect much to change in 2007-08, at least at the top. The Bulldogs are again an easy pick to win, and again have too much talent and experience for the rest of the conference. They even have the conference’s top freshman, although other freshmen in the conference will probably get more playing time and a bigger role on their teams than Austin Daye will get on the Bulldogs.

That leads into one area of note this season: freshmen. A few teams have freshmen coming in who are very good recruits for them and should be impact players right away. Daye is one, while several other teams are likely to turn to a freshman in their starting lineup right away. Scott Thompson can run the floor and may one day be the best big man in the conference at Santa Clara, while Luke Sikma (son of former NBA star Jack Sikma) should start right away for Portland and Tyrone Shelley leads a good group at Pepperdine. Daye’s teammates Stephen Gray and Robert Sacre should also give Gonzaga added depth.

Two schools changed head coaches this past off-season. Santa Clara was one as Dick Davey retired amidst conflicting reports over whether he was forced into it or did so voluntarily, and the school hired former UCLA assistant Kerry Keating to replace him. San Diego fired Brad Holland and decided to go with someone who has had some success in the conference as they hired former Gonzaga assistant Bill Grier. With those changes, half of the conference head coaches are in their first or second season with their current team.

Preseason Awards
Player of the Year: Josh Heytvelt, Gonzaga
Top Newcomer: Dior Lowhorn, San Francisco
Top Freshman: Scott Thompson, Santa Clara
Defensive Player of the Year: Jeremy Pargo, Gonzaga
Best NBA Prospect: Josh Heytvelt, Gonzaga

All-West Coast Team
Josh Heytvelt, Jr. C, Gonzaga
Manny Quezada, Jr. G, San Franciso
Jeremy Pargo, Jr. G, Gonzaga
Gyno Pomare, Jr. F, San Diego
Diamon Simpson, Jr. F, St. Mary’s

Gonzaga Bulldogs (23-11, 11-3 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
Jr. G Jeremy Pargo (12.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.4 spg)
So. G Matt Bouldin (8.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.1 apg)
Sr. G-F David Pendergraft (7.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg)
Jr. F Micah Downs (8.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
Jr. C Josh Heytvelt (15.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.7 bpg)
Schedule Highlights: The non-conference schedule is the kind we’ve come to expect for this team: full of challenges. After three straight home games to open, highlighted by Big Sky favorite Montana, the Bulldogs head to the Great Alaska Shootout, where they open with Sun Belt favorite Western Kentucky. They then head east to play at Saint Joseph’s and against Connecticut in the Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge in Boston. Three straight home games follow, including Washington State, then they’re at Oklahoma, play Tennessee at Key Arena in Seattle, then they play Utah and Georgia in Spokane and head to Memphis in late January.
Outlook: The Bulldogs should again be the class of the WCC, and talent-wise this team looks excellent. Pargo and Bouldin form an excellent backcourt, with Pargo being a dark horse Player of the Year candidate and Bouldin ready to build off his nice freshman season. Downs and Pendergraft give them four perimeter players, while Heytvelt’s return is just one more big boost that will further push them ahead, as they would be the class of the conference without him. There’s no shortage of talent all over, with Pendergraft able to shift to a guard spot and Steven Gray available in the backcourt, Ira Brown, a healthy Larry Gurganious, and a plethora of inside bodies that include junior college transfer Abdullahi Kuso and freshmen Austin Daye and Robert Sacre. Daye could get a lot of the minutes off the bench and even start before the season is over.

St. Mary’s Gaels (17-15, 8-6 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Todd Golden (5.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.2 apg)
Jr. G Wayne Hunter (8.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.1 apg)
Jr. F Ian O’Leary (7.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.1 apg)
Jr. F Diamon Simpson (14.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.5 bpg, 1.4 spg)
So. C Omar Samhan (9.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.5 bpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Gaels host two in-season tournaments, starting with the St. Mary’s Tip-Off Classic, then they close out 2007 with the Shamrock Office Solutions Classic. They are also in the Rainbow Classic, where they open with Tulane and could play Georgia in the second game. They host Oregon and Seton Hall, as well as a BracketBusters game among their nine home games. Road highlights include Southern Illinois, Texas and Fresno State, and they also play San Diego State in Anaheim at the John R. Wooden Classic. In West Coast play, they have two three-game homestands and have one three-game road trip.
Outlook: The Gaels bring a good deal of size to the table and can at least match up with Gonzaga on that front. They’re also a fine defensive team, in part because Simpson and Samhan form an excellent interior that can thwart penetrators who get inside. Samhan has plenty of upside and might be the best big man in the conference before his career is over. The backcourt isn’t spectacular, but Golden and Hunter have to improve offensively for this team to have a chance to win. The Gaels’ defense will give them a chance to win, but they had more turnovers than assists and shot just 43 percent from the field, so they’ll need to improve in that area.

