NCAAB WAC
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2007-08 WAC
New Mexico State
It was a bittersweet offseason. New Mexico State had a memorable 25-9 season but then coach Reggie Theus left after being named the new head coach of the NBA's Sacramento Kings. After a poor 6-23 SU, 6-18 ATS season three years ago, they surprised under new head coach Reggie Theus going 16-14 SU and 18-8 ATS, then exploded last season with a 25-9 record! New Mexico State won the WAC tournament title for the first time in eight years. They ran an uptempo style under Theus, 78 ppg. Theus had spent two seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Louisville under Rick Pitino.
Despite the head coaching loss, New Mexico State looks loaded for this season with its top two scorers back, while losing only one senior starter. NMSU returns four of five starters from last season. The frontcourt has a fine one-two punch with 6-9 senior Tyrone Nelson (11.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and 6-7 senior Justin Hawkins (15.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg). The duo led the Aggies in scoring and rebounding. Throw in 6-9 senior center Hatila Passos (8.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and 7-foot senior Martin Iti and this frontcourt is loaded.
They averaged 82 ppg at home (10-6 over the total), where they went 19-1. The backcourt returns 6-4 senior Fred Peete (9.5 ppg) and a deep bench, led by 6-2 sophomore Jonathan Gibson (a former California prep star). Peete was named to the All-WAC Newcomer Team, and was also named to the All-WAC Defensive Team after leading the team in steals with 45. Peete finished the season ranked fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 9.5 points per game, and tied for the team lead with 81 assists. Keep an eye on 6-4 Paris Carter, a top recruit. Carter, a second team NJCAA Division II All-American, played his sophomore season at Cecil Community College in Maryland with 15.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.
NMSU also landed San Diego and Hoover High School standout JayDee Luster to a National Letter of Intent. In November, NMSU signed heralded forward Herb Pope and Las Cruces native Aaron "Gordo" Castillo, along with guards Jahmar Young and DeAngelo Jones. Theus is doing a great job and this is an up and coming hoop's program. Can they take the WAC again?
Fresno State
Fresno State (22-10 SU, 15-16 ATS) has been strong under three-year Steve Cleveland, and loses only 2 starters from a 22-win campaign. Cleveland turned a 1-25 BYU program into a consistent post-season contender and has done a great job for the Bulldogs. The frontcourt looks terrific, with senior forward 6-8 Dominic McGuire (13.5 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 3.3 apg) who led the Bulldogs in rebounding and was second in scoring.
6'-8" senior Hector Hernandez (11 ppg, 5 rpg) adds depth and experience up front, along with 6-8 sophomore Alex Blair. Fresno State signed 6-10, 260-lb center Brandon Webster. Webster was originally committed to play for Billy Gillespie at Texas A&M. Upon Gillespie's departure to Kentucky, Webster became eligible to look for another school that better suited him. Webster spent the past season at God's Academy Prep in Dallas. Webster was a high school qualifier before going to prep school, making him eligible immediately. Out of High School, Webster was ranked the No. 3 center in the state of Texas by Texas Hoops and Rivals.com.
Webster joins transfer Sylvester Seay (Arizona State), along with freshman Nedeljko Golubovic for this year's incoming class. Golubovic and Webster are eligible to play immediately. Seay must sit out the entire 2007-08 season and will have two years remaining after that. 6-8 Rekalin Sims sat out the 2006-07 season as a Division I transfer. The 6-8 200-pound power forward played for the Arizona Wildcats and joins the Fresno frontcourt this season.
The backcourt has senior Eddie Miller (10.5 ppg) and senior guard Kevin Bell. The backcourt also sports 6'-3" senior Dwight O'Neil. Fresno was 6-3 ATS as a dog last season and 15-3 at home, an impressive 7-6 SU on the road. Which means Fresno should be a force in the WAC this season.
