SB Nation - Calvin Haynes

BtB 2009-10 Pac-10 Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:57:08 -0000

Last year, the Pac-10 was sneaky good on the national stage, sending 90 percent of its membership to the postseason with little preseason fanfare. However, the postseason ended up being a bit of a downer for the six teams who made the NCAAs, as only Arizona, who was probably the last team in the field of 65, made the second weekend. The College Basketball Invitational was a bigger success, as Oregon State and Stanford met in a semifinal. The Beavers won that matchup and ended up as champions--after they defeated UTEP in a three-game series. Oddly enough, Oregon State had to win the CBI to get to .500 for the year, which is a major accomplishment considering where the Beavers were before Craig Robinson's arrival.

All of that success came at a price for last year's contenders. Six Pac-10 players were selected in the first round of the NBA Draft: Pac-10 Player of the Year James Harden (Arizona State), All-Pac 10 first teamer Jordan Hill (Arizona), all-freshman selection DeMar DeRozan (USC), Jrue Holliday (UCLA), first team selection Darren Collison (also UCLA), and second teamer Taj Gibson (USC). Three more players, first-teamers Jeff Pendergraph (ASU), John Brockman (Washington), and Chase Budinger (also U of A), were selected in the second round. Of those nine, five were underclassmen.

That means the conference will have to try to replicate its success with only two all-Pac-10 first-teamers back (Patrick Christopher and Jerome Randle of California) and just two second-teamers, including Freshman of the Year Isaiah Thomas (UW), returning. That means those two teams, who unarguably lost the least, start out as the favorites. UCLA should fit in right behind, though they'll be young. Arizona should also be able to contend, though. much like the Bruins much depends on newcomers, and late signings at that. Oregon State, who should be even better in their second season in Robinson's system, could surprise more than West Coasters this time around, especially as most of their roster is intact. Among the remaining five teams, things are muddled. That mess may become clearer during the non-conference season.

The league also turned over 30 percent of its coaches during the offseason. I'll discuss those changes in each team's individual write up after the jump.

First, here's a look at the final 2008-09 Pac-10 standings.

Pacific-10 Conference Standings

(updated 4.4.2009 at 12:56 AM EDT)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Washington Huskies	14	4	26	9
UCLA Bruins	13	5	26	9
Arizona St. Sun Devils	11	7	25	10
California Golden Bears	11	7	22	11
USC Trojans	9	9	22	13
Arizona Wildcats	9	9	21	14
Washington St. Cougars	8	10	17	16
Oregon St. Beavers	7	11	18	18
Stanford Cardinal	6	12	20	14
Oregon Ducks	2	16	8	23

Now here are my picks for the 2009-10 season, presented in reverse order. If a team's name is a link, click it to go to that school's SBN site, where you'll find in-depth, team-specific analysis during the season.

Stanford (last NCAA: 2008) Johnny Dawkins' task wasn't going to be easy this season, as he had to replace his two leading scorers (Anthony Goods and Lawrence Hill) and his starting backcourt (Goods and Mitch Johnson). His task was made more difficult when start recruit Andy Brown was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Today, Dawkins indefinitely suspended guard Jeremy Green (6.4 ppg, 45.6% from 3, 2.1 rpg) for violating team rules further reducing the Cardinal roster. The best news for Dawkins is that senior forward Landry Fields (12.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg) is still around. He and 6-9 center Josh Owens (6.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg) will anchor the frontcourt, but inexperience in the backcourt could lead to Stanford spending a second straight year near the bottom of the league. The Cardinal will play in Cancun over Thanksgiving, where they'll face Virginia, then either Cleveland State or Kentucky.

USC (last NCAA: 2009) Tim Floyd left not long after he interviewed for the opportunity to be Lute Olson's replacement at Arizona. Replacing Floyd is...Kevin O'Neill, who was the coach-in-waiting in Tucson during the 2007-08 season. He faces a serious rebuilding project, as the Trojans second, third, and fourth leading scorers--Gibson, DeRozan, and Daniel Hackett of a year ago are all gone. Leading scorer Dwight Lewis (14.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg) is back, however, to anchor a frontcourt that should be respectable, as 6-9 UNC transfer Alex Stephenson is newly-eligible and 6-6 Marcus Johnson will be back from a shoulder injury. They'll join returnees Leonard Washington (6.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and Nikola Vucevic (2.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg). The backcourt is a major question mark though, as junior Donte Smith and freshman Percy Miller (aka Lil' Romeo) will compete with Charlotte transfer Mike Gerrity for the point guard spot that was supposed to be filled by Lamont Jones. The Trojans will spend Christmas in Hawai'i, which should be a winnable tournament, even in a down year.

Arizona State (last NCAA: 2009) The Sun Devils return three starters, most notably senior point guard Derek Glasser (8.8 ppg, 4.8 apg). However, the two starters who left are big pieces to replace, Harden and Pendergraph. Herb Sendek will have to rely on several returnees who saw little playing time last season and a boatload of newcomers, led by 7-2 Russian center Ruslan Pateev and 6-2 local product Demetrius Walker, to replace all of that production. Sendek's team should once again be one of the best in the country defensively (if the newbies buy into his system), but the big question will be can he get enough scoring. The Sun Devils host the West regional of the NIT, where Cal State-Northridge and TCU appear to be their biggest obstacles to getting to New York.

