Mountain West Conference Preview
by John Eisel
When the results came out from the coaches and media preseason poll and the top three teams all have new coaches this season, things had to be taken with a grain of salt.
UNLV, Utah and reigning regular season champion Air Force all brought back too much talent from good teams last year to ignore. However, UNLV has always had talent and that hasn’t always translated that into conference championships. No one is sure what to make of Air Force after a history of lousy play followed by last year’s success. In Utah, the big man in the big sweaters is no longer hanging out on the sideline.
New Mexico and Colorado State brings nearly everyone back, and with some health and good luck could very easily rise to the top half of the conference.
No one doubts BYU’s talent, but it just needs time to grow after losing so many seniors from last year’s NCAA Tournament team.
Both San Diego State and Wyoming have suffered from people leaving the program and not taking care of schoolwork. That doesn’t mean they don’t have the talent to compete in the conference.
Before we get into 2004-05, let’s first go over some things to know about the conference.
1. Parity reigns. This isn’t necessarily a new lesson, but was simply reinforced with Air Force going from worst to first and then losing to the No. 8 seed, Colorado State, in the MWC Tournament. Every team had a winning record at home in conference, so unlike other conferences, there are no guaranteed wins.
2. Win the outright regular season title, go the NCAA Tournament. The Falcons had an awful out of conference schedule, lost in the first round of the conference tournament, but since they won the regular season title outright, they earned the at-large berth.
3. The key to winning the conference lies on the road. Everyone in the conference was at least 4-3 on their homecourt, even if by the slimmest of margins. The team that had the best road record in the conference finished in at least a tie for first every year except 1999-2000, the first year of the MWC.
First Team All-MWC
C Nick Welch, Jr., Air Force
F Odartey Blankson, Jr., UNLV
F Danny Granger, Sr., UNM
G Jay Straight, Sr., Wyo
F Andrew Bogut, So., Utah
Second team
C Matt Nelson, Sr., CSU
G Mike Hall, Sr., BYU
G Jerel Blassingame, Sr., UNLV
G Tim Keller, Sr., Air Force
F David Chiotti, Sr., UNM
Conference MVP
Odartey Blankson, UNLV
Defensive MVP
Mike Hall, BYU
Most Improved
Marcus Slaughter, SDSU
Newcomer of the Year
Justin Williams, Wyoming
Freshman of the Year
David Burgess, BYU
Most Underrated
David Chiotti, UNM
1. UNLV Runnin’ Rebels
2003-04 record: 18-12, 7-7 MWC (4th place)
Projected starting five:
Romel Beck SG Sr. 14.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg
Odartey Blankson SF Sr. 17.6 ppg, 10.2 rpg
Jerel Blassingame PG Sr. 11.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 6.6 apg
Louis Amundson C Jr. 4.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg
Dustin Villepigue PF Jr. 6-9 235 (Dixie State College)
Charlie Spoonhour came in, cleaned up the program while keeping the talent intact and now hands the whistle off to Lon Kruger, former coach of the Atlanta Hawks, but perhaps more importantly, former coach at Florida and Illinois. Kruger said he’ll definitely keep the Runnin’ nickname accurate, so the Rebels may lead the league again in scoring.
Maybe Kruger can also push the Rebels over the edge.
UNLV has been the posterboy for heartbreak in the Mountain West Conference. Last year, they were a Nick Jacobson miracle shot away from the NCAA Tournament. The year before that, Matt Nelson and the Rams finished their improbable run against the Rebels in the Thomas and Mack. The year before that, they lost by three to San Diego State in the championship, also on their home court.
The Rebels were annoyingly erratic last year, one day losing to Northern Arizona at home, then two days later beating Auburn. Defense was more of a good idea than the rule, as they allowed 73.6 per game in conference play, the worst in the conference.
Perhaps age and new direction will cure that. The Rebels lost their big man, J.K. Edwards, and shooting guard, Demetrius Hunter, in addition to back-up forward James Peters. But Romel Beck will slide to shooting guard to go along with Jerel Blassingame, who may be the best point guard in the Mountain West Conference. Both of those players could be on one of the All-MWC top two teams at the end of the season.
The Rebels also brought in six recruits, thanks to the abolition of the 5/8 rule. Five are from the junior college ranks. Dustin Villepique and Joel Anthony help with the size loss of Edwards. Louis Amundson is expected to jump into the starting center position in place of Edwards, but he’s had troubles with injuries and infections, which may cause unexpected shuffling for the Rebels throughout the season. Wilbur Williams actually played at L.A. City College with Beck and Blassingame two years ago before coming to Vegas.
