Pac-10 Conference Overview

Still, the Bruins do have an Achilles heel as their back court is good but not at the level of some of the teams battling for the golden ring.  Even in this league where UCLA holds a large advantage over other teams (no other program is a preseason top 25) there are deeper and more complete back courts.  Seniors Walt Hazzard and Gail Goodrich can flat play but compared to the waterbugs that dot the PAC-10 nowadays they are Clydesdales especially on defense.  The way the Bruins recruit that could all be solved with some incoming guard studs but Coach Wooden will not allow his freshmen to play so if the Bruins do not win it all once again we will know why? 

Behind the mighty boys from Westwood there are several teams that will compete for second place including the archrivals from NoCal.  Stanford and Cal have played some epic games in all sports and this year both teams will be in the running for post season berths.  The Cardinals lost the best player in program history and one of the greatest ever to lace them up in the great Hank Luisetti.  The man who developed the one hand runner and was the top offensive player in the country before he graduated after last season will be missed but new Coach Mike Montgomery brings in a new energy to a program that had become stagnant over the last few years.  Losing double digit games last year even with the great Luisetti, the Cardinals brought in the coach from Montana to make a change in Silicon Valley where they love change.  Things are already looking up as Montgomery has supposedly brought in a superb recruiting class filled with size to combat those boys from Westwood.  Montgomery will teach his tough no nonsense defense to these overachievers from Palo Alto but will he be able to get these kids ready for D-1 level of play quickly.  There are a couple of stud holdovers though as forwards George Yardley and Jim Pollard are as good as they get.  They have shined in the shadow of Luisetti as terrific role players but now is their time to step out and show the world how great they are.  And they are terrific players, maybe as good as Luisetti when all is said and done.  But it’s much easier being the sidekick than the lead horse which they will soon find out.  The Golden Bears of Cal are in a similar position as legendary big man coach Pete Newell has a group of core veterans he has relied on but it has not been all that successful lately so he is rebuilding with a great group of incoming freshmen.  Big man Darrell Imhoff is the glue here as his defense makes the vaunted Bear fast break go (sound familiar bay city) but he needs much help up front.  The backcourt is in good hands with junior Phil Chenier and sophomore Kevin Johnson but supposedly there is an even better talent coming to Berkeley in freshman Jason Kidd from up the bay in Oakland.  Time will tell but if Newell can get some forwards to play up to the speed of this team and they can board a bit better you might see some dancing bears in March.

 The biggest rival for the Bruins and quite arguably their biggest competitors for the PAC-10 title are right in their backyard in the USC Trojans.  The Trojans obviously are more known for their incredible football program but have got studs on the court as well including a plethora of back court talent.  Coach Bob Boyd will almost for sure play a three-guard set to get the superlative trio of senior Bill Sharman and juniors Paul Westphal and Gus Williams on the court at the same time.  They can match up with anyone but the Trojans are weak up front and when you are in the same town as the Bruins with their dynamic duo up front that is a problem.  Still, this team will score and be hecka fun to watch but can they defend down low and especially can they board?  Junior Cliff Robinson is a fine power forward but at 6’9 220 has played too often at center on this team.  If USC finds a real center (no Don Mosebar, not you) with some real size who can at least pretend to match up with Alcindor or Walton (yes, we are talking about you Tiny Taylor) they might have a chance.  If not, USC will be battle to get back to the NIT which for a University this prestigious is not going to get many boosters boosting.  Heck, they might not even send those ‘sweater’ girls to support them for that. 

The Washington Huskies will like every other program besides UCLA be in the dog fight to finish above 500 and post season berths.  Coach Tippy Dye has an experienced roster and tons (and I do mean that literally) of size unlike most of the programs in this conference not from Westwood.  With Senior stud Bob Houbregs being joined by a plethora of post players including intimidating junior monster James Edwards and German born sophomore Christian Welp (his sidekick who came to Seattle with him Detlef Schrempf might be the best player on the team but probably won’t start ahead of senior Jack Nichols) Udub can bang with anyone.  The problem is will these Huskies be able to run as the weakness of the team, ala UCLA, is definitely the backcourt.  In a league full of superb backcourts that could hurt but we should see how good this team will be as they host an early tourney called the Battle in Seattle with three other programs who are in the same position they are which is trying to develop a resume for the post season in what is truly a bracket busting suare. 

