Conference WAC: It's Miller time again
|
By Dan Shanoff, CNN/SI
Utah's Hanno Mottola is the WAC's most versatile player.
(John Biever) | |
| Projected Order of
Finish
|
| Team (Mountain) | Comment |
| 1. TCU* | Senior Lee Nailon is back. Billy Tubbs' maintains its
high-octane
status. |
| 2.
Tulsa** | Looking like Sweet 16 team of years
past. |
| 3. UNLV | Everyone's high on JC transfer Shawn
Merion. |
| 4.
Wyoming** | Clemson gets former Cowboys coach Shyatt, UW gets Clemson
transfer LeDarion
Jones. |
| 5. SMU** | SG Jeryl Sasser must avoid sophomore
slump. |
| 6.
Colorado
State | New coach Ritchie McKay brought in nine
recruits. |
| 7.
Rice | Transfers from Loyola (Md.), Providence and Oklahoma State.
Keep an eye on ex-OSU F Jason
Skaer. |
| 8.
Air
Force | Last NCAA appearance: 1962. That won't
change. |
| Team (Pacific) | Comment |
| 1. Utah* | Pressure's on Miller to continue school's hot
streak. |
| 2.
New
Mexico* | Kenny Thomas down low.
TCU transfer Damion Walker,
too. |
| 3.
Fresno
State* | Yet another Tarkanian team loaded with
talent. |
| 4.
Hawaii** | Great Carter/Smith backcourt is
history. |
| 5. San Diego
State | Watch the recruiting class, known already as the
"Emerald
Eight."
|
| 6. BYU | C Bret Jepsen got rave summer reviews from Pete Newell's
Big Man
Camp. |
| 7. UTEP | Haskins in for a Bear of a season after 3-11
WAC campaign in
'97-98. |
| 8. San Jose
State | Four starters return—from 3-23
team.
|
*NCAA Tournament lock;
**NCAA Tournament bubble team/NIT
bound. |
|
| |
|
|
All-Conference
Team |
|
Chris
Herren, G, 6'3", Sr., Fresno
State
| | 1997-98 Stats: 15.6 ppg, 4.8
apg |
|
Andre
Miller, G, 6'2", Sr., Utah
| | 1997-98 Stats: 14.2 ppg and 5.2
apg | |
Lee
Nailon, F, 6'9", Sr.,
TCU
| | 1997-98 Stats: 24.9 ppg, 8.9
rpg | |
Michael
Ruffin, F, 6'8", Sr.,
Tulsa
| | 1997-98 Stats: 10.4 ppg, 9.5
rpg | |
Kenny
Thomas, F, 6'8", Sr., New
Mexico
| | 1997-98 Stats: 16.8 ppg, 9.3
rpg
|
|
|
Player of the
Year |
| Andre Miller, G, 6'2", Sr., Utah
| | Miller's modest season averages are deceiving. In the '98
NCAA tournament, he upped his stats to 16.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 6.8
apg while carrying the Utes to an improbable championship
appearance. The team's goal is the same; Miller should be
even
better.
| |
|
Coach on the Hot
Seat
|
| Fresno State's Jerry
Tarkanian 4th year, 1997-98 record:
21-13
| | With this roster -- equal parts high school All-Americas
and head cases -- Tark better be able to make the NCAA
field.
| |
|
Newcomer of the
Year |
| Courtney Alexander, SG, Jr., Fresno
State
| | Led Virginia in scoring (14.8 ppg) as a sophomore in
1996-97 before transferring to Second Chance U, where he'll
provide instant
offense.
| |
|
Top Three
Storylines to Watch
|
| Bayno of Their
Existence
| | UNLV is talented, deep, experienced and ready to step back
into the national spotlight.
A tough schedule will only
help.
|
| Ute
Movement
| | Can Utah's Rick Majerus take his squad back to the Final
Four? Paint presence Michael Doleac graduated to the NBA,
but
NCAA hero Andre Miller
returns.
| | Hardly Sweet
16
| | Few tears will fall in '99 when the conference splits into
two separate leagues, the WAC and the Mountain West. But we
preferred "Best Western" and "Mae West"
as new
names.
|
|
| The Bandwagon |
| Tulsa |  |
Ruffin
tough. |
| Andre
Miller | | Still our Final Four
hero |
| 16
teams |  | Thank god they're splitting
up. |
|
|
Games to
Watch |
|
Utah vs. Rhode Island (in Chicago), Dec.
2
| | Great Eight matchup early test for
Utes.
|
|
Temple at Fresno State, Dec.
31
| | Matchup
zone? Amoeba D? Same
difference.
|
|
Arizona at New Mexico, Jan.
16
| | Chance for Lobos to rack up quality win in The
Pit. |
|
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