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| Wednesday, November 7 Team preview: Fresno State ESPN.com |
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Dominate the conference? Put it this way -- despite losing three starters (including standout point guard Tito Maddox), the Bulldogs earned nine of 10 first-place votes in the preseason poll. The only coach who didn't tab Fresno State a favorite is Jerry Tarkanian. You can't vote for your own team. Tarkanian gave the nod to Hawaii. "I really believe we can be better than last year," said Tarkanian, whose team finished 26-7 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2000-01. "I know our players think that way. But there's going to come a time when we have to prove it." Ah, but here's the catch. A familiar catch: Point guard Chris Sandy has been declared academically ineligible until Dec. 21 after correspondence classes he took over the summer weren't allowed to be counted toward his entrance requirements. The junior college transfer was slated to replace Tito Maddox, who was dismissed from school for his involvement with an agent during the summer. Fresno State is apealing on the behalf of Sandy, but unless a waiver is granted, junior Travis DeManby, a converted shooting guard, will be handed the point-guard duties. But then you start talking about the talent up front. No conference team will likely come close to matching the trio of forwards Chris Jefferies and Hiram Fuller and center Melvin Ely. You can make a case -- a very good one, in fact -- for Jefferies and Ely being the league's top two players. The Bulldogs open against Montana State in the preseason NIT (Nov. 13). One obvious way to open the eyes of East Coast media/voters would be to advance to the semifinals in New York. "A great opportunity," says Tarkanian. "That could really help set the table for the kind of season we want to have." What we like: The man in the middle. Ely averaged 16 points and seven rebounds as a junior, when he was named the league's player of the year. He goes 6-foot-10, 256 pounds and is equally as solid on both ends. He blocked a league-best 90 shots last season. "One of the best big men in the country," says Tarkanian. "People have no idea how good this guy can be." What we don't like: Guard play. Demetrius Porter, solid with a capital S, is gone. Maddox, as uncontrollable and temperamental as he was at times, is a big loss. He ranked fourth nationally in assists last season and was one of the league's best open-court threats. Sandy can play either guard spot (when he becomes available), but Fresno State signed him with the idea of starting him at off-guard with Maddox at the point. He'll have to play a ton of point now. DeMandy has potential to score much more than his 4.6 average last season. The bottom line: Health willing in Fresno, everyone else is playing for second. Sandy has to play for FSU to be at its best, however, and that also means he has to develop into a competent floor leader quickly. Starters will again play a majority of the minutes, a Tarkanian tradition that makes sense with this kind of front-line ability. Fresno State went to four straight NITs under Tarkanian before making consecutive NCAA fields. This is likely the coach's final season, and it will end with a third straight trip to the tournament. And this time, depending on the draw, the Bulldogs could be alive in the second week.
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