Utah State
It was a great season and offseason for Utah State. The Aggies are off a 23-12 season and star guard Jaycee Carroll announced he withdrew from the NBA Draft and will return to school for his senior season. Carroll finished the 2006-07 season first in the WAC and 10th in the nation in scoring with 21.3 points per game as he earned Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America honors along with being named first-team all-WAC. Carroll also led the WAC and finished 12th in the nation in free throw shooting at 88.8 percent, was first in the conference in three-point shooting (.432), fifth in overall shooting (.527), and 12th in rebounding (6.3).
So offense won't be a problem for HC Stew Morrill. With Carroll returning, Utah State will have three starters back from last year's National Invitation Tournament team that went 23-12. Utah State is one of just five teams in the nation to win at least 23 games in each of the last eight years. This team was 16-10 over the total with the offense averaging 70 ppg.
Stepping into the frontcourt will be 6-8 senior (and former JC transfer) Stephen DuCharme, who led Utah State in rebounding with 5.1 per game, and also chipped in 10 points per contest. 6-6 senior Nick Hammer and 6-8 senior Michael Earl will help out on the glass. Senior guard Mikel Watson teams with Carroll in the backcourt. Deundrae Spraggins comes aboard for the 2007-08 season. The 6-3, 180-pound guard/forward just completed his sophomore season at Paris Junior College in Paris, Texas, and will have two years of eligibility with Utah State.
As a sophomore at Paris Junior College, Spraggins earned third-team all-Texas Eastern Conference and honorable mention all-region 14 honors as he averaged 11.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, while shooting 52.8 percent from the field, 44.4 percent from three-point range, and 84.1 percent from the free throw line. Utah State was 13-1 at home, but only 5-11 SU, 4-9 ATS on the road. They will be good with a show at 20+ wins again.
Nevada
Coach Mark Fox had another powerhouse team for the Nevada Wolfpack (29-5 SU, 17-12 ATS) out of the WAC. It was Nevada's fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament and the fourth straight season Nevada topped the 20-win mark. Road play is a good indicator of how good a team is, and Nevada has had three outstanding seasons on the road, going an impressive 11-2 SU, 9-3 ATS on the road three years ago, winning 10 of their first 14 away from home two years ago and going 11-2 SU/9-2 ATS on the road last year! Nevada was 20-10 over the total with a strong offense (77 ppg).
The Wolfpack lose three senior starters, including star 6'-11" senior Nick Fazekas (20 ppg, 11 rpg) to the NBA. The frontcourt will have to turn to former role players 6-11 sophomore JaVale McGee and 7-foot-1 senior David Ellis for some production. One senior guard return in 6'-5" senior Marcelus Kemp (18.5 ppg). Kemp earned first-team All-WAC honors after ranking second on the team and third in the league in scoring at 18.5 points per game. He led the Wolf Pack in three-pointers made (84) and was fourth in the WAC in three-point percentage at 40.6 percent. He ranks fourth on the Nevada career list with 157 three-pointers made and 10th in career scoring with 1,280 points. Kemp helped lead the team to a school-record 29 games, won its fourth consecutive WAC regular-season title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Junior guard Ramon Sessions (14 ppg) jumped early to the NBA, so Kemp is the only returning starter. Nevada junior Lyndale Burleson started in place of Kyle Shiloh in the postseason after Shiloh got hurt. 6-4 sophomore Brandon Fields and 6-6 sophomore Tyrone Hanson will get a shot at more time in a roster looking for starter to step in. Ray Kraemer, a 6-4, 200-pound guard, comes to Nevada from Weatherford College in Weatherford, Texas. He was named the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year and earned first-team all-conference honors as a freshman in 2005-06. He finished second in the league in scoring at 18.0 points per game and was fourth in rebounding at 8.3 boards per contest that season. Kraemer did not play in 2006-07 due to a shoulder injury and will have three years of eligibility remaining at Nevada.
Nevada plays fine defense allowing 68 points per contest and they will need that 'D' this season with so many starters gone. They had an impressive run early in the season, destroying Oregon State (75-47) and winning at Cal 77-71 as a dog. They also topped Akron and Gonzaga as a dog, putting this team at 4-1 SU/ATS as an underdog! Two years ago Nevada had three straight impressive wins: 68-61 at UNLV, 72-70 at Kansas and 77-70 over Pacific. All three games were on the road, and they were a dog in two of them! After being dominant in the WAC for so long, this is the season other teams vie for the WAC title as Nevada is retooling.
