The Hilltoppers come into the year with high hopes.  They have a veteran team and some good young recruits but knew they had a tough schedule.  Diddle will rely on the ‘machine’ he has built and a unique system that has plenty of big men and wings but no true point guard.  Diddle is ahead of his time with this approach as he understands how important shooting and athleticism have become to this game. Even with all of this talent he has accumulated Diddle is still smart enough to know he has to get his best talent in the Sun Belt but wants his team ready to play whoever in the post season. The one downside to this program and perhaps part of the reason the Hilltoppers do not get the recognition they deserve is the fact they have not done well at the Big Dance.  In the old days when NIT was king Diddle’s boys did well but even then never won a national title and they want all of that to change.  Diddle is willing to take chances and do things a little different in Bowling Green to finally get this program where it deserves to be.  IN the elite program of college basketball.  It is already that but nobody knows that.  Yet!

In Bowling Green the best talent is a terrific group of wings albeit undersized who can flat let it fly. But you better be able to defend if you want to stay on the court on Diddle’s team.  The Sun Belt improved as soon as they convinced the and was a top 15 conference with 4or 5 real contenders for the league crown.  The Hilltoppers may have been the big dog on this porch and are one of highest rated mid-major in the preseason rankings.  This of course did not guarantee them anything but the Hilltoppers schedule does not help much as the only other top 25 program willing to play them is Louisville and coach Denny Crum.  Crum completely understands where Diddle and his program is coming from as he had to make a deal with his old mentor John Wooden to play Kentucky just so he the Cardinals will have a chance of playing the wiley Wildcats. They also have a great rivalry against each other helping to make sure that the fans and the talking heads know there was are other great program coming from the Bluegrass State! 

Part of the issue is that the Hilltoppers feel beholden to their old rivals from the Ohio Valley Conference and we are not just talking the Racers. They will play six of eight remaining teams in the league with the only programs they don’t get a shot at being Tennessee State (who replaced them) and Eastern Illinois.  Heck, they even play East Tennessee State who also left the OVC but for the Southern conference and were replaced by the EIU.  The funny thing is only one of these games against the old OVC teams will come at EA Diddle Arena (told you he was a legend) with the infamous red center court named by Assistant Coach Johnny Oldham (the first All-American for this illustrious program who has moved on to coach Tennessee Tech after sitting next to Diddle for a few years) to honor Diddle.  Why Red?  You see Diddle has always clutched a red towel during his career and the reason he has always had a red towel is quite funny. Right after the War (yes the Big War) athletes started taking towels home with them after showers. To combat this the administration came up with the idea of coloring all of the athletes red to make them stand out.  Who knows if this ploy worked to reduce towel thievery but it did become the ‘flag’ for the Hilltoppers team especially since Diddle either chews one up or waves it after victories.  WKU does not play in front of any empty seats especially since they reduced the capacity of Diddle to around 7500 and most fans wave that red flag non-stop.  This really is a family in Bowling Green and Diddle knows how to keep the great Hilltop tradition growing.  He plays as many as 10 or 11 players a night and keeps everyone involved. As he has shown year after year the next guy on the assembly line is almost always ready to step up when it is his turn after a few years of seasoning on the vaunted JV team.  He does not recruit Juco kids as that would get in the way of the machine as it is built on doing your job and if you work hard enough you will get your shot.  Seniority is real in Bowling Green.  He also has the kind of talent that replaces itself as they learn through competition in practice which is sometimes tougher than the games! 

The best player on the team is junior Jim McDaniels, McDaniels is a stallion underneath. A true seven-footer (well almost at six foot eleven), McDaniels dominates smaller opponents with sheer strength and size.  He is not just big as he has the kind of skill set that matches up well against other big men especially in the Sun Belt.  This kid from just up the road in Scottsville was a legend in high school (he averaged 40 points a game) and was a huge recruit for Diddle and especially Oldham who had taken over most of the recruiting.  He wanted to come play in Bowling Green and was the main man as soon as he walked on campus. Though the Hill has had it’s fair share of gifted big men in it’s historical past, none were nearly as talented as Big Jim.  He might not have a song written about him but he sure seems he could pull out any number of people out of a mine shaft.  Yes, he is that big and strong.  

