How does a team get from a JC powerhouse to a conference champion in the matter of a few years?  First you have to find a Coach that can build a program both by instruction and recruiting!  So you bring in a High School Coach from Grace Idaho! No Really!  And Dick Motta was just the right guy for the job!  This glib Coach is not afraid to say what he thinks and he knows how to get kids to come out and play in Ogden Utah.  Ogden is one of the whitest bread cities on the planet and about 95 percent Mormon so to be able to get some of the kids he has got from some Urban areas is nothing short of a miracle! Not exactly parting the Great Salt Lake but a miracle nonetheless.  Motta and his mouth are that miracle!  Motta definitely knows basketball even if he never played the game (Howie anyone?) and he built this program by bringing in a slew of JC recruits (that makes sense for this former JC powerhouse).  

Motta goes into the season with a solid pair of Juniors to build his team around.  Wing Bruce Collins and big man Willie Sojourner are the best one-two combo in the conference and have been the building blocks for Motta.  These two have been there from the beginning and were counted on for leadership and more.  Collins is a 6’5 180 pound wing who understands the game and plays it the way it should be played.  Collins is a gifted scorer who can hit mid-range jumpers or go inside.  Smooth and graceful, Collins loves to mix it up and is much help on the boards.  He led the team in scoring last year with a terrific mid-range game that is a step above most Big Sky players.  Collins might not have quite the athleticism as some of the other wings in this league but he can play and was a vital part of the Wildcats offense and defense.  He will start at the two spot for now but can play either wing.  Collins does need to improve his ball handling and passing if he is going to stay as a guard.  Motta loves this kids heart and style and will keep him on the court no matter what his deficiencies.  Collins is clutch and loves to take the last shot which he did in the last game of the year in Laramie but missed the game winner.  This was an especially pitter pill for Bruce to swallow as he is from Rock Springs where he was a High School legend.  A summer at home will be hard for this kid but it might be just the inspiration he needs to take Hi-C to the next level (as if the guys biting at his heels for playing time wasn’t motivation enough?). 

Sojourner came from a little further away than Wyoming.  Willie was a kid from Philly (I am a poet and don’t know it) who loved swimming and only played basketball for one year.  That year was pretty good and when Motta got him to Ogden he knew this would be the guy to build his program around.  He showed him the hill with the Giant ‘W’ on it and told Willie that they would be adding an ‘S’ just for him.  Sojourner had given up swimming after his Dad told him there was no money in it and he wanted to come to Ogden (which led to some of the Sojourner family migrating West as Brother Mike soon followed but ended up at rival Utah).  Motta had to hide him away from other recruiters so he hid him in his basement for a week.  Good Choice.  From the moment he first took the floor as a Freshman this easygoing kid became the Man in Ogden.   He is a joker who has a constant smile and brings joy to his teammates and the game of basketball.  Sojourner is a supremely gifted big man who can hang with anybody in the paint.  He is a true post player who has a nice touch (baby hook and is terrific off the glass) and grabs every loose board.  Sojourner is the best rebounder in the conference and could have averaged more points and boards if the Cats would have not won so many games so easily.  He is a tremendous athlete as well as his swimming background has given him great stamina and he never gets hurt.  He can also jump to the moon (he is a seven foot high jumper) who at six nine seems to just be able to jump over anyone in this league.  He does not dunk much (he prefers easy finger rolls and tips) but when he throws one down it looks like his arm will go through the hoop.  He may be the most gifted big man in the conference but is not afraid to let his teammates join in the fun.  His unselfishness is legendary around Ogden as is his love to play the game.  Willie does not score as much as he could as he prefers to be a team player with winning coming first and loves to kick it out to one of his open teammates off a double team for a three or one of his patented over the shoulder passes to a cutter.  His teammates love him as he was voted team captain and is known for giving his compadres nicknames.  There would be no ‘The Thrill and the Show’ without SoJourner.  The ‘Fabulous Sojourner’ (yes he has a nickname too he got off a hotel billboard for a band) is also a tremendous low post defender who can block shots and his presence is always felt in the paint (guys seem to be looking over their head when they shoot in the key as he will come from anywhere for a block with his high flying antics).  He might not get the recognition of some of the other tremendous big men on the Western part of the country but he is as important to the success of his team as any of them!  Willie literally put this program on the map and Yes there is now a WS on that hill and deservedly so.  These two “Cats” lifted this program up to great heights and both should be counted on again for remarkable Junior seasons