Hawaii
Hawaii (18-13) has won 17 and 18 games the last two season, but gets a new head coach. Bob Nash, 56, takes over and succeeds his former boss, Riley Wallace (who retired), with whom he spent the past 20 years as associate coach. Nash has been a part of 11 of the program's 12 all-time postseason appearances, including all four NCAA Tournament trips as both a player and coach. He helped Wallace build the program into a consistent winner, having compiled 16 winning seasons in 20 years, including eight-straight since the 1999-2000 campaign.
The new coach loses two senior starters who led the Rainbows in scoring (Matt Lojeski and Ahmet Gueye) but returns 5 seniors who played over 15 minutes per game. The offense will have 6'-6" senior Bobby Nash, who both can play in the backcourt and averaged 11 points, 4 rebounds. 6-5 senior Matt Gibson (10.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.5 apg) is a versatile player who was fourth in scoring.
6-5 senior Riley Luettgerodt and 6-8 senior P.J. Owsley are decent frontcourt players who can help on the glass. Newcomers in the backcourt include 6-4 freshman Beau Albrechtson, 6-4 freshman Conrad Fitzgerald and Kareem Nitoto. Up front, 6-7 sophomore Adhar Mayen and 6-10 soph Paul Campbell can help out on the glass. Hawaii can play defense, allowing 67 ppg. They've gone 18-9 and 17-12 under the total the last two years! Remember that Hawaii plays its best ball at home: Last season they were 13-3 SU/8-6 ATS at home, but 3-8 SU/5-6 ATS on the road. This team has some new looks, but looks very good overall.
Boise State
The Boise State Broncos (17-14) lose two starters, the biggest being star guard Coby Karl (14.8 pgg), who led the team in scoring the last two seasons. Boise averaged 76 ppg (16-11 over the total) but two of their top three scorers are back. Seniors Matt Nelson and Reggie Larry and sophomore Anthony Thomas earned postseason recognition.
Senior 6-9 Matt Nelson and 6-6 senior Reggie Larry were both named to the Western Athletic Conference All-Newcomer Team. Nelson and Larry both averaged 13.9 points per game, while Nelson led the Broncos with 9.1 rebounds per game and Larry grabbed 8.1 boards per game. Nelson led the WAC in field goal percentage making 58.7 percent of his shots. In league games, Larry averaged 15.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, while Nelson added 13.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
The backcourt returns 6-2 senior Matt Bauscher (4.5 ppg) and sophomore Anthony Thomas. Thomas was named the WAC Freshman of the Year after averaging 5.0 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. He earned WAC Player of the Week honors in February and saw his minutes increase to 16.6 per game in league games after averaging 10.7 minutes before WAC play started. Both are strong three-point threats and outside shooters.
This is a run-and-gun team and the Broncos are 53-32 "over" the total the last three years! Boise was good (13-2 SU/8-5 ATS) at home, but just 3-11 SU/5-8 ATS on the road. With all that offense, Boise might be a team to look at "over" the total again.
Louisiana Tech
It was a forgettable 10-20 SU, 10-16 ATS season, averaging just 64 ppg.
So Louisiana Tech has a new basketball head coach in Kerry Rupp. Rupp comes to Louisiana Tech after serving as the associate head coach under Mike Davis at Indiana (2004-2006) and at Alabama-Birmingham (2006-2007). He also served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Rick Majerus at Utah (2000-04) and was the interim head coach of the Utes in 2004.
Rupp brings in Karl Malone as director of basketball promotions. The new coaching staff is rebuilding pretty much from scratch, losing all five starters and the top 6 scorers and rebounders. Sophomore Ronnie Morgan is a 6'-7", 210-lb forward and played in 13 games last season, while sophomore Kyle Gibson is a 6'-4" shooting guard played in 21 games. Both will get more time.
