SB Nation - Pepperdine Waves

"They are who we thought they were": 11/29-12/6 edition

everydayezag — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 06:48:29 -0000

Mark Few is probably wondering why the WCC decided to essentially take this week off and lose every meaningful game played.

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It was just one week ago when I was praising the improvements the WCC had made and how close this conference was to emerging on the national scene. After great performances by Gonzaga, Portland, and USD on the national stage, the national media quickly began discussing how the WCC might even be equal to the Pac 10. However, after a demoralizing week by nearly every team in this conference, we can probably stop the clamoring for this to be a two or even three bid league. Instead, Gonzaga will need to spend January and February making sure they don't lose, because the assumption that this league is Gonzaga and the 7 Dwarfs will sadly continue. Unfortunately, this is what happens when teams in mid-major leagues throw away great opportunities like Portland and USD did.

1) Gonzaga (6-2): 74-69 win vs. Washington State; 77-75 loss vs. Wake Forest

It pains me to say that this team was literally some made free throws and a couple smarter plays away from playing a top 10 match up against Duke at Madison Square Garden. As much as I don't like to assume any games will be automatic wins, I don't see anyway that this team will possibly lose games to Augustana and Davidson. However, one thing that I continue to like about this team is the toughness they play with and the physicality that they demonstrate every night. Also, as opposed to previous teams that have peaked in November and December, it's clear that the coaching staff is still trying to figure out exactly what each guy can bring to the table. This will make for a couple more head scratching performances, but should also make for one of the better teams in the country in March.

2) St. Mary's (6-1): 78-71 win @ San Jose St.; 68-63 win @ Utah St.

While Portland and San Diego struggled this week, the Gaels pulled off two very impressive wins. This group really showed some moxie in the win over San Jose St., as they came back from a 15 point deficit to earn the victory over a very underrated team. The one weakness I see with this group is depth, as they have only five guys who really make significant contributions on a nightly basis. However, these two wins over San Jose St. and Utah St. are very impressive, and lets hope the Gaels can send a big message when they travel to Oregon on Saturday.

3) Portland (5-3): 86-82 loss vs. Portland St; 68-48 loss @ Idaho

If you want to see a blueprint for how to become irrelevant in one week, just look at what the Portland Pilots have done. After finally securing a top 25 ranking for the first time in 50 years, the Pilots choked away a comfortable lead against Portland St, and then followed that up by laying an egg in Moscow. While the Idaho loss is galling because of the final score, the Portland St. loss at home is the most stunning. You just can't simply lose games like that if you want to be in the hunt for an at-large bid come March.

4) Santa Clara (4-4): 79-68 win @ UCSB; 66-63 loss vs. UNLV

Santa Clara was a couple baskets away from being the #3 team on this list. However, after jumping out to an eight point halftime lead against UNLV, the Broncos just couldn't quite hold on for the win. Unfortunately, the news became even worse when it was announced that Kevin Foster, who leads the team with 19.8 points per game, will likely be out for the season with a foot injury. With that said, the Broncos clearly played hard without him in the loss to UNLV, and hopefully some guys will take advantage of the added playing time and step up.

5) San Diego (4-5): 69-62 loss vs. San Diego St.; 58-55 loss @ UC Riverside; 69-37 loss @ Fresno St.

I'm beginning to get to the point where I worry about the mental makeup of the Toreros. After back-to-back tough losses against good competition, USD completely imploded in the loss to Fresno St. Brandon Johnson has been suspended for disciplinary issues, which has become a theme under Billy Grier. Lets hope that the hangover from those close losses doesn't extend much more, because the Toreros have a huge game against New Mexico on Wednesday night.

6) LMU (3-6): 91-72 win vs. Academy of Art; 76-70 loss @ Wyoming

After securing a fairly simple win against the Academy of Art ( I was unaware this was a school prior to this recap), the Lions threw away a huge opportunity when they blew a lead in the last three minutes against Wyoming. I know I say it every week about this team, but the talent is there for them to significantly improve and be a threat by January. However, as is the case with many young teams, there is still a long ways to go before they know how to win close games.

7) Pepperdine (3-5): 83-77 loss @ Cal Poly

Here is another case of a WCC team conceding a comfortable win. The Waves led by 10 points at the half against Cal Poly, but then allowed 52 second half points to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The one positive aspect of the loss is the fact that Pepperdine found a couple guys to compliment Keion Bell. In fact, Jonathan Dupre' led the team in scoring with 19 points, while Bell scored 18 and dished out five assists.

8) USF (2-6): 78-54 loss @ Colorado; 69-43 loss @ BYU

There really isn't much to say about USF at this point in the season. They were embarrassed in back-to-back losses on the road and continue to waste the great production of Dior Lowhorn. In fact, if you want to get a sense for why USF lost both these games, just go back and read every addition of the WCC Power Rankings I have written in the past year. Until the Dons can learn to surround a great player with decent talent, they will continue to languish at the bottom of these rankings.

Cowboys back in action against Loyola Marymount

The Road — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:04:04 -0000

Next Game

Loyola Marymount Lions
@ Wyoming Cowboys

Saturday, Dec 5, 2009, 6:00 PM PST
Arena-Auditorium

Complete Coverage >

The Wyoming Cowboys (3-4) host the Loyola Marymount Lions (3-5) tonight at 7pm MST. The Pokes should well rested after having five days off after playing four games in five days. The Cowboys dropped three of those four games with the only win coming over the Pepperdine Waves on Sunday.

The Cowboys have struggled of offense without F Afam Muojeke the teams leading scorer (17 pts) who has been out with a knee injury. Muojeke is likely to miss tonight's game as well. G A.J. Davis has stepped up nicely for the Pokes putting up 20, 18 and 19 points in three of the last four games.

Loyola Marmount is led by 6-7 sophomore Drew Vinney and his 18.6 points a game. The Oregon transfer has been shooting lights out so far this season and is hitting 54% of his 3pt shots. 6-10 Edgar Garibay pulls down over 6 rebounds a game in 23 minutes but has struggled with foul trouble.

The Lions and Cowboys have both faced Boise State this season. The Cowboys won 87-61 while the Lions lost 87-90 in their season opener.

UCLA Beats Up Pepperdine 71-52, Takes Another Step Forward

Nestor — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:25:02 -0000

More photos » by Gus Ruelas - AP

Pepperdine's Taylor Darby getting a little taste of Ben Ball

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So the Ben Ball warriors did exactly what they needed to get done tonight against Pepperdine Waves. Coming into this game they need to play a game in which they got off to a decent start in the first half, played solid defense for the entire game, hit their FTs, and be selective with their shots in a classic Ben Ball game. Well they did just that against an inspired Wave bunch (who must have been reading press thinking our guys are vulnerable) by putting together their most improved performance of the season to date.