As dominant as he is, Sojourner is not alone up front.  Seniors Dan Sparks, Larry Bergh, Eddie Tillman and Gene Visccher plus fellow Juniors Jimmie Watts, Al Dewitt, David Johnson and Richard Smith provide ample support and depth to a solid front line.  Watts is the favorite to be one of the starters, at least to begin the year, on the front line next to Sojourner.  Watts from Menlo Park California has that Snoop Dogg kind of vibe and is a smooth scorer.  Watts is thin but is capable underneath the boards but might be better suited as a three.  He does not have the skill set to be a wing except for the fact that ‘Mr. Motion’ is always moving up and down and all around the court.  He did get some minutes in at the wing last year but needs to improve his outside shooting to transition to the three full-time. Since day one when he got to Ogden, Watts has been a reliable player for the Wildcats no matter where he plays.  He relies on his athleticism (like Sojourner he is a gifted track athlete but in the long and triple jumps) to get his points and boards but at a skinny six seven Motta needed more bulk up front.  Enter Mr. Washington.  Rico like Sojourner hails from Philadelphia but Rico was a street legend as well as a High School Prodigy who dominated some All-Star games with some very elite players such as Billy Thompson who ended up at Louisville.  Problem was he never was very good at school and he did not have the grades for college.  Washington ended up going to a JC and did get his GED and suddenly found himself in Ogden just like Willie.  He was not eligible for a few games (8) but soon became a huge offensive weapon for the Wildcats.  Washington is only six seven like Watts but the difference is he a solid 225 and as strong as an ox.  He uses his strength and superb quickness to get position and then does whatever he wants.  He can score easily on much bigger men and thinks the basketball should be in his hands whether he is on offense or grabbing boards.  Washington was starting next to Sojourner by year’s end and though they might not be the biggest duo of post players on the West Coast they have become two of the best.  Sparks is a solid low post player who is better on the boards than scoring but can do both.  Sparks loves the game and really understands it but is a bit skinny for the battles down low.  6’8 200 pounds from Indianapolis, Sparks has only been here for 1 year after transferring from Vincennes JC.  Bergh is not much bigger at 6’8 210 and is more of a pounder.  Not much of a scorer this Walla Walla kid is there for the dirty work and is good at it.  Tillman is a tremendous rebounder but that was back in the JC days.  From just down the road in Clearwater this 6’3 kid is nowhere near big enough for D-1. Visccher might be the best of the senior bunch but at 6’6 200 is not big enough to play center which is what this team really needs.  This team recruits countrywide as these kids can attest with Visccher coming from Muskegon Michigan to play for the Wildcats.  This program has some special situations that have helped them transition into D-1 so quickly and so successfully.  First and foremost was finding Motta.  Second is the Mormon thing where they can bring in kids from everywhere.  And third, which Visccher showcases in a unique matter, is many kids get two years to grow and mature while on a ‘mission from God!’ Visccher was not on a mission though, he was in the military.  He left the program after two years to go serve at which time the Wildcats were still a JC.  He came back last year and played well as he can score on the block and is solid on the boards.  Still, he has problems defending at this level and like his two buddies is not a center.  One of the keys to this upcoming year is that Motta wants to be able to transition Sojourner into his more natural four and find somebody with more size to guard the rim.  Smith is the perfect candidate though he has not played much so far except for JV.  At 7’1 225 pounds from down in Green River Wyoming, Smith has the size Motta wants.  He also has the demeanor as he believes that paint is his and anyone coming into it needs to pay the price for wandering into the space he patrols.  His skill set and frame have not quite caught up but he will play more this year.  Much more!  This team needs him or one of the other seven footers coming in (or coming back) to step up and take some of the pressure off Sojourner.  Johnson has been Smith’s sidekick in crime since they arrived together.  This kid from Loomis California has some size at 6’9 but is more about his ability to shoot than banging inside.  Johnson is a solid corner shooter and with his size gets his shot off fairly easily but is not what the team needs.  He will play as he is not eligible for JV any longer but is in a battle for any minutes as good as the team is at the three and four.  Dewitt does have size at 6’8 and is a solid defender but this Alameda CA kid does not have much offense.  He has a chance for minutes though if none of the bigger guys work out.  He might be better suited for the three in reality.  Sophomore Royal Edwards is a 6’6 kid who is also built for the three but is way down the totem pole but might need some more seasoning on the JV squad.  These are good, solid players but none of them are at the level this program needs to hang with teams from the big time conferences.  As for the Big Sky these cats are more than good enough as long as Sojourner is on the court whatever position he is playing. 

