Big Sky Conference 2005-06 Preview
As evidence of changing times in the Big Sky, Portland State Vikings will be guided by a new coach for the 2005-06 season, Ken Bone.
Bone comes to Portland State after serving as the assistant coach at Washington since 2002. Prior to that, he had a successful run at NCAA Division II Seattle Pacific. He replaces Heath Schroyer, who took a job as the associate head coach at Fresno State.
At Seattle Pacific, there was no denying the fact that Bone had his program among the elite. From 1990-2002 while at Seattle Pacific, Bone led his team to a 253-97 record, six conference championships and eight NCAA Division II tournament appearances. He never had a losing season. His best year came during the 1999-2000 season, where Seattle Pacific went 27-5 and reached the Division II NCAA national semifinals.
During the last three years at Washington, the Grizzlies went 58-35 with two appearances in the NCAA tournament.
“First of all, it’s exciting to coach at the Division I level at a program like Portland State where they are coming off a great season with 19 wins and a conference title,” said Bone at his press conference. “I really think this is a great fit for myself and my family. It will be a great place for us to live and raise our kids.”
By taking the Portland State job, Bone is reunited with one of his former players from the University of Washington, Anthony Washington. Washington, who redshirted last year after transferring from the Huskies, is a 6-foot-9 junior this year and will be expected to make a major contribution, in addition to the fact that Washington is familiar with Bone’s coaching style.
The Vikings won the regular season conference championship last season, before falling in the conference tournament.
Pre-season picks
First team
G – Jake Schroeder, Portland State
G – Ja’Ron Jefferson, Montana State
F – Marvin Moss, Montana State
F – Alex Bausley, Sacramento State
C – Slim Millien, Idaho State
Second team
G – Jason Harris, Sacramento State
G – Kevin Criswell, Montana
F – Ruben Boykin, Northern Arizona
F – Coric Riggs, Weber State
C – Scott Morrison, Portland State
Player of the Year: Marvin Moss, Montana State
Newcomer of the Year: Anthony Washington, Portland State
Team Capsules
Montana State Bobcats (14-14 overall, 9-5 conference)
Coach Mick Durham, the reigning coach of the year, returns all five starters from a team that finished second in the regular season conference standings. The Bobcats are loaded with talent as they have three seniors who averaged double figures in points last season – Ja’Ron Jefferson, Branden Miller and Marvin Moss. Moss is also the leading returning rebounder from last season as he averaged 7.1 rebounds per game. Junior Nick Dissly is one of the best all-around athletes in the conference and should provide another scoring threat.
Montana Grizzlies (18-13, 9-5)
The Grizzlies ended last season as one of the hottest teams in the conference, which carried them all the way into the NCAA tournament. The Grizzlies returns four starters from last year’s squad, but did lose Kamarr Davis. Senior Kevin Criswell is on track to break the school’s all-time three-point record. The bench will be a major advantage over the rest of the conference. Sophomores Matt Martin and Andrew Strait all played very well as true freshman, and former walk-on Matt Dlouhy also provides an offensive spark.
Sacramento State Hornets (12-16, 8-6)
The Hornets return the leading scorer from last year Jason Harris, who put home 17.5 points per game. Harris was the conference’s Newcomer of the Year last year as he also averaged 4.6 rebounds and 2.04 steals per game in addition to his scoring onslaught. Senior guard DaShawn Freeman could etch his name into the Big Sky record book this season, as he is 56 steals away from becoming the conference’s all-time leader.
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (11-17, 4-10)
Despite a seventh-place finish in the conference last year, the Lumberjacks are a confident group that could leap frog the rest of the conference. Four starters are back this year, led by Kelly Golob, Steve Sir and DeJuan Stevens. Also back are Kyle Landry and Ruben Boykin, Jr. Golob enters his senior season ranked fourth all-time on the three-pointer list with 218.
Weber State Wildcats (14-16, 7-7)
The Wildcats fell one game short of the NCAA tournament as they lost to Montana in the conference title game. Coric Riggs and Terrell Stovall will be major factors throughout the course of the season. Both players were huge down the stretch last season, with Riggs averaging 13.4 points per game during conference play and Stovall averaging 16 points per game in the final seven games of the season.
Eastern Washington Eagles (8-20, 5-9)
After an NCAA tournament bid in the 2003-04 season, the Eagles struggled to a sixth-place finish last season. Now with a year under his belt, coach Mike Burns looks to wreak havoc on the conference this season. The Eagles did lose two key players, three-time All-Big Sky conference performer Marc Axton and sophomore center Matt Nelson, the latter of whom transferred shortly after last season. Deuce Smith and Jake Beitinger are the top two returnees this year. Rodney Stuckey, a freshman guard, will probably see a lot of minutes this season.
Portland State Vikings (19-9, 11-3)
New coach Ken Bone will inherit a Portland State team that loses six seniors from the 2004-05 season, but will have plenty of talent to work with as the Vikings return seven letterwinners and two starters. Two of the players that Bone did lose were two of the conference’s best, Seamus Boxley and Will Funn. Boxley was the conference’s most valuable player and defensive player of the year, while Funn was tied for the national lead in assists.
Idaho State Bengals (9-18, 3-11)
Logan Kinghorn, the reigning Freshman of the Year, and Slim Millien will look to make the Bengals competitive this season after a disappointing year last year. Millien led the conference in field goal percentage last year.