Bruins win by a final score of 71-52. Here is the box score. The player of the game tonight was MR, who had his best game as a senior with 17 pts, 5 assists, 2 rebounts, 1 block and 1 steal. Hopefully this is just the beginning for MR in what was his most fluid performance of the season. In addition to MR, Coach Howland got another solid effort from DG who led all scorers with 18 points, 9 boards and 3 blocks. I wrote in the comment thread how DG has been bringing it with his sheer tenacity and hustle every game (emerging as early candidate to claim himself to be the heart and soul of the team). ML also looked good today as he contributed with 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals and an assist.

The Bruins throttled Pepperdine to 19 of 46 shooting (41.3%) giving us glimpses of the Ben Ball warriors we have seen in previous years. Our on ball defense looked a little better and our rotation has certainly improved from our previous outings. We also shot better making 54.3% of our shots (25 of 46) as we did a decent job of with our shot selection and also benefitd from some great interior passing (MR gets a lot of credit for that). Oh and we were solid from the FT line today making 13 out of our 15 freebies. So can't really complain there. Of course as always, we have to keep this performance in perspective. More on that after the jump.

We after all just beat Pepperdine who haven't done much this season that's worth noting. We will have a better idea of our team when they take on Portland Pilots, a team that has started the season 3-0 which includes a victory over Oregon Ducks. We will have to wait to get updates on JA who went out with cramps and wasn't able to return in the game. Replacing JA, Abdul Hamid did all right, scoring 10 points (4 of 6 shooting including 2-4 from the 3), 3 assists and 2 TOs. However, I don't think he is the long term answer when we take on tougher competition. I really hope Coach Howland thinks about using more of MM, who I thought looked comfortable out there, even though he is still a raw freshman.

Bruins also have to do a better job of rebounding. The final stat sheet showed a tie in the rebounding department (26 a piece). I don't think that's good enough given the size we have in our front court. We also need to cut down on sloppy possessions. JK had two really bad possessions on back to back occasions turning the ball over with lazy passing. We can't afford that kind of plays from our senior starter. As a team though we turned the ball over 11 times, which wasn't too shabby.

Still I would consider tonight's game a positive step forward. It will give our guys something more to build on after getting encouraging results against Bakersfield the game before. Now if we can get JA fully healthy and come back out on Thursday and show the same hustle and intensity on both ends of the court to get us another victory, we will be in decent shape given where we were at to star the season. This is all part of the growing process with this young team. Lot of us are enjoying it because we knew it was going to be a long journey. If you don't want to be on our trip right now, don't try to jump back on the bandwagon when the engine starts clicking on all cylinders.

With that ... I will turn this court back to you. Fire away.

GO BRUINS.

WCC Power Rankings: 11/15-11/22 edition

everydayezag — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:39:50 -0000

More photos » by Rajah Bose - AP

Consistent play from Matt Bouldin and the rest of the Zags will keep Gonzaga at the top of the WCC Power Rankings.

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Although it has been in a rather quiet manner, the WCC is off to a very solid start this season. Currently, six of the eight teams in the conference are above 500., with the other two teams showing some very nice signs of life. Saturday night would certainly have to be considered a banner night for the conference, as the WCC recorded two wins against Pac 10 competition. While many Gonzaga fans probably expected Portland to take care of business against Oregon, the fact that LMU was able to travel to USC and earn a big road victory came as a pleasant surprise. Even with the fine performance by Portland, I will continue to keep Gonzaga at the top of the rankings until one of these other teams proves they are a true contender for this conference.

1) Gonzaga (2-1): 75-71 loss @ Michigan St.; 90-55 win vs. IPFW

As anyone who has read this blog for the past year would know, I am not the kind of guy that believes in "moral victories". However, the toughness and grit that this team displayed against a hostile environment in East Lansing has made me believe that we could have a pretty darn special team on our hands this season. After appearing to sleepwalk through the first half against IPFW, the Zags turned up their game and completely dominated an inferior opponent. The biggest challenge for Mark Few this season will be his ability to keep this young team focused and hungry for every game on the schedule. If these guys can stay on task and take care of business when they should, it will be a very bright season.

2) Portland (3-0): 98-81 win vs. Portland; 88-81 vs. Oregon

I will admit that I was a little worried about the expectations that I had for the Pilots after their opener against EWU. Although they won the game, Portland just didn't seem to play with as much execution as I had expected. This past week, Portland showed that they are certainly deserving of all the preseason hype, with two very nice wins. Nik Raivio continues to play like a potential WCC POY candidate, as he is averaging 19 points and 9 boards. The Pilots have a very nice trio in Raivio, T.J. Campbell, and Robin Smeulders. In the impressive win over Oregon, the trio accounted for 57 of the teams 88 points. With so much experience and talent on this team, the WCC has a great chance at two NCAA bids.

3) St. Mary's (2-1): 80-58 win vs. San Diego St.; 72-70 loss vs. Vandy

It's pretty darn clear that this St. Mary's program will not fade back to irrelevance with the loss of Patty Mills. In fact, St.Mary's came very close to making this an absolute banner week for the conference. After turning the most impressive performance of the 24 hour marathon on ESPN, with their 80-58 domination of San Diego St., the Gaels had an excellent opportunity to stun Vanderbilt. Even with 25 points and 18 boards for Omar Samhan, St. Mary's could not overcome the early double digit deficit and ended up losing by two points. However, with Samhan and Matthew Dellavedova, this team has a very formidable duo that will keep them in a lot of games.

4) San Diego (2-1): 56-55 loss @ Pacific; 84-65 win vs. Point Loma

The reason I rank San Diego in the top half of the conference is because they would be undefeated if not for an injury to Brandon Johnson against Pacific. In the one point loss to Pacific, Johnson played only 20 minutes because of a hurt hamstring, and he was out for most of the second half. Once Johnson is fully healthy, USD will have a terrific back court, with De'Jon Jackson playing at a very high level. Jackson is averaging 17.7 points and 5.0 rebounds for the Toreros. Even more important for this team is the continued solid play of Roberto Mafra. When Mafra plays well, he gives USD a legitimate post threat, which is huge because of how talented of a back court they have.

5) LMU (2-3): 84-78 loss vs. UC Irvine; 67-59 win @ USC

Ignore the win-loss record and the fact that this is the same program that took nearly two months to win a game last season. With the talent that this program has from transfers and recruiting, I can assure that LMU will be one team that nobody in this conference wants to face in January and February. This is a very balanced and talented team, with Oregon transfer Drew Viney leading the way for the Lions. Viney is averaging 17.2 points and 5.2 boards, and he is one of the more talented scorers in this conference. Once Viney and Larry Davis fully mesh with Vernon Teel and Jarred DuBois, this will be a very formidable team.

6) Santa Clara (2-1): 79-55 win vs. Menlo College; 86-53 loss @ San Diego St.

Consistency has just absolutely haunted the Santa Clara program over the past couple of years. After opening the season with a nice 2-1 start, the Broncos traveled to San Diego St. and got absolutely destroyed. Normally I wouldn't make too much out of a loss to a quality opponent, but this is the same San Diego St. team that didn't even belong on the same court as St. Mary's. The only reason I am willing to forgive this performance is because Santa Clara was missing Kevin Foster. Hopefully Foster can get his academic obligations in check, as his 20 points per game is a huge boost to this team.

