Pacific-10 Conference Basketball Preview Ucla, Arizona Look Best
The Pacific-10 Conference opens its 1995-96 men’s basketball race Thursday night and league coaches have rounded up their usual short list of suspects - Arizona and UCLA as the most likely contenders for the title.
UA got everyone’s attention with its relatively easy march through a tough pre-season NIT field and the defending national champion Bruins seem to have righted themselves after a horrible 1-2 start.
“The two perennial leaders in our league are definitely playing the best and obviously should be the favorites in the league right now,” said Washington’s Bob Bender, who is hoping his Huskies are improved enough to end a string of eight consecutive second-division finishes.
“Arizona, with the NIT championship, proved just how good they are and UCLA is starting to hit stride right now. If you’re going to win a championship, you’ll have to go through one of those two programs in order to do it.”
The teams expected to give the Wildcats and Bruins the most trouble are California, Washington State and Stanford. Cal, as usual, is loaded with talent and should get a big boost later this month when Tremaine Fowlkes, last year’s Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, is reinstated after serving a 14-game suspension for his dealings with an agent.
WSU and Stanford both return all five starters from last year’s teams, which tied for fifth place in the Pac-10 standings. But the Cougars have lost senior forward Mark Hendrickson indefinitely with a broken hand and the Cardinals are without sophomore center Tim Young, who is suffering from a herniated disc in his back.
“It certainly has changed from what it was when we started the year,” Oregon coach Jerry Green said of his opinion on the title chase. “Arizona, of course, is the team that has really shown its grit so far in winning the NIT preseason.
“But in the Bay Area, you have two fine teams that could very well be ranked in the Top 25. And I still think Washington State, if they stay healthy, has the potential to be up there.”
Thursday night’s schedule has Arizona (10-1) at Cal (5-3), Arizona State (5-3) at Stanford (6-2), USC (7-4) at Washington (6-2) and UCLA (7-3) in Spokane to face WSU (7-1) at the Spokane Arena.
Oregon State (2-6) opens league play Saturday afternoon at Oregon (7-4).
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Photos (1 Color)
MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: PACIFIC-10 CONFERENCE (Following, in Steve Bergum’s predicted order of finish, is a brief summary of the men’s basketball prospects of each Pac-10 school): 1. UCLA Bruins 1994-95 record: 31-2 overall, won NCAA championship; 16-2 in Pac-10, 1st place Coach: Jim Harrick Years coaching: 17, 8th at UCLA Record: 335-152, 168-55 at UCLA Top returnees: F Charles O’Bannon (6-6, Jr.), F J.R. Henderson (6-9, Soph.), G Toby Bailey (6-5, Soph.), G Cameron Dollar (6-1, Jr.). Top newcomers: C Jelani McCoy (6-10, Fr.). Coach’s comments: “We have a tough road non-conference schedule that is going to put our young and talented squad on the firing line early in the year. That schedule is going to make us a better team later in the season.” Outlook: McCoy has already had a major impact inside and with additional seasoning, the Bruins should be ready to mount a credible defense of their NCAA title.
2. Arizona 1994-95 record: 23-8, lost in NCAA’s opening round; 13-5, 2nd Coach: Lute Olson Years coaching: 23, 13th at Arizona Record: 481-187, 290-94 at Arizona Top returnees: G Reggie Geary (6-2, Sr.), F Ben Davis (6-8, Sr.), C Joseph Blair (6-10, Sr.), G Miles Simon (6-5, So.) Top newcomers: C Donnel Harris (6-10, Fr.). Coach’s comments: “We see a very different makeup than what we’ve had in the last couple of years where we shifted to a guard-oriented system with (Khalid) Reeves and (Damon) Stoudamire. Now we have more front-line strength with more balance throughout all five positions.” Outlook: In the wake of Damon Stoudamire’s departure to the NBA, many experts wrote off the Wildcats. But an impressive 10-1 start, built around the inside play of Blair and Davis, suggests UA is still among the elite of the Pac-10 - and maybe the nation.
