Blue Ribbon Basketball Preview

[Fastbreak]

Blue Ribbon HL Predictions:
1) Cleveland State
2) Wright State
3) Green Bay
4) UIC
5) Butler
6) Milwaukee
7) Loyola
8) Detroit
9) Valpo
10) Youngstown State

POY Cedric Jackson CSU
Newcomer Shelvin Mack Butler

[Nutt House]

Summary of all of the Polls:

Horizon League:
1. Cleveland State
2. Wright State
3. UIC
4. Green Bay
5. Butler
6. Milwaukee
7. Valparaiso
8. Loyola
9. Detroit
10. Youngstown State

Blue Ribbon:
1) Cleveland State
2) Wright State
3) Green Bay
4) UIC
5) Butler
6) Milwaukee
7) Loyola
8) Detroit
9) Valpo
10) Youngstown State

Sporting News:
1. Cleveland State
2. Wright State
3. Valpo
4. UIC
5. Green Bay
6. Butler
7. Loyola
8. Milwaukee
9. Detroit
10. Youngstown State

Athlon:
1. Cleveland State
2. Wright State
3. Green Bay
4. Butler
5. UIC
6. Valpo
7. Loyola
8. Milwaukee
9. Youngstown State
10. Detroit

Lindy's:
1. Wright State
2. Cleveland State
3. Green Bay
4. Butler
5. Valpo
6. UIC
7. Loyola
8. Milwaukee
9. Detroit
10. Youngstown State

[Jazzfan]

Blue Ribbon is probably the most thorough of all of the preseason rags. I can't wait to see what they have to say about us when it is published on ESPN.

[Glory Days]

WSU's preview:
COACH AND PROGRAM
Happy days are here again in Dayton. Wright State is coming off back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in a while.

Last winter, the Raiders drew 4,903 per game to the Nutter Center, the second-best attendance in the Horizon League behind Butler. You could trace the good times back to March 31, 2006, the day the school hired Brad Brownell as its basketball coach. Brownell is 44-20 in two seasons, and to try and keep him around for a few more years, Wright State signed the Indiana native to a six-year deal through 2013-14.

Brownell was voted HL Co-Coach of the Year last season after leading the Raiders to a tie for second place in the regular season. Despite the loss of 2007 HL Player of the Year DaShaun Wood, Wright State saw little drop-off from the 23-win 2007 season when it had him working his magic.

"We had a good year," Brownell said. "We could have had a great year, but we lost a couple at the end that were close, and our schedule was a little tougher down the stretch last year. We can have another good team this year. How good I don't know. There are some question marks."

PLAYERS
Every team in every league has some kind of question marks. And every team in the Horizon League wouldn't mind having Wright State's backcourt tandem of Vaughn Duggins and Todd Brown.

Duggins (#44, 13.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.7 apg) is a 6-3 junior who played his way onto the all-conference first team last season. It's hard to find a flaw in Duggins' all-around game. He has started every game his first two years at Wright State and increased his stats in almost every category as a sophomore, while averaging 34.6 minutes. Duggins shot 44 percent from the field, 39.7 from three-point range and 72.3 at the free-throw line. He handed out 85 assists, second best on the team, and recorded 31 steals, also second best.

But stats aren't the whole story with Duggins. He's a go-to guy late in the game, he often defends the best perimeter player and he has a high basketball IQ that enables him to anticipate situations.

His running mate is Brown (#21, 12.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.1 apg), a 6-5 junior. Like Duggins, Brown is a two-year starter who seldom left the court last year. He shoots it a little better from three-point range (.423 3PT) and obviously uses his size to help out on the boards.

The third returning starter at guard is William Graham (#34, 5.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.5 apg), a 6-2 senior who mans the point. Graham ranked No. 4 in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (110-67) and led the Raiders with 40 steals. He gets the ball to the scorers and takes his own shot when it comes. Only 25 of his 133 attempts were from three-point range, an indication of his lack of range.

"William is solid," Brownell said. "He's not a big scorer, but logged a lot of minutes. He probably needs to play a little better."