7) San Francisco (2-1): 92-66 win vs. Dominican; 104-65 loss @ Arizona St.

I'm sorry USF, but getting destroyed against a mediocre Arizona St. opponent is no way to work your way up these power rankings. Don't be fooled by the fact that Arizona St. made the NCAA tournament last season, because this is a very average team, that just happens to be extraordinarily well coached by Herb Sendek. Both Dior Lowhorn and Kwame Harris have started the season very strong, with each averaging 18.7 points per game. However, there is no support for these two from the rest of the team. In order for the Dons to be competitive in conference, at least one more guy needs to step up and be productive.

8) Pepperdine (1-2): 67-58 loss vs. Long Beach St.; 72-70 win vs. Cal State-San Bernandino

In Keion Bell, Pepperdine has arguably the most explosive player in the conference. Bell is averaging 21 points and 7.7 rebounds for the Waves, and he literally keeps this team in most games. The huge problem that Pepperdine is facing is the fact that they have no one to compliment Bell. In fact, Bell is the only guy on the team averaging double-digit points per game. If no one is able to step up on a regular basis to help Bell, this team will remain in the cellar throughout the season.

WCC Power Rankings: Opening week edition

everydayezag — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:37:46 -0000

More photos » by Rajah Bose - AP

Matt Bouldin is one of the many reasons that Gonzaga will start out on the top of the WCC Power Rankings.

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Now that every team in the WCC has officially kicked off their season, we figured it was time to introduce the WCC Power Rankings. For those readers that are new to the site, every Sunday night I take a look at the past week of WCC action and put together a weekly power rankings of the conference. Last season, I made the mistake of not having Gonzaga at the top of my rankings on two separate occasions, and clearly that wasn't my smartest moment as a sports writer. Despite the returning talent at Portland, I am taking the approach that in order to knock Gonzaga off the top spot, these other teams must beat elite competition. I vow to longer be influenced by a great win-loss record when the competition is equal to my high school team (I'm looking at you St. Mary's). With that said, here is my take on how the WCC stacks up now that every team has opened the season.

1) Gonzaga (1-0): 94-75 win vs. MVSU

Like I mentioned before, until one of these other WCC teams goes out and beats some elite competition during the opening months of the season, I don't anticipate putting Gonzaga anywhere else. In the opener, the Zags looked very raw and very talented. It's clear that the skill and athleticism might be at the highest level in recent memory, but it may take a little longer for everything to gel. However, with Rob Sacre (17 and 9) and Elias Harris (18 and 7) playing so well in the post, this team will be able to handle nearly any front court they see.

2) Portland (1-0): 64-58 win @ Eastern Washington

Although it wasn't the blowout that some may have assumed, Portland deserves a lot of credit for going on the road and picking up a victory. The back court of T.J. Campbell and Nik Raivio is going to be a handful for every opponent on the Pilots schedule. In the opener against EWU, Raivio scored a team-high 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Campbell scored 15 and dished out four assists. This team will not have the growing pains that some of the other teams will have, but I still question how high the ceiling really is for this group.

3) San Diego (1-0): 77-64 win vs. Stanford

Normally a win over Stanford would be quite impressive, but the Cardinal are a long way from being a relevant team on the West Coast. The nice thing for USD is that it appears that the headaches and disruptions that really limited last season are officially out of the program. Brandon Johnson looked good in his return from injury, as he and De'Jon Jackson led the way with 18 points each. If the Toreros can receive any sort of consistent contributions from Chris Manresa and Roberto Mafra, this could be the surprise package in the WCC.

4) St. Mary's (1-0): 100-68 win vs. New Mexico St.

Just when you think that this conference is finally done dealing with great Australian guards, Matthew Dellavedova bursts on the scene and scores 19 points in his first game. This St. Mary's team will play a very European style of play, with a guy like Ben Allen, who at 6'11 is more comfortable scoring on the perimeter. Allen was a bit of a disappointment last year, but he scored 17 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and had nine assists in the opening win. It will be interesting to watch this team develop, as the only guy who has really proven himself is Omar Samhan. However, it seems that this is still a very talented group who may surprise some people.

5) Santa Clara (1-0): 84-81 win @ Cal State Bakersfield

This is the team that I really want to see make the jump to the next level in the conference. Kerry Keating has done a nice job bringing in the guys that fit the mold of what he is looking for, and they did pick up a nice win on the road. Kevin Foster is one of the most explosive young guards in the WCC, and he scored a game-high 21 points in the victory. Much like USD, if the Broncos can find some depth and consistency in the post, they might finally be ready to make the move to push for a top three finish in the conference.

6) Pepperdine (0-1): 67-64 loss vs. Pacific

Despite opening the season with a loss, I came away pretty impressed by Pepperdine. Pacific is a traditionally solid program and this game went 2 OT's before it was decided. While I don't think he will win WCC POY because his team will struggle, Keion Bell might be the best player in the conference. Bell opened the season with a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Unfortunately, the Waves have not developed any guys to compliment Bell on this team.

7) USF (1-0): 73-62 win vs. Cal Poly

I hope people haven't forgot just how good Dior Lowhorn is. Lowhorn opened the season with a typically brilliant performance, scoring a game-high 22 points to help lead the Dons to a victory. However, unlike in the past couple of years, Lowhorn actually received help from his teammates. Sophomore guard Kwame Vaugh scored 15 points and pulled down seven boards, while Angelo Caloiaro added 15 more. If Lowhorn can receive this type of support every game, USF could be a nice team.

8) LMU (1-2): 90-87 loss vs. Boise St.; 83-60 win vs. North Dakota; 64-63 loss @ Montana

I can assure that LMU will not be in this spot towards the end of the season. Although they were a laughing stock throughout the 2008-2009 season, there is actually a nice core group of guys in the program. In fact, the Lions were just a couple of baskets away from a 3-0 start and a nice spot in these power rankings. Both Larry Davis and Drew Viney will produce well for this team after sitting last season because of transferring, and Vernon Teel is one of the better guards in the conference. Once this team gels and develops a nice chemistry, they will be a tough game for any team in this conference.

Previewing the 2009-10 West Coast Conference

Zach B — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:50:23 -0000

Brandon Johnson may have been the most exciting player in the WCC two years ago. Can he return to form after a terrible Achilles injury?

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As the lone West Coast Conference blog on SB Nation, we've taken it upon ourselves to do our best to publicize the WCC as much as we can. If you read the site last year, you know that we love to cover the conference as much as we can without alienating the Gonzaga faithful. Schools like St. Mary's and San Diego have had national success in recent years and the University of Portland appears to be destined for a breakout season. All these teams make the conference fun to watch especially when you combine that with the fact that all the schools in the bottom half of the conference at least appear to be headed in the right direction. San Francisco and Santa Clara are both proud programs that seem to be on the rise. Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount have really struggled the past few years but are still getting decent talent and should be able to compete in the conference.

