|
sports
Men's Big West
race wide open
By Phil Witte
On-line Forty-Niner
Parity has become
a popular buzzword in the world of sports in recent years.
The thinking being
that the greater number of teams that enter a season with
a chance to win a championship, the greater the fan interest
will be as a result.
For the Big West,
parity could be a very dangerous thing. Five teams enter the
season with legitimate shots at winning the regular season
conference title. Add a bona fide wild card in a debutante
that won its own conference last year, and there are more
teams that could take the title than can't.
For a mid-major
conference that desperately wants to send more than the conference
tournament winner to the NCAA Tournament, having three or
four teams fighting at the top at the end of the season indicates
another solo invitation is on the way.
Conference honors
were split last season with surprising UC Irvine winning its
first Big West regular season with a 15-1 mark, losing only
to Utah State. The Anteaters faltered in the conference tourney,
falling to Pacific and settling for a NIT berth, where the
team fell to Tulsa 75-71 in the first round.
Utah State, which
finished second in the regular season, won the Big West tournament
for the second year in a row and made it to the second round
of the NCAAs by beating Ohio State before losing to UCLA 75-50
in the second round. It was the first time since New Mexico
State in 1993 that a Big West team made it past the first
round.
In addition to
the big two, UC Santa Barbara, Long Beach State, and Pacific
all have the talent and/or experience to win the Big West
this year. Throw in Big West newcomer and defending Big Sky
champion Cal State Northridge and the likelihood that any
team will get through conference play with fewer than three
losses is very slim.
The other four
- Idaho, Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton and UC Riverside -
will all battle to stay out of the cellar, but all of them
could hand one of the top six an upset to throw off conference-winning
hopes.
It will likely
be, as UC Santa Barbara Coach Bob Williams called it, "the
wild wild West this year."
Teams listed in
predicted order of finish, though the top five and bottom
four can easily be shuffled.
UC Santa Barbara
(13-15 overall, 9-7 Big West Conference)
Head Coach:
Bob Williams (42-42, three years at UCSB; 231-142, 13 years
overall)
Players to watch: Adam Ndiaye (6-9 Sr. F, 9.3 ppg, 7.5
rpg-1999-00); Mark Hull (6-7 Jr. F, 13.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg); Branduinn
Fullove (6-4 So. F/G, 12.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg);
Outlook: The Gauchos are the only team to return all
five starters, which include two second team all-conference
players in Hull and Mike Vukovich, and two all-freshman picks
in Fullove and Nick Jones. The team also gets back Ndiaye, who
sat out all of last year with a broken hand. The 6-9 forward
led the conference in blocks and was fifth in rebounding two
years ago and should challenge for defensive player of the year
honors. The Big West favors breakout teams. Two years ago, LBSU
went from 13 to 24 wins. Last year, UCI went from 14 to 25.
This could be UCSB's year to break out.
UC Irvine (25-5,
15-1)
Head Coach:
Pat Douglass (54-57, four years at UCI; 430-175, 20 years overall)
Players to watch: Jerry Green (6-3 Sr. G, 19 ppg, 4.8
rpg); Adam Parada (7-0 Sr. C, 7.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg); Stanislav Zuzak
(6-10 So. F, 4.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
Outlook: The Anteaters prospects improved greatly when
Big West Player of the Year Jerry Green went undrafted by the
NBA and he returned for his senior season. He won't have his
supporting cast from last season, as three senior starters graduated.
UCI boasts a towering tandem of 7-0 Parada and 6-10 Zuzak that
will dominate in the paint. Douglass doesn't have the depth
to replace the lost starters, but look for Green to lead the
conference in scoring for another 20-win team.
Long Beach State
(18-13, 10-6 BWC)
Head Coach:
Wayne Morgan (78-67, five years at LBSU)
Players to watch: Travis Reed (6-8 Sr. C, 14.5 ppg, 8.7
rpg); Rudy Williams (6-9 Sr. F, 12.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg-1999-00);
Ron Johnson (6-0 Sr. G, 5.4 ppg, 2.0 apg); Michael Darrett (6-2
Sr. G, 5.7 ppg, 3.4 apg)
Outlook: The 49ers gain a Williams and lose a Williams.
Rudy returns after a season on the sidelines just as Lemi is
gone this year with the same ailment: stress fractures in the
shins. Adding Rudy ? and Tadeu Souza and Vance Lawhorn ? will
make Reed a better player in the middle and give him up back-ups
so he can afford to play more aggressive defensively. With leading
scorer Rock Lloyd graduating and Lemi out, Darrett, Johnson
or newcomer Tony Darden will have to pick up the perimeter scoring.
It remains to be seen who will inherit the mantle of go-to player
at the end of the game that Lloyd held for three years. Johnson
and Darrett, one and two in steals in the Big West last year,
should continue to chase each other for the conference title
again. A conference championship is not out of the question,
but not as likely had Lemi not needed metal rods inserted into
his legs.