If he doesn't, some of his minutes might go to N'Gai Evans (#11, 2.4 ppg, 0.6 rpg, 0.2 apg), a 6-2 sophomore. Evans saw his minutes increased toward the latter part of the season and he ended up averaging 8.7 per game. Whatever he brought to the table, it wouldn't appear to be distributing the ball. He logged only four assists in 165 minutes.

"He had a long way to go as a freshman and a couple of injuries helped him get some minutes," Brownell said. "He did do some nice things and hopefully that will give him some confidence. He'll have a chance to play double-figure minutes."

The point-guard position will be further enhanced if John David Gardner, (#4, 3.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.1 apg), a 6-4 junior, can stay healthy. Gardner followed Brownell to Dayton from UNC Wilmington. Last year he played only 11 games because of injuries.

"He's as unlucky a kid as I've ever coached," Brownell said. "He's had foot problems throughout his career. He's been hurt every year." The injuries have cost Gardner a step, but he could still be useful.

Continuing the theme of big guards there's Troy Tabler (#3, 5.0 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.9 apg), a 6-3 sophomore. Tabler hit 35.4 percent from three-point range and is probably ca-pable of better than that now that he's gotten through the late-season wall that hits most freshmen. He'll probably be a starter some day, but for now will come off the bench behind Duggins and Brown.

As set as they are on the perimeter, the Raiders do have some question marks in the paint. The two missing starters are big man Jordan Plieman (8.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and for-ward Scotty Wilson (9.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg).

"They were pretty dependable kids," Brownell said. "The numbers didn't jump out at you, but they were there every night and played well. They were big physically and that helped us. You could count on Jordan for 25 minutes every night, and that's harder to replace in a program than you think. There's something to be said for durability and a guy who can give you 30 minutes, eight to 10 points and five to seven rebounds. We've got to find some guys who are going to be consistently good players."

There are six candidates for those two spots, with varying degrees of experience. Scott Grote (#30) is a 6-6, 210-pound sophomore transfer from Duquesne who figures to be a prime-time player somewhere on the floor. Grote was welcomed at Wright State with open arms, considering his dad, Bob Grote, was an All-American for the Raiders, and his uncle, Mike Grote, started on Wright State's 1983 NCAA Division II national champions. Grote averaged 9.9 points and 4.1 rebounds, starting 22 games in his one year at Duquesne. His versatility could get him minutes at different positions.

"We have pretty good players at the two and three, so he's not likely to get 20 minutes at those spots," Brownell said. "He can wiggle some minutes there and he can play the four. Depending on how well he plays, we can juggle our lineup.

Ronnie Thomas (#40, 1.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.2 apg) is a 6-9, 240-pound junior who arrived as a Duquesne transfer a year ahead of Grote. Thomas averaged 9.2 minutes a game last winter and is ticketed for a bump up this year now that Plieman is gone.

"He's battled health problems and I don't know how durable he is," Brownell said, "but we need a guy who can play 20-25 minutes."

Cooper Land (#14, 3.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.3 apg), is a 6-8, 225-pound sophomore whose 385 minutes as a freshman led all the reserve big men. He'll step out and pop a three-pointer on occasion. He has put on a little weight and should see his minutes take an upswing.

Gavin Horne (#33, 1.3 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 0.3 apg), is a 6-8, 220-pound senior who came last year via the junior college route. He played in only 11 games because of various in-juries. Like Gardner, Horne could help the Raiders if he could find a way to stay out of the trainer's room, but that remains to be seen.

Besides Grote, there are two other newcomers in the mix. Kyle Pressley (#15) is a 6-8, 225-pound red-shirt freshman who looked pretty good in summer pickup games.

"He hasn't picked up as much weight as I would have liked," Brownell said, "but he'll be in the mix at that five-spot with Ronnie Thomas."