The West Coast Conference has often been ridiculed by the national media for being a weak conference and that definitely holds some water. Gonzaga feels compelled to play, and travel to, a bunch of big time schools just to boost their RPI because once conference play hits, the odds are that Gonzaga's RPI will fall off a bit. This season, however, Gonzaga will probably get its greatest challenge for the regular season conference crown in recent memory. The Pilots of Portland under head coach Eric Reveno return 12 players from last season's team and are everyone's choice to give Gonzaga the most trouble. St. Mary's is always a challenging foe for the Zags and a great rivalry has kicked up between the two schools in the past few years. San Francisco, Santa Clara, and San Diego are also all fully capable of putting together nice seasons as they each have some very exciting, veteran players leading their teams into 2009-10.

After the jump we'll take a more detailed look at each of the teams in the conference (except Gonzaga) and outline where we think they are headed this season.

Portland Pilots

Last Season: The Pilots had an outstanding season a year ago under Eric Reveno. They went 19-13 and made their first post season tournament since 1996 when they were selected to play in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Portland was bolstered by a group of veterans led by Nik Raivio but the biggest key may have been transfer T.J. Campbell. Campbell arrived at Portland and made an immediate impact at point guard, averaging 11 points and 5 assists a game.

Player to Watch: Everyone knows the talent that Portland brings back this season. The big question is whether all of that talent has enough upside to show great improvement from last season to this season. For this reason, the key player for the Pilots is T.J. Campbell. Campbell brought so much to the team in his first season that expectations are very high for this final year in Portland. He's a very heady guard with great penetration abilities who will be the key if UP hopes to knock off Gonzaga in 2009-10.

Season Outlook: The Pilots kick off their season with Eastern Washington on the 14th of this month and face a pretty tough nonconference schedule. Games against Oregon, at UCLA, and at Washington will test Eric Reveno's team and will give them great preparation for WCC play. Fittingly, Gonzaga and Portland open up the West Coast Conference schedule against one another in Portland on January 9th. Overall, Coach Reveno did an outstanding creating a schedule not full of insane traveling that should give his team good rest while playing a respectable batch of games. I wouldn't be surprised if the Pilots took 2/3 from their Pac-10 foes.

St. Mary's Gaels

Last Season: It was a banner year in Moraga a season ago as the Gaels brought home a school record 28 wins in 2008-09. Led by the now departed Patty Mills and Diamon Simpson, St. Mary's was selected to participate in the NIT Tournament and they were a game away from heading off to New York for the semifinals before San Diego State upended them. A weak nonconference schedule and being routed by Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament championship gave away any hope for the Gaels being an NCAA Tournament team.

Player to Watch: St. Mary's is sort of going through a Gonzaga-lite experience this season. The Gaels have seven freshmen this season, five true and two redshirt. With all this youth for St. Mary's, a veteran has to be looked upon to pick up the slack and that guy is Mickey McConnell. Mickey was very inconsistent a season ago but returns for his junior year with some great experience after filling in for Patty Mills when he was hurt. The show is McConnell's now and he'll have to step up his output if St. Mary's is going to stay in the West Coast Conference race.

Season Outlook: St. Mary's will get two outstanding early season tests at the McKeon Pavilion in Moraga. San Diego State and Vanderbilt will make the trip to take on the Gaels on their homecourt and it will give St. Mary's a great idea of where they are at. Vanderbilt is a popular pick to be a top tier SEC team and San Diego State will challenge in the Mountain West. St. Mary's will also take on Oregon in Eugene and Utah State in Ogden to give them two nice road tests. Their hardest stretch of WCC games will be in mid-February as they take on Gonzaga, Portland, and San Diego all on the road in a seven day stretch.

San Francisco Dons

Last Season: It was a difficult year a season ago for the Dons. After not really playing anyone of note in their nonconference slate, San Francisco was greeted with some harsh reality and lost their first six games in conference play. The finally got off the hook with a win over Loyola Marymount but the season didn't really look up from their. The Dons would go on to win two more games in WCC play and were eliminated from the conference tournament by Pepperdine in their first game. The final tally for the Dons was an 11-19 record with three of them coming in conference.

Player to Watch: When I think about San Francisco, I actually feel happy that I won't have to watch Gonzaga take them on in person anymore. Not because it was such an awful game, but because I always feel terrible for Dior Lowhorn. Lowhorn is a combination of size and ability that even Gonzaga has trouble defending. He's been the leading scorer in the conference twice and averaged a little over 20 points a game last season. He has outstanding NBA potential and it is really hard to say where San Francisco would be without him on their roster...I'd wager somewhere near LMU.

Season Outlook: USF will be challenging itself this season with three very difficult road test in nonconfernece play. The Dons will face off with Arizona State, BYU, and Washington this season all away from their home court. They'll also make a trip to the Mountain time zone to take on Colorado and Colorado State. It's clear that Rex Walters is hoping to test his new, young nucleus of players with some road game that are winnable but will take a nice effort.

Santa Clara Broncos

Last Season: Santa Clara went 8-9 in their nonconference schedule a year ago with games against Georgia, FAU, UAB, Arizona, UNLV, Pacific, Stanford, Harvard, and New Hampshire all resulting in losses. They were able to defeat UTEP in a thrilling effort but aside from that, there wasn't a whole lot of quality wins on the schedule. A 7-7 record in the conference is what head coach Kerry Keating led his team to. Their only real surprising victory last season was their last game of the year when they took down Portland. They were led by John Bryant who is now graduated from the university and his shoes will be tough to fill.

Player to Watch: This is probably the easiest player to watch in the conference, save maybe for Pepperdine. Kevin Foster returns to Santa Clara for his sophomore season and will be expected to make a big jump from a season ago. The WCC's co-newcomer of the year with T.J. Campbell, Foster was also a Freshman All-American having averaged 15 points per game. The guard from Katy, Texas is an outstanding outside shooting threat as he broke Steve Nash's single season SCU record for three-pointers made. If SCU is going to be able to cope with the loss of John Bryant, it'll have to be Foster that puts in most of the work.

Season Outlook: Not a whole lot of beef in the nonconference schedule for the Broncos. San Diego State and UNLV will be two tough Mountain West opponents and Santa Clara will also be looking to avenge losses against New Hampshire and Harvard from last year.

San Diego Toreros

Last Season: San Diego's magical run a few years ago when the defeated Gonzaga in the conference championship and beat Connecticut in the NCAA Tournament feels like an eternity ago after a disappointing year last season. It got off to an awful start as senior Brandon Johnson tore his Achilles tendon after eight games. The Toreros wound up finishing with a 16-16 record and losing in the second round of the WCC Tournament to Santa Clara.

Player to Watch: Brandon Johnson was granted a fifth year of eligibility by the NCAA after his horrific injury. His return to the Toreros is enormous because without him, they might have challenge LMU for the spot in the cellar. Having also lost Gyno Pomare (graduation) and Rob Jones (transfer), Johnson will have to return to his old form and guide this team. There is a little experience with Johnson in the backcourt but the frontcourt will have sever growing pains for Bill Grier's squad.