3. California 1994-95 record: 13-14, no postseason play; 5-13, 8th Coach: Todd Bozeman Years coaching: 4, all at California Record: 46-24 Top returnees: F Alfred Grigsby (6-9, Sr.), G Jelani Gardner (6-6 Soph.), C Michael Stewart (6-10, Jr.), F Tremaine Fowlkes (6-7 Soph.), F Tony Gonzalez (6-6, Soph.) Top newcomers: F Shareef Abdur-Rahim (6-10, Fr.) Coach’s comments: “We compete in a tough conference and were able to win some great games on the road (UCLA and Arizona) that, hopefully, will carry into this season.” Outlook: The Golden Bears boast as much talent as any team in the league, but they are young - especially in the backcourt. Cal has the Pac-10’s premier rookie in Abdur-Rahim, who should benefit greatly from the return of Fowlkes (suspended) later this month. Chemistry has been a problem in recent years, but if Bozeman can create some this season, look out.
4. Washington State 1994-95 record: 18-12, lost in NIT quarterfinals; 10-8, 5th Coach: Kevin Eastman Years coaching: 9, 2nd at WSU Record: 142-87, 18-12 at WSU Top returnees: F Mark Hendrickson (6-9, Sr.), G Isaac Fontaine (6-3, Jr.) G Donminic Ellison (5-10, Jr.) G Shamon Antrum (5-10, Sr.) Top newcomers: G Chris Scott (6-2, Jr.), G Kareem Jackson (6-2, Jr.) Coach’s comments: “I hope we can run even more with our depth on the perimeter and put a great emphasis on defensive pressure. I hope we’re picked near the top of the Pac-10. We tell our guys not to fear the expectations, because the expectations will be there.” Outlook: A lack of depth on the front line was a concern coming in, but the recent hand injury (fracture) that has sidelined Hendrickson could make it devastating. The Cougars need Hendrickson to contend, so how high they finish will probably be linked directly to how soon he returns.
5. Stanford 1994-95 record: 20-8, lost in NCAA’s second round; 10-8, 5th Coach: Mike Montgomery Years coaching: 18, 10th at Stanford Record: 316-188, 162-111 at Stanford Top returnees: G Dion Cross (6-2, Sr.), G Brevin Knight (5-10 Jr.), F Andy Poppink (6-7, Sr.) C Tim Young (7-0, Soph.), G David Harbour (6-3, Sr.) Top newcomers: F Pete Sauer (6-8 Fr.) Coach’s comments: “How good do we want to be? Are we willing to do some of the little things that we haven’t done in the past, because we have a chance to be really good. Can we be the best team Stanford has ever had? I think this group has the talent to do that.” Outlook: With its top six scorers returning, the Cardinal has plenty of reasons to be optimistic. But a couple of lopsided non-conference losses have made it apparent that SU could be just another Joe if it doesn’t do the little things that Montgomery talks about. The Cardinal misses Young, who is out indefinitely with a herniated disc in his back.
6. Arizona State 1994-95 record: 24-9, lost in NCAA’s third round; 12-6, 3rd Coach: Bill Frieder Years coaching: 17, 7th at ASU Record: 302-159, 111-72 at ASU Top returnees: G Quincy Brewer (6-5, Jr.), F Ron Riley (6-5, Sr.), G Jeremy Veal (6-3, Soph.) Top newcomers: F Okeme Oziwo (6-8, Fr.), F Roger Farrington (6-7, Jr.), G Lenny Holly (6-5, Jr.). Coach’s comments: “With Mario (Bennett) leaving early for the NBA, we are back to a rebuilding year. We feel we have a good nucleus and that we have a lot of good young players coming in and that our program will continue to head in the right direction.” Outlook: Frieder has some proven talent on the perimeter, but unless Oziwo and Farrington provide immediate muscle and scoring help inside, ASU’s string of six consecutive postseason appearances could be in jeopardy. An NIT berth isn’t out of the question, but there are too many new pieces to the Sun Devils puzzle to expect them to contend for the league title.