Utah State (28-6,
13-3 BWC)
Head Coach: Steve
Morrill (71-25, three years at Utah State, 289-163, 15 years
overall)
Players to watch: Tony Brown (6-3 Sr. G, 11.7 ppg, 3.2
apg); Toraino Johnson (6-4 Jr. F, 2.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg); Desmond
Penigar (6-7 Jr. F, JC transfer)
Outlook: Utah State's two-year reign as the Big West
NCAA entrant could be over with the loss of four starters, among
them defensive player of the year Shawn Daniels. But, underestimating
Morrill, who has led the Aggies to 28 wins each of the last
two seasons, is not a safe strategy. He reloads quickly with
the best recruiting class in the Big West, which includes the
6-7 Penigar, expected to be a force inside. Look for a top-half
finish before a strong run in the conference tournament.
Pacific (18-12,
8-8 BWC)
Head Coach:
Bob Thomason (202-175, 13 years at Pacific, 255-201, 16 years
overall)
Players to watch: Mike Hahn (6-7 Sr. F, 10.2 ppg, 4.9
rpg); Maurice McLemore (6-2 Sr. G, 9.9 ppg, 3.3 apg)
Outlook: The Tigers are the most experienced team in
the conference with eight seniors and its only significant loss
is last year's leading scorer Peter Heizer. Hahn and 6-11 center
Tim Johnson look to anchor the inside while the ever-improving
Maurice McLemore runs the offense from the point. After upsetting
regular season champ UCI in last year's conference tournament
semifinal, expectations are high for Pacific. A conference title
is not out of the question.
Cal State Northridge
(22-10, 13-3 Big Sky Conference)
Head Coach:
Bobby Braswell (85-63, five years)
Players to watch: Markus Carr (6-1 Sr. G, 8.7 ppg, 8.9
apg); Joey Busch (6-7 Sr. F/C, 3.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
Outlook: The Matadors are the mystery team in the Big
West. They enter coming off a dream season in which it beat
UCLA at Pauley Pavilion, won the Big Sky Conference, and made
the school's first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament. Last year's
top three scorers are gone, but returning is Carr, who led the
nation in assists at 8.9 per game last season. Braswell said
his team's fast-paced style is more suited to the Big West than
the Big Sky, so the switch shouldn't be too rough. But, if they
start two or three freshmen as the coach predicted, the transition
could be bumpy.
Cal Poly San
Luis Obispo (9-19, 3-13 BWC)
Coach: Kevin
Bromley (4-12, one year at Cal Poly)
Players to watch: Brandon Beeson (6-6 Sr. F, 8.2 ppg,
7.5 rpg); Varnie Dennis (6-7 So. F, 8.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg); Steve
Geary (5-11 Jr. G, JC transfer)
Outlook: With a full off-season in charge, Bromley gets
a chance to show what he can do with his own team, but he'll
have to do it without four of last year's starters. Beeson ranked
second in the conference in rebounding last year, and should
continue to dominate inside. Geary and Allen will likely start
in a brand-new backcourt. Bromley is predicting mystery and
excitement, but different doesn't always mean better. Another
year fighting off the cellar is in store for the Mustangs.
Idaho (6-21,
3-13 BWC)
Head Coach:
Leonard Perry (first season)
Players to watch: Matt Gerschefske (6-6 Sr. F, 11 ppg,
3.6 rpg); Jerald Jenkins (6-5 Jr. G, 10.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg); Bethuel
Fletcher (6-1 Jr. G, 7.3 ppg, 3.1 apg)
Outlook: Perry returns to his alma mater and gets five
of the top six scorers from last year to work with. Gerschefske
should lead the team in scoring again and Jenkins, last year's
best sixth man, should move into the starting lineup. Size will
be a major factor, as the Vandals don't have a player taller
than 6-6. The Vandals lost many close games late last season,
which is usually a good harbinger, but are probably a few years
away from competing for a conference title.
Cal State Fullerton
(5-23, 3-13 BWC)
Head Coach:
Donny Daniels (5-23, one year at CSF)
Players to watch: Kevin Richardson (6-5 Sr. G, 11.6 ppg,
2.5 apg); Babacar Camara (6-1 Jr. C, 7.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg); Brandon
Campbell (6-4 Jr. G/F, 10.7 ppg, 4.7rpg-1999-00)
Outlook: The Titans are bolstered by the return of Campbell,
who sat out all of last season with a knee injury. Camara added
25 pounds in the off-season and should be improved both offensively
and defensively with another year of experience. Richardson's
scoring should improve this year with him relinquished of point
guard duties. In the second year of Daniels' rebuilding, they
won't be a factor in the race but could pull off an upset or
two.
UC Riverside
(8-17 as a Division I independent)
Head Coach:
John Masi (428-197, 22 years at UCR)
Players to watch: Vili Morton (6-8 So. F, 8.5 ppg, 7.2
rpg); Mark Miller (6-6 Jr. F, 13.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg); Ted Bell (6-3
So. G, 7.5 ppg.)
Outlook: Masi and the Highlanders finished the move to
Division I after 420 wins and 11 NCAA appearances in Division
II. Last year's transition season was rough, but they did schedule
12 games against Big West foes for experience, but only won
two. The top two returning scorers, Morton and Miller, will
lead the frontcourt. With only two seniors on the roster, next
year looks much brighter than this year's likely last-place
conference finish.
|
|
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Search our site
DEPARTMENT
OF
JOURNALISM
ONLINE 49ER
DEPARTMENTS
ADVERTISING
ADMINISTRATION
DAILY
49ER ALUMNI
SUBSCRIPTION
SERVICE
GIVE
FEEDBACK
|
