2000-01 record: 8-21; 3-11 in MWC (8th) Final Ranking: NR Postseason: None RETURNING LEADERS Points: Todd 10.7 ppg | Rebounds: Bellairs 7.2 rpg | Assists: Jenkins 3.8 apg | FG %: Todd 51.9% | 3pt %: Todd 45.7% | FT %: Yazzie 88.0% 00-01 Stats: Air Force | MWC

		Sunday, Nov. 4 The Falcons have got to shoot the ball a lot better than they did last year. In conference play, they shot 39 percent from the field and only 30 percent from the 3-point line. They're not athletic enough to get by with numbers like that so they've got to shoot the ball better. Joe Scott' offense allows them to shoot the ball a lot. The problem is, I don't know that they have any great shooters. They're not going to beat anybody on their athletic talent alone, so they've got to run their offense, pop off and hit open shots. Last year, they weren't able to do that.

Outlook
They say a college football team is always better the second week of a season than the first. In basketball, when you run the deliberate Princeton-style offense of back-door cuts, it might take years to perfect the scheme.

Air Force is in just its second season under coach Joe Scott, a former Princeton player. The Falcons went 8-21 during Scott's debut and are again picked to finish last in conference, but look closely at a few scores down the stretch last year.

Falcons 53, New Mexico 49. Falcons 71, Utah 60.

Slowly, surely, it all began to sink in.

Now, Air Force returns one of the league's top rebounders in junior forward/center Tom Bellairs (9.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg last season); forward Joel Gerlach, who earned conference freshman of the year honors; sophomore forward Robert Todd, who led all MWC freshmen in scoring last season and returns from an Academy suspension; and Lamoni Yazzie, who averaged 8.8 points and shot 44 percent on 3-pointers off the bench as a junior.

"I think what you saw last season was myself and my staff learning who our players were," Scott said. "Early on, Yazzie didn't play much and Gerlach didn't play at all. I mean, what the hell was I thinking?

"I know we're better this season. I know we have more skill. I know the guys have never worked this hard in their lives. I know we're going to be in games and have a chance to win. But what I don't know right now is how much all that translates into a (final record)."

What We Like: Guard play. Vernard Jenkins is a junior point who will be twice the player now that he has a season in The System. There are few conference players smarter than Yazzie, who shot 88 percent on free throws. Tim Keller and Brandon Jones, both freshmen, will compete for backup roles. "Vernard had to play a ton of minutes (team-high 1,077) last season, but our depth is better now and that should help him," Scott said.

What We Don't Like: It's always going to be there, the struggle with size. Bellairs is 6-foot-7 and Gerlach and Todd are each listed at 6-6, but one of a few freshmen must play big for Air Force to compete. Jarrett Hess (6-9), Jake Merrell (6-10) and Shawn McDanal (6-8) are all first-year players from successful high school programs. But learning Scott's system takes time, and it's unsure how fast any of the newcomers can improve enough to offer Bellairs or Gerlach rest.

The Bottom Line: It is an offense that will give much better teams fits on a given night. Air Force will annually pull off wins such as the ones against New Mexico and Utah, because every so often, all those threes drop and all those cuts produce layups.

Key Players Returning
Player	Yr.	Pos.	Ht./Wt.	Comment
Robert Todd	So.	F	6-6/200	PTS: 10.7 | REB: 2.9 | AST: 1.2
Tom Bellairs	Jr.	F	6-7/240	PTS: 9.7 | REB: 7.2 | AST: 2.1
Lamoni Yazzie	Sr.	G	6-1/180	PTS: 8.8 | REB: 2.2 | AST: 1.2

Key Losses
Player	Pos.	Ht./Wt.	Comment
Jarvis Croff	G	6-4/190	PTS: 13.0 | REB: 3.7 | AST: 1.5

Air Force Signings
Player	Pos.	Ht.	High School/College
Caleb Buchanan	F	6-7	Bedford, Va./Hargrave Military Academy
Brandon Jones	G/F	6-3	Fayetteville, Ga./Westminster Schools
Shawn McDanal	F	6-8	Conifer, Colo./Evergreen H.S.
Jake Merrell	C	6-10	Cheyenne, Wyo./USAFA Prep School