Finally, there's the only true newcomer to the team this year, Cory Cooperwood (#5), a 6-7, 215-pound forward from Wallace State Community College in Alabama. He av-eraged 15.1 points and 8.1 rebounds at 32-1 Wallace State and brings energy and athleticism to the mix at Wright State. Cooperwood was rated the No. 22 JUCO prospect by jucojunction.com. If he can rebound, he'll get his share of the minutes.

"I don't know what we'll be better at this year," Brownell said. "I hope we're not worse at anything. Rebounding concerns me a little bit because we lost two big, strong kids. Our ball handling could be a little better and maybe our basketball IQ. We have some unknowns, but I think we have enough options."

Wright State has a backcourt that will keep the Raiders in contention for the league championship while the big men sort themselves out.

Duggins is one of the best players in the league and Brown is a nice complement. If point guard Graham elevates his game a notch as a senior, Wright State will be tough to beat.

The key is replacing Plieman and Brown in the frontcourt. Neither was spectacular, but both were dependable night in and night out. Their absence gives Brownell a valid reason to worry about the rebounding margin.

Grote, the transfer from Duquesne, should be a nice addition at forward. The rest of the void should be filled by committee with Land and impressive JUCO transfer Cooperwood leading the way.

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
BACKCOURT: A
BENCH/DEPTH: B+
FRONTCOURT: B-
INTANGIBLES: B+

insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/news/story?id=3665284&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncb%2finsider%2fnews%2fstory%3fid%3d3665284

[Tipp City Raider]

Great preview as always by Blur Ribbon. Does anyone have an insiders account on ESPN that can post the rest of the previews for the HL teams?

[Doliboabros]

Very good article. Much better than anything you read in the local rags.

[Glory Days]

UIC Preview:
COACH AND PROGRAM
The Flame is still burning in The Windy City. After a disastrous 2006-07 season, both the Illinois-Chicago Flames and their veteran coach, Jimmy Collins, showed a good deal of resiliency last winter and head into 2008-09 with plenty of vigor.

The 18 wins were the program's most since 2003-04. A solid nucleus returns to blend with several promising newcomers and Collins, the dean of Horizon League coaches, has a clean bill of health and a new three-year contract extension.

Those 18 wins last winter could have easily been more. UIC was 0-5 in games decided by five or fewer points, including 0-3 in one-point decisions. Collins likes his current team's chances of getting over the hump in nail-biters to come.

"When you lose games like that it means somebody that was on that floor did not step up and take responsibility of winning the game for us," Collins said. "I think if we learned anything from last year, the guys understand winning is an attitude, when it comes down to whether to take this shot, or drive to the basket or pass the ball. You shouldn't lose because somebody's afraid to take a shot or block out.

"All our games in the Horizon League are going to be close. I like these kids. They're coachable, they go to class, they're not defiant, they're not troublemakers. When you've got kids like that and they're athletic and listening to the coach, my hopes for this team are very, very high."

PLAYERS
UIC may have both the best little man -- Josh Mayo -- and the best true big man -- Scott VanderMeer -- in the league. That's a good starting point.

Mayo (#1, 17.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg) has gotten better every year, and it'll be interesting to see what else he can do for the Flames in his senior season. It might be a stretch to list Mayo at 5-11, but there's nothing small about his game. For six weeks last winter he led the nation in three-point shooting percentage before "fading" in the last couple of weeks to finish at .470 beyond the arc. He made 94 treys, many of them from long, long range, so the extended three-point line this winter shouldn't cramp his style.

"I don't think he ever paid any attention to where the line was," Collins said. "I just said, 'Shoot it when you're open.' ''

Mayo plays mostly at shooting guard but can work some at the point. In fact, that's part of the plan this year. At his size, Mayo would need point-guard skills to play professionally, and Collins wants him to have that opportunity. But wherever he is on the floor, he's UIC's first option to score.

"He's been my go-to guy ever since he's been here," Collins said. "His first two years, some of his teammates didn't want him to be the go-to guy, but I did. He had to deal with mixed emotions. But his scoring and productivity have gone up every year he's been here."

