Big West

The three non-Cali schools were way above the competitive level this league was used to.  This trio brought this conference from the bottom of the barrel to mid-major level overnight.  With these schools leading the way, this league has a chance to become national players.  Sort of like the vanguard team of this league, the Big West has quickly risen up the ranks of college basketball playing their own firebrand style of basketball.  Now, the powers that be that run college sports have never been too keen on outsiders breaking into their little monopolies especially when they come west of the Mississippi.  Heck, the eyes of college basketball are staring directly at this league and that city with the bright lights in the middle of the desert.  You see those ‘Rebels’ from Vegas have made quite an impression on this game with their running ways and eccentric do it my way coach.  And those powers to be would like to see that program taken down a notch or see a heck of an opportunity for future endeavors.  This season will go along way in seeing which road this league and college basketball as a whole takes but if the preseason rankings have anything to do with this then it is not looking good for the Big West.  The good thing is that they do have two teams in the polls (the same two teams who made the Big Dance last year) but the bad thing is the mighty UNLV Runnin’ Rebels did not make the top 25 but rather are one of those ‘other’ teams receiving votes.  Jerry Tarkanian’s team is actually 35th if you are counting (and the Shark is) so there is room to move up these boards. But the main thing that does is put a chip on his team’s shoulder as the disrespect this team (and the conference as the Lobos of New Mexico State got two total votes after being with a missed shot of making the Sweet 16 last year) got can only help. 

Jerry Tarkanian started his basketball journey right where this conference did.  In SoCal.  The OC, as a matter of fact, as he was the bricklayer that built the 49ers from Long Beach State basketball program.  He is the main reason that program moved up from the JC ranks into a Big Dance participant almost overnight.  Of course, the ‘eyes’ of Big Brother were watching and the ‘Shark’ was not going to wait around for their bite.  When Tumbleweed Tech came calling with card blanche to do what he wanted, the Shark jumped the tank and moved on up the road to Sin City.  He has quickly established this program, much in the same method as he did in Long Beach, as national players with his high-scoring teams.  Tark put the Runnin’ in the Rebels and no program in college basketball is as infamous as his.  Tark has a penchant for giving kids a second chance and is not afraid to go the Juco route to get some players who might have been overlooked or the ‘right kind’ of player for more prestigious programs.  Tark will take anyone as long as they can run and gun and jump through the moon and these kids want to come to Vegas for some reason.  Funny thing is everyone wants a piece of Tark’s team as he has filled his schedule with some powerhouse programs from across the land including the two biggest dogs on the porch.  That’s right the Rebels will not only be playing but will be hosting both the Bruins of UCLA and the Wildcats of Kentucky this year in what are sure to be nationally televised games.  I am sure both Wooden and Rupp are looking to teach this fledgling school full of street wise kids a lesson about hos the game is really played.  But you know what they say about being careful about what you wish for.  The question is does the Tark have a good enough team to compete with these rottweilers?  Well, there is some talent here led by a pair of thoroughbred junior wings and sophomore post stud.  Tark has another solid recruiting class and has already taken full advantage of the new portal transfer rules as he is bringing in the number one player in the country.  Yep, Larry Johnson from Odessa Junior College, is coming to this small town in the dessert.   There is plenty of more talent coming this way (or already here) but the one thing the Rebels do not have is a dominant seven-footer.  The aforementioned sophomore Sidney Green had a terrific first year in the Big West but he is only 6’9 (more of PF size) and when he came up against bigger, more experienced players he could not keep up.  Johnson will help as he is beast underneath but only goes 6’7.  If Tark could find a Walton or a Gilmore or even a Sam Lacey, the sky would be the limit for his Rebels.  After all a front line of Walton, Green and Johnson could match up with anyone including the mighty Bruins or the Jayhawks or heck even the Cougars of Houston.  But, alas, Tark does not have that dominant seven-footer so he will try and outscore everyone with his vaunted fast break and amoeba defense once again.  Even without a true center, I wouldn’t bet against the Shark.  