The Hilltoppers also have a pair of blue collar forwards that the fans from this region just love.  Seniors Ralph Crosthwaite and Tom Marshall combine to prove old school players can still get the job done in the Sun Belt.  Both can score and are terrific on the boards.  Crosthwaite missed some games (everyone on this roster missed some games) but the six nine and 240 pound big man has a great low post game.  He can score, board, defend and pass, maybe not at the same level as McDaniels, but the big guy can play.  Crosthwaite came here five years ago (he did red shirt a year for personal reasons) and became the main man in the middle.  With his width and skills, he was bigger and better then the guys before him on the Hill but he still had to earn his job as the starting center.  There have been some issues playing him and McDaniels together as both are slumbering big men who do not get up and down the court well and have similar skills on the blocks.  Diddle will not put them on the court together for long periods of time.  Still, this Cincinnati Kid has had a terrific career for the Toppers and has one more year to get this team to the top of the hill.  He never takes a bad shot shooting over 60 percent from the field as he knows how to get to the hoop and make room with that huge body to finish.  He is an imposing big man in the paint that seems to control everything within 10 feet of the basket.  Big Ralph does not mind having a bit of fun but he is all business on the court. Marshall is not a big forward (only six four) but is like having an extra coach on the court he is that smart.  Marshall also has catcher mitt size hands that allows him to grab boards and handle the ball very well.  He is a terrific passer as well as board guy and is tough on defense and really can guard just about anyone. A great jumper who loves to finish and has a great touch from the corner, which he has extended out past the three point line, making him a huge offensive performer to the Toppers.  This Joliet Jake (he comes from Mount Joliet Tennessee) was the perfect wing for this team and really does run the court well.  Well, he did until he hurt his foot!  He hurt his foot midway through the year and never really seemed to get back up to full speed after missing a few games.  This injury was a huge part of the reason the Toppers were not quite the same down the stretch last year. He is back to full form after an offseason of rest (and a Minor surgery) and will combine with Crostwhaite and McDaniels to form easily the best front court in the Sun and maybe even in the entire South.    

Diddle, per usual, had a huge rotation as these two positions as he tried to get some more athleticism on the court.  An entire group of Topper big men shuttled down to secondary roles as Diddle went with some underclassmen with a little more athleticism and size.  Blackie Towery, Bobby Lavoy, Art Spoelstra and Don ‘Duck’ Ray all ended up on the deep end the bench which they all accepted as being part of the ‘Machine.’  One senior, Greg Smith, actually got some serious PT in Diddle’s big rotation and was productive on the front line.  He seems to be the type of guy who is smart and always seems to be in the right place at the right time.  He is undersized at only six five but got some big minutes for this team as Diddle went with his athleticism at the four over Crosthwaite especially in the second half.  He is not much of a scorer but with McDaniels down low they needed more of a role player than someone else eating up space in the paint.  He truly relished his role which cannot be said about some of his fellow seniors.  Junior Clarence Glover may have the best body to battle in the trenches next to McDaniels at power forward but he is wildly inconsistent. He needs to increase his offensive skill set but he is tough on the boards.  He did hit the biggest shot of the year for the Hilltoppers with his tricky ’shoestring’ shot versus the Bulldogs in the conference championship game.  Six ten sophomore Tellis Frank got some quality minutes at forward as the year progressed.  This was on the JV but he is ready to roll this year and might be able to help up front if Diddle calls him up.  Frank is an all-around player who blocks shots as well as guarding wings on the perimeter.  He is their best defender up front and was huge to the success of this club.  His offensive game has to be more consistent but he should get some minutes this year as his game continues to role uphill.  Fellow sophomores Kannard Johnson and Clarence Martin had solid seasons on the JV and both will get their chance down the road.  Johnson could start someday as he is a solid all-around forward who can score and really runs the court well.  Martin is defensive presence who could play some at center behind McDaniels if the behemoths that are lurking have trouble.   

The toughest guy on this team and the Captain is senior guard Clem Haskins. Haskins is completely no nonsense.  He will do whatever it takes to win.  He is tough as they come which belies the nickname of Clem the Gem.  He is a Gem if you are talking about being hard and impossible to hurt.  Haskins is another small-town Kentucky kid (Campbellsville) who Diddle made it a point to bring to Bowling Green and not just to break the color line.  This kid is a special player who will do ‘whatever’ it takes to win!  Haskins plays basketball with absolutely no abandon.  His defense is almost as legendary as his scowl but he is also a terrific offensive weapon.  He plays wing but also was the primary point guard on offense.  That is if you call what the Hilltoppers offense even has a real point guard?  At least he led the team in assists and with his ability to get to the hole he makes things easier for the gifted jump shooters on the roster.  He is also a terrific rebounder who can jump out of the gym and at six three guarded much bigger wings on a regular basis.  Haskins is also not afraid to mix it up as shown by his sprained wrist (some say broken hand) that he got during the Murray State game. His stats got hurt after he returned but he did return and thank goodness because the four games he missed this was just not the same team without their fearless leader. He actually ended up under 14 points a game which was still second on the team to McDaniels but led the team before his injury and also dropped down to just five boards a game.  Still, 13.5, 5 and 4.5 are pretty dang good stats which maybe only 20 other guys in the country could match.  He and McDaniels easily made first team All-Sun Belt and Haskins probably would have won MVP of the league if not for the injury and should have at least earned All-American status even with the injury.  He plays to win and if he has to cross some lines (he and teammate Dwight Smith were the first blacks to play at Western Kentucky) or break a few rules he will.  And anyone who has ever been on the court against him will attest to that.  There was no questioning who the leader was on this team. 