The guys to watch will be the new kids, led by freshman D.J. Wright. Wright highlights the incoming freshman class as a 6'-7" perimeter player from Sault St. Marie, Ontario, Canada, who averaged 22.5 points and 12.5 rebounds for his high school career at Toronto Academy Prep.
"D.J. Wright is another tremendous and exciting player for our program," Rupp said. "I firmly believe he will make an immediate impact." "He's very similar to (former NBA star) Glenn Rice," said one scout.
Transfer Magnum Rolle is a 6'-10" center from LSU who started nine games for the Tigers while seeing action in 29. He averaged 4.0 points and 4.1 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game. Rolle will sit out the 2007-08 season due to the NCAA transfer rule and will have two years of eligibility afterwards. Jonathan "JC" Clark is also joining the team out of Trinity Valley Community College. The new coach likes defense, and notice that La Tech is 19-8 and 13-11 UNDER the total the last two seasons!
Idaho Vandals
After a 4-24 season, Idaho hired George Pfeifer as the new head coach last season and they went 4-27 SU, though 16-8 ATS. Not a good start. They were also 16-9 over the total with a weak offense (39% shooting) and a terrible defense (74 ppg allowed). In a storied career at Lewis-Clark State College, Pfeifer compiled a 296-208 record (a winning percentage of 58.7 percent).
There is returning talent only one senior starter gone. The frontcourt is building around senior 6-10 forward Darin Nagle. Nagle spent two seasons at North Idaho College and joined the Vandals last season with 9.3 ppg and 5.6 rpg. Senior Mike Crowell, a 6-foot-7, 210-pound small forward from Mesa, Ariz., transferred to Idaho from Central Arizona College and had 3 boards per game last season. Throw in 6-8 sophomore David Jackson (7.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and the frontcourt has stability, size and experience.
The backcourt has 5-10 senior Mario Mackey (8.8 ppg), junior Trevor Morris and senior Miles Webb. The Vandals signed 6-7 Demetrius Crowell and 6-8 Luis Augusto during the fall signing period. The team also added junior college players 6-1 Brandon Brown, 6-3 Jordan Brooks, guard Mike Hall, 6-3 Terrence Simmons, and high school player 6-8, 250-lb Phillip "Tree" Thomas. Idaho was 2-14 SU in the conference, though 13-4 ATS! They will be better, but how much better? They appear a few years away.
San Jose State
The San Jose State Spartans are off four dreadful seasons, at 6-23, 6-23, 6-25 and 5-25! George Nessman, an assistant coach at the University of California, took over two years ago. Making matters worse it that the top two scorers are gone. They need to find some offense after averaging 62 ppg (20-9 under the total).
The backcourt will lead the way behind 5-11 senior Jamon Hill (9.7 ppg), the leading returning scorer, and 6-4 Devonte Thomas. Senior Harry Brown, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound forward, who played two seasons for City College of San Francisco, came aboard and averaged 4.6 rebounds, second best on the team. They will look for more from 6'-8" Kerry Wooldridge, a senior forward who played in 16 games.
C.J. Webster, a 6-foot-8 center who played one season at Texas State University, comes aboard. Webster played the 2005-06 season for Texas State and averaged 4.6 points per game. The graduate of Marshall (Texas) High School was listed as Houston, Texas' 14th best high school player by RCS Sports and a top-35 prospect by Mike Kunstadt's "Texas Hoops" during his senior year.
Some youngsters who look for more time are 6'-2" junior G Lorenzo Keeler, 6'-6" JC transfer Kevin Fleming, as well as Mac Peterson, a 6-foot-3 all-state guard from Diablo Valley College, 6-foot-4 all-region guard DaShawn Wright from Marshalltown (Iowa) College and 6-foot-10 Clint Amberry, a two-time All-C.I.F. choice from Los Alamitos (Calif.) High School, signed a National Letter-of-Intent. The San Jose State Spartans went only 4-7 SU/5-4 ATS at home, 1-16 SU/7-10 ATS on the road. They are 6-54 SU their last 60 road games! Overall, they appear in rebuilding mode, so don't expect a winning season.
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