Schedule
Key out of conference games:
Dec. 1 at California
Dec. 4 at Nevada
Dec. 12 at Auburn
Dec. 18 vs. Oklahoma State
Jan. 2 at Texas
A good schedule for a veteran team with aspirations of going to the NCAA Tournament. Name games against good programs that are spread out through the non-conference season with easier games (and a few blow-outs) in between.
Best case scenario: Everything comes together under Lon Kruger and the Rebels return back to national prominence. Kruger’s been through the wars and guides UNLV to wins in games they would have lost last year.
Worst case scenario: The Rebels can’t break through and win those close games on the road or against name teams that look good come NCAA Tournament time. Amundson or the JuCo transfers don’t replace the loss of Edwards in the middle and the Rebels go to the NIT again.
2. Utah Utes
2003-04 record: 24-9, 9-5 MWC (3rd place)
Projected starting five:
Andrew Bogut C So. 12.5 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 2.2 apg
Richard Chaney SF Jr. 9.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.0 apg
Tim Drisdom PG Jr. 6.1 ppg, 3.6 apg, 3.7 rpg
Justin Hawkins PF So. 5.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg
Marc Jackson SG Sr. 9.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.8 apg
The one constant throughout the Mountain West Conference’s brief history is Utah. Before the season starts, always pencil the Utes to finish in at least the top three in the conference.
Now that constant has changed. The Utes had gone games, months even entire seasons without Rick Majerus, but stepping in was always an assistant coach, like last year with Kerry Rupp.
But Majerus is officially done and in comes Ray Giacoletti, who led Eastern Washington to the NCAA Tournament last year after a few years of near misses in the Big Sky Conference.
Like Majerus, Giacoletti preaches defense. But unlike Majerus, Giacoletti wants to play up-tempo on offense, so perhaps 60-point games won’t be the norm in Salt Lake City anymore.
At least the old faces are back. Giacoletti went to Australia to convince Andrew Bogut to return to Salt Lake City. While he was at it, he also picked up another Aussie, 7-0 center Luke Neville.
One person he didn’t have to convince to come back was guard Marc Jackson. Jackson sat out last year after being the spark plug in the Utes’ run to the NCAA Tournament in 2003. A few days after Giacoletti was named coach, Jackson was back on the team. He appears to be the logical choice to replace Nick Jacobson at shooting guard, but how much will the year off affect him?
Tim Drisdom has started at the point since he stepped on campus. Richard Chaney at small forward played his best basketball of the year when the Utes needed it most, in the MWC Tournament. Both are back for their junior years.
Schedule
Key out of conference games:
Great Alaska Shootout
Nov. 25 vs. Washington
Nov. 26 vs. Oklahoma/High Point
Nov. 27 T.B.D.
Dec. 4 at Utah State
Dec. 11 at Arizona
Jan. 3 vs. LSU
The Utes can show how good they are early. Washington, Oklahoma, Utah State and LSU could very easily all make the NCAA Tournament. Win a couple and the Utes likely won’t have to sweat too much on Selection Sunday. Win more than a couple, and the Utes could be headed back to the Top 25.
Best case scenario: The transition to Giacoletti is smooth. Bogut becomes the dominant inside presence everyone envisioned. Jackson doesn’t seem to miss a beat from two years ago when some thought he was the most valuable player in the league. The Utes make their 10th NCAA Tournament in 11 years with a conference championship.
Worst case scenario: That transition isn’t smooth. No one steps up to replace Jacobson’s outside shooting presence and Jackson plays like he’s been away from the game for a year. Utes settle for the NIT.
3. Air Force Falcons
2003-04 record: 22-7, 12-2 MWC (1st place)
Projected starting five:
Tim Keller G Sr. 11.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.1 apg
Nick Welch C Jr. 11.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.9 apg
Antoine Hood G Jr. 10.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.5 apg
*Jacob Burtschi F So. 3.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg
Matt McCraw G So. 3.2 ppg, 0.7 rpg.
*Dan Nwaele was suspended Oct. 21 for violating unspecified team rules and his return is unknown. Who knows yet if this puts Nwaele in Chris Mooney’s doghouse when he comes back.
Repeat after me: Air Force Falcons, Mountain West Conference basketball power.
Difficult to totally take in at first, isn’t it? Sort of like New York Yankees, playoff chokers, or Boston Red Sox, the best team in the American League.