Washington State (last NCAA: 2008) Like the rest of the teams in what I'm projecting as the Pac-10's second division for this year, the Cougars lost significant scoring punch at the end of last season. In this case, their top two scorers are gone, Taylor Rochestie (13.2 ppg, 4.5 apg) and Aron Bynes (12.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.3 bpg). As you can see, the Cougs' former point guard and center brought more to the table than just points. So the challenge for former Portland State head coach Ken Bone in his first year as Tony Bennett's replacement is to find players who can fill those gaps, all while complementing 6-6 sophomore G Klay Thompson (12.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg), one of the best shooters in the conference. 6-8 sophomore and 6-9 Australian freshman Brock Motum will be called on to fill Bynes' spot, while Thompson will be supported by a couple of youngsters in the backcourt--Reggie Moore and Xavier Thomas. The Cougars head north for Thanksgiving. They'll compete in a Great Alaska Shootout group that includes hosts Alaska-Anchorage and Nicholls State. If they win both of those, they'll probably face Oklahoma in the final.

Oregon (last NCAA: 2008) Despite all the rumors to the contrary, Ernie Kent is still the head man in Eugene. Sure the Ducks only won 8 games during all of last year, including only two in the league, but that was with a team that featured eight freshmen. This year's Oregon outfit should be a bit more experienced, and may be even better next year, as leading scorer Tajuan Porter (15.4 ppg) and Joevan Catron (7.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg) are the only seniors on the roster. There's also only one junior, 6-5 swingman LeKendrick Longmire (9.9 ppg. 3.7 rpg). Kent really needs to get someone to play at the point, however, with JC transfer Malcolm Armstead the best hope. One of his teammates at Chipola CC, 6-7 F Jeremy Jacob is also expected to be a major contributor to the frontcourt alongside Catron, Longmire, and 6-10 C Michael Durnigan (8.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg). The Ducks will host a four-team round-robin very early in the season, where Colorado State should be their main competition for the title.

Arizona (last NCAA: 2009) Sean Miller left Xavier to replace Russ Pennell who replaced Kevin O'Neill who filled in for Lute Olson. His first couple of tasks in Tucson have to be considered major successes, as he kept 5-10 guard Nic Wise (15.7 ppg, 4.6 apg) from joining Hill and Budinger in the NBA. Then, he snagged a late recruiting class that should help keep the Wildcats competitive in the Pac-10. 6-6 Solomon Hill and 6-10, 255 pound C Kyryl Natyazhko will provide support to Jamelle Horne (6.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg) in the frontcourt. Two New Yorkers 5-11 Lamont Jones and 6-6 swingman Kevin Parrom could bring a whole new dimension to the Cats' game. The new look Wildcats get their first real test in Maui, where they open with Wisconsin and could face old tournament rival Gonzaga in their second game.

Oregon State (last NCAA: 1990) The Beavers edged toward respectability last year, claiming the CBI crown, beating Stanford in 3 or 4 meetings (the one loss was arguably the most crucial, in the Pac-10 tourney), and sweeping Cal (though they did provide the Ducks one of their two league triumphs). When I saw them play in their first game of last season, I thought it would be a very long season for Craig Robinson's squad. But they grew throughout the year and now they'll try to take the next step nationally. Point guard Rickey Claitt (7.4 ppg, 2.5 apg) is gone, but point center Roeland Schaftenaar (10.5 ppg. 4 rpg, 3.3 apg) is back. So is leading scorer Calvin Haynes (13 ppg, 3 rpg) and the Tarver brothers, starting PG Josh (3.9 ppg. 1.5 apg) and Seth (8 ppg, 5.4 rpg). The newcomers are a promising group as well. They include two Aussie forwards, Angus Brandt and Rhys Murphy, 6-7 forward Joe Burton, and guards Jared Cunningham and Roberto Nelson. Richmond transfer Chris Richard is also eligible this season, and he'll help bolster the backcourt. The Beavers will open their regular season in Lubbock as part of a four-team tournament. They'll challenge host Texas Tech for the title.

UCLA (last NCAA: 2009) A team that lost four of its top five leading scorers probably shouldn't be rated third in this league, but considering the roster changes and inexperience that hound teams four through 10, the Bruins sit here for the moment. Of course, Ben Howland's team could start slowly, as they've turned into the walking wounded during preseason practices. Forward Nikola Dragovic (9.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and G/F Michael Roll (6.7 ppg) are the Bruins two leading returning scorers, and Drew Gordon (3.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg) will undoubtedly get better with more time on the court. This season, Howland's freshmen, led by 6-9 swingman Tyler Honeycutt, 6-8 F Reeves Nelson, and 6-8 Mike Moser, are going to have to carry a lot of the load. The Bruins will anchor the 76 Classic, where they'll open with WCC contender Portland before facing a tough second opponent, Butler or Minnesota.

California (last NCAA: 2009) Mike Montgomery started to earn the trust of Cal fans last season, but if he can bring a Pac-10 crown to Berkeley, Golden Bear fans maybe, just maybe, able to stop seeing him as a Stanford guy. In a league decimated by player departures, Cal only lost only center Jordan Wilkes (4.7 ppg, 4 rpg). Their four leading scorers are back: Randle (18.3 ppg, 5 apg), Christopher (14.3 ppg, 2.1 apg), 6-6 F Theo Robertson (13.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.5 apg), and 6-8 F Jamal Boykin (9.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg). Montgomery's biggest challenge is getting more out of his bench, which is led by hardworking guard Jorge Gutierrez. He also needs to find a replacement for Wilkes. That could be 6-7 JC transfer Markhuri Sanders-Frison, but 6-10 Sudanese prospect Bak Bak could be an intriguing player for the Bears. Cal heads east for the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, where they'll open with a Syracuse team who will have homecourt advantage at MSG. The winner of that tilt faces North Carolina or Ohio State. A trip to Lawrence to face Kansas also looms large.

