ESPN.com - College Basketball - The Word's Answer Man

M College BB


		Scores/Schedules Rankings Standings Statistics Transactions Injuries Message board Weekly lineup Teams Recruiting NCAA StatSearch

Friday, August 18
The Word's Answer Man

I have three short questions:
1. When do the college basketball 2000-2001 schedules come out? I have seen some, but North Carolina's hasn't been released yet.
2. North Carolina has 18 players on their roster for next year. It looks like 12 or 13 of them will have the skills to get a lot of playing time. Can they manage such a rotation?
3. I've seen George Leach (freshman for Indiana this year) in person and was very impressed, yet critics aren't even mentioning I.U. for next season. With Leach, Moye, Jeffries and Owens to go along with Hornsby, Newton, Fife and Haston I would think they have loads of potential. Any explanation?

North Carolina's high-profile games are: Tulsa-Arizona State winner in a weekend tournament, at Michigan State (ACC-Big Ten Challenge), at UCLA and Miami (Fla.). We'll get the complete schedule to you soon.

Matt Doherty shouldn't have trouble managing the roster. The frontcourt was too thin last season and now that Brendan Haywood, Brian Bersticker and Kris Lang are all healthy, he's got options. Jason Capel can float from big guard to small forward. Jason Parker is ready to contribute as a freshman. There's no need to worry about center Neil Fingleton for another year or two. Julius Peppers may not play basketball. The backcourt rotation is fine with Capel mixing in with Joseph Forte, Adam Boone and Brian Morrison. There's no guarantee that Ronald Curry will play basketball after football season.

I don't know who these critics are but Indiana will be an NCAA Tournament team. They won't be a national title contender but they should have a legitimate chance to get to the Sweet 16 (or at the very least to the second game) with the crew you mentioned. The key will be finding a go-to scorer, especially on the perimeter.

With New Mexico State moving to the Sun Belt Conference for 2000-01 season, how do you see them stacking up? They have a solid outside shooter in Eric Channing and rebounder in Daveeno Hines, which should help them. And they play in Fresno with a chance to meet the Bulldogs in the second game of The Hispanic College Fund Tournament.

The Aggies have a chance to shake up the Sun Belt in their first season. But losing Billy Keys doesn't help. New Mexico State will have one of the better shooters in Eric Channing but they've got to find a reliable point to set him up. Channing isn't the best at creating his own shot.

What is your opinion of the incoming class at New Mexico now that Dion Broom didn't make grades? How do you think the Lobos will fair this season?

Broom was going to be a reach from the moment they recruited him. The Lobos are still fine with Malcolm Battles and Patrick Dennehy. The Lobos will rely heavily on Marlon Parmer at the point and Wayland White at small forward. But production should come from Arizona transfer Ruben Douglas at shooting guard. The Lobos will be quicker than a year ago, but may not have enough size to displace Utah, Wyoming or, possibly even BYU, atop the Mountain West. The Lobos will battle those three and UNLV for the top five spots in the Mountain West.

Is Alton Ford coming to Houston? My uncle just got a coaching position there, so just wondering what his status is. I heard he was thinking of backing out when Clyde Drexler stepped down.

Not true. Ford has been at Houston all summer working out with future teammates. The staff plans on Ford being in school later this month. His options are limited. He would have to go and sit out at another school if he chose to break his national letter of intent.

What is your take on the Brett Bearup-Billy Donovan Connection? Is it just a coincidence that once James White signed on to the now-cancelled Bearup European tour, Florida suddenly became the leader for White and others. How, also, is it legal for an agent like Bearup to put together a tour with high school "amateurs?" Finally, how do you like the Tar Heels chances for the title in 2001?

Bearup and Donovan are personal friends. There's nothing wrong with that. Bearup swears that he never steers players toward Donovan. Bearup isn't an agent, but rather a finanical consultant. That's why he can put together a team of high school players to go abroad. The trip was canceled due injuries. By the way, White shocked North Carolina and did commit to Florida. White seemed like a Carolina lock in early July.

How does TCU look this year? I know that Cory Hightower going pro hurt the cause, but transfer Greedy Daniels and the returning cast should make them competitive. The question is how competitive they can be? Will we see any of the magic we had in 1997 in your opinion?

The Horned Frogs will be a dangerous team in the WAC next season. The backcourt is set (even without Hightower) with UNLV transfer Greedy Daniels at the point, Ryan Carroll at shooting guard and the return of Bingo Merriex and Estell Laster to boost the perimeter. The frontcourt will be set with Myron Anthony, Derrick Davenport and Rebel Paulk. The Horned Frogs will have scorers at all five positions but will need Daniels to be their point man defensively. If he can't stop the ball at the top of the perimeter, then the Frogs are in trouble. Neither Danvenport nor Paulk can be expected to clog up the middle every time someone drives in the lane. TCU has to get past SMU, Fresno State, Tulsa and maybe even Hawaii to get to the NCAA Tournament again.

Two questions: first, how well do you think Wyoming will be next year? Obviously they have the potential to be the best team in the MWC this coming season, particularly with the return of Ugo, the continued development of Josh Davis, Chris McMillan and Marcus Bailey and with the influx of a very strong nucleus of newcomers so what is your opinion of Pokes' potential. Second, Sheridan as a very strong junior college team -- last year they finished as the season ranked No. 7 in the JUCO poll and they also have a chance to be very good next year with a great young coach in Brian Marso. Do you have an opinion on Donta Richardson, their best player and where he is currently being recruited.

