Big East

Leading the way is the most historic team and the NYC representative for this league in the St. John’s Redmen er Red Storm!  This team had a nice mix of veterans and young talent that should combine to make the Johnnies a dang tough out especially at the Garden.  Feisty Coach Lou Carnesecca has brought together a solid group with no huge weaknesses and lots of depth.  Wings Senior Tony Jackson and Sophomore Chris Mullin are the two most likely to lead this team in scoring with the southpaw gymrat showcasing one of the best jumpers in the country.  Seniors LeRoy Ellis and Harry Boycoff and perhaps even big Billy Paultz will rotate at center and give the team height, defense and rebounding and there a slew of guards vying for minutes at the point and as backups.  Dick MCguire is the incumbent at point but Sophomore Mark Jackson will push him and both are incredible table setters for Carnesecca.  The boys from up in Northwest New York are right behind them behind studious looking Jim Boeheim.  With the beautiful and large Carrier Dome the Orangemen are similar to the Johnnies with a full roster of talent.  Not quite as experience but perhaps a little more upside Boeheim can rotate at least two deep of solid talent throughout the tough Big East.  Senior two guard Dave Bing is the unquestioned leader and could be the best backcourt player in the country that slips below the radar.  That might have been true in the past but Bing should become a national name with his terrific all-around game with point guard skills including a stellar mid-range jumper.  Juniors Roosevelt Bouie and Louis Orr (the Louie and Bouie show) will start at the 3 and 5 respectively but will challenged for minutes by a slew of talented underclassmen.  Sophomore Derrick Coleman will start at the four and this kid is long and talented and fellow second year players Sherman Douglas and Pearl Washington will vie for the point guard with the aptly named Pearl being the favorite due to some sensational games in his first year.  Supposedly there is even more talent coming up the pike and if Boeheim can teach them his vaunted 2-3 zone this team has a real shot of going far into March this year. 

Newcomers West Virginia jump into the Big East fray and bring with them an experienced team and a couple of players in the back court than can match up with anyone.  Seniors Hot Rod Hundley and Jerry West are as good as they get and new Coach Bob Huggins gets the opportunity to coach these multidimensional talents.  The Mountaineers will compete in this brave new league but how high they get will depend on their front line as Senior Mark Workman has been dominant against lesser programs but a six nine 215 pound center is going to have a much harder time against the likes of a Patrick Ewing or Marvin Barnes and the supporting cast next to him is either too small or unproven.  Still, with those two playing one last year together West Virginia is in good hands. 

Coach John Thompson’s Georgetown Hoyas splashed onto the national scene last year with one of the best recruiting classes ever to complement a solid group from the year before who put this program on the map.   Known mainly for it’s phenomenal educational opportunities, Thompson started building his program with a pair of recruits from Dunbar High (John Duren and Craig Shelton) and a kid (Johnathan Smith) he brought with him when he was coaching high school in DC.  These two pale in comparison to the big bang of getting a seven-foot stud from Jamaica.  Thompson went back to his old haunting grounds of New England (he played ball at now rival Providence and this 6’10 manster got a cup of coffee with the Celtics) to get this emigrant who went to prep school in Cambridge Mass.  Coming back for his second year the highly touted seven-footer Patrick Ewing was a beast in the East dominating the paint with his incredible athleticism and has brought intimidation into DC aptly called Hoya Paranoia.  Thompson also has Sleepy Floyd to run the show and nice pair of wings in David Wingate and Reggie Williams.  Supposedly his latest class is just as good if not better than last year’s great class and if they are watch out for the Hoyas as they might not just dominate the Big East but could be legitimate contenders to go all the way! 