Washington (last NCAA: 2009) Lorenzo Romar lost two key players off last year's Pac-10 champs, Brockman and G Justin Dentmon (14.5 ppg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 spg), but he recruited well. 6-3 Tacoma product Abdul Gaddy should slide into Dentmon's spot on the roster. Gaddy will focus on the point, while Thomas will play more in the 2 slot. Inside, 6-7 Clarence Trent will support senior Quincy Pondexter (12.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg), and 6-9 junior Matthew Bryan-Amaning (6 ppg, 4 rpg) should increase his contributions. The main challenge for UW will be replacing Brockman's prowess on the boards. He averaged nearly 12 a game, and it will be no small feat to replace them. The Huskies host a four-team round-robin tournament to open the season, featuring Belmont, Portland State, and Wright State. They also play Georgetown in this year's edition of the Wooden Classic.

It was a tough choice, but I'm picking Washington to edge Cal in the league race this season. The Huskies will hold Pac-10's auto bid in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket, which I will release on November 9. Tune back in then to see my first guess at the number of bids the conference could receive in what might be a down year. Now, to wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-Pac-10 team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-Pac-10 Team

Player of the Year: Jerome Randle, 5-10 G, Sr. (California)

Remainder of the Team
Patrick Christopher, 6-5 G, Sr. (California)
Quincy Pondexter, 6-6 F, Sr. (Washington)
Isaiah Thomas, 5-8 G, So. (Washington)
Nic Wise, 5-10 G, Sr. (Arizona)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the Pac-10 this season?

Arizona

8 votes

Arizona State

4 votes

California

28 votes

Oregon

2 votes

Oregon State

5 votes

Stanford

1 votes

UCLA

36 votes

USC

1 votes

Washington

363 votes

Washington State

4 votes

452 votes | Poll has closed

Rebounds and Home Court Huge as UTEP Pulls Away from OSU in Game 2

Jake Bertalotto — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 04:37:36 -0000

What Gill Coliseum was to Oregon State on Monday, the Don Haskins Center was to UTEP on Wednesday. The Miners used the home court advantage and some timely rebounds to muster a late-game run that propelled them over the Beavers 70-63 in Game 2 of the CBI Championship Series. The two teams will now play again on Friday in a decisive, winner-take-all Game 3.

The Beavers led by five points at the halftime break, with Roeland Schaftenaar scoring 12 points in the first twenty minutes. UTEP struggled containing him defensively in the half, which prompted the crowd to latch on to Roeland and ridicule him the entire second half.

"We knew they'd have a good crowd, and I thought we handled all of that well," Craig Robinson said after the game.

The Beavers were close to being in position to win or at least tie the game late, but they failed to get big rebounds when they were needed most. The Beavers and Miners' rebounding numbers were nearly identical, but UTEP seemed to get the timely rebounds down the stretch.

"Rebounding: that's the first thing that jumps out at you about this game," Coach Robinson said. "We just came up a little bit short."

Roeland Schaftenaar led the Beavers in the points column with 17, with just five of those coming in the second half. Calvin Haynes contributed 10, and Lathen Wallace had three three-pointers to finish with nine points.

After shooting the ball extremely well in Game 1 of the Championship Series, the Beavers seemed to be to aggressive from behind the arc. Oregon State was 7-of-26 from three-point range, which is just too many deep shots.

The Beavers have to understand that they shoot a high percentage when they run the offense will and get easy shots... they're not going to shoot over 50% hurling up threes.

But for most of the game, the Beavers did run their offense well. There were stretches when UTEP controlled the tempo and Oregon State simply forced things-- but for a larger part of the game, the Beavers made the necessary passes and cuts to maintain a lead.

However, in the end, it came down to clutch rebounding, and UTEP won the battle. The Beavers gave the Miners extra shots, and UTEP took advantage.

The Miners got 28 points from Stefon Jackson, and 17 from Randy Culpepper.

Game three of the series is scheduled for Friday at 7:00 p.m. at the Haskins Center.

--Jake (jake.buildingthedam@gmail.com)

Beavers Get By UTEP In Game One With Toughness, Crowd

Jake Bertalotto — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:15:00 -0000

More photos » by Don Ryan - AP

Oregon State guard Rickey Claitt reacts after dropping a 3-point shot during the first half of Game 1 of the CBI Championship Series. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

Browse more photos »

The Beavers may have not been the most athletic team in the gym on Monday night, but they wanted it more. And they had the crowd on their side.

The Beavers took Game One of the CBI Championship Series from the Texas El-Paso Miners in front of 8,030 in Legendary Gill Coliseum by the score of 75-69. The crowd was definitely a factor in the game.

The Beavers led by as many as 21 in the second half, but UTEP used their speed and athleticism to chip away at the Beaver lead. They went on a 24-9 run over the next several minutes of play, and eventually whittled the lead all the way down to just three points with 1:14 to play in the game.

Roeland Schaftenaar led the Beavers with 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Lathen Wallace was just behind him with five three's and 18 points. Seth Tarver sccored 17, and Rickey Claitt scored 13.

The Beavers offense looked as good as it had in a long time on Monday night, as the Beavers were patient and made a lot of shots. It's rare to see an Oregon State team put up as many points as they did in a win, but the Beavers jumped out to a comfortable first half lead and matched the Miners in the second half.

Randy Culpepper scored 20 points for the Miners, and Stefon Jackson added 17. Oregon State's zone defense also turned in a great performance in the game.

The win over UTEP in Game 1 marked the first time ever that an Oregon State squad has won four post-season games. The series now moves to El Paso and the Dan Haskins Center, where the Beavers will look to end the CBI Championship Series on Wednesday night.

