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| Saturday, October 20 Updated: October 21, 1:37 PM ET ESPN.com's Mid-Major Top 10 ESPN.com |
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The 25th-ranked team in ESPN.com's Preseason Top 25 just happens to be the No. 1 ranked team in ESPN.com's preseason ranking of mid-major schools. But Gonzaga isn't the only team capable of a major upset during the non-conference season -- not to mention the NCAA Tournament. Here are the top 10 mid-majors heading into the 2001-02 season with a break down of each team by ESPN's Jay Bilas:
West Coast Conference Mark Few is one of the best coaches in the country, and he has proven it beyond a reasonable doubt. The Zags are a skilled group of handlers and shooters, and they know how to play. Few and his staff teach motion offense, with some flex principles mixed in, which requires players to make reads based upon how the defense is playing them. This year, Few will be able to get back to a three-guard attack, further spreading the court and making help and recover defense difficult. The key player is Dan Dickau, clearly one of the best point guards in the nation who will spend significant time at the shooting guard spot. Dickau is a terrific shooter, much better than Few ever anticipated when the 6-1 playmaker transferred in from Washington two years ago, and Dickau has great savvy. With the arrival of Winston Brooks, a pass-first point guard who has an uncanny knack for delivering the ball, Dickau is free to work off the ball, come off screens, make reads and just play. Brooks is very quick, and with his handling and passing ability, will give Few great flexibility. Because of knee surgery, Blake Stepp has not really played since the Bulldogs lost to Michigan State in the South Regional semifinals, but if he can simply duplicate his freshman season, he will be one of the better guards in the West. Zach Gourde, Kyle Bankhead (6-3; 50.7 3pts.), Ronny Turiaf (6-10) and Cory Violette (6-8) provide quality, skilled big bodies. Gourde is efficient, and should be able to blossom into the void left by Casey Calvary. Gonzaga will be very good again, but will be tested by San Francisco, Santa Clara and San Diego in the WCC.
Horizon League Butler has a veteran team that is used to the system its "new coach" will run. Former Bulldog assistant Todd Lickliter takes over for the departed Thad Matta, and will not change things, but simply make small adjustments as all good coaches do every season. Butler returns two four-year starters around which the team will be built. Thomas Jackson and Rylan Hainje both are good leaders who need only make sure that they bring the others along for the ride. Jackson is a terrific leader and is a very clever player. He is the consummate point guard, and is very aware defensively, on and off the ball. He reads situations well and runs the team flawlessly. Hainje is a capable inside-outside threat who has improved his stroke to enhance his inside game. Joel Cornette can hurt you in multiple ways, and passes and handles the ball extremely well for a big man. Senior Scott Robisch (6-10) looks as good as he has ever looked, and has a solid perimeter shot. He can set a ballscreen, fade and hit, making him very effective alongside Hainje. Brandon Miller is tough and competitive; Mike Monserez (6-5) can really pass the ball and hit his shot; Rob Walls (6-5) can pressure the ball; and Darnell Archey (6-1, 7.8 ppg) can really shoot it. Butler has all of the pieces to be very good, yet again.
Mid-Continent Conference Homer Drew may have his best and most talented team at Valpo, which is saying something. The Crusaders are athletic, deep at both guard and frontcourt spots, and play multiple players who have been starters in the past. The three most dangerous players on the Valpo roster are newcomer Antonio Falu, Lubos Barton and Raitis Grafs. Falu is the most versatile and talented player at Valpo since Bryce Drew, and is a 6-4 point guard that is incredibly fast with the ball, shoots with range, and can penetrate defenses. Falu is athletic, but slender, and needs to get stronger so he won't get knocked off the ball. Barton is among the most versatile forwards in the nation, and can shoot, has a solid mid-range game, and is improved off the dribble. Barton has battled injuries, and if he shows mental toughness, he can be the league MVP. Grafs played this summer on the Latvian National Team with Kaspars Kambala, and has turned down lucrative offers from Europe to play professionally. He is a great athlete and can play with his back to the basket, gets off of the floor quickly, and rebounds and blocks shots aggressively. Add in slasher Milo Stovall (11.1 ppg), Jared Nuness (5.9 ppg, 2.7 apg), a solid guard who is a link to the Sweet 16 days, Stalin Ortiz, a high flier that can attack the basket, and Ali Berdiel, a fundamentally sound and versatile guard, and Valpo may be playing after the NCAA's first round again.