Season Outlook: Games against Stanford, Oklahoma, San Diego State, and Mississippi State will give Bill Grier and the Toreros all they can handle in the nonconference slate. It appears that San Diego State has decided to schedule nearly ever WCC game, Oklahoma is a power in the Big 12, and Mississippi State could be a dangerous squad in the SEC. Stanford's basketball program is probably still a few years away but they still are Stanford and it will be a nice Pac-10 test right off the bat.

Pepperdine Waves

Last Season: Tom Asbury's return to coaching came with some mixed results in Malibu. They dropped 13 of their first 16 games including losses to Arizona State, USC, and Georgia Tech. Their only wins out of conference came against Western Oregon, Cal State-Monterey Bay, and Coppin State. They added five regular season conference wins and actually played inspired basketball. Wins over Santa Clara and San Diego were nice for Pepperdine but they were never able to challenge the heavy hitters and finished with a 9-23 record.

Player to Watch: Easily my favorite player not in a Gonzaga uniform is Keion Bell. The high-flying sophomore guard was one of the lone bright spots on the Pepperdine roster. Bell average about 13 points a game last year and brought some flare to the program. Keion is a very reckless player on the court however. He averaged about four turnovers a game last year and only dished out two assists. That will have to change in a big way for the Waves to show any signs of improvement.

Season Outlook: UCLA, Utah, Georgia, and Miami will all test Pepperdine in their nonconference schedule. The good thing is that they get Utah and Miami on their home court in Malibu. The rest of the schedule is anyone's best guess. Pepperdine will suffer some head-scratching losses but the key is for their veteran core to show some improvement and get some quality wins.

Loyola Marymount Lions

Last Season: You kind of have to give LMU a pass for their play a season ago. All summer and fall leading up to the season, we talked about LMU being the next program to challenge the top dogs. Bill Bayno was in charge and recruiting well but that all changed when Bayno took a leave of absence and eventually left the program. Max Good stepped in at the embattled program and led them to a historic 3-28 record. Wins over Bakersfield, San Diego, and San Francisco were all this team could muster.

Player to Watch: Believe it or not, the Lions do have some talent. They have two outstanding transfers who will be making an impact this season and one of them is former Oregon Duck Drew Viney. A 6'5'' sophomore forward, Viney left the Ducks after a short stint there due to injuries. He was a Scout top 100 recruit when he came out and will be called on to not only start immediately but be a leader on the team.

Season Outlook: In all honesty, every game for LMU will test them this season. With such a rough past few seasons, the program is still searching for an identity to build upon. Hopefully the new young players and transfers can build this program back into a proud on. Games against USC and Notre Dame stand out on the schedule for the Lions this season

ZB's Preseason Power Rankings
1. Gonzaga
2. Portland
3. St. Mary's
4. Santa Clara
5. Pepperdine
6. San Francisco
7. San Diego
8. LMU

Top 10 Players Not in Gonzaga uniforms:
Dior Lowhorn, USF
Kevin Foster, SCU
Keion Bell, Pepp
Mark Trasolini, SCU
Omar Samhan, SMC
TJ Campbell, Port
Nik Raivio, Port
Jared DuBois, LMU
Drew Viney, LMU
Brandon Johnson, USD

Poll

Outside of Gonzaga, St. Mary's, and Portland, which WCC team has the best shot for a breakout year in 2009-10?

San Diego

152 votes

San Francisco

30 votes

Pepperdine

18 votes

Santa Clara

51 votes

251 votes | Poll has closed

BtB 2009-10 West Coast Conference Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:18:44 -0000

The theme of the 2009-10 season in the West Coast Conference's is rebuilding. While Gonzaga ended 2008-09 in the Sweet Sixteen, where they lost to North Carolina, and St. Mary's ended a season that began with so much promise in the NIT quarterfinals, both these teams suffered significant losses that will result in tempered expectations this time around. And the changes aren't limited to the teams who finished at the top of the standings, as Loyola Marymount begins their first full season under Max Good, their fifth coach in this century.

With just about everyone going through some changes, the WCC race should be more competitive than last year's, when the Bulldogs ran the table and swept through the league tournament. The big question is how will a more even, and potentially bruising, league race impact the conference's chances at multiple bids. Las Vegas will serve as the neutral host for the conference tournament for the second straight year. With the Zags dominance last season, this will really be the first year we get to see if a neutral-site event will impact the conference's postseason fortunes, if at all. More on the eight WCC members after the jump.

Let's first take a look at last season's WCC standings.

West Coast Conference Standings

(updated 3.28.2009 at 12:54 AM EDT)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Gonzaga Bulldogs	14	0	28	6
St. Mary's, Calif. Gaels	10	4	28	7
Portland Pilots	9	5	19	13
Santa Clara Broncos	7	7	16	17
San Diego Toreros	6	8	16	16
Pepperdine Waves	5	9	9	23
San Francisco Dons	3	11	11	19
Loyola Marymount Lions	2	12	3	28

Now, here are my WCC picks for 2009-10, presented in reverse order.

Loyola Marymount (last NCAA: 1990) This March, 20 years will have passed since the Lions made their electrifying, emotional run to the Elite Eight. To me, it seems like only yesterday that Bo Kimble shot his free throws left-handed to honor his late friend Hank Gathers. For fans of LMU, the story of Alexander the Great must seem more recent. In those two decades, the Lions have become the WCC's perennial bottom feeders, averaging 20 losses a season during the new millenium. Head coach Max Good will attempt to improve on last year's 28-loss campaign with the help of five freshmen, Seton Hall transfer Larry Davis, a 6-4 guard, and Oregon transfer Drew Viney, a 6-7 forward.

San Francisco (last NCAA: 1998) The Dons are another program that's fallen on hard times. (Remember the dismissal of Jessie Evans and ill-fated interim tenure of Eddie Sutton back in '07-'08?) Rex Walters begins his second season by the Bay looking to climb up the standings. He'll get a lot of help from Dior Lawhorn (20.1 ppg), who's somehow managed to win the WCC's scoring title twice despite the presence of the high-flying Zags, and Manhattan transfer Rashad Green, brother of Danny, who just won a national title in Chapel Hill. USF will also feature an international frontcourt, as Walters secured the services of three European players, 7-foot C Tomas Bruha, 6-10 C Moustapha Diarra, and 6-8 F Nikola Stojiljkovic. The big question for Walters is who will run the offense now that Manny Quezada has graduated.

Santa Clara (last NCAA: 1996) Kerry Keating's third season at the helm of the Broncos could be a rough one. Santa Clara finished just under .500 at 16-17, and that was with WCC Player of the Year John Bryant on the roster. Keating will have to find a way to replace his 18 points and 14 boards a game. Sophomore forward Marc Trasolini will really have to step up to match those numbers, though he did average 6.8 points and 4.8 boards in limited action last season. Expect the Broncos to be more guard oriented this season, with 6-2 sophomore Kevin Foster (14.9 ppg, 2.5 apg) taking a bigger role in the offense.