--Jake (jake.buildingthedam@gmail.com)

Oregon State 65, Stanford 62: The Journey Continues with CBI Semifinal Win

Jake Bertalotto — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 04:07:47 -0000

The 2008-2009 Oregon State Men's Basketball season seemingly continues to get more and more and surreal with each passing moment. The Beavers now find themselves in the CBI Championship series after Craig Robinson's club knocked off Stanford 65-62 Wednesday at Gill Coliseum.

The incredible run Oregon State has experienced in the post-season marks the first time the team has won three post-season games since the Beavers went to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament after the 1962-63 season. The Beavers defeated Seattle, San Francisco and Arizona State that year... this year, it's been Houston, Vermont, and Stanford.

The Beavers and the Cardinal got off to a hot shooting start in the game. Stanford led the charge, converting on five of ten three-pointers in the first half, but the Beavers countered with four of nine from deep. The Beavers were silenced for a six minute stretch towards the end of the first half, but the Beavers, down four at one point, went on a 6-0 run in the last two minutes of the half to take a two point lead into the locker room.

The Cardinal sent the game to overtime when Lawrence Hill hit a fallback jumper from 15 feet out as time expired in regulation. He was able to collect a rebound that went right over the hands of Roeland Schaftenaar after Anthony Goods missed a three pointer that would have potentially won the game for Stanford.

That shot by Hill and the near-rebound by Shaftenaar 'demoralized' the team in the eyes of Coach Rob... they felt that there was no way the game should have gone to overtime after Oregon State held a six point lead with 2:39 left.

The obvious momentum swing allowed Stanford to jump out to a quick lead in overtime: the Cardinal led 61-56 with two and a half minutes remaining in the extra period. Roeland Schaftenaar then hit a three-pointer and a layup and Seth Tarver added a layup a part of a 9-1 run that Oregon State amassed on their way to a three-point victory over their fellow Pac-10 counterpart.

With the win, the Beavers move to 16-17 overall on the season. If they manage to win two straight games in next week's championship series, the Beavers will finish the season with a better-than .500 record.

The Beavers had three players in double-figures: Lathen Wallace with 16, Schaftenaar with 14, and Calvin Haynes with 10. Anthony Goods scored 20 for Stanford, and Lawrence Hill added 14.

Oregon State has now won CBI games by margins of 4, 1, and 3 points, respectively, and have played into overtime twice in the past two games.

Said the coach: "These games are taking a toll on my longevity."

I can only imagine what the players are feeling. They'll get Thursday and possibly Friday off to rest. Coach Robinson said that "at this point, they know what to do. They don't need practice or conditioning." He knows that rest, rest, and more rest is important right now, and he's reminding his guys to have fun, but not too much fun-- there's still work to do.

It will be UTEP for the Beavers in the Championship Series, which begins Monday at Gill Coliseum.

--Jake (jake.buildingthedam@gmail.com)

CougCenter's All Pacific Ten Awards

Dancing Football — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:22:56 -0000

It's what you've all been waiting for. The much anticipated CougCenter Pac 10 conference awards! Grady, Nuss, and myself all spent way more time than we anticipated on this (If you haven't, try doing it, it is a lot harder than it would seem initially). Twelve pots of coffee, two fist-fights, one trip to the emergency room, and an apology ice cream cake later, we were able to hash out our differences and come up our selections for the best of the best during the Pac 10 season.

We decided to toss away the official format (a ten man first team, why?) and go with first, second, and third teams. Additionally we doled out awards for Coach of the Year, Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, All-Defensive Team, and the All-Freshman Team.

EDIT 9:40 p.m.: You can see how each of the bloggers voted at this link.

We'll start with the individual awards.

Coach of the Year- Craig Robinson

Grady and I were in agreement on this one. Nuss went with Lorenzo Romar initially, but after a satellite phone call from a certain brother-in-law who pointed out that the Beavs probably should have won ZERO Pac 10 games this year, Nuss works for CougCenter and Romar coaches the Huskies, and that Robinson offered hope and change for all agricultural/engineering colleges across the country, Nuss was convinced.

Player of the Year - James Harden

There is really no debate on this one. Harden also takes home the gold in the "beard of the year" category.

Defensive Player of the Year - Taj Gibson

We didn't disagree on this one, but none of us really felt great about it. He led the conference in block% and was 6th in defensive rebounding%. Still, it seems there was no guy you could point to this year and say, "he is the best lock down defender in the Pac 10," like Kyle Weaver last year. Oh yeah, he didn't win the award.

Most Improved Player - Jerome Randle

He no longer had Ryan Anderson to attract the attention of defenses so it was hard for him to find open looks right? Wrong. He improved leaps and bounds in nearly every statistical category. Someone pull some strings and get this guy into the NBA next year, so the pack defense no longer has to deal with him.

Freshman of the Year - Isaiah Thomas

Thanks to johnnycougar for pointing out the ommission. He did a great job with the voting across SBN. You can see his poll results here. We are tired of talking about this guy on this site.

The Best of the Second Best (When ranked by Ken Pomeroy)

The hardest thing about putting together these teams is making them into a group of players that would actually be a viable combination for a coach during a game. The first team (which consists of five players, you know, because that's how many play on the court for a team) is full of guys who played well and were key reasons why their respective teams will be dancing come tourney time.

James Harden	G/So.	The most dynamic offensive player in the conference. No one is more important to his team's success. Top five pick in the NBA draft come April.
Darren Collison	G/Sr.	Fantastic player of both ends of the floor. Top 10 during conference play in offensive rating, assist percentage, and steal percentage.
Jerome Randle	G/Jr.	He's 5-10 and third during conference play in eFG%. Also in the top 10 in assist%. The biggest reason that Cal will be in the field of 64/65
Jordan Hill	F/Jr.	A freak athlete. Added some post skills and a short range jumper this year. Tough to deal handle defensively and offensively. Lottery pick for sure.
Jon Brockman	F/Sr.	Best rebounder in the conference on both ends of the floor. Took a hit in his own personal statistics this year to benefit the team as a whole.