The deepest and most talented position for Coach Diddle was the wings which of course Haskins was of course the commander.  Seniors Bobby Rascoe and Odie Spears were the incumbents coming into last year and started out well until mid-season injuries which opened the door for others to play.  Both are Kentucky country kids who can play. Rascoe with Hollywood looks can score and like all of the wings here is tough on the boards but had some limitations ball handling though he has always been primarily a shooter here.  Spears hails from Scottsville, the same town as McDaniels, as is a more complete player who actually played some point guard.  He is 6’5 and tough but is not the long-range shooter as some of his teammates but will be back again this year after he got a medical redshirt.   Sharpshooter Darel ‘the Aircraft’ Carrier has range out to the farm.  Carrier does not do much else but man can he shoot.  He missed a few games early but came on strong after Spears and Rascoe went down and may be the best long range shooter in the State of Kentucky.  Love to see him and Rex Chapman go toe to toe someday but of course that will have to happen at the next level.  The quick triggered small-town Kentuckian (Warren County) is not bashful about his abilities and is the perfect sixth man and comes off the bench firing from the cheap seats.  In today’s game kids who can shoot like Carrier have a huge future and he should have a bright future doing what he does best.  After all catch and shoot three point specialists do not grow on trees.  Not even in Kentucky though for some reason they do seem to grow more than their fair share in the Bluegrass State.  Senior Wayne Chapman and Junior Johnny Britt were in the pipeline but got never really got their shot as Diddle behind Haskins, Carrier, Spears, Rascoe and Smith.  Yes, the wings are in good shape in Bowling Green as that Hilltopper assembly line keeps turning. 

The aforementioned Smith is looking forward to having a terrific senior season teaming with his friend Haskins in the back court. The two came in together as the first black athletes in Topper history and have a goal to get a championship together.  Smith is not a true point guard by any means but he is by far the best ball handler on the roster.  A six five athletic kid who loves when he is pressured with the ball Smith is the ultimate team player.  He is a defensive stopper who’s ability to shut down other team’s quick point guards is legendary.  He teams with his buddy Haskins to form one of the best pressure back courts in the country and that includes the great Princeton Tiger duo of Brian Taylor and Armond Hill.  Their length and tenacity in the vaunted Topper half court trapping press is unparalleled. This is perfect for Diddle’s fiddling as it opens up Haskins and Smith to harass the entire perimeter and made the Topper defense even more formidable.  Smith and his brother Greg are both shy kids coming from Princeton (not that one) Kentucky just up the road and never really considered going anywhere but Bowling Green.  As a matter of fact there is a rumor that Adoph Rupp himself considered bringing in Smith as Dwight said ‘we would have never went there’ and jumped at Diddle’s offer to break the color line in Kentucky.  Sure, he and his friend (and now his brother) have taken some grief on the road but this kid just takes it all in and keeps doing his job.  And his job since he got here was being the quiet sidekick to the Haskins and the glue that holds this team together.  Smith and Haskins split did most of the work at point with players such as Sophomore Brett McNeal Junior Jim Rose getting minutes here but neither of them are true point guards either.  The only true point guard on the roster is senior Gene Rhodes but he has been surpassed as Diddle wants his best players on the court no matter what the position.  Rhodes will play but how much is yet to be seen as Diddle has a plan and he will make sure it gets done.  His way!

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers had another great season under Coach EA ‘don’t call me Edgar’ Diddle.  Blessed with a deep roster of talented and competitive players Diddle had one of the best mid major programs in the country.  The boys from Bowling Green once again won the Sun Belt Conference regular season and tournament title and earned a trip the national tournament. They were one of a handful of teams to win regular season and conference tournament crowns but once again bowed out early at the Big Dance.  They have a talented group coming back including big man Jim McDaniels and senior stalwarts Dwight Smith, Clem Haskins, Tom Marshall and Ralph Crosthwaite which forms one of the best starting fives in D-1. Even if the don’t have a true point guard. The goal is to get the recognition they deserve which means not just making the Big Dance but taking a few swirls around the dance floor. After all that might be the only place the Wildcats will finally play them!