Big Sky At A Glance
MEN’S BASKETBALL In predicted order of finish:
1. Weber State
Coach: Joe Cravens, 1st year
Last year: 25-8 overall, 13-3 Big Sky (1st), lost in NCAA second round
Returning starters: 2
Strengths: Forward Harold Arceneaux, last year’s Big Sky player of the year, returns, along with all-conference point guard Eddie Gill. The two combined to average more than 36 points a game as juniors last season.
Concerns: Arceneaux and Gill, who played under Wildcats assistant Guy Beach in junior college, made it clear during the off-season they were not happy when Beach was passed over in favor of Cravens, a former Idaho coach, as Ron Abegglen’s successor. Cravens seems to have won the trust of his two stars - for now, but keeping it for the entire season will be crucial to Weber’s hopes of successfully defending its Big Sky title.
2. Northern Arizona
Coach: Mike Adras, 1st year
Last year: 21-8, 12-4 (2nd)
Returning starters: 2
Strengths: The Lumberjacks return a productive inside-outside combination in 7-foot senior center Dan McClintock and 3-point specialist Ross Land.
Concerns: Adras, another first-year coach, doesn’t have much depth or experience beyond McClintock, Land and senior forward Billy Hix.
3. Cal State Northridge
Coach: Bobby Braswell, 4th year
Last year: 17-12, 9-7 (tied for 3rd)
Returning starters: 4
Strengths: Four returning starters, including vastly improved sophomore point guard Markus Carr, give Braswell as much experience as any coach in the league. Junior center Brian Heinle continues to improve his offensive numbers and senior forward Rollie Hewitt has been a rebounding machine in the early going.
Concerns: Last year was the Matadors’ only winning season in the ‘90s, so there hasn’t been much past success on which to draw. There will also be no surprise factor this season.
4. Portland State
Coach: Joel Sobotka, 2nd year
Last year: 17-11, 9-7 (tied for 3rd)
Returning starters: 2
Strengths: Depth abounds on a Vikings’ roster that includes two-year starters Hasan Artharee and Derek Nesland. Add in Ime Udoka, a 6-6 senior transfer from San Francisco, who redshirted last season, and it’s easy to see why conference coaches are hesitant to count out PSU.
Concerns: It could be difficult coming up all season with enough points to replace the graduation losses of Jason Hartman and Brian Towne, last year’s leading scorers.
5. Montana
Coach: Don Holst, 2nd year
Last year: 13-14, 6-10 (7th)
Returning starters: 2
Strengths: Senior forward Matt Williams, a 6-7, 215-pounder, works as hard as any player in the league and is on par - talentwise - with WSU’s Arceneaux and Gill. If senior guard Mike Warhank can keep opposing defenses honest with his outside shooting, the Grizzlies could prove to be the surprise team in the league.
Concerns: After failing to qualify for the Big Sky tournament for the first time in the event’s 22-year history last season, the Grizzlies have some rebuilding to do in the confidence department.
6. Idaho State
Coach: Doug Oliver, 2nd year
Last year: 6-20, 4-12 (8th)
Returning starters: 3
Strengths: Even without projected starting point guard Jordie McTavish, a junior transfer from BYU, sidelined for the season with a blown knee, the Bengals appear to be among the most improved teams in the league. Oliver went out and recruited three JC transfers - 6-11 Doug Silva, 6-10 Matt McConals and 6-9 Chad Tracy - to beef up his front line and complement the perimeter play of all-league returnee Kevin Sweetwyne and Stephen Brown.
Concerns: Only two of the 13 players on Oliver’s roster have been in the program more than two years, so chemistry could be lacking.
7. Montana State
Coach: Mick Durham, 10th year
Last year: 16-13, 9-7 (tied for 3rd)
Returning starters: 2
Strengths: Durham has built MSU’s program into a consistent winner that hasn’t suffered through a losing season since 1993. That kind of tradition, along with the continuing emergence of 6-7 junior forward John Lazosky, could be enough to let Durham successfully bridge the gap between last year’s graduation losses of Nate Holmstadt and Danny Sprinkle and a roster loaded with young talent.
Concerns: The Bobcats have only two seniors and three juniors on their roster.
8. Eastern Washington
Coach: Steve Aggers, 5th year
Last year: 10-17, 7-9 (6th)
Returning starters: 3
Strengths: In Aggers’ system of steady substitutions, the returning number of starters means little. Six players on this year’s roster played key minutes last year and senior Deon Williams, who has returned to the point after an early season experiment at off-guard, continues to be one of the top assist men in the Big Sky.
Concerns: Senior Will Levy and junior Chris White can defend inside, but neither is a proven scorer, which leaves the Eagles much too reliant on their outside shooting.
9. Cal State Sacramento
Coach: Tom Abatemarco, 3rd year
Last year: 3-23, 3-13 (9th)
Returning starters: 3 Strengths: Senior forward Anthony Flood, who tore up the opposition early last season before suffering a broken foot, seems to have regained his form. In addition, Abatemarco has added junior forwards Pablo Gonzales and Ricky Glenn, a pair of first-team all-state JC players, to his roster.
Concerns: Last year’s three wins were two more than the Hornets had in 1997-98, but they were hardly enough to suggest Abatemarco has completely turned around things.