Speaking of dominant centers, quite arguably the most underappreciated big man (and vastly under recognized) is playing in Albuquerque New Mexico.  You might not have heard of him but Senior Sam Lacey might be the most complete big man not playing in San Francisco on West Side of the country.  Like Mr. Russell, Lacey goes either 6’9 or 6’10 depending on how many pairs of socks he has on and can do a little of everything. Well.  Lacey is a solid rim protector (nowhere near Bill of course) and a terrific board man.  Sure, he does not score a ton but he is a terrific passer from the high post and sets a screen that feels like a wall.  I am not saying Lacey is anywhere near Big Lou offensively (who is) but as he showed last year is the Aggies terrific run, he does a bit of everything and almost wills this team to win.  Lacey’s sidekick for the last three years has been Jimmy Collins.  Collins is as consistent on the perimeter as Lacey is inside and the soul to Lacey’s big heart.  Collins is no Reggie Theus of UNLV as far as talent goes on the wing but he knows the game and gets the job done with smarts and persistence.  Fellow senior George Knighton is another key piece who led the team in scoring two years ago but now shares time with Houston phenom Edgar Jones next to Lacey.  Coach Lou Henson is in good hands with this group but the season might come down to how well the enigmatic but super John Williamson plays.  This basketball prodigy from way back east (Connecticut) can flat score with anyone on any given night but has this tendency to get a little lax in his mentality and his conditioning.  He did score 34 in their first round win last year in the Big Dance but will have to live with the missed three to take this team to the sweet 16.  That was a contested 25 footer and three pointers are not his bread and butter but this kid truly thinks he can do anything and sometimes on the basketball court it seems like he can. 

The third member of the mighty triumvirate from outside the borders is not Alex Leifson but rather the other Aggies in this league.  The kids from Logan Utah share a moniker with the boys from Albuquerque (and many other ag schools) and they plan on giving them a run for the penultimate position in the Big West.  They play on running with the Rebels too but this program likes to take it one step at a time.  Utah State does not have the overall talent of the two lead dogs but they do have one player as good as anyone as the preseason pick to be the MVP of the league, at least from the media.  Senior Wayne Estes is a 6’6 basketball savant who has the size (and girth) to bang for buckets down low and the touch to step out and hit 25 foot bombs as well.  He led the Big West in scoring last year with over 21 a game as Baby Huey (or Crisco as he likes to be called) became a phenomenon in these parts.  If he played back East, Estes would be a household name but unless you watch these teams play live, you would not know how good this kid is.  After all this conference does not have it’s own TV channel and relies on regional stations to grab their games.  Even the best teams might get 5 or 6 games a year, all regional, unless you are the Rebels who the big -time networks are grabbing as much as they can get.  Too bad as he is the real deal.  As popular in Montana as he is in Utah (he comes from Anaconda), Estes does not look like a basketball player being a pudgy 230 on that 6’6 frame and almost chalk white.  But as he showed UNLV last year in their trip to Logan (this is not Vegas Sid) by leading the Aggies to a 102-98 upset with 35 points including a big three to decide the game with under ten seconds to go that he is not some great white hype.  Coach Stew Morrill knows where his bread is buttered and will continue to feed his big man this year.  His job is to find enough support to get this team back to the Big Dance.  The Aggies have consistently been good wherever they have roamed but never got over the hump of being a national entity and they want to change all of that this year.  Morrill does have some solid ‘role’ players including senior wing Shaler Halimon and junior Marvelous Marv Roberts, who can play just about anywhere on the court.  The key to this team’s success will be the guard play as like most teams in this league their perimeter game is lagging behind the inside game.  If this team can guard the rim and the three and can find some playmakers on the perimeter, they could surprise the big two.  One thing is for sure in Logan, Estes will be a legend before he leaves for the next level of life. 

When UNLV joined the Big West a few years back, all but one team voted for their admittance.  One guess on who the program who voted against them is?  Yep, the team from Orange County do not like the Rebels.  Or better put, the Long Beach State 49ers do not like Jerry Tarkanian.  The coach that left them in the lurch after many recruiting violations got them a year’s probation was asking to join their league?  This was not exactly the United Nations Security Council and a veto vote as you can see the Rebels got in but the point was made.  And taken!  Funny thing happened on the way to the forum, though.  Last year’s coach decided to leave the 49ers hanging once again as former Coach Seth Greenberg abruptly quit in early May.  His reason was the fact that after a terrific 21-9 season in the Long Beach, his team not only did not get a ticket to the Big Dance but got left out of all post season play.  He left for the East side of the country and the 49ers were scrambling.  They grabbed Gonzaga puppet master Dan Monson who led the Bulldogs to their first Big Dance last year.  He left the team in the hands of assistant Mark Few as he moved south with this much more prestigious program.  Monson, a coaches kid, is behind the eight ball but does have All-American candidate Ed Ratleff leading the team into battle.  Ohio native Ratleff is the most complete player in the league and perhaps in the country.  Really.  This 6’6 prodigy was the leading scorer, rebounder and assist guy last year for the 9ers.  And yes, like Magic, he has a cool name.  ‘Easy’ Ed does not get the recognition of Mr. Johnson from Michigan but the two had some showdowns back in prep and many believe Ratleff was better then.  And still is today.  Monson will rely on Juco’s as is the way in Long Beach since Tark set that tone but has enough experience coming back to compete with the top three.  John Rambo is as tough as his name suggests and is part of a large crew of post players who can bang down low.  Juniors Bob Lynn and Francois Wise and one half of the Wiley brothers (Michael and sophomore brother Morlon who is a pg) plus fellow senior Sam Robinson give Monson depth with better talent coming the way of the JC route.  When relying on the JC kids as much as the 9ers do, you do not know how quick the team will gel but one thing is for sure is this team will have enough talent (and toughness) to hang with anyone in the Big West.  Even those hated Rebels. 