Speaking of Providence, the Friars are just as talented as the Hoyas with superstar juniors Marvin ‘Bad News’ Barnes and point guard Ernie DiGregorio running the show.  The leader of the team though is Senior guard Lenny Wilkens who might understand how to play this game as well as anyone on the court this year.  The Friars could actually use him as their coach as that is the biggest question in Rhode Island?  Who is going to coach this team?  After Gavitt left to run the league two years ago they brought back legendary Joe Mullaney but he heard the call of the pros and has left to coach there!  As of this writing they have no coach and that is a problem but whoever they get will have a heck of a nucleus to build from as long as Bad News can stay out of trouble on and off the court as he truly is a man amongst boys when he is playing. 

The Villanova Wildcats, per usual, will be in the mix as Coach Rollie Massimino has put together a complete team that always seems to be playing in the post season.  Led by Senior superstar Pitchin’ Paul Arizin on one wing and Junior stud Howard Porter down low the Wildcats will compete and if Rollie can find a few more studs to rotate into a deep lineup this could be the year Nova excises some demons and finally goes far in the BD.  Of course, first they have to make it and in the Big East that won’t be easy especially with a small front line but this Philly team has shocked the world before! 

The Seton Hall Pirates will be in the mix as well as Honey Russell is leaving for the Celtics.  The legendary coach has turned over the keys to a brash new coach named PJ Carlesimo. The young coach has an experienced team he’s bringing back to the fray.  Senior big man Walter Dukes is the key with his defense and rebounding as Carlesimo has a plethora of good wings and back court men to throw out on the court.  Bob Davies and Bobby Wanzer might not be West and Hundley but they are not far behind and their experience should make this a tough out for anyone but Dukes has got to stay on the court and the foul prone big man cannot foul out of 12 games as he did last season! 

Coach Jim Calhoun is building a program in Connecticut but the Huskies have been down for a long time and unless his freshman class is the next coming of the Hoyas sophomore class they might be in for a long year.  Senior big men Toby Kimball and Art Quimby are solid underneath especially on the boards but are a bit undersized for this conference though Sophomores Corny Thompson and Clifford Robinson give them good depth up front but the rest of the roster is built more the American East (Calhoun built that great program in Northeastern before he came here) than the Big East! 

Boston College has some talent but it just too small for this league.  Coach Jim O’Brien has senior post Terry Driscoll who can score but no way he can defend the likes of Ewing or Barnes.  The backcourt is good and deep but like the front court small in stature.  Still, Senior John Austin and sophomores Michael Adams, Dana Barros and John Bagley can score especially from long range and this team highlights the new style of basketball and will almost rely completely on the three ball to stay in games. 

The Pittsburgh Panthers are in for a rude awakening after once being a dominant team not just here but nationwide.  Since losing superstar Chuck Hyatt to the pros two years ago the Panthers have been in shambles finishing in the basement in the Big East last year and legendary coach Doc Carlson has decided to hang it up as well now.  The reins have been handed over to young Jamie Dixon and he will preach defense as a way to compete in this league.  The cupboard is not completely bare as Junior Billy Knight is a heck of a wing and Sophomore big man Charles Smith is a stud in the paint but they are nowhere near enough to get this team to the top half of this tough conference. 

Tom Young has the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers on the upswing and they could surprise.  There is talent in Jersey and he has a solid nucleus including senior guard Bob Lloyd and Junior Phil Sellers.  The key is how quick extremely athletic big men Junior James Bailey and Sophomore Roy Hinson develop.  These two put on dunking exhibitions in practice and sometimes in games but they need to become more complete players if the Knights are going to move on up in this league. 

The Miami Hurricanes are now in the Big East but as we all know it is not for their basketball program.  Heck, the Hurricanes even shut down the program for a year due to some recruiting issues (and the football team never gets slapped, HA) but have waded back into the pool.  Too bad that pool is the Big East and there are sharks waiting in the water everywhere.  They do have one of the best players in the country in Senior forward Rick Barry but whoever coaches here will not have much else and it looks almost inevitable that the boys from South Florida (the big east ha) will be in the basement this year.  Heck, I don’t know if those football players couldn’t beat this team in basketball they are that bad!  But on the good side Barry could average 30 a game.  Really!”