Pepperdine (last NCAA: 2002) Tom Asbury begins the second year of his second stint on the sidelines in Malibu with a lot of hope. In a league where just about everyone is going through significant changes, the Waves actually return all five starters and most of their bench contributors. However, these returnees will have to, well, play A LOT better to move up the standings. The Waves simply didn't take good enough care of the ball or score enough to be very competitive. Point guard Keion Bell was the only player on the team to average in double figures (12.9 ppg), but he turned the ball over nearly 4 times a game. Comparatively, he dished out just a bit more than 2 assists per contest. The Waves will need more from their frontcourt this season to be a force. Mychel Thompson can improve on his scoring average of just under 10 points per game and Taylor Darby needs to make sure his scoring and rebounding averages aren't mirror images of one another (6.1 of each per game).

San Diego (last NCAA: 2008) The biggest moment for the Toreros in a 16-16 campaign was their upset win over Mississippi State in Starkville late last December. Point guard Brandon Johnson, who lost most of last season to a ruptured Achilles, was granted a fifth year of eligibility and will be back running the offense. The importance of Johnson's return can't be understated, as he averaged almost 17 points and 3.5 assists per game during his junior season. San Diego will have some frontcourt issues as F/C Gyno Pomare, who averaged almost 14 points and 6 boards a game, graduated, and Rob Jones, who averaged nearly 10 points and 5.5 boards left the program. Coach Bill Grier hopes 6-9 Brazilian junior college transfer Rafael Crescensio and 6-9 holdover Roberto Mafra (5.0 ppg. 2.5 rpg) can make an impact inside.

Saint Mary's (last NCAA: 2008) Everyone knows that the Gaels lost Patty Mills to the NBA Draft, but he wasn't the only significant player to leave Moraga after a 28-win campaign. Saint Mary's lost three other starters, most notably F Diamon Simpson (13.8 ppg, 10.8 rpg). Center Omar Samhan (14.1 ppg, 9.4 pg) is back, however, as is Mickey McConnell, who gained valuable experience running Randy Bennett's offense when Mills was out with a broken hand. Wayne Hunter will also see some time at the point, and watch for 6-1 Jorden Page, who played on Australia's team at the U19 Worlds this summer. He's seen by many as the natural successor to Mills. Bennett will need more from players like F Clint Steindl (2.7 ppg) and C Ben Allen (2.2 ppg) for the Gaels to stay high in the standings.

Portland (last NCAA: 1996) The Pilots won 19 games in 2008-09 and nearly pipped St. Mary's to second, falling a game short in the standings. Now, Portland, boasting five returning starters (four of them seniors) has rebuilding Gonzaga in its sights. The backcourt is a dangerous one. T.J, Campbell runs the offense efficiently (11.1 ppg, 4.8 apg, 53.1% 3 point shooting), while Nik Raivio (16 ppg) and Jared Stohl (11.2 ppg, 45.6 % from beyond the arc) can really score. The forward corps, featuring the 6-10 Robin Smeulders (10.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg), 6-9 Kramer Knutson (6.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg), and 6-8 Luke Sikma (6.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg) should do pretty well against most of the teams they meet in conference play. If the Pilots can do some damage in the non-conference portion of their schedule, which features three games at the loaded 76 Classic in Anaheim, a home game against Oregon, and trips to Nevada and Washington, an at-large bid is a definite possibility.

Gonzaga (last NCAA: 2009) Sure the Bulldogs lost a lot after last season, but write them off at your peril. Mark Few simply doesn't rebuild, even after losing four starters. While Gonzaga lost Austin Daye, Micah Downs, Josh Heytvelt, and Jeremy Pargo, who combined to average 47-plus points per game last season, there are plenty of players who are able to step up. Matt Bouldin (13.6 ppg, 3.4 apg) is the only returning starter, but he'll be joined in the backcourt by the talented Steven Gray (9.1 ppg) and Demetri Goodson (3.8 ppg, 1.6 apg). If Goodson can consistently play like he did against Western Kentucky in the 2nd round of the NCAAs last season, the Zags offense will be in good hands. The Bulldogs' two BIG men, 7-footer Robert Sacre and 7-5 Will Foster, will have to produce more than the average of 4 points and 5 boards they combined to contribute last year. The real inside scoring will probably have to come from a crop of newcomers that includes 6-9 Sam Dower, 6-7 Elias Harris, 6-10 Kelly Olynyk, 6-11 Andy Poling and most intriguing of all, 6-7 Bol Kong. Kong, born in the Sudan, comes to Spokane after a stay in Vancouver. This looks like a lot of question marks for a team picked to finish first in its conference, but it's Gonzaga. They seem to provide good answers consistently.

So, the Bulldogs are, yet again, the preseason pick for the WCC's auto bid. You'll see them in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket on November 9. To wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-WCC team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-WCC Team

Player of the Year: Matt Bouldin, 6-5 G, Sr. (Gonzaga)

Remainder of the Team
T.J. Campbell, 5-9 G, Sr. (Portland)
Dior Lawhorn, 6-7 F, Sr. (San Francisco)
Nik Raivio, 6-4 G, Sr. (Portland)
Omar Samhan, 6-11 C, Sr. (Saint Mary's)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the WCC this season?

Gonzaga

242 votes

Loyola Marymount

2 votes

Pepperdine

2 votes

Portland

29 votes

Saint Mary's

3 votes

San Diego

3 votes

San Francisco

2 votes

Santa Clara

2 votes

285 votes | Poll has closed

Kentucky Basketball: Wheels Within Wheels

Truzenzuzex — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:35:12 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

Would you buy what this man is selling? If you want to be an NBA star, you will.

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I, along with others, have expressed concerns about implementing Calipari's now-famous Dribble Drive Motion Offense next year due to a lack of perimeter shooting, and there has been much give and take on that point. We all know how the DDMO is supposed to work -- players attack the rim with the objective of a layup, a dump-off to the big player on the weak side, or a skip pass to the open shooter depending on where help comes from. Simple. Elegant. Effective? Well, yes and no.

The obvious hole in the scheme is shooting. In order for the DDMO to be effective, you must have people capable of making the three-point shot. Kentucky has almost no proven perimeter shooting now that Jodie Meeks has moved on to the NBA. Does that mean that UK's season is doomed to failure? Can Calipari even run the DDMO with this bunch?

Before I attempt to answer that, let's take a look at this interview with Dan Wolken of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal by Bluegrass State Basketball which does much to validate my concerns and provides an excellent opportunity for fans of the Big Blue to comment not only on the DDMO, but on all things John Calipari. But first, I want to look at some of Wolken's comments to BSB:

As far as the DDM itself, it’s definitely wide open; guys have freedom in that system, and it’s a good sell on the recruiting trail. Otherwise, I’m not a huge fan of it. I saw Memphis get taken out of that offense way, way too much by zones and junk defenses, and it can look downright ugly when that happens and shots aren’t falling. The fact is, when teams go zone, you can’t really run the DDM. You have to have make shots and force teams to go back to man. That was really the flaw for Memphis last year, and Calipari knew that. Every time I talked to him, he lamented the fact that they hadn’t recruited enough shooters and was really in the process of changing his recruiting approach to get more guys who could make shots even if they weren’t as athletic. If you look at the game tapes, Memphis barely ran the DDM at all last year. There’s no doubt that going to the DDM when he did made Calipari think differently about basketball, and I think it really rejuvenated his career. On the other hand, I know a couple coaches who would take you into the film room and just trash it. At the end of the day, it’s really all about players.