In past years, Air Force always provided a good test, but the Falcons always shot themselves in the foot with a turnover or couldn’t come through with a key shot down the stretch.
Last year, those shots went down, either from A.J. Kuhle, Tim Keller or Nick Welch and it was the opponents who made the turnover. Well, that was when they weren’t winning by more than 10 points, giving plenty of time for Welch to talk to guard Antoine Hood about the next day’s military history exam.
The Falcons won the conference by two games, which had never happened in Mountain West Conference history. That was enough to get them in the NCAA Tournament despite a woeful out of conference schedule and a first round loss to Colorado State in the conference tournament.
The meticulous, relentless Princeton offense, which will dull opposing players to sleep, just before a Falcon gets a backdoor pass across the baseline for an easy lay-up, is the key. The Falcons aren’t blessed with athletes or size like the rest of the league. They won last year with great shooting, mental toughness and something Air Force has never had on the basketball court, confidence.
However, success made the Falcons a target. Princeton came calling for its son, Joe Scott, and the head coach made his way back to New Jersey. However, everyone else decided to stay in Colorado Springs. In Scott’s place steps in assistant coach Chris Mooney, who had been with Scott for the past four years. Before the academy, Mooney was head coach at Beaver College for two years.
The Falcons also lost seniors Kuhle and Joel Gerlach, who each averaged 8 points a game. That doesn’t sound a lot, until you factor in Air Force only averaged 60 points a game last year. That still leaves 33 points in the starting lineup in Hood, Keller and MWC co-player of the year Welch, who should be at 100 percent for practice after offseason knee surgery.
Schedule
Key out of conference games:
Dec. 11 at Georgia Tech
Dec. 28 at Iowa
Remember last year, when lots of experts questioned whether the Falcons deserved to be in the NCAA Tournament because of their weak strength of schedule? It’s better this year, but it’s not good enough to quell complaints down the line if Air Force repeats its success of a year ago. Playing Colorado College and Northern Colorado might mean bigger crowds, but lower RPI numbers.
Best-case scenario: The Falcons make the smooth transition from Scott to Mooney, replicate their play from a year ago and battle for another MWC title.
Worst-case scenario: Scott took last year’s magic with him and Air Force reverts back to their pre-2003-04 state, where they play just well enough to lose the game.
4. New Mexico Lobos
2003-04 record: 14-14, 5-9 MWC (T-5th place)
Projected starting five:
David Chiotti F Jr. 12.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg
Troy DeVries SG Sr. 10.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg
Danny Granger F Sr. 19.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg
Alfred Neale F Sr. 8.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg
Kris Collins PG (Iowa Western CC)
The nightmare Lobo fans have had to endure the past few seasons appears to be over in 2004-05.
With the exception of Javin Tindall, New Mexico brings everyone of note back, including Danny Granger, who scored on everyone and everything from the forward spot. David Chiotti held the ship afloat at the beginning of last season, before Granger and guard Troy DeVries were eligible to play after transferring and the Lobos became formidable again, especially at home. With the inclusion of returning forward Alfred Neale, everybody coming back can score. Guard Mark Walters should also be back to 100 percent after being limited last year while trying to come back from ACL surgery. Into to likely take over the point guard spot is JuCo transfer Kris Collins, whom coach Ritchie McKay called a more pure point guard than Tindall was.
After a 14-14 season, qualifying for the NIT is inexcusable with their almost exclusively home-based out of conference schedule and an NCAA berth is never out of the question in an unpredictable MWC.
However, they have to win on the road and play some defense. The Lobos played outside of the Pit 10 times and lost every single game, with a few close calls. Overall opponents made just more than 44 percent of their shots against the Lobos, but that number skyrocketed to nearly 49 percent against MWC opponents. When the Lobos outshot or tied in shooting percentage with their opponents last year, they went 12-0. When they were outshot, they were 1-14.
They also don’t have a true center, Chiotti and Granger both pulled down their share of rebounds, but Chiotti’s 6-9 and Granger 6-8. Sophomore Kellen Walter is 6-10, but only weighs 220 pounds.
Schedule
Key out of conference games:
Nov. 22 at Oregon
Dec. 18 vs. Tennessee
Dec. 22 vs. Wake Forest
The Lobos are buying into the Jim Boeheim-Syracuse model of scheduling, where they almost never leave home, play a lot of gimme games and have a few marquee games. When more than 14,000 people show up to every game, you can do that, although NCAA Tournament Selection committees like teams that can win on the road. That Wake Forest-New Mexico game could decide whether the Lobos get an at-large NCAA Tournament berth.