The Pacific Tigers were an original member of this California league but have always been sort of an outsider to the rest of the schools of this league.  After all, the rest of the schools are part of the California public higher education system (thus the UC in front of their names).  Pacific is a private religious based school in Stockton California that jumped out of the West Coast Conference to join this group of similar but not alike children.  The Tigers have been competitive since they arrived based on a dominant inside game but have not been able to drink from the golden challis.  This year coach Dick Stevens will rely on size and experience to try to get back to the Big Dance (they got there when they were in the WCC).  Seniors LeRoy Ellis and Keith Swagerty team with junior John Gianelli and sophomore Ron Cornelius to form the best front line outside of that team from LA.  There is depth up there as well with players like seniors Jack Toomay and Nick Romanoff and junior Jim McCargo waiting in the wings for their shot.  Cornelisu is the key here as he goes 6’9 and is more of an inside guy but needs to be able to guard wings for this big lineup to work which it did at times last year but had troubles against more athletic teams ie UNLV.  Man cannot survive on big men alone so as good as this group is Edwards knows that his Tigers must get better in the back court.  Junior point guard John (on the side) Errecart is a solid point guard who gets the ball to the big men and can bust a zone up to about 18 feet but has not transferred his game to the new three point line as of yet.  He is not all that athletic either.  Senior Ken Stanley will start next to Errecart and can score but is more of a mid-range warrior as well.  The best hope on the wing is fellow junior Myron Jordan.  This 6’8 kid from Oakland is green as they come but with his size and athleticism could be something special if he, like Errecart, can get some range on his jump shot.  That is modern basketball and Stevens has recruited accordingly because he knows if his team can figure out how to shoot and get other teams from packing it in defensively.  There are rumors that Stevens may be leaving for greener pastures and with this team’s best players soon to be moving on as well this might be the last best chance to go dancing again. 

The rest of the teams in this league are part of the California mafia.  Fresno State fits in that group in more ways than one but this program has long struggled to compete at this level.  One of the first ‘normal’ schools in California, Fresno was an original member here and one of the flagship programs.  Fresno is located right dab in the middle of the Golden State, far away from those monster population bases to the south and north.  This has positives and negatives as both NoCal and SoCal wants them but they never really belong to or in either.  This agriculture based community is proud and desperately wants a program in either football or basketball of their own that they can brag about and own.  With that in mind the Bulldogs took a huge chance on a coach from Idaho who had built one of the best Juco programs in the country.  Boyd Grant matriculated down to Fresno and immediately does what he does which is not like anyone else.  Of course, he was going to go after JC kids (he knows that world all too well) but this not so tiny man also brought his lockdown defense to this high flying league.  The ‘General’ (he hates that nickname) figures that if he only has kids for a couple of years then it is easier to teach them defense cohesively as a unit.  Makes sense.  You are also getting kids who might be athletic as heck but also have some flaws in their game offensively or other reasons.  Grant’s Bulldogs took the league by storm last year getting off the porch to challenge the big dogs.  They finished above .500 not only overall but in the conference schedule as well.  Now, the hardest thing in the world for any coach is to not just replicate this but to go higher.  Especially when you are relying on two year commitments.  Imagine if you will the military only had soldiers for two years.  Grant does have a base of four-year guys to plant his flag around but they are not exactly Lacey and Collins.  Hometown kid Gary Alcorn has been the main man in the paint since he got here three years ago.  Alcorn has some size at 6’8 and 225 but is more a power forward then center and this team needs a rim protector.  He can score and board with the best of them, though, but he has not been the best proponent of Grant’s new defense.  Still, he is the only guy on the roster that is assured of starting as Grant will remake his entire team based on who he has brought in.  Grant’s first class does have some solid kids who made a huge impact primarily forwards Bernard Thompson, Rod Higgins and Peter Verhoven.  Thompson brings some offense to the wing with a great mid-range game who can run the court.  Higgins and Verhoven fit the Grant template perfectly as they are defense first players who do all of the little things to make the team better.  Now he has to find a center and some back court players who fit this mold and this would be a perfect team.  At least in Tiny’s world view.