7. Washington 1994-95 record: 8-19, no postseason play; 5-13, tie for 8th Coach: Bob Bender Years coaching: 7, 3rd at Washington Record: 74-97, 14-40 at Washington Top returnees: C Mike Amos (6-9, Sr.), F Mark Sanford (6-8, Soph.), G Jamie Booker (6-3, Jr.), G Bryant Boston (6-2, Sr.). Top newcomers: C Patrick Femerling (7-0, Fr.), C Todd MacCulloch (7-0, Fr.). Coach’s comments: “The one problem we’ve had over the past two years was having to make a lot of adjustments because of mismatches with size defensively. Now we are able to match up with anybody in the league with our size.” Outlook: The Huskies are huge, but they need to shake their Jekyll-and-Hyde image before they can be considered as serious first-division contenders. A 6-2 start that includes a win over Kansas State and a 1-point loss to Michigan should help, but that ugly 64-61 loss at Idaho remains.
8. Oregon 1994-95 record: 19-9, lost in NCAA’s opening round; 11-7, 4th Coach: Jerry Green Years coaching: 13, 4th at Oregon Record: 189-154, 39-46 at Oregon Top returnees: G Kenya Wilkins (5-10, Jr.), G Brian Williams (6-1, So.), G Jamal Lawrence (6-2, Jr.) Top newcomers: G Terik Brown (6-1, Fr.), F Rob Ramaker (6-9, Jr.) Coach’s comments: “Last year, we were very, very deep, but this year we’ll need to depend on some newcomers and have them be impact players for us to be as competitive as I’d like us to be.” Outlook: After earning its first NCAA berth in 34 years, the Ducks would appear to be on a bit of a downswing. But Green can coach and recruit, so don’t expect it to last.
9. Southern California 1994-95 record: 7-21, no postseason play; 2-16, 10th Coach: Charlie Parker Years coaching: 8, 2nd at USC Record: 127-77, 7-21 at USC Top returnees: G Stais Boseman (6-4, Jr.), F Jaha Wilson (6-5, Jr.), G Cameron Murray (6-1, Soph.), G Brandon Martin (6-4, Sr.) Top newcomers: C Avondre Jones (6-11, Jr.) Coach’s comments: “We want to compete for the Pac-10 championship. I know that may seem unrealistic because of what happened last year, but I really think we have the kind of team that can challenge.” Outlook: Parker has made great strides since taking over for George Raveling, but he might be overselling his returning talent. Jones, who lettered as a freshman, is coming back after a one-year hiatus at Chaffey (Calif.) Junior College and is not a true newcomer. He has helped considerably, but with senior Tremayne Anchrum hobbled by a bad knee, the Trojans seem a little small up front.
10. Oregon State 1994-95 record: 9-18, no postseason play; 6-12, 7th Coach: Eddie Payne Years coaching: 10, 1st at OSU Record: 159-109 Top returnees: G J.D. Vetter (6-3, Sr.), F Sonny Benjamin (6-6, Soph.), G Rob Williams (6-3, Soph.) Top newcomers: F Sasa Petrovic (6-9, Fr.), G Markee Brown (6-1, Jr.). Coach’s comments: “There is no question this team lost a lot in terms of numbers and leadership in Brent Barry, Mustapha Hoff and Stephane Brown. We have some players currently who can establish the foundation of this program for years to come, but we need to add talent.” Outlook: Payne, the league’s only new coach, faces a major rebuilding task in the wake of Jim Anderson’s seamy departure. His “we need to add talent” comment says it all.
2. Arizona 1994-95 record: 23-8, lost in NCAA’s opening round; 13-5, 2nd Coach: Lute Olson Years coaching: 23, 13th at Arizona Record: 481-187, 290-94 at Arizona Top returnees: G Reggie Geary (6-2, Sr.), F Ben Davis (6-8, Sr.), C Joseph Blair (6-10, Sr.), G Miles Simon (6-5, So.) Top newcomers: C Donnel Harris (6-10, Fr.). Coach’s comments: “We see a very different makeup than what we’ve had in the last couple of years where we shifted to a guard-oriented system with (Khalid) Reeves and (Damon) Stoudamire. Now we have more front-line strength with more balance throughout all five positions.” Outlook: In the wake of Damon Stoudamire’s departure to the NBA, many experts wrote off the Wildcats. But an impressive 10-1 start, built around the inside play of Blair and Davis, suggests UA is still among the elite of the Pac-10 - and maybe the nation.