Best case scenario: Granger dominates and becomes an All-American, while Collins steps in to play the point. The Pit becomes a place where teams go to lose and the Lobos stay competitive again with Wake Forest. They pull off enough road wins to sneak them into the Big Dance.
Worst case scenario: Teams exploit their lack of a big man. The Lobos can’t pull off any marquee wins in or out of conference and have to go to the NIT.
5. Colorado State Rams
2003-04 record: 13-16, 4-10 MWC (T-7th place)
Projected starting five:
Micheal Morris PG Jr. 7.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.2 apg
Matt Nelson C Sr. 15.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.6 bpg
Matt Williams F Sr. 10.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.6 apg
*-Phillip Thomasson F So. 3.2 ppg 1.6 rpg 0.7 apg
Dwight Boatner SG So. 5.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.5 apg
*-Freddy Robinson tore his Achilles tendon in the preseason and his return is unknown.
So, how’s Matt Nelson? This could be the most important question in the Mountain West Conference.
After winning the MWC basketball tournament in 2003 in underdog fashion behind center Nelson, the Rams were picked to finish third in the conference last year.
When Nelson is at 100 percent, he’s probably the most dominating player in the league as seen in 2003, when he nearly single-handedly carried the Rams to the Mountain West Conference tournament championship. When he’s not on the court, the Rams struggle mightily.
What people didn’t count us were the constantly injured Nelson staying injured and the Rams missing veterans Andy Birley and Brian Greene. The Rams turned the ball over a lot, which led to giving up 73.3 points a game in conference play, less than a point behind run-and-gun UNLV for last in the conference, but they only allowed MWC opponents to shoot 43 percent from the floor, second best in the conference. Still, they were three points away from finishing 1-11 in conference, if not for three overtime wins.
But, the Rams aren’t just Nelson and 11 guys running around.
Senior Matt Williams averaged over 10 points and almost six rebounds a game, while junior guard Michael Morris at 6-3 was equally good at rebounding, shooting, assisting and blocking shots. Sophomore Dwight Boatner came on at the end of last season, when Colorado State was playing their best basketball of the season, leading the Rams to their upset victory over Air Force in the first round of the MWC Tournament.
However, as if the Rams needed more injury troubles, junior Freddy Robinson partially tore his Achilles tendon in preparation for an August tour in Mexico and his return this season is in doubt.
Schedule
Key out of conference games:
Nov. 30 at Auburn
Dec. 11 at Purdue
Dec. 18 at Colorado
The Rams have to win the outright conference title or conference tournament, or they’re not going to the NCAA Tournament. Games against Regis University, Northern Colorado or IUPUI don’t look good in the eyes of the selection staff. (FYI, Regis University is a Div. II Catholic School in Denver.) Purdue is going through a transitional phase, the Buffs lost their best players and were a marginal Big 12 team and Auburn beat them by 30 last year in Alabama.
Best case scenario: Nelson gets over his ailments (or at least enough to play in the conference season) and the Rams gain confidence on a timid out of conference schedule. If they take swing games against Denver and at Pepperdine, they should be at least 9-3 heading into conference play. If Nelson is healthy, he can carry the team to near the top of the league. An at-large NCAA berth is unlikely with their schedule, an NIT berth is not.
Worst case scenario: Nelson can’t get healthy, the Rams miss Robinson terribly and they keep turning over the ball. They stick near the bottom of the Mountain West Conference.
6. Brigham Young Cougars
2003-04 record: 21-9, 10-4 MWC (2nd place)
Projected starting five:
Mike Hall SG Sr. 12.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.4 spg
Jared Jensen C Sr. 3.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg
Garner Meads PF So. 4.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg
Keena Young SF 6-6 200 So. TR Beaumont, Texas (South Plains College)
*Terry Nashif PG 1.1 ppg 1.0 rpg 1.1 apg
*-Nashif will battle with sophomore Austin Ainge and JuCo transfer Josh Reisman for the starting point guard position.
Brigham Young did what it had to do last year with a stake-full of senior talent and made the NCAA Tournament.
But “Captain A” Rafael Araujo is now in Toronto. That’s the big loss. But not to be overlooked is the departure of underrated point guard Luiz Lemes and shooter Mark Bigelow and bench guard Kevin Woodberry. The four combined for 45.5 points of the Cougars’ 73.3 points per game last year.
Offense was not a problem for the Cougars, who averaged over 73 points a game and made over 48.6 percent from the field.