So can UK run this offense with the current players it has? Well, the answer to that may not be what you think, and there is still a lot we don't know about our perimeter shooting this year. But what I find even more fascinating than how effective the zone and junk is against the DDMO is Wolken's comments on recruiting.

I think Wolken validates perception that I pointed out on this blog some time back. The reality is (at least in my opinion), the DDMO is more valuable as a recruiting tool than as an actual offensive system. Does it work? Absolutely, under the right conditions. Can it be stopped? Sure, and the zone is the easiest way to clog up the works. But there is a much larger method to this madness.

The DDMO works best with big, quick, athletic players who can shoot. Well, let me tell you that basketball in general works best with big, quick, athletic players who can shoot, no matter what offensive style a team runs. Calipari is an innovative coach, but not in the way that many people have been lead to believe, i.e. adapting Vance Walberg's progenitor, the attack-attack-skip-attack-attack offense into some kind of X and O marvel.

No, Calipari's innovation is much more subtle and powerful. He has developed a system that he doesn't really need to run all the time, because its true value is how it is perceived by recruits throughout the country. They see the DDMO as a way to showcase their individual skills, and it absolutely is all of that, and when teams try to play man against UK next year, they are going to see just how effective it can be. But in reality, it can only be run well against a man-to-man defense. It is easy for good coaches to design defenses to make this scheme look and play ugly and ineffectively... BUT (and this is a big, big BUT), even the greatest defensive scheme in the world will not give the opponent bigger, quicker, more athletic players.

Calipari understands perfectly well that the DDMO is vulnerable to the zone. That's one big reason it isn't just a straight copy of Walberg's system. Walberg may be considered a guru by some, but his system is not only imperfect, it is downright vulnerable to a zone or junk defenses. And sticking with it in a zone without good shooting is a recipe for disaster, which is perhaps why Walberg is coaching at ~~Pepperdine~~ UMass and not Indiana or UCLA.

But Calipari's real genius is how he has marketed and packaged this stuff to appeal directly to the best basketball players in America, and if you don't think it does, just take a look at his recruiting success since he implemented it. If you put teams that include four or five first-round NBA draft picks on the floor, it doesn't really matter what kind of a scheme you run -- these guys are generally going to be too good for most teams under all but the most adverse of circumstances.

Now for another interesting tidbit:

BSB: How do you see Kentucky’s season playing out? How do you see Memphis’ season playing out?

Wolken: It will be extremely interesting to watch Kentucky this year with a whole team of guys who have never been coached by John before. Obviously, they’re loaded with terrific players, but it might take awhile for things to click. Derrick Rose wasn’t an elite college player until mid-February. Tyreke Evans was horrendous until mid-January. Even with guys of that ability level, it doesn’t happen automatically. Kentucky will certainly be a Sweet 16 caliber team. They’ll have an opportunity to go further if they figure out who’s going to make perimeter shots, since that seems to be an area of concern right now

I think this is a great point by Wolken. I know that everyone is all excited about this great recruiting class and all the marvelolus athletes and players UK has coming in, but we do need to take a reality pill -- it is rare for teams as young as UK will be next year not to have some growing pains, although for a fact, it has been a long while since this much freshman talent has been present on one team. But if guys like Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans struggled early on, you can best believe that even John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins aren't going to step in and be elite players from day one in the college game.

But if Wolken's examples hold true to form, there is a good chance that UK will be very dangerous by February, and that's when it counts. I think we will muddle through on superior talent in the early and mid part of the season, but it could get really exciting when these young freshmen begin to turn into sophomores. And of course, Patrick Patterson, Ramon Harris and Perry Stevenson will be there to provide leadership both on and off the floor.

Be sure and read the whole interview, it is jam packed with good stuff.

UK Basketball: Pondering the Possibilities of Calipari

Ken Howlett — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:49:21 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

Is this the next head men's basketball coach at UK?

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The Difference

No, nothing is "officially official," but my, how the mood of the Bluegrass can change: From sullen and downtrodden at the thought of a protracted search for a new head coach for Kentucky, to cautious elation at the mere mention of Memphis coach John Calipari's name as a potential candidate for the job.

And with the possible forthcoming announcement that Calipari will be the new head coach at UK, many fans, and media members alike are hailing the potential hire as not a home run, but rather a grand slam.

I would have to agree, but of course the determining factor in whether a Calipari hire is a grand slam selection won't be known for at least another year: If one recalls, Billy Gillispie coming to UK two years ago was greeted with praise and happy days are here again... not so fast my friend ...

But in Calipari's case, his body of work is much more substantial than Gillispie's, and his media savvy and fan friendly nature (i.e. he's not allergic to speaking to various organizations and boosters) are much more apparent than the previous UK coach -- Calipari has been a head coach either at the NCAA Division I level, or the NBA, since 1988 (he assisted his mentor, Larry Brown, with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2000). Contrast that bountiful experience with the fact that Gillispie had a total of five years experience as a head coach before taking the UK job, and one surely recognizes the difference between potential, and ...

... achievement: Calipari has won at the highest level of collegiate competition -- The NCAA Tournament: Calipari sports an impressive 25-11 record (.694) when it matters most, two Final Fours ('96, '08), and three Elite Eight appearances ('95, '06, '07). For those keeping count at home, that's a minimum of an Elite Eight run in '95, '96, '06, '07, and '08. In between his '96 Final Four with UMass and his Elite Eight with Memphis in '06, Calipari was occupied with coaching the New Jersey Nets, and rebuilding a moribund Memphis program.

Overall, his lifetime winning percentage of .761 (445-140) falls in line with what one would expect from a potential Big Blue head coach.

Dribble-Drive Motion Offense

Some may, or may not know that Calipari employs the Dribble-Drive Motion Offense. This offense can best be described thusly:

"The Dribble-Drive Motion is first and foremost a motion offense, complete with its own discipline, rules, and philosophy. The basic philosophy is the ball-handler tries to push the ball for a layup. If there is no help, he continues for a layup. If there is help, he finds the open man for either a shot, if on the perimeter, or a dump-off to the post. Driving lanes are created by great spacing and constant hunting of open areas for kick-outs."

Very similar to the Spread Offense in football.

Although Calipari did not invent this style of offense, the credit for that goes to former Pepperdine head coach Vance Walberg, but he has perfected its execution. So much so that many people now refer to the Dribble-Drive as the "Memphis Attack."

*This type of offense is not completely foreign to UK fans. Former UK head coach Rick Pitino used a variation of the Dribble-Drive Motion in his eight years in Lexington. He enjoyed a fair amount of success, if I remember correctly.

If Calipari matriculates to UK, it should be an exciting, fun style of basketball to watch. The combination of UK's tradition and facilities, along with this player-friendly offense, should ensure that Calipari has his pick of top-flight high school talent. Nearly as important; UK fans will once again have a fast-paced, high octane offense running the hardwood of Rupp Arena.