I haven't heard where Richardson is going yet. But, as for the Pokes, there's no question they should be a postseason team. Wyoming has a chance to win the Mountain West because of Josh Davis. He should replace Hanno Mottola as the MWC most versatile forward. The Cowboys have two of the more underrated forwards in Uche Amadi and Ugo Udezue. Add those two with Davis and Wyoming has a frontcourt that could hang with any in the West. The backcourt has to do a better job of stopping the penetration of opposing point guards. Steve McClain teams love to run but they've got to have the same passion for halfcourt defense if they want to get past Utah.

Last week you left St. Bonaventure's Kevin Houston off of your list of impact transfers for this season. Houston is a tireless worker with a very solid game. Many Bonnie fans are counting on him to have a huge impact. He has a much improved shot and a tremendous body. Do you think he can help the Bonnies return to the NCAA Tournament?

Good catch. But Houston can't replace Tim Winn and Caswell Cyrus by himself. The Bonnies will have a hard time getting back to the NCAA Tournament. Getting an NIT bid this year would be acceptable.

Please fill us in on new Wichita State coach Mark Turgeon. What kind of impression is he making and can he get the program pointed in the right direction?

Turgeon knows Kansas basketball. He'll try and get a nice blend of junior college and high school players. Few coaches have gone in and done Wichita right. Turgeon has a specific style and he'll stick to it. He'll be patient, but not passive. He's also a class act. Give him time to get Wichita State back to the postseason.

Eddie Sutton recently signed a five-year contraxct extension with Oklahoma State. Will Bill Self be a possibility or will Eddie's son Sean Sutton be the next head basketball coach at Oklahoma State once Eddie Sutton retires?

Don't be misled by the years. Sutton doesn't have to finish the contract. He can essentially coach the Cowboys for as long or little as he wants. He told me he'd like to coach four more years. Then, Sean will likely take over the program. Self is off on his own now, coaching Illinois. This is set up for Sean and there's nothing wrong with passing it off to a son if he deserves the job. Sean Sutton does and should be able to keep the program at an elite level.

Do you think it's possible that Florida can contend after the loss of Mike Miller and Donnell Harvey? Who do you see competing for the National Championship this upcoming season?

Florida should be top 15, possible top 10. The Gators will miss Harvey, Miller and Kenyan Weeks. But Teddy Dupay and Brett Nelson should be enough to offset the perimeter loss of Weeks. Udonis Haslam is and was a better scorer than Harvey. The Gators will be weaker at small forward and need someone like Brent Wright, Matt Bonner or Major Parker to be more productive. The Gators will have a hard time beating out Tennessee and Kentucky for the top spot in the SEC East. But they'll be in the mix for a decent seed in the NCAA Tournament.

What do you think of St. John's chances to repeat as Big East Champions and make a run in the NCAA Tournament? Even though we lost three starters and our sixth man from last year's team, we refueled with a great recruiting class. Every year the Johnnies seem to get overlooked by everyone until they make some noise by beating strong opponents (i.e. last year's consecutive wins against Duke, UConn and 'Cuse). It's about time the Red Storm started getting the recognition it deserves. Where do you think this squad ranks among the Big East?

The same thing will likely occur this year. St. John's didn't get as much play once Darius Miles declared. Connecticut, Seton Hall, Notre Dame and Georgetown may be ahead of St. John's (and Miami, Villanova, Syracuse and Pittsburgh). But don't count out the Red Storm. Omar Cook has huge shoes to fill in Erick Barkley. But if Cook can mature and Alpha Bengura gives the Red Storm the necessary points at shooting guard, then the Red Storm can be in the top four in the Big East. The frontcourt of Reggie Jessie, Anthony Glover and Donald Emanuel is a hard-working, productive crew.

In your latest "Answer Man" column, you said BYU would contest Utah and Wyoming for the Mountain West crown. How can you exclude UNLV! Yes, they lost one of America's best pure point men in Mark Dickel, but they return seven of their top eight players. They also add Lou Kelly and Jermaine Lewis, two JUCO studs to help out at the 2 and 3 spots. Bill Bayno proved he's becoming a pretty good coach last year. Plus, the conference tourney is in Vegas again. The way I see it, UNLV and Utah are the two closest things to a "lock" in the MWC with bubble teams New Mexico, Wyoming and BYU battling for a possible third NCAA bid.

You're right. UNLV has been overlooked. But I can't put the Runnin' Rebels ahead of Utah, Wyoming and BYU in the preseason predictions. I'm not sure how successful they'll be in replacing Dickel. Kaspars Kambala and Dalron Johnson are two of the better big men in the West but they need someone to get them the ball. Lou Kelly has been all hype (even from here), so far. I'm waiting for more from him. They can challenge for a top three finish but I'm reserving judgment.

Everybody I talk to about Minnesota basketball keeps bringing up high school star Rick Rickert from Duluth. He apparently impressed people at the Adidas camp. How good is Rickert, and does he have the quickness to play the three in college?

I saw Rickert at the Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas. He is the real deal. He's a shooting small forward in a big-man's body. He can play a few positions. Minnesota is still in the search but the outcome of the investigation by the NCAA will determine if the Gophers have a shot against schools like Duke and Utah.

Andy Katz is the senior college basketball writer at ESPN.com. His Weekly Word on college basketball is updated Thursdays throughout the year.

ALSO SEE
Weekly Word: Muscling up in ACC

Have a question for the Weekly Word?