For the rest of the awards, click the link to make the jump. Don't worry, we are all smarter than Pac 10 coaches, and Aron Baynes will not be left out!

The Second Best of the Second Best

Taylor Rochestie	G/Sr.	He. Is. Awesome.
Justin Dentmon	G/Sr.	Close second for most improved player. One of the best shooters in the Pac 10. That's enough about him.
Chase Budinger	G/Jr.	Pretty unstoppable when he gets it going. Tough to match up with at the guard position with his length.
Taj Gibson	F/Jr.	Your aforementioned Defensive Player of the year and USC's most effective offensive option. Tough matchup because of his quickness.
Aron Baynes	C/Sr.	Best part about Baynes this year, those twenty pounds he lost. So much quicker off his feet making him a terror down low for the Cougs opposition.

The Third Best of the Second Best

Josh Shipp	G/Sr.	Seems like he has been around forever. Dangerous shooter from the outside.
Calvin Haynes	G/So.	Easily the scariest scoring threat on the Beavs offense.
Alfred Aboya	F/Sr.	Good offensive numbers. Only a 17.4 shot % though.
Jeff Pendergraph	F/Sr.	Led the conference in eFG%. Making layups is harder than it looks (ask the Cougs)
Roeland Schaftenaar	C/Jr.	Have to love a center who has the #8 assist rate in the conference.

Honorable Mention (guys who received votes, but didn't make the cut):

Anthony Goods, Isaiah Thomas, Quincy Pondexter, Patrick Christopher

The Defenders

Venoy Overton	G/So.	He grabs and pulls, but he knows how to get away with it.
Darren Collison	G/Sr.	The closest thing to a lock-down defender the conference had this year. (can't wait for Casto and Capers next year!)
Jordan Hill	F/Jr.	Gets off the floor quick, can block shots and bother offensive players with his long arms.
Taj Gibson	F/Jr.	I think we've said enough about him.
Aron Baynes	C/Sr.	He. Is. Awesome.

Honorable Mention: James Harden's Beard, James Harden

The New Guys

Isaiah Thomas	G	See past articles. No more needs to be written about this guy on this site.
Klay Thompson	G	Ask Mitch Johnson how awesome Klay is.
Jrue Holiday	G	Didn't quite live up to his billing, but UCLA will probably benefit from that having him stick around for a few more years.
DeMar DeRozan	F	A guy so good he's worth two scholarships and four capital letters.
Michael Dunigan	F	Dunigan is such a fun name to say. Also, solid rebounder and shot blocker. Played more minutes and took more shots than Casto, that's the main reason he is on here.

Honarable Mention: DeAngelo Casto

There you have it. Blood, sweat, and tears went in to creating this. Please feel free now to tear us apart and tell us why we are wrong, we can take it, as long as there is ice cream cake.

Oregon State Prepares for 331st Civil War

Jake Bertalotto — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 20:30:34 -0000

Just a week after completing a season sweep of both of the Bay Area teams, the Beavers will return to action on Sunday when they'll do battle with Oregon in the 331st Civil War game at MacArthur Court in Eugene.

The Beavers, who have won three straight games and seven of their last ten, beat the Ducks 57-54 earlier this season at Gill Coliseum. In that game, the Beavers overcame an early 12-point deficit and a 35-30 halftime defecit to overcome the Ducks in the second half.

Oregon point guard Tajuan Porter, who had 19 points and five three-pointers in the first half, was held to just three points in the final half. The Beavers outscored the Ducks 27-19 in the second half, holding off the Ducks down the stretch to win by three.

Oregon State's win in the first Civil War gave them their fourth Pac-10 win in the first half of the conference schedule. A win tomorrow would give the Beavers their eighth Pac-10 win, and their fourth win in the second half of the Pac-10 season. A win would also move the Beavers to 8-8 in the Pac-10, a .500 winning percentage, with two games remaining on the regular season schedule.

The Beavers, who sit at 7-8 in Pac-10 play, have already made a seven game improvement from a year ago. That margin gives Craig Robinson's team the fifth-best single-season turnaround of all time. Oregon currently sits at number one on the list for their 10-win improvement between the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons

Oregon State's 1-3-1 zone defense, which has been wreaking havoc on opponent offenses throughout the season, will need to be effective against the Ducks. Oregon plays at the fastest tempo of any team in the Pac-10 except for Washington, and they'll be looking to push the ball and take as many shots as possible. Oregon State, who plays at the fifth slowest pace in the nation, will be looking to do exactly the opposite: pass the ball, set screens, make back-cuts, and hit open shots.

The Ducks are led by Tajuan Porter, who is averaging 15 points per game and shooting 38 percent from three-point range this season. LeKendric Longmire, the sophomore from Mississippi, is scoring ten points per game. Freshman center Michael Dunnigan scores nine per game.

The Beavers are led by Cavin Haynes, but will need other guys to play well in order to beat the Ducks in Mac Court. Haynes averages 15.5 points per game, but Rickey Claitt's assists, Seth Tarver's steals, and Roeland Schaftenaar's leadership at the top of the offense will likely be the difference on Sunday night.

Game-time is scheduled for 7:00 PM tomorrow night on FSN HD.

--Jake (jake.buildingthedam@gmail.com)

Beavers Get First Season Sweep of Stanford in 16 Years

Jake Bertalotto — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 05:16:43 -0000

The Beavers started the game on a 25-7 point run and hardly looked back in Saturday's 66-54 win over Stanford on Thursday night at Gill Coliseum. The Cardinal battled back at several points in the first and second half, but the Beavers continued to execute the modified Princeston offense and maintain a healthy lead.