Right dab in the middle of Silicon Valley is a public school where most of the students priority is getting a foot in the door in that technological epicenter.  Sports are not the priority at San Jose State University.  These Spartans have long struggled with their role in the grand scheme of things but no matter how good (or bad) the basketball team is that will not matter to a large part of these students who know they are living their best life.  The irony is that how much this is a culture of constant change the administration is content with keeping old school Walt McPherson is in charge of the basketball program.  McPherson did lead this program into the national tourney but that was many moons back, way before the Big West was even thought of.  With that in mind, the Spartans do have some talent coming back, especially up front.  Seniors Coby Dietrick and Darnell Hillman form a fine combo up front and complement each other well.  Dietrick is a 6’11 230 pound center who is as consistent as they come and relies on his size and strength to dominate down low.  He can score and board and guard a rim but rarely gets more than few inches off the ground.  Hillman is the opposite of that.  This 6’9 kid (7’2 with the afro) from Sac town is a human highlight film who can throw it down with the best of them.  He is green with this moves and is better in the open court as he has not figure out the intricacies of the low post game.  But this incredible athlete is too gifted not to play, and play often.  McPherson also has a piar of juniors who are terrific in their role.  Small forward Wally Rank is Mr. Solid and comes to play every night but the most important player on this team is guard Ken Mickey.  Mickey is a great set-up guy who can also score and in a league that is front court dominated might be the best true point guard in the league.  The Spartans are good enough to compete in this league but need a jolt of whatever is going around these parts with some hope and faith for what they are doing.  In the words of Stuart Smalley, ‘these Spartans are good enough’ but they got to figure out this for themselves. 

Fullerton California is not exactly the happiest place on earth but it is damn close.  The Titans of this town have distinct Mickey envy sort of like this basketball program has with their brethren in the Big West.  This program has for years been kept in the cellar, sort of like that infamous nursery rhyme that Walt made famous.  Like that heroine, Fullerton did, a few years back, have their Cinderella run through the conference tournament before the clock struck midnight in the Big Ball.  The coach that led them on this magical run, Bobby Dye, is going the opposite direction of Tiny Grant as he is moving on up to Idaho.  Like Grant, Dye is a defensive minded coach who takes his trade to the Gem State as Fullerton looks to keep up with the Jones’s of the Big West and become more offensive.  Like Dye, Burton will rely on Juco transfers to supplement his roster but he does have a solid core group of players to build upon.  Foremost of these are senior studs Edgar ‘Bean’ Clark, Leonard Guinn and Jon Brettman, a trio of players who are basically the cornerstone of this program.  These guys were here when this was still a junior college (dominant albeit) and have moved up as this program grew.  The first two came out from Motown together with no idea they would be the pioneering Titans they became.  Brettman is a thoroughbred from Santa Ana who can leap out of the gym.  These guys have had some growing pains moving up the ranks (they are not large men) but are back for one more run and will try to replicate that ‘magic’ they had when they led that surprising run for the roses.  The best returning player was also on that team as junior Greg Bunch was a first year stud who was the key to the run.  This 6’6 forward never takes a bad shot and this San Bernadino kid can do it all on the court.  And sometimes has to.  Not really a power player, Bunch has had to play too much low post especially on defense for the Titans but Burton has supposedly brought in some big guys to help down low.  And boy do they need it as the biggest returning Titan is Henry Turner, a sophomore who was on the JV all last year, who goes 6’7.  This will not get it done against the Pacific’s and NMSU’s of this league.  Burton has hit the new portal hard and has a few studs coming into town from established programs such as Arizona and Wichita State.  It is always good to look at these team’s benches and find some players who are not getting their shot.  Leon Wood is a point guard from Arizona stuck in that numbers game behind a program filled with great perimeter play.  He led a national team to a title in the PanAm games that featured some huge stars but Wood was the glue who averaged over 7 assists a game.  Ozell Jones is also coming home like Wood, both are LA kids, after a trip to Wichita Kansas where he found out the Shockers have a plethora of big men who can play.  Jones goes 6’11 and is developing but has athleticism and that thing you cannot teach.  These Titans of industry er basketball want to ‘shock’ the world again but that will per usual around this league depend on how good these transfers adjust to this level and more importantly bond as a team. 