The Huskies’ Washington brethren and most hated rival to the East have much work to do to compete this year.  The Cougars of Washington State have nowhere near the resources playing in tiny Pullman as any other team in this conference and it is not easy recruiting kids to a cold city with a population of about 20,000 and that is when school is in.  Legendary Coach Jack Friel who once led the Cougs to a final was replaced by recruiting and tennis shoe man George Raveling who has connections everywhere.  He will need it as this is by far the least talented roster in the league and unless he pulls off a miracle the basement is where these Cougs will reside in this long, cold winter.  There is a room full of seniors who once tasted glory including Paul Linderman, Vince Hanson, Ray Sandusky and Gale Bishop but that was an awful long time ago and back to back last place finishes do not exactly have the townspeople of Pullman excited about the upcoming winter.  The best two players on the team are juniors, big man Steve Pudoikas and wing Don Collins but neither one of these guys would make the roster for UCLA.  There is that big of a gap in talent in this league.  

Both Oregon schools are in the same situation with each other with the Ducks and Beavers looking to grab some post season love.  Coach Slats Gill’s Beavers look like the odds on favorite to finish second as he has an experienced and complete roster ran by a point guard that is one of the best defenders in the country.  Sophomore Gary ‘the Glove’ Payton came up from Oakland (he and Kidd used to have some games under the bridge) and has that street ball mentality.  Is he the missing link to a fine team that could move up in the polls as the season progresses?  A solid inside game led by fellow sophomores Steve Johnson who never takes a bad shot or seemingly misses from close range and A.C. Green who is tough on the boards and can score too plus seniors Red Rocha and seven-footer Mel Counts give this team a great chance of going to the postseason.  But that will all depend on how well they shoot and to be honest how well they perform in big games as that has not been their forte as the Beavers have suffered some huge upsets just when you thought they were ready to take that next step into being a powerhouse. 

The Ducks are nowhere near as deep or as talented and Coach Howard Hobson was let go after a disastrous season last year that saw the Eugene boys tumble to 8th in the league.  The once mighty ‘Tall Firs’ are still around including Eugene legend Slim Wintermute who seemingly was around when legendary and huge home court advantage MAC Court was built back in the 20’s.  The Ducks will need that advantage as this once proud and historic group has been surpassed in talent and style of ball and it is up to new Coach Ernie Kent to bring in some fresh blood.  One guy he will not have to replace is junior guard Ron Lee who is as tough as they come and does everything well and is a true leader.  I can’t wait for more showdowns between him and Payton as the two similar style players might shut each other out from scoring! 

The Arizona schools are the newest members of this league but both have made huge strides in moving up in this great league.  The UA Wildcats has their struggles under first year Coach Lute Olson but there was improvement.  Led by a super first year class (now sophomores) the Wildcats relied on solid inside play from veterans and good guard play from everywhere but the key was potential superstar Sean Elliott at the three.  This kid is the real deal and if he continues to improve as much as he did last year, he could be an all-timer.  The Wildcats have a long way to go and unless they get bigger inside have no chance against UCLA or even Udub for that matter.  and right now there only viable big man is another Elliott, junior Bob, so Olson knows what he has to do and has supposedly recruited a killer freshman class. 

The Sun Devils, under Ned Wulk, also took a huge step forward though they kind of flamed out at the end.  Senior Joe Caldwell is a ridiculous athlete who leads the show here but Wulk has had back to back stellar classes that have emphasized different needs.  The juniors to be are filled with post players like Scott Lloyd, Tony Zeno and Kurt Nimphius who have evolved into solid players.  The sophomores to be are terrific perimeter players such as Lafayette ‘Fat’ Lever, Byron Scott and Paul ‘Rainy Days and Mondays’ Williams.  These kids can fly up and down the court.  And the incoming class has a mix of even better talent coming in.  Wulk is building something great in the desert but these kids still need to learn how to play in the bright lights of D-1.  There is plenty of talent here inside and out and the key will be how Wulk manages this team as you can only play five guys at a time and most importantly if they will produce under pressure.  The world is their oyster. 

The Pac-10 is a historic conference with more success than any in all sports including basketball but of course much of that is due to the mighty Bruins who could be as big of lock as any team not named Kentucky to win their conference this season.  The real question for the Bruins is how far can their two superstar big men take them and we are most definitely talking about the top of the heap at the end of the year.  For the rest of the league almost every other program will challenge for number two and beyond and those oh so coveted post season berths.  Yes, even WSU.