The Beavers, who completed a season sweep of Stanford for the first time since 1993 with the win, led wire-to-wire in both games against the Cardinal this season. Back on January 24, the Beavers held less than a ten point margin for most of the game until they went on a 12-3 run in the middle of the second half to take a comfertable lead. On Thursday, Stanford tied the game at four, but could never catch the Beavers again in the final 38 minutes of the game.

Roeland Schaftenaar led the Beavers with a career high of 26 points, picking up five rebounds and two assists along the way. Calvin Haynes added 17 points. Rickey Claitt and Seth Tarver each scored seven points.

Stanford was led by Jeremy Green, who scored 19 points in 17 minutes off the bench. Landry Fields added 17 points. Anthony Goods, who led the Cardinal with 15 points back on January 24, was held scoreless in the game.

The Beavers shot over 53 percent from the field, a number that dropped considerably in the final ten minutes of the game. For most of the first and the second half, the Beavers were shooting over 60 percent from the field. The Beavers also shot very well from the free-throw line, making 20 of 27.

Oregon State, who averages 18 three-point field goal attempts per game, only shot eight three-pointers in the game, making four.

The Beavers will now have an opportunity to get a season sweep of the Bay Area schools on Saturday, when the California Golden Bears will be in town. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on FSN.

--Jake (jake.buildingthedam@gmail.com)

Post Game Thoughts (Oregon State)

joenewby4040 — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:53:31 -0000

Final - 2.5.2009	1	2	Total
Arizona Wildcats	21	35	56
Oregon St. Beavers	23	30	53

Complete Coverage >

Arizona came away with the W last night in Corvallis by 3 points and was lucky it didn't go into overtime. The cats gottheir first win and continue to blaze through their Pac 10 schedule with their fourth win in a row and their 3rd conference win in a row. The Cats had a nice 13 point lead in the 2nd half, only to watch the Beavers claw their way back into it. Budinger made the front end of a 1 and 1 and after the miss on the 2nd shot, the Beavers got the ball back down by 3 with 30 seconds to go. Roeland Schaftenaar missed a 3 pointer and Oregon State even got another crack at it with another 3 pointer by Roeland Schaftennar, which rattled in and out.

Chase Budinger added 17 points and 8 boards while Jordan Hill had 13 points and 5 boards. Nic Wise chipped in 14 and had 5 assists. Budinger said it best after the game:

"Oregon State did a heck of a job to fight back and make it close," Budinger said. "When you're on the road, you've got to pretty much do everything. You've got to be perfect in the game."

We should have won by more, but a win is a win. In the Pac 10, you can't take anything for granted.

The Outcome was: A win is a win, right? Arizona got its first road win this year, and I'll take it. We are now in sole 6th place in the Pac 10 and get to play Oregon tomorrow. How things have changed over the last two weeks. Corvallis is a tough place to play, and last night was no exception. Building up a 13 point lead in the 2nd half was great, but watching it dwindle towards the end shows that we need to finish, and finish strong.

The Offensive MVP was: Chase Budinger. 17 poitns on 7-13 from the field. 2-3 from the FT line. 8 boards, and 3 assists. Great game Chase. Jordan Hill is an honorable mention here with 13 points. The only downside? We scored just a total of 56 points.

The Defensive MVP was: Jordan Hill. I thought in the Preview that we needed to keep Schaftenaar limited because we already had to deal with Haynes. Jordan Hill did a nice job on him last night, limiting him to 10 points and more importantly, only 6 rebounds in the game.

Bench: Jamelle Horn came off of the bench and provided 7 rebounds, 3 points, and 1 steal in 28 minutes. That's not great offensive production, but we haven't been getting ANYTHING in the past few games. 28 minutes is a lot of time to give the starters some rest and I'll take 7 rebounds in that time any day. Again, Lavender and Onobun were meaningless in this game.

Stat of the game: Calvin Haynes: 4-15 shooting. I can't imagine what would have happended to us if he would have been on.

Overall: I am very satisfied with the game performance. Winning in Corvallis was not going to be easy and we built up a 13 point lead to sustain us until the end. I am a little disappointed that Kyle Fogg only had 5 points on 3 attempts. Why didn't he pull the trigger more? We need that guy to step it up and start playing like he should be playing: with confidence. I am extremely worried about our depth and wish that Onobun could get more minutes. He can rebound, slash, and has the ability to put in quality minutes while letting Jordan get a rest. Let's use him more against Oregon, I say.....

Next Game: At Oregon 1:30 M.S.T., Saturday, February 7, 2009.

Arizona vs. Oregon State Preview

joenewby4040 — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:18:27 -0000

Next Game

Arizona Wildcats
@ Oregon St. Beavers

Thursday, Feb 5, 2009, 5:30 PM PST
Gill Coliseum

Q&A with Building The Dam

posted by joenewby4040 42 minutes ago

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Complete Coverage >

OREGON STATE BEAVERS

The Oregon State Beavers are led by 6'2" Sophomore guard Calvin Haynes. He is currently averaging 16.1 ppg on 50% shooting from the floor. Although Haynes is leading the team overall, the emergence of Roeland Schaftnaar over the last two weeks is cause for concern for the Wildcats. He is currently averaging 9.1 points for the season and a nice 17.3 ppg over the last four games including 22 points at Cal. He is able to post up and has a nice mid-range game to go along with it. Oregon State is currently 4-5 in the Pac 10 and 10-10 overall.