Just above LA in picturesque Santa Barbara they too have a basketball team.  You might not know this program exists unless you are a Gaucho but they do indeed compete at the D-1 level at least in basketball.  UCSB was another one of the original members in this conference and like some of their brethren choose not to participate in football so basketball is indeed king of the court which in the case is called the Thunderdome.  This venue has become a huge home court advantage almost instantly.  Coach Jerry Pimm’s team did not have a great (or even good) season last year and will rely on some transfers and recruits to compete once again.  The best returning is a king as well.  Doug Rex is a junior post player who can really score and board.  T, as he is called for obvious reasons, goes 6’8 215 and can take his game outside a bit but lacks the kind of athleticism some other programs have in this league even down low.  His sidekick at forward, John Tschogi, another junior, can run and gun with the best of them.  Like most teams this team needs a defensive presence inside and they might just have one in sophomore Eric MacArthur.   MacArthur only goes 6’7 but he is a man amongst boys in the paint and will definitely throw one back at you if you come into his property.  The fans of the Thunderdome love this warrior and he would be a national name if he was a little bigger but I guarantee you the coaches of the Big West (and especially players) know about the Freeze’s presence.  Fellow sophomore Carrick Dehart is a terrific long-range bomber who will only improve as he goes and has a chance to be great, especially in the modern game.  Pimm does not have much depth on this roster but he does have some ‘clones’ who know how to play.  Now if the XR4TI crew can come through the Gauchos could move up the Big West totem pole exponentially. 

The program picked to feature in the ‘basement’ of the league is a California based school but came along with the newbies when they expanded.  Irvine might be right in the middle of the basketball culture in LA but not because of this program.  Much like this city (which was not incorporated until 1971) this is very much a Johnny come lately.  Coach Bill Mulligan took over this fledgling program last year and did bring in a solid nucleus of four-year players.  These kids competed but were over their head but the best thing is they got time on the court against D-1 competition and will only get better.  Sophomore front court players Tod Murphy, Ben McDonald and Wayne Englestad are not just the future of this program but the present as well.  Mulligan was once a JC coach so knows that world and will supplement his program with JUCO players including one of his own from Saddlebrook. Another Sophomore to be, Kevin MaGee is a 6-8 230 pound stud from Gary Indiana who averaged 25 and 15 in his one year at Saddlebrook but had some issues off the court and had to wait a year to become eligible here.  If he as half as good in Irvine as he was for Mulligan two years ago, this team has a real chance of getting out of the cellar.  The Anteaters, yes that’s their nickname, do not need help up front as Mulligan needs to find the MaGee equivalent in the back court.  This team does not have a legitimate D-1 player on the returning roster on the perimeter and unless some of the kids coming in are the next coming of Gail Goodrich, this program is in trouble.

The Big West is not a new conference.  They have been competing for years now primarily as a California only league.  That all changed a few years ago when the powers to be invited outsiders from Nevada, New Mexico and even Utah to their large (at least area wise) conference.  The expectations immediately raised and the reality came to fruition when two of these new schools were invited to the Big Dance.  This league was always a one-team league but not only has that changed but with new powerhouse UNLV on board the national recognition as well as scrutiny has increased ten-fold.  Coach Jerry Tarkanian has got his Rebels runnin’ and his high octane offense was the top-scoring group in the country averaging over 100 points a game.  The Shark might have the biggest range of opinion of any coach in the country but love him or hate him you cannot ignore what he is doing in Sin City.  The Aggies from both New Mexico State and Utah State both look to knock the Rebels off the top of the block and have the rosters to challenge.  As for the California schools, Long Beach, Pacific and Fresno have solid teams and could move up if any of those three drop.  Good programs but nowhere near the talent of those ‘other’ schools.  The final four from San Jose, Fullerton, Santa Barbara and Irvine are nowhere near the level of the others schools in talent or history.  They will rely on Juco and portal kids so these prognostications are incomplete but unless they bring in the next coming of Magic and Russell, these programs will be battling to stay above water in the Big West.