Santa Clara Broncos (21-10, 10-4 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Brody Angley (8.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.0 apg)
Jr. G Calvin Johnson (2.5 ppg)
Sr. F Mitch Henke (6.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.4 apg)
Fr. F Scott Thompson
Jr. C John Bryant (10.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.6 bpg)
Schedule Highlights: Six home games are on tap in non-conference play, including two in the Cable Car Classic. Included is a game against Big Sky favorite Montana, as well as part of an in-season home-and-home with nearby San Jose State. They have plenty of challenging road games, especially early on when they play seven straight on the road. Included are trips to Nevada, Utah and Utah State, and they later play at Stanford and Minnesota.
Outlook: New head coach Kerry Keating inherits a team that could contend right away, as they have some good returning talent and newcomers like Thompson who are capable of making an instant impact. Angley is a steady floor leader and Henke, if healthy, is a solid wing at both ends of the floor. Bryant is the go-to guy, and his heft would be nicely complemented by Thompson, who is skilled and can run the floor for a big man and would give them a frontcourt with a lot of height. Senior Josh Higgins is another big body inside, and with Thompson added in they would have three regulars who are 6’10″ or taller. There isn’t much proven depth, so they’ll be looking to other freshmen to help pick up the slack. The Broncos got where they did last season largely on the strength of the conference’s best defense and rebounding margin, so if they can repeat that and cut down on turnovers, they’ll be in the hunt once again.

San Diego Toreros (18-14, 6-8 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
Jr. G Brandon Johnson (12.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.9 spg)
Jr. G Ray Murdock (5.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.4 apg)
Fr. G-F Chris Lewis
Jr. F Daniel Fleming (3.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg)
Jr. F Gyno Pomare (14.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.3 bpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Toreros have ten home games in non-conference play, including half of an in-season home-and-home with Hawai’i. They also host UNLV and cross-town rival San Diego State. The demanding road slate includes trips to New Mexico, Nevada, Kentucky and improved Marshall. The Toreros will also play in the Anaheim Classic against USC, then either MAC contender Miami (Ohio) or South Alabama in the second game.
Outlook: New head coach Bill Grier has been a key to Gonzaga’s success over the past decade, and now he tries his hand at leading a program of his own in the same conference. He inherits a team with some good parts, although there are no seniors. Leading the way are two of the conference’s best with the inside-outside combination of Johnson and Pomare. Johnson led the conference in assists last season, while Pomare should put up several double-doubles with his ability to score and rebound inside. Murdock is a capable sniper from long range, while the wing looks to be an open spot that could go to Lewis or junior Danny Brown. Fleming started much of last season but didn’t put up good numbers. The Toreros might be a year away from being a serious contender with their five juniors, and might go as far as Johnson and Pomare will take them this season. An improvement at the defensive end is in order, as the Toreros allowed opponents to shoot 47 percent from the field last season.

San Francisco Dons (13-18, 8-6 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
Jr. G Manny Quezada (13.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.2 spg)
Sr. G-F Danny Cavic (6.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg)
So. F Jay Watkins (6.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
So. F Dior Lowhorn (transfer from Texas Tech)
So. C Hyman Taylor
Schedule Highlights: The Dons have just five home games in non-conference play, including four straight. They open at Oklahoma in the 2K Sports Classic, then later have several tough road games: Big West favorite UC Santa Barbara, Oregon and Notre Dame. They also have an in-season home-and-home with both Utah Valley State and Weber State. West Coast play starts with three straight road games, then February brings three more consecutive road games followed by three straight at home.
Outlook: If the Dons had a little more continuity with their personnel, they might be a contender, but Antonio Kellogg (pro) and Jesse Byrd (transferred to UC Santa Barbara) left early and two good prospects they signed didn’t get admitted, meaning that this team will have to get by with less depth. Quezada leads the way and should score in the high teens, although he will likely be counted on to run the show as well. Watkins has some potential and could jump into double figures this season, while transfers Lowhorn and Taylor should start immediately and hold down the fort inside. Lowhorn should be an all-conference player before long. Depth will have to come from sophomore Jared Casey and junior James Morgan, the latter of whom played limited minutes last year. Lowhorn and Taylor have an immediate mission as they start their careers with the Dons, and that is helping a team that had the second-worst rebounding margin in the conference last season.