The Wildcats and Beavers met up earlier in the year on January 10 in Tucson with the Cats coming away with a 17 point victory. Jordan Hill limited Roeland Schaftnaar to 6 points and 3 rebounds. Since that game, the Beavers have been a different team after buying into Craig Robinson's system. Expect the Beavers to try and slow the pace and get efficient use out of their possessions rather than run & gun. Here is a look at the Beavers:

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Calvin Haynes	14	32.8	5.7	11.4	50.0	2.3	5.6	41.0	2.4	3.4	70.8	0.7	2.8	3.5	1.7	2.4	1.1	0.1	1.8	16.1
Roeland Schaftnaar	20	26.8	3.5	7.5	46.7	0.7	1.8	37.1	1.4	2.2	63.6	0.8	2.2	3.0	3.0	1.7	0.9	0.7	1.8	9.1
Omari Johnson	19	25.8	3.3	7.2	45.3	1.2	3.5	32.8	1.2	2.2	56.1	1.0	3.6	4.6	0.9	2.0	0.6	0.5	1.9	8.9
Seth Tarver	20	28.9	2.9	4.9	58.8	0.1	0.5	11.1	1.4	2.4	59.6	1.6	3.3	4.9	2.1	1.7	1.5	0.0	1.7	7.2
Rickey Claitt	20	34.0	2.5	4.3	58.1	1.1	2.3	46.7	0.9	1.4	66.7	0.4	1.5	1.8	2.8	1.2	1.1	0.0	1.8	7.0
Daniel Deane	20	24.0	2.2	5.6	39.3	0.8	2.7	30.2	1.7	2.9	57.9	1.4	3.6	4.9	0.9	2.6	0.5	0.5	2.6	6.9
Lathen Wallace	18	17.2	2.3	5.6	40.6	1.2	3.4	35.5	0.6	1.1	55.0	0.8	1.1	1.8	0.4	1.1	0.4	0.0	1.8	6.4
Josh Tarver	20	18.3	1.7	3.5	48.6	0.1	0.6	8.3	0.9	1.4	64.3	0.3	1.1	1.4	1.5	1.4	0.8	0.1	1.5	4.4
Calvin Hampton	17	6.5	0.5	1.2	40.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.2	75.0	0.4	0.3	0.6	0.3	0.6	0.1	0.1	0.8	1.1
David Sturner	8	3.8	0.1	0.8	16.7	0.1	0.6	20.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.0	0.5	0.4
Kevin McShane	8	3.5	0.0	0.4	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.1	100.0	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.4	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.6	0.1
Joey McConnell	4	2.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.5	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.0
Kyle Bjornstad	1	2.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	20	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.3	1.9	3.2	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

ARIZONA WILDCATS

The Wildcats are on a three game winning streak taking down Houston, Washington, and Washington State at home in Tucson. They are 0-6 on the road this year and will be traveling to Corvallis tonight to take on the Beavers, who have also won four in a row. As I stated in my Q&A with Jake from buildingthedam, I think that our game has been elevated with the emergence of Kyle Fogg. He gives us a legitimate fourth scorer on the floor, taking the pressure off of Wise and Budinger on the perimeter. During his burst in the past three games, the Wildcats have averaged 89.3 ppg and Fogg has averaged 14.7 ppg.

Arizona will have to try and force their pace on the Beavers tonight as the Cats will want to run and the Beavers will want to settle in to their slow, half court offense. I think a quick burst from our team will make Oregon State play to our game and not the other way around. Let's look for the Cats to transition even faster tonight than usual and force the ball to the hoop.

FG 3PT FT Rebounds Misc

G M M A Pct M A Pct M A Pct Off Def Tot Ast TO Stl Blk PF PPG

Jordan Hill 21 34.4 7.3 13.3 55.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.6 5.6 63.6 4.3 7.7 12.0 1.4 2.9 0.7 2.1 2.9 18.2

Chase Budinger 22 37.0 5.9 12.8 46.1 1.9 4.6 40.2 3.7 4.5 82.8 1.7 4.8 6.5 3.3 2.3 1.2 0.5 1.7 17.4

Nic Wise 22 36.0 4.5 10.5 42.7 1.7 4.3 40.0 2.8 3.2 88.6 0.2 2.3 2.5 4.7 2.9 1.2 0.1 2.4 13.5

Jamelle Horne 22 29.3 3.0 6.6 44.8 0.4 1.3 27.6 1.3 2.1 60.9 1.9 3.5 5.3 1.5 1.6 0.7 0.3 2.8 7.5

Kyle Fogg 22 20.5 1.8 3.8 47.6 0.4 1.3 32.1 2.1 2.6 80.7 0.7 1.5 2.2 1.1 1.1 0.7 0.0 1.4 6.1

Zane Johnson 20 18.5 1.5 3.5 43.5 1.1 2.8 39.3 0.6 0.7 78.6 0.3 1.6 1.9 1.0 0.6 0.5 0.1 1.8 4.7

Garland Judkins 17 13.0 0.9 2.4 40.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.6 1.1 61.1 0.4 0.6 1.0 1.2 1.2 0.3 0.0 1.0 2.5

Alex Jacobson 18 8.4 0.6 1.3 41.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.4 57.1 0.8 0.6 1.4 0.1 0.6 0.0 0.3 0.9 1.3

Fendi Onobun 20 8.0 0.5 1.1 42.9 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.9 47.1 0.3 0.8 1.1 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 1.2 1.3

Brendon Lavender 16 5.0 0.3 0.6 44.4 0.1 0.3 25.0 0.3 0.4 66.7 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.0 0.4 0.8

David Bagga 4 2.3 0.3 1.0 25.0 0.3 0.5 50.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.3 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.8

D.J. Shumpert 3 3.0 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 1.0 1.3 0.3 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

22 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.5 1.3 2.8 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