Potential Tag-a-Longs

There has been much speculation and conjecture around who Calipari may bring with him if he comes to UK. No one has any solid answers at this point, but let's take a look at the possibilities:

Current Memphis Tiger players, and former UK targets, sophomore Roburt Sallie and freshman Wes Witherspoon, have reportedly expressed interest in following Calipari to UK, if he decides to take the job. Of course, Memphis would have to release them to come to UK, and even then, they would not be eligible until the 2010-'11 season (I'm not crazy about current or signed players leaving one school, to follow a coach to his new job -- Ethically ambiguous is the best way to describe how I feel about this practice).
ESPN overall #1 player in the country Xavier Henry, a 6'6," 210 lb shooting guard reportedly has an "out" clause in the Letter of Intent he signed with the Tigers in the fall. This clause would force Memphis to release Henry if Calipari decides to leave the school. One can only speculate that Henry would then come to UK with Calipari, if that is how this high-drama ends. Henry's older brother C. J. Henry, a former #17 draft pick of the New York Yankees, is currently on the Memphis roster.
DeMarcus Cousins, a one time UAB commitment, verballed to Memphis on March 8 of this year. The 6'9" 250 lb power forward is listed as the #2 overall Rivals.com high school prospect. Obviously, he may choose to reconsider his verbal commitment if Calipari comes to UK.
Rivals.com overall #1, John Wall, a 6'4" 184 lb point guard, who earlier committed to Baylor, but later backed-off that verbal, has reportedly been the apple of Calipari's eye for some time now. The "love" has been requited according to most sources, but Duke, Kansas, and Baylor are still players for the probable one-and-done performer.
2009 prospect Eric Bledsoe, another guard (6'0" 160 lbs), also lists Memphis as one of his potential destinations. Bledsoe is rated as the #12 point guard in his class, and the #67 player overall by Rivals.

Who knows how all of this will play out if Calipari comes to Kentucky, but one thing is for certain, the UK roster will most likely receive a considerable upgrade for the '09-'10 basketball season. Of course, retaining current UK signees Daniel Orton, Jon Hood, and G. J. Vilarino should be a priority for any new coach.

It Ain't About the Benjamin's

I'm sure Calipari will take every bit of UK's reported eight-year, 35-million dollar offer, but the money, or more accurately, the mountain of money awaiting him in Lexington, will not be the primary reason he takes the job, if he indeed accepts.

No. Calipari will take the job because he knows that winning at Kentucky is unlike winning anywhere else in the country. The "Roman Empire" of college basketball has a habit of deifying it's college basketball successes, and he knows that he can succeed wildly at UK.

He's thinking like us: "If I can bring in great talent to Memphis, what can I do at UK?: I'll have the best facilities in the Craft Center and Rupp Arena, the most passionate fans, and endless opportunities to be adored."

As it stands now, Calipari is a big fish in a small pond, competing with the Memphis Grizzlies for the public's attention and adoration. Conversely, Kentucky gives him the best opportunity to showcase his coaching acumen on the biggest stage in college basketball. What more can one ask for? Simply put ...

... it's a priceless opportunity.

Thanks for reading, and Go Mitch, get your MAN!

Quick Primer for the WCC Tournament

Zach B — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:07:53 -0000

It's hard to believe that postseason play begins tomorrow for the West Coast Conference. After a very odd year, even by WCC standards, the top of the conference looks the way most people thought it would at the start of the season. Gonzaga continued their dominance over the conference with a 14-0 record and St. Marys, despite losing Patty Mills, battled back to overcome Portland and take the #2 spot which gives them a two game bye. Don't expect too much from the low seeds in the conference tournament. The bottom half of the conference has proven to be quite terrible and I would not be surprised at all if we had no upsets throughout the entire tournament.

continue reading after the jump for a few things to watch for in Las Vegas...

If you find yourself watching one non-Gonzaga game in this tournament it should be... Santa Clara and San Diego possibly matching up in the second round of the tournament. While I think neither of these teams will really have any sort of impact on the outcome of the tourney, I could see this being one of the better games to watch. The Broncos feature conference player of the year John Bryant and the Toreros still have the talent to pull the upset and make it all the way to the third round despite being without their star player Brandon Johnson. Gyno Pomare and De'Jon Jackson are two players that are good enough to take down John Bryant and Santa Clara and Bill Grier is still one of the best coaches on the West Coast. I'd be very surprised if this wasn't a great game.

Three players to watch that aren't getting the attention they deserve...

Keion Bell (Pepperdine): Bell is one of the most talented young players this conference has seen. As a freshman, he has stepped into an immediate leadership role for the Waves and has shown the capability to be a Brandon Johnson type player for the Waves. He's averaging nearly 13 points a game in his first collegiate season and has played particularly well against Gonzaga, averaging 18 points. Look for him to lead the Waves past the Dons in the first round.
Kevin Foster (Santa Clara): John Bryant may have trimmed down through his career at Santa Clara but he still casts a large shadow over the rest of his team. One such player that has been largely left in the dark is Broncos' guard Kevin Foster. All Foster has done this year is avearge nearly 15 points a game and has really become a great second option for Santa Clara. Not only that, but he comes into the game on a hot streak. Three of his last four games have been 20+ point performances.
Dior Lowhorn (San Francisco): There hasn't been a player that I have felt this bad for in quite a long time. Lowhorn has got it all. He is a physical specimen and he can really play the game but he is trapped in one of the worst situations in college basketball outside of LMU. Rex Walters seemingly has no control over the situation and is carrying out some sort of soap opera in the Bay Area and all Lowhorn does is pour in 20 points a game for the Dons.

Prediction Time: The first round match up should be a cake walk for USD and I also like Pepperdine behind Keion Bell and Mychel Thompson to defeat the Dons. In the second round, I think Bill Grier and the Toreros pull it off. They've been struggling but they know how to play in the postseason as we saw first hand last year and I think they pull the upset. No chance for the Waves however, as Portland easily rolls over them. The top two seeds at this point are just light years ahead of the competition right now and they should easily cruise to the championship on Monday. While I have gone back and forth on who would win this game if Patty Mills was healthy, I have to predict that Gonzaga takes down the Gaels to win the automatic bid from the WCC. Mills is a gamer but with the injury that he suffered, I don't think he will be ready to blow up against the Zags so quickly. The game will be close which could be enough for St. Mary's to sneak in the tournament as an at-large but overall, Gonzaga just has too much.

All-WCC Tourney Team:

Center: Josh Heytvelt, Gonzaga: Hottest player in the conference right now.
Power Forward: Diamon Simpson, St. Mary's: One of the best defenders and most consistent players in the conference in recent memory.
Guard: Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga: As EDZ says, Bouldin is Mr. WCC and he should have a great tourney
Guard: De'Jon Jackson, San Diego: Jackson is the surprise spark for a nice tournament run for the Toreros.
Guard: Jeremy Pargo, Gonzaga: Pargo should outshine the rehabing Patty Mills in the tourney and finish his WCC career in great fashion.