Loyola Marymount Lions (13-18, 5-9 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
Jr. G Corey Counts (2.6 ppg, 1.6 apg)
Sr. G Jon Ziri (5.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.1 spg)
Jr. F Marko Deric (5.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
So. F Mason Maynard (2.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg)
So. C Max Craig (1.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg)
Schedule Highlights: The non-conference slate is manageable for this young team, featuring six home games. A few home games are good ones: San Diego State, Big West favorite UC Santa Barbara, Mississippi State and Southland contender Sam Houston State. The Lions will play in the BTI Invitational in New Mexico and also travel to Brigham Young.
Outlook: Ziri is the team’s only senior and only four juniors are on the roster, and the Lions lost their top four scorers, so it’s safe to say that they’re basically starting over this season. Counts and Deric need to give them more in larger roles, while Maynard and Craig have some potential and will need to grow up quickly now that they’ll be counted on for a lot inside. Four true freshmen and two redshirt freshmen will need to help right away and will surely get plenty of opportunities. With the scoring punch they lost, finishing at or near the bottom of the conference in scoring again seems a good possibility, so the quick path to winning might come by improving on last season’s defensive showing as opponents shot over 47 percent from the field against the Lions.

Portland Pilots (9-23, 4-10 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
So. G Taishi Ito (7.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.3 apg)
Jr. G Walter Thompson (4.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg)
Sr. F Sherrard Watson (9.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.2 apg)
Fr. F Luke Sikma
So. F Robin Smeulders
Schedule Highlights: The non-conference slate has plenty of challenges, with their six home games featuring visits from Oregon and Brigham Young. They open up at the Fresno State World Vision Invitational, then later travel to Oregon State, Big Sky favorite Montana, Washington and Ivy League favorite Yale. In West Coast play, they get two very difficult three-game stretches, one of them with all three on the road and the other all at home: Gonzaga, Santa Clara and St. Mary’s right in a row.
Outlook: Second-year coach Eric Reveno will be looking at a youthful team this season, as Watson is the only senior and Thompson has just one classmate. Ito had a promising freshman season and will run the team for the next three years, while Thompson is the only other backcourt holdover with much experience. Watson is the team leader in the frontcourt, and he’ll have some young talent to help nurture, especially Sikma, who has a good feel for the game as one would expect the son of a former NBA star to have. Nik Raivio, Derek’s younger brother, is also a newcomer who could get some minutes right away in the backcourt, along with freshmen like Jared Stohl and B.J. Porter. The Pilots were last in the conference in scoring last season, and unless a couple of scorers develop quickly, that could happen again this season.

Pepperdine Waves (8-23, 4-10 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
Jr. G Rico Tucker (transfer from Minnesota)
Sr. G Jason Walberg (14.0 ppg, 3.0 apg in five games)
Fr. G-F Tyrone Shelley
Fr. F Malcolm Thomas
Sr. C Jarrad Henry (3.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.2 bpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Waves have a difficult non-conference schedule, and it starts out that way at the Oregon World Vision Invitational as they take on host Oregon, MAC favorite Western Michigan and Big West contender Pacific. Only three home games are on tap, and after playing at Northern Arizona and in the Montana State GranTree Inn Classic, they have a murderous stretch of road games: Big West favorite UC Santa Barbara, Pacific, Brigham Young, then a couple of games later play at Memphis. As if that’s not enough, early in West Coast play it gets tough: Gonzaga at home, then on the road at St. Mary’s and Santa Clara.
Outlook: The rebuilding continues in Vance Walberg’s second year, and it got a little more difficult in the immediate when leading returning scorer Kingsley Costain was kicked off the team in October for a violation of team rules. That thins out the proven talent even more, so the Waves will be relying even more on newcomers right away. Walberg got off to a good start, while Henry proved he can defend inside and must become an offensive threat. Tucker is a good talent who should start right away, while Shelley heads a good group of freshmen and Thomas should play right away as well. Matt Hornbuckle is another freshman who could get a lot of minutes right away as well at shooting guard. It’s another rebuilding year, but there’s talent among their young players and from that comes reason for optimism.

Conference Outlook

Once again, the West Coast Conference is Gonzaga’s to lose. The Bulldogs have too many pieces and too many interchangeable parts for others to keep up with. St. Mary’s and two schools with new coaches but a stable of talent, Santa Clara and San Diego, come next. San Francisco is a wild card as they have talent but also some question marks, and they’ve had some unexpected departures that have slowed their attempted ascent.

After the top five, there is a steep drop-off and a noticeable rebuilding theme. Loyola Marymount, Portland and Pepperdine are all thin on proven Division I talent, but each has some young players that have a chance to develop. They’ll be in the hunt one day, but not this season.