3. California 1994-95 record: 13-14, no postseason play; 5-13, 8th Coach: Todd Bozeman Years coaching: 4, all at California Record: 46-24 Top returnees: F Alfred Grigsby (6-9, Sr.), G Jelani Gardner (6-6 Soph.), C Michael Stewart (6-10, Jr.), F Tremaine Fowlkes (6-7 Soph.), F Tony Gonzalez (6-6, Soph.) Top newcomers: F Shareef Abdur-Rahim (6-10, Fr.) Coach’s comments: “We compete in a tough conference and were able to win some great games on the road (UCLA and Arizona) that, hopefully, will carry into this season.” Outlook: The Golden Bears boast as much talent as any team in the league, but they are young - especially in the backcourt. Cal has the Pac-10’s premier rookie in Abdur-Rahim, who should benefit greatly from the return of Fowlkes (suspended) later this month. Chemistry has been a problem in recent years, but if Bozeman can create some this season, look out.
4. Washington State 1994-95 record: 18-12, lost in NIT quarterfinals; 10-8, 5th Coach: Kevin Eastman Years coaching: 9, 2nd at WSU Record: 142-87, 18-12 at WSU Top returnees: F Mark Hendrickson (6-9, Sr.), G Isaac Fontaine (6-3, Jr.) G Donminic Ellison (5-10, Jr.) G Shamon Antrum (5-10, Sr.) Top newcomers: G Chris Scott (6-2, Jr.), G Kareem Jackson (6-2, Jr.) Coach’s comments: “I hope we can run even more with our depth on the perimeter and put a great emphasis on defensive pressure. I hope we’re picked near the top of the Pac-10. We tell our guys not to fear the expectations, because the expectations will be there.” Outlook: A lack of depth on the front line was a concern coming in, but the recent hand injury (fracture) that has sidelined Hendrickson could make it devastating. The Cougars need Hendrickson to contend, so how high they finish will probably be linked directly to how soon he returns.
5. Stanford 1994-95 record: 20-8, lost in NCAA’s second round; 10-8, 5th Coach: Mike Montgomery Years coaching: 18, 10th at Stanford Record: 316-188, 162-111 at Stanford Top returnees: G Dion Cross (6-2, Sr.), G Brevin Knight (5-10 Jr.), F Andy Poppink (6-7, Sr.) C Tim Young (7-0, Soph.), G David Harbour (6-3, Sr.) Top newcomers: F Pete Sauer (6-8 Fr.) Coach’s comments: “How good do we want to be? Are we willing to do some of the little things that we haven’t done in the past, because we have a chance to be really good. Can we be the best team Stanford has ever had? I think this group has the talent to do that.” Outlook: With its top six scorers returning, the Cardinal has plenty of reasons to be optimistic. But a couple of lopsided non-conference losses have made it apparent that SU could be just another Joe if it doesn’t do the little things that Montgomery talks about. The Cardinal misses Young, who is out indefinitely with a herniated disc in his back.
6. Arizona State 1994-95 record: 24-9, lost in NCAA’s third round; 12-6, 3rd Coach: Bill Frieder Years coaching: 17, 7th at ASU Record: 302-159, 111-72 at ASU Top returnees: G Quincy Brewer (6-5, Jr.), F Ron Riley (6-5, Sr.), G Jeremy Veal (6-3, Soph.) Top newcomers: F Okeme Oziwo (6-8, Fr.), F Roger Farrington (6-7, Jr.), G Lenny Holly (6-5, Jr.). Coach’s comments: “With Mario (Bennett) leaving early for the NBA, we are back to a rebuilding year. We feel we have a good nucleus and that we have a lot of good young players coming in and that our program will continue to head in the right direction.” Outlook: Frieder has some proven talent on the perimeter, but unless Oziwo and Farrington provide immediate muscle and scoring help inside, ASU’s string of six consecutive postseason appearances could be in jeopardy. An NIT berth isn’t out of the question, but there are too many new pieces to the Sun Devils puzzle to expect them to contend for the league title.