		FG	3PT	FT	Rebounds	Misc
Jordan Hill	21	34.4	7.3	13.3	55.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.6	5.6	63.6	4.3	7.7	12.0	1.4	2.9	0.7	2.1	2.9	18.2
Chase Budinger	22	37.0	5.9	12.8	46.1	1.9	4.6	40.2	3.7	4.5	82.8	1.7	4.8	6.5	3.3	2.3	1.2	0.5	1.7	17.4
Nic Wise	22	36.0	4.5	10.5	42.7	1.7	4.3	40.0	2.8	3.2	88.6	0.2	2.3	2.5	4.7	2.9	1.2	0.1	2.4	13.5
Jamelle Horne	22	29.3	3.0	6.6	44.8	0.4	1.3	27.6	1.3	2.1	60.9	1.9	3.5	5.3	1.5	1.6	0.7	0.3	2.8	7.5
Kyle Fogg	22	20.5	1.8	3.8	47.6	0.4	1.3	32.1	2.1	2.6	80.7	0.7	1.5	2.2	1.1	1.1	0.7	0.0	1.4	6.1
Zane Johnson	20	18.5	1.5	3.5	43.5	1.1	2.8	39.3	0.6	0.7	78.6	0.3	1.6	1.9	1.0	0.6	0.5	0.1	1.8	4.7
Garland Judkins	17	13.0	0.9	2.4	40.0	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.6	1.1	61.1	0.4	0.6	1.0	1.2	1.2	0.3	0.0	1.0	2.5
Alex Jacobson	18	8.4	0.6	1.3	41.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.4	57.1	0.8	0.6	1.4	0.1	0.6	0.0	0.3	0.9	1.3
Fendi Onobun	20	8.0	0.5	1.1	42.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	0.9	47.1	0.3	0.8	1.1	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.1	1.2	1.3
Brendon Lavender	16	5.0	0.3	0.6	44.4	0.1	0.3	25.0	0.3	0.4	66.7	0.1	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.0	0.4	0.8
David Bagga	4	2.3	0.3	1.0	25.0	0.3	0.5	50.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.3	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.8
D.J. Shumpert	3	3.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	1.0	1.3	0.3	0.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	22	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.5	1.3	2.8	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Keys to the game for Arizona

Big Men. Let's try to take Roeland Schaftenaar out of this game. Jordan had not problem doing it a month ago, and shouldn't have any problems tonight. We have enough to deal with trying to play against Calvin Haynes. Jordan's defense tonight could be more crucial than his offense.
Freshman. Kyle Fogg. I am very impressed with this kid in the last three games. He is contributing in every statistical category and is making plays that don't go in the boxscore. Let's hope that he is on tonight (and every night from here on out) to at least make the Beavers worry about more than Wise and Budinger on the perimeter.
Pace. I think that Arizona needs to dictate the game tonight and not settle in to the Beavers slow pace. Push the ball, run the court, and to the hoop. Let's drive and not settle for contested three pointers. Push the ball off of steals and try to break the slow rhythym of the Beavers half court set.

Q&A with Building The Dam

joenewby4040 — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:41:17 -0000

I had a little e-mail Q&A with Jake from buildingthedam via e-mail yesterday. Looks like Arizona is going to probably be matching up with a 1-3-1 defense tomorrow night.

Arizona has been on fire the the last 49 minutes of play since Chase Budinger got his head smashed by Aubrey Coleman. Is there anything that can stop them?

How about, Oregon State's 1-3-1 defense? The Beaver defense didn't look too convincing against Arizona when the two teams met up for the first time earlier this season in Tuscon, but a lot has changed since then. Arizona may be on a roll, but the Beavers are also on a roll after beating four Pac-10 teams-- USC, Cal, Stanford, and Oregon-- in the first half of the Pac-10 season. The Beavers have won four straight, and it's amazing what some confidence can to do a team like Oregon State. The Wildcats have a good outside presence as well as a strong inside presence with Jordan Hill and Chase Budinger.

Y'all (Yes I am from Texas and this is appropriate) barely beat Oregon last week. Any cause for concern?

No. It's a rivalry game, so a close score is expected no matter what the records are of the teams coming in. Yes, we could have sealed the game earlier had we made more free throws (six were missed in the final 1:20), but the Beavers will take the close win over the Ducks any day of the week. Heck, for a team who has been on the losing end of too many Civil Wars as of late, we'll take any win.

Home court advantage in the Pac 10 is underrated big time by outsiders. Can you give us a little preview of what it's like on game day in Corvallis? We know USC has problems playing football there.

At this point in the turnaround of Oregon State basketball, it's hard to correlate football with basketball. But the students and the rest of the fans were out in full force last Saturday, as they packed Gill for one of the largest crowds the Coliseum has seen in several years. They'll likely be a large contingent of fans on hand for Thursday's game as well, as the Beavers failed to disappoint in Saturday's Civil War game. Expect a noisy bunch of fans at Gill no matter if it's packed to the rafters or not.

Calvin Haynes is a baller and a half. How many points is he going to put up on Arizona?

Hard to say. He's been averaging about 17 per game, but he's had is off nights as well. He only scored nine when the Beavers and Wildcats played the first time around, so that gives me reason to think that he'll break out of his shell and have a better game this week. 15 points, maybe 20? Hard to say.

Who is going to match up on Jordan Hill?

My assumption is that the Beavers will deploy a 1-3-1 or similar zone defense against the Wildcats, so it will likely be a combination of Roeland Schaftenaar, Daniel Deane, or Omari Johnson. Hill will likely see a litany of guys in his face on Thursday night.

Will y'all please take care of ASU on Saturday? We'll do our best to beat Oregon.

Sounds like a deal. We would be overjoyed with a split this weekend, no matter how we get it. If beating ASU is the way it happens, we'll take it. But a sweep would be even better!