As good a year as he had last year, Mayo walked away feeling badly that he didn't finish strong. Toward that end, he's been a workout demon in the off-season, adding muscle in the weight room. Mayo also incorporates yoga and flexibility drills into his routine. Inspired by a Kobe Bryant interview, he also gets up hundreds of shots a day.

"All year he got bounced around like a ping-pong ball," Collins said. "I thought he did not get the benefit of the officiating, and it wore him down. He didn't shoot nearly as well toward the end. And I did play him a lot of minutes out of necessity."

VanderMeer (#41, 9.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg) is a true 7-footer who hopes to become more of an offensive option as a senior. When it comes to defense and rebounding, he's already a big-time factor. Two years ago he blocked an astounding 111 shots. As a junior he swatted away "only" 85, but that was twice as many as anyone else in the Horizon League. He dominated the glass with 21 rebounds in a game against Valparaiso.

Look for VanderMeer to average double figures on the offensive end this winter. He has expressed the desire to get more involved in the offense. He can shoot a little hook and has confidence in his drop-step move.

"There is no question he can do some things when he puts his mind to it," Collins said. "My mind says, 'Scott, we need more points.' When you've got a 7-footer, he has to be an option."

The closest thing to a third starter penciled in is junior Spencer Stewart (#25, 5.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg) at point guard. Stewart, at 6-4, is an unusual match-up in the Horizon League, and most of the time that works in his favor. Stewart isn't a shooter (32.9 percent), but he understands his limitations. He notched 114 assists to 71 turnovers a year ago, and the Flames certainly missed him when he was out mending a broken hand.

"He's always got his head up and he sees everyone on the floor," Collins said. "He's smart to the point where once you put the offense in, he knows where everybody is supposed to be. I've told him he doesn't have to be a scorer, but he does have to be a leader."

Collins, however, sees other possibilities at the point as well. Robert "Robo" Kreps (#3, 8.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg) is a 6-0 sophomore who needs to be on the floor. Kreps isn't a true point but can play with the ball in his hands. The son of a coach, Kreps is a savvy gym rat with an indefatigable work ethic. All those hours of shooting practice paid off his freshman season with a 46.2 percentage from three-point range. Freshmen aren't supposed to put up numbers like that.

"You never have to tell him to work hard," Collins said. "He's unselfish, sometimes to a fault, but he's beginning to attack the basket."

Then there is Kris Harris (#23), a rangy 6-3 junior from South Suburban Community College.

"Defensively, he may be better than any of them," Collins said. "He's long and wiry and very hard to step around. He's very hard to get a shot off against. We just want him to stay aggressive and not worry about making mistakes."

There are a pleasant number of options for the small- and power-forward spots. JUCO transfer Robert Eppinger (#21) is a good bet to log minutes at power forward. The 6-8 junior averaged 13.3 points and 7.3 boards at Highland (Ill.) Community College. He will battle Jeremy Buttell (#33, 3.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg), a 6-7 junior who was a part-time starter after transferring from Texas Tech. The Flames anticipate more production from Buttell in his second active year.

Freshman Jelani Poston (#35), a 6-7 Chicagoan, spent an extra year at a prep school and thus brings more maturity to the table. Jovan Ignjatovic (#32, 2.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg) is a 6-9 junior eager to increase the 8.9 minutes a game he played last season.

Collins likes the possibilities at the four spot: "We've got four quality guys I'm not afraid to play," he said. "We want somebody of a powerful, aggressive nature to be out there with Scott. Eppinger could be that guy. Jovan, I can see peeping through the weeds and emerging all the way out. Poston is a tremendous athlete. He's about 6-6 or 6-7 but he's got a 7-foot wingspan. He's very aggressive, the kind of kid who plays to win."

The wing is where 6-5 sophomore Tori Boyd (#42, 4.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg) would like to spend most of his time. He worked inside much of his freshman season. Boyd went through a typical adjustment year, trying to figure out what his role was and where his shots should come from. Collins wants the athletic Boyd to attack the rim and not settle for jumpers. DeMarkus Isom-Jones (#14) is a 6-5 freshman who should get in the mix at the wing. His offensive game is ahead of his defense.