The front line has some depth but the back court is kind of bare.  For now!     Senior Justus Thigpen starts the season as the primary backup off the bench to Collins at the two (though he hates being called a ‘two’ as he considers himself just a guard). Thigpen could play some point but is built to score.  Thigpen took the much traveled JC route but had a terrific season last year for the Wildcats with his ability to score.  You can almost call Thigpen Fred as he is the original Flint Michigan basketball prodigy with many others following in his huge footsteps.  Thigpen was recruited out of Flint JC by Motta and loved the water (even if it is salty) out west and immediately made his mark.  Thigpen is a great jump shooter but he does not have the defensive skills or size Motta needed to defend some of the more athletic two guards and is not quick enough for the ones in the Big Sky so he looks to his incoming class which is loaded for bear.  And Tigers!  And Bobcats!  And Grizzlies!   Fellow senior Sessions Harlan (what a name) is another Detroit area kid who came west.  The 6’0 kid with the great name, like Thigpen,  is not really a point guard either but is a solid all-around player.  He is down the line for minutes though due to his size but this kid has heart.  Senior Jerry Trice is also in the mix for minutes.  Trice is another Indianapolis kid who is athletic and can score and helps on the board.  At 6’3 190 he can get to the hoop but does not have great range but will get some time on the wings.  Todd Harper is similar at 6’4 but did not even start on the JV team last year.  This San Diego native has a ‘rainbow’ jump shot and his upside is immense but he has to get on the court.  The point guard situation is not as deep.  Or as good.  Senior Mike Sivulic is the incumbent but is limited.  Another solid player from the Midwest, the 5’11 Sivulic can distribute and score some.  Motta loves the Brookfield Ohio kid’s heart but would prefer someone a bit more dynamic.  Junior Mark Mattos is another pass first point guard who led the JV last year but has a good chance of starting.  Mattos can most assuredly set up his teammates (ask the law firm of Johnson, Smith and Harper about that) but does not score at all.  In today’s game the old point guard who doesn’t score much is obsolete and though Motta loves this template he knows he has to find a point guard who can not only score but hit some long-range bombs.  Motta has recruited accordingly. 

The Weber State Wildcats hope to continue the success that this program is known for.  Not many back East have heard of the basketball factory at Ogden Utah but it is there.  Coach Dick Motta has put together a great program that continues to thrive and will for the foreseeable future be the team to beat in the tough Big Sky Conference.  Motta has put together this program by bringing in some extremely talented players that have been overlooked by bigger programs and turned this Mormon town into a basketball hotbed deep in the heart of Utah.   The problem has never been the Big Sky but carrying their dominance into the Big Dance.  A couple of upsets there though and the Wildcats might just be the little darlings of the national media.  Of course you could say for a few teams out West!