7. Washington 1994-95 record: 8-19, no postseason play; 5-13, tie for 8th Coach: Bob Bender Years coaching: 7, 3rd at Washington Record: 74-97, 14-40 at Washington Top returnees: C Mike Amos (6-9, Sr.), F Mark Sanford (6-8, Soph.), G Jamie Booker (6-3, Jr.), G Bryant Boston (6-2, Sr.). Top newcomers: C Patrick Femerling (7-0, Fr.), C Todd MacCulloch (7-0, Fr.). Coach’s comments: “The one problem we’ve had over the past two years was having to make a lot of adjustments because of mismatches with size defensively. Now we are able to match up with anybody in the league with our size.” Outlook: The Huskies are huge, but they need to shake their Jekyll-and-Hyde image before they can be considered as serious first-division contenders. A 6-2 start that includes a win over Kansas State and a 1-point loss to Michigan should help, but that ugly 64-61 loss at Idaho remains.
8. Oregon 1994-95 record: 19-9, lost in NCAA’s opening round; 11-7, 4th Coach: Jerry Green Years coaching: 13, 4th at Oregon Record: 189-154, 39-46 at Oregon Top returnees: G Kenya Wilkins (5-10, Jr.), G Brian Williams (6-1, So.), G Jamal Lawrence (6-2, Jr.) Top newcomers: G Terik Brown (6-1, Fr.), F Rob Ramaker (6-9, Jr.) Coach’s comments: “Last year, we were very, very deep, but this year we’ll need to depend on some newcomers and have them be impact players for us to be as competitive as I’d like us to be.” Outlook: After earning its first NCAA berth in 34 years, the Ducks would appear to be on a bit of a downswing. But Green can coach and recruit, so don’t expect it to last.
9. Southern California 1994-95 record: 7-21, no postseason play; 2-16, 10th Coach: Charlie Parker Years coaching: 8, 2nd at USC Record: 127-77, 7-21 at USC Top returnees: G Stais Boseman (6-4, Jr.), F Jaha Wilson (6-5, Jr.), G Cameron Murray (6-1, Soph.), G Brandon Martin (6-4, Sr.) Top newcomers: C Avondre Jones (6-11, Jr.) Coach’s comments: “We want to compete for the Pac-10 championship. I know that may seem unrealistic because of what happened last year, but I really think we have the kind of team that can challenge.” Outlook: Parker has made great strides since taking over for George Raveling, but he might be overselling his returning talent. Jones, who lettered as a freshman, is coming back after a one-year hiatus at Chaffey (Calif.) Junior College and is not a true newcomer. He has helped considerably, but with senior Tremayne Anchrum hobbled by a bad knee, the Trojans seem a little small up front.
10. Oregon State 1994-95 record: 9-18, no postseason play; 6-12, 7th Coach: Eddie Payne Years coaching: 10, 1st at OSU Record: 159-109 Top returnees: G J.D. Vetter (6-3, Sr.), F Sonny Benjamin (6-6, Soph.), G Rob Williams (6-3, Soph.) Top newcomers: F Sasa Petrovic (6-9, Fr.), G Markee Brown (6-1, Jr.). Coach’s comments: “There is no question this team lost a lot in terms of numbers and leadership in Brent Barry, Mustapha Hoff and Stephane Brown. We have some players currently who can establish the foundation of this program for years to come, but we need to add talent.” Outlook: Payne, the league’s only new coach, faces a major rebuilding task in the wake of Jim Anderson’s seamy departure. His “we need to add talent” comment says it all.