Now, people need to step up. Mike Hall showed last year he can get the job done on defense and offense, averaging just under 13 points a game. No one expects Jared Jenson to replace Araujo, but he’s now BYU’s most experienced big man. Former McDonald’s All American Garner Meads should improve from his freshman year, when he started 13 of the team’s 14 conference games. However, he had hernia surgery over the offseason and hasn’t been 100 percent in off-season workouts.
The other two positions appear to be preseason battles. Senior Terry Nashif, sophomore Austin Ainge (yes, he’s Danny’s son) and JuCo transfer Josh Reisman are all in contention for the starting point guard spot. Nashif has the experience, Ainge has the talent and Reisman probably wouldn’t have come to BYU if he didn’t think he had a shot. He started his college career at Gonzaga. Small forward appears to be going to another JuCo transfer, Keena Young. The Cougars also, unexpectedly, get Mike Rose back. The best three-point shooter by average last year in the conference last year, Rose was supposed to go on a two-year mission, but he didn’t.
Schedule
Key out of conference games:
Maui Classic
Nov. 22 vs. North Carolina (ESPN2)
Nov. 23 vs. Stanford or Tennessee
Nov. 24 vs. Texas, Louisville, Iowa or Chaminade
Nov. 27 vs. California
Dec. 1 at Utah State
Dec. 18 vs. Utah State
Dec. 21 vs. North Carolina State
Coach Steve Cleveland will throw his young team into the fire early with this schedule with the Maui Classic. Even if the Cougars can only manage a single win in Maui, their strength of schedule is set for the entire year with their strong opponents. However, they’ll need a few wins in that strong schedule if they need an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament again.
Best case scenario: Someone steps up to replace Lemes and Meads develops into an All-MWC caliber player. The Cougars steal a few of their marquee out of conference games and can ride that mentally into MWC play. Those wins would definitely look good on the resume come NCAA Tournament time.
Worst case scenario: It’s a full rebuilding year in Provo. Araujo’s presence is too much too lose. The Cougars can’t replace all the offensive firepower they lost and get walloped in pre-MWC play, only to face a bunch of veteran teams in the MWC.
7. San Diego State Aztecs
2003-04 record: 14-16, 5-9 MWC (T-5th place)
Projected starting five:
Brandon Heath G So. 13.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg
Marcus Slaughter F So. 7.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg
Wesley Stokes G Sr. 12.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 5.8 apg*
Chris Walton F Sr. 8.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Mohammed Camara C- junior college transfer
*- Stokes is ineligible the fall semester and possibly beyond if he doesn’t get his grades up. In the meantime, junior John Sharper and incoming freshman Matt Thomas will battle for the starting nod.
San Diego State was going to bring back four starters, including two All-MWC performers in sophomore Brandon Heath and senior Wesley Stokes. They bring in Mohammed Camara, one of the highest-rate JuCo centers in the country with a body at 6-11 and 260 to go up with any center in the conference.
Then the grades came in. Stokes won’t be allowed to play until at least January.
Still, that leaves the Aztecs with three starters coming back. Marcus Slaughter should develop into at least a double-double player and steadily improved as the season went on, and Heath could easily average 17 points a game if he just became more consistent from the field. These two could be all-conference players by the time they hit their junior and senior years. Chris Walton provides the steadying senior leadership. Travis Hanour, a transfer a few years ago from Arizona, is still hobbled by knee problems and his availability for this season is up in the air.
Aztec coach Steve Fisher has taken a team bringing back three starters to the postseason, either NIT or NCAA Tournament, all eight times it’s happened through his career.
To make it nine for nine, they’ll have to shoot better. The Aztecs were the worst shooting team in the conference. They shot .427 from the field in all games, and that dropped down to .412 in all games. Their only solace was they had 64 more shots from the field because they hit the offensive boards so well with Aerick Sanders. However, he graduated.
The Aztecs also suffered from the free throw line. Overall, they made 70 percent, which though overall was seventh in the conference, isn’t that far away from fourth and fifth. However, in conference play, it dropped to just under 67 percent. Even worse, they also attempted the fewest amount of free throws in the conference. That makes a huge difference in those close the games. In conference play, the Aztecs went 1-4 in games decided by four or less or went into overtime.
Schedule
Key out of conference games:
Dec. 7 at Washington
Dec. 11 vs. California
Dec. 28 at Iowa State
Dec. 31 vs. Providence
Every year the Aztecs have a win that makes the rest of the conference take note, and then a loss where it leaves everyone scratching their heads asking how the Aztecs lost that game. Last year they crushed Ohio State 83-61 (although the Buckeyes finished 9th in the Big Ten, nobody knew that at the time, and it’s still a Big Ten school) and then later on lost to both Troy State and at Saint Mary’s. This year’s schedule has the traditional pack of California schools along with some good team for the Aztecs to prove its merit against. Washington and Providence are both likely NCAA Tournament bound.