"He's not a good defensive player yet because he's never been asked to be," Collins said. "But he has the quickness and the length."

Another freshman with good credentials is 6-0 combo guard Zavion Neely (#5). Neely is a terrific athlete with quickness and big-time hops. He has to make the adjustment to playing away from the basket and improve his handle and defense.

Chris Buchanan (#31), a 6-3 freshman from Providence Catholic in Joliet, Ill., is an invited walk-on with shooting ability who hopes to find a niche.

The Flames could run a lot of three-guard offense but appear to have the depth to go big when the situation warrants.

Collins is eager to see the program get back to competing for the league title, and he may have enough weapons to do it if two or three newcomers can contribute. Other keys are how big of a punch Kreps can pack as a sophomore and whether VanderMeer can sustain double-digit scoring.

One thing for sure is that Mayo is a rock-solid go-to leader with so many strengths in his game. A healthy Collins, who has put his physical issues from two years ago behind him, is a positive intangible. He likes this staff and this team.

The Flames should be competitive anytime, anywhere.

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
BACKCOURT: B
BENCH/DEPTH: B
FRONTCOURT: B
INTANGIBLES: B

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[Glory Days]

Valpo's Preview:

COACH AND PROGRAM

To acclimate for its first season in the Horizon League, Valparaiso had to depend on watching a lot of videotape and studying scouting reports. For year two, the Crusaders can bank on their real-life experience of having been involved in last-possession barnburners from Butler to Wright State to Detroit and points in between.

"It's just a tough basketball league and a very balanced league. There are no nights off,'' veteran coach Homer Drew said. "You have to play really well no matter whether you're playing the No. 1 team in the league or the No. 10 team. If you're not on your game on any given night, it's tough. We had eight or 10 games all decided in the last two minutes. The fans love it. It's intense and exciting and a shot here or a rebound there makes a difference.''

The Horizon was clearly a step up in difficulty factor over the Summit League, formerly known as the Mid-Continent, but the Crusaders made it through with 22 wins, their most in five years. They got off to a 10-1 start, best in school history, and they also notched their first postseason win since 1998, beating Washington in the first round of the inaugural College Basketball Invitational before losing to Houston in the second round. One place the difficulty factor was not as great, though, was travel. The Horizon is cozy compared to the far-flung Summit.

"The nice thing,'' Drew said, "was we didn't have to fly from Dakota to Colorado to lower Louisiana to Oklahoma. The travel was a lot better and it kept our students in class more, and that was a wonderful plus.''

Valpo entered the Horizon League last year with a starting lineup virtually intact from the season before. That's far from the case this year. Departed seniors Shawn Huff and Jarryd Loyd played big roles. Huff (12.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg) was one of the nation's leading three-point shooters (.479). Loyd's 143 assists ranked fourth in the league, and he averaged 12 points. Losing them and 7-0 reserve center Calum MacLeod was expected. What was not expected was Bryan Bouchie, a talented freshman forward who started eight games and averaged seven points, deciding to transfer to Evansville.

"That was a surprise,'' Drew said. "Bryan could have been one of the best big men we've had.''

The final surprise came in July, when Samuel Haanpaa (10.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg) decided to leave school to sign with Orlandina in Italy's top league, Serie A. Haanpaa, who hit 43.0 percent from beyond the arc last winter and was 10 of 12 against Chicago Statehad played well for Finland's national team, and the Euro scouts liked his game.

"That was a total surprise,'' Drew said. "I'm very happy for Samuel. He was offered a contract and we talked and felt it was best for him and his family, but it came at the end of July, and we just did not have time to replace him. But the nice thing about it is the freshmen are excited because they know they're going to get more playing time.''

