coreyschucky
11-08-2004, 01:05 PM
From CBSSPORTSLINE.COM
Sun Belt Conference preview
By Tony Mejia
SportsLine.com Staff Writer
Stock Chart
Team Stock
East
1. Arkansas State
2. Middle Tennessee
3. Arkansas-Little Rock
4. Western Kentucky
5. Florida International
West
1. Louisiana-Lafayette
2. South Alabama
3. North Texas
4. New Orleans
5. Denver
6. New Mexico State
The Sun Belt continued to evolve this offseason, losing another long-time coach in Jessie Evans, who left Louisiana-Lafayette for alma mater San Francisco.
Dennis Felton left Western Kentucky before last season, and there are actually now only two coaches who have coached in the conference at their schools for longer than four years: Arkansas State's Dickey Nutt and New Mexico State's Lou Henson.
That amount of turnover makes for a free-for-all and almost evens the playing field. The Ragin' Cajuns and Hilltoppers have seen their grip on the conference slip as they try to acclimate themselves to new styles and leadership, fueling hopes around the rest of the league that someone other than the two bullies can represent the conference in the NCAA Tournament for the first time this century.
Middle Tennessee and Arkansas-Little Rock, each returning four starters from successful campaigns a year ago, have great chances to break through, but watch out for Arkansas State, which has exceptional individual talent. The Indians will be scary if Nutt can put it all together, and they figure to be a force in a tournament setting.
EAST
Arkansas State
Top three: G Dewarick Spencer, G J.J. Montgomery, G Jerry Nichols.
On the rise: Spencer and Montgomery combined for 37 per game last year, but if they're willing to trade points for victories and share the wealth, 2004-05 could be a very big year. Coming aboard are a trio of JC standouts, Nichols, PF Kitus Witherspoon and true point guard Dereke Tipler, who will make the Indians extremely strong. Nutt also expects good things from freshman Isaac Wells, who missed last year because of academic issues.
Middle Tennessee
Top three: SG Mike Dean, F Michael Cuffee, C Steve Thomas.
On the rise: The Blue Raiders caught an awful break when Dean broke his hand just before last year's league tournament, so karma should be on their side. Standout shooter Tommy Gunn is the only key loss, and an awesome incomding class featuring Georgia transfer Thomas (eligible in December) and home-schooled guard Jonathan Loe (Memphis and Ole Miss were suitors) provide great depth.
Arkansas Little-Rock
Top three: SG Brandon Freeman, PG Zack Graber, F Richard Hardman.
On the rise: Steve Shields won the league honors as top coach in his first year by claiming a share of the East division title. In Year 2, he has most of his pieces back and should field a fundamentally sound team that gets after you defensively and takes care of the ball. Simple staples, sure, but he seems to get his players to put a premium on doing the right thing. Freeman will be the primary scorer.
Western Kentucky
Top three: SG Anthony Winchester, PG Antonio Haynes, PF Elgrace Wilborn.
On the decline: The Hilltoppers went just 8-6 in league play in Darrin Horn's first season, and prospects for this year don't look much brighter. Leading scorers Nigel Dixon and Mike Wells are gone, as are three players who were released from their scholarships, leaving WKU short-handed. Newcomers will have to have an immediate impact, particularly Wilborn, a Tennessee transfer who will be the primary forward.
Florida International
Top three: F Rafael daSilva, G/F Junior Matias, PF Ivan Almonte.
On the rise: The Golden Panthers became a joke last season, winning just once in the conference and often quitting in games. Highly regarded Sergio Rouco, a no-brainer hire with his Miami connections, will look to clean up the mess. He paid immediate recruiting dividends by bringing JC standout Almonte on board to anchor the post. Rouco will turn things around eventually.
WEST
Louisiana-Lafayette
Top three: F Brian Hamilton, G/F Orien Greene, PG Dwayne Mitchell.
On the decline: On paper, the Ragin' Cajuns appear to still be the most talented team in the West. That's quite an accomplishment, considering they lost three double-digit scorers. That doesn't count standout center Michael Southall, whose troubles with the law ended up being his undoing. With Evans leaving and successor Glynn Cyprien dismissed after a resume scandal, assistant Robert Lee takes over a team with strong pieces up front (Hamilton, Chris Cameron) and on the wing (Greene, Mitchell and ETSU transfer Tiras Wade).
South Alabama
Top three: G Mario Jointer, F Richard Law, C Jacque Pate.
On the rise: John Pelfrey should have the personnel to play his up-tempo style this season. Despite the fact there are an abundance of new faces, we like the chances of success. UAB transfer Jeffrey Collins and Mississippi State transfer Stephen Howard join JC imports Jointer, Jacque Pate and Brandon Gordon to give the team a level of depth it has never enjoyed.
North Texas
Top three: G Leonard Hopkins, G/F Calvin Watson, C Justin Barnett.
On the rise: Johnny Jones employed a 10-man rotation last year, so the loss of three key starters doesn't hurt as badly when you consider the returners won't be shy. Hopkins and Watson are terrific wings who learned to play better together at the tail end of last season, but a point guard must be found. Senior Marqus Mitchell is around, but JC transfer Isaac Hines is reportedly enough of a talent to make that area a strength.
New Orleans
Top three: SG Lester McCalebb, PF Nathaniel Parker, G/F Chad Barnes.
On the decline: Monty Towe picked up a contract extension after UNO's trip to the Sun Belt final last year, so morale is high. Unfortunately, momentum won't be easy to maintain due to the loss eight key players from last year's 17-win squad. The Sun Belt's reigning top newcomer McCalebb is back, so the team will build