Best case scenario: Heath and Slaughter continue to improve while Camara becomes the inside-presence the team sorely needs. Stokes gets his grades in order and comes back re-focused on basketball. The Aztecs figure out how to win on the road and head off to the NIT.
Worst case scenario: They still can’t shoot the ball, and nobody does a sufficient job of replacing Stokes, who never comes back to the team.
8. Wyoming Cowboys
2003-04 record: 11-17, 4-10 MWC (T-7th place)
Projected starting five:
Alex Dunn F/C Sr. 8.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg
Jay Straight PG Sr. 15.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.8 apg
Steve Leven G 6-5 205 RSo. RS (Texas)
Justin Williams F/C 6-10 225 Jr. JC (Colby CC)
Dion Sherrell G 6-4 210 Sr. 6.5 ppg 2.4 rpg
Wyoming’s 2003-04 season can be described in two games. Nov. 29 the Pokes punished Middle Tennessee State 84-63 in Laramie, shooting 50 percent from the field. Jan. 8, seven weeks later, Wyoming returned the trip and lost 76-63, shooting less than 33 percent.
The Cowboys performed erratically from game to game, half to half. At times they looked like world-beaters and at others like the worst team in the conference, which is where they wound up in the standings.
Steve McClain won his first four seasons in Laramie because his Cowboys won on the road and out-rebounded the other guys. They didn’t win once on the road last year and either had the same number or less rebounds in nine of 14 conference games.
For the second year in a row, fans will need to pay close attention to the media guide when Wyoming takes the court in the Arena-Auditorium.
Attrition from the program and an influx of transfers meant seven letter-winners left the team last year, including starters in guard David Adams, forward Joe Ries and primary bench players David Rottinghaus and freshman Mikel Watson. Watson was supposed to be the heir-apparent for Jay Straight, but felt out of favor with coach Steve McClain for whatever reason and left the team. Redshirt freshman center Jarrod Boswell didn’t take care of work in the classroom. Neither did supposed incoming freshman Steve Neal, who will go JuCo before hopefully qualifying to enter UW.
One familiar face for Wyoming fans is Straight, who’ll be the starting point guard for his fourth straight year. Straight, who was the point guard his first two years, played shooting guard at times last year just because he was the only consistent scoring threat for Wyoming.
Also back is Alex Dunn, the huge 7-0 center whose thumb should be finally healthy and shooting guard Dion Sherrell. Both need to become more consistent.
Coming in to help is transfer Steve Leven, who went from Auburn to Texas to Laramie and sat out last season. Also coming in is marquee junior college transfer Justin Williams, who will likely join Dunn up front and should be a needed defensive presence.
Schedule
Key out of conference games:
Nov. 22 vs. Princeton
Nov. 30 at Arizona
Dec. 7 at Dayton
Dec. 18 at Creighton
Dec. 30 at Southern Illinois
Consider this the challenging NCAA schedule on a budget. Except for the trip to Tucson, the Cowboys’ schedule is filled with good mid-major teams that translate into good RPI numbers at the end of the year, if Wyoming wins on the road. That’s a big if after last season.
Best case scenario: Straight gets some help so he doesn’t think he has to do everything himself. The Cowboys consistently put the ball in the hoop. The Arena-Auditorium becomes the Dome of Doom again and Wyoming re-joins the top half of the Mountain West Conference.
Worst case scenario: Too many new faces, too little chemistry. Everyone tries to do their own thing, and the team never comes together, finishing in last place in the conference.
So how’s it all going to turn out?
I’d be surprised if Utah or UNLV finish out of the top four just because they have too much talent and I’d be surprised if BYU or San Diego State wins the regular season conference championship because they’re so young. I want to see the Falcons win for two straight years, especially with a new coach, before I’m totally sold. Colorado State’s fate likely hinges on Matt Nelson’s health, but not as much as the past two years. I don’t know who’s going to stop Danny Granger and the Pit is starting to become the Pit again. And Wyoming is only one year removed from being one of the best teams in the conference, and Jay Straight has been around long enough and is cocky enough to believe the Cowboys can get there again this season.
After that it becomes a matter of health, harmony, heart, luck and how perilous the road becomes.