PLAYERS

At least the Crusaders got used to playing without Haanpaa last winter. He was diagnosed with mononucleosis on Feb. 14 and didn't play at all down the stretch. That meant more minutes for Bouchie and freshman Michael Rogers (#1, 3.3 pgg, 3.2 rpg, 0.5 apg), a 6-6 swingman who has a chance to claim a starting spot as a sophomore. Rogers isn't a great threat from long range, but the native of Jamaica has a big upside if he can reproduce the 21 points and 12 rebounds he contributed in the regular-season finale against Wright State last year.

Speaking of starters, three spots are pretty well carved out by the seniors. All three have started the last two seasons.

Urule Igbavboa (#00, 11.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.3 apg), a 6-8, 230-pound forward, was the second-ranked rebounder in the conference last year. He turned out to be one of the better post players in the league. He shot 55 percent from the field and actually stepped out and drilled a few three-pointers. His Achilles' heel is the free-throw stripe, where he hit only 60.3 percent. That's bad news, because he shot 75 more free throws than anyone else on the team and will likely do so again this year.

Brandon McPherson (#10, 10.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.3 apg), is a 6-1 senior who handles the ball well and will have it in his hands often this season. McPherson's 82 assists (versus only 56 turnovers) will probably increase, but if defenses back off, McPherson has improved his outside stroke, hitting 40.9 percent beyond the arc last year.

His returning backcourt mate is Jake Diebler (#33, 4.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.5 apg), a 6-3 senior who's even more sure-handed. Diebler had 92 assists and only 34 turnovers as a junior. He doesn't shoot the ball especially well but is a rock on this team, always giving a hard-nosed effort and often defending the other team's best perimeter scorer.

The only other returnee of note is Howard Little (#14, 2.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.4 apg), a 6-4 sophomore who played 9.3 minutes as a freshman. He'll have a chance to increase his role but will have to elevate his game to fend off four freshmen who are anxious to get in the mix.

There's one other player back, but he also qualifies as a newcomer. Benjamin Fumey (#2) is a 6-8, 235-pound sophomore from Bremen, Germany, who signed last year. The NCAA held off on approving his eligibility, but he was able to practice with the team.

"We need his strength and we need his size,'' Drew said.

One lesson from year one in the Horizon League was that Valpo needed to get quicker. Drew thinks the recruiting class addresses that issue. Erik Buggs (#15) is a 5-10 (maybe), 150-pound guard from prep hoops hotbed Memphis. He immediately becomes the quickest man on the roster.

"He's very quick and very explosive,'' Drew said.

Logan Jones (#22) is a 6-1 guard from Madison, Ind. De'Andre Haskins is a 6-4, 190-pound guard from Long Beach, Calif., who prepped for a year in Northern Indiana.

"Logan has that passion and he can really take it to the basket,'' Drew said. "Haskins is multi-talented. He can play several positions. We needed some depth and quickness on the perimeter, and all four of our freshmen are going to have an opportunity. You need depth.''

The fourth freshman came a long way. Cameron Witt (#5) is a 6-8, 225-pound forward from Tasmania. He has played on the Australia Under-20 national team.

"He's played against good competition,'' Drew said. "We're excited. In time, he's going to do well. How quickly he grasps American-style basketball will answer that question.''

The Crusaders also signed a transfer who should help, but not until 2009-10. Cory Johnson, a 6-7 forward, has to sit out a year after leaving Iowa State.

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
BACKCOURT: B-
BENCH/DEPTH: C
FRONTCOURT: C
INTANGIBLES: B

Valparaiso went 9-9 in its first season in the Horizon League. But several key components won't be back for the second year. Losing Huff and Haanpaa takes two excellent three-point shooters out of a lineup that has depended on the three (9.17 per game last year, second in the league). Loyd, the top assist man, is also gone.

The good news is a senior class composed of three two-year starters. Igbavboa is one of the league's better post players, and in Diebler and McPherson, the Crusaders have two sure-handed guards. After you get past the three seniors, it drops off to sophomore Rogers and a bunch of first-year players. Rogers needs to be a consistent con-tributor on offense.

The four freshmen will address the quickness need, but how much scoring they can contribute remains to be seen. Valpo will be hard-pressed to improve on 9-9 in the Horizon.

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