Sun Belt Conference The Hilltoppers have the best center prospect in the nation in 7-1 senior Chris Marcus, and one of the better young coaches in America in Dennis Felton. Western Kentucky goes 12 deep, with no egos and no agendas, other than to share the ball and win games. Marcus is as solid a rebounder as there is in the college game. He goes after the ball with two hands, and does a great job of getting underneath it. Marcus has an improving offensive game, with a good mid-range jumpshot, and is a credible presence inside to command double coverage. His teammates must take advantage of the defensive attention paid to Marcus. Derek Robinson shoots the ball very well and had a really good year in 2001. He will likely move to the off guard spot. David Boyden (7.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg) is a good high-post player to compliment Marcus, and can shoot it to stretch the defense and give Marcus room down low. Keep an eye on 6-3 guard Mike Wells, the brother of former Austin Peay star Bubba Wells, to blossom into a very good player for Western Kentucky. Felton is finding out what it's like to be a really good mid-major, because nobody wants to play him. Like Gonzaga, the Hilltoppers will have to get their non-conference wins on the road against the likes of Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Creighton, and Southern Miss.
Mid-American Conference Stan Heath, the former assistant to Tom Izzo at Michigan State, has a bit of a Catch-22. He has a solid nucleus of players who have experienced success doing it their way, but now have to adjust to a different way of playing. When they do, and get past the short-term growing pains of a new system, Kent State will be outstanding. This is an experience team that can really guard people, and they put great pressure on the ball. Trevor Huffman is the real deal, and can hurt opposing defenses in a variety of ways. He can get to the basket, shoot the ball with range, and hit the pull-up jumper off the dribble. He has a very low center of gravity, so he is difficult to knock off the ball and get off balance. Drew Mitchell, the 5-11 senior who averaged 12.2 points a game, is a silent assassin for Heath, and has the ability to make big plays. Demetric Shaw led the team in rebounding at 6-3, and is one tough nut. He is a warrior at both ends, and brings great toughness to the floor. Watch for Antonio Gates, a 6-4 football player who is strong, skilled and can play inside or outside. Kent State plays Kentucky, Xavier, St. Bonaventure and Illinois State, and will contend for the always tough MAC title.
Horizon League Even without the 20-plus points per game from Rashad Phillips, Detroit is still a team to be reckoned with, and will compete with Butler and Cleveland State for the Horizon League title. Perry Watson has an experienced and athletic group, and he has two 6-10 space-eaters to go along with them. The leader of the team will be Willie Green, a 6-4 guard who always took a backseat to Phillips, but is a superior athlete who can create plays. Green uses his ball skills and athleticism to get to the paint, elevate and finish. He spent most of his career coming off of screens, but Perry Watson will put the ball in his hands this season and make him into a quality point guard. There are a lot of 6-4 off guards, but if Green can make the transition, he'll be a pro. The 6-foot Greg Grays (9.0 ppg) can really shoot the ball, and he has the confidence to be a go-to player, while Marc Mazur is 6-10 and perhaps the most improved player after working with the Detroit Pistons this summer. Darius Belin (4.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg) is a Michael Cooper-type defender who can guard multiple positions. Detroit has a nasty schedule, with Michigan State and Maryland early, but have a good chance to win the Horizon to get back to the NCAA Tournament.
Mid-American Conference Marshall is an outstanding team in an outstanding league. Without question, there is no more competitive conference from top to bottom, night in and night out, than the Mid-American Conference. Over the last several years, the MAC has been, and should be once again this year, worthy of multiple bids to the NCAA Tournament. Marshall will be one of the teams competing favorably for an at-large bid, if not winning the automatic bid. Although Marshall has talent, the season has already been one of adversity. Head coach Greg White and his family recently lost their home to a fire; Tamar Slay has had some off-court trouble; and there have been eligibility issues to deal with. Slay leads the Thundering Herd, and is a long, lean, and skilled pro prospect who needs only to be tougher to be unstoppable. Slay can handle and distribute the ball as a point guard, and can shoot it or take it to the bucket. Slay is versatile, but needs the killer instinct that makes that versatility a weapon of overwhelming force. J.R. Van Hoose is the best rebounder in the MAC, and can score the ball inside or step away. The most impressive thing about Van Hoose is his high-level consistency, and that you can rely upon him to produce. Additional help will come from power forward William Butler, back from a knee injury, Latece Williams, a shotblocker, and Ronald Blackshear, a smooth shooting guard who transfered from Temple and is eligible in December. Marshall will have to make adjustments along the way, but could be outstanding.
Missouri Valley Conference Even coming off of a 21-9 season, Tom Richardson has perhaps a better team this year at Illinois State. The Redbirds have four starters back, multiple players whot can get their own shot, and the leading returning scorer in the nation in Tarise Bryson. Bryson is an excellent offensive player who is a good shooter, but not a great shooter, that can get to the hole and draw fouls. He makes very good reads, has added a solid shot fake, and can go either way to the hole to finish. He is quick, strong, and can flat out find ways to put the ball in the basket. Randy Rice runs the point and can penetrate and make things happen out of Richardson's motion offense. Shedrick Ford (12.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and Shawn Jeppson (12.5 ppg) are similar players who can get shots, and Ford can post smaller guards. Watch for Baboucarr Bojang, nicknamed "Boo", to add an athletic presence inside. Bojang is 6-9, long and athletic, and is the fastest player on the team. If Bojang runs the court, rebounds and gets stickbacks, Illinois State could be headed for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998.
Mid-American Conference Ohio scored big by hiring Tim O'Shea, a smart and savvy coach who was an integral part of Al Skinner's rebuilding programs at Rhode Island and Boston College. O'Shea knows talent, and has always been able to identify diamonds in the rough. At Ohio, O'Shea has a diamond in Brandon Hunter, but the 6-7, 266-pound forward can indeed be rough. Hunter is a great talent, looking to compliment his inside power with a face-up component. He has big hands, an incredible vertical, and he is quick off the dribble and agile and explosive to the hole. Hunter is among the best power forwards in the country. Patrick Flomo (9.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg) is an excellent rebounder and shotblocker, and should get some good low post looks in O'Shea's flex offense. Flomo played well in a summer trip to Europe, and needs only to be more aggressive offensively. The 6-1 Jon Sanderson started his career at Ohio State, and has real potential. If Sanderson plays to his potential, he will be an outstanding MAC player. Add in 6-6 Steve Esterkamp (10.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg), a solid MAC performer, Zach Kiewkow, a freshman point guard, and James Bridgewater, an athletic wing player, and Ohio will make noise in the MAC.
Big West Conference Underrated coach Pat Douglass led UC Irvine to 25 wins last season, and brought the Anteater program to a level of success not seen there since Tod Murphy and Johnny Rogers were lighting it up, or Bill Mulligan coached Kevin Magee to be the nation's top scorer. UC Irvine is led by Jerry Green -- the reigning Big West player of the year. Green is an NBA prospect who continues to get better and better, and has point guard skills. He has become a pure scorer, and can face up from 15 feet, hit his jumper, put it to the deck and take it all the way or hit a floater. Green can also post, hit the 3, and has a good feel for drawing contact and getting to the free throw line. But Green is not the only Anteater on the NBA radar screen. Seven-foot center Adam Parada has a very nice touch from 3-point range and has great hands. If Parada continues to improve, UC Irvine can win the Big West. Add in Jordan Harris, a transfer from Colgate, and Matt Okoro, a great leaper, and Douglass has more talent and rebounding than last year. However, UC Irvine has to make up for the loss of three seniors who provided experience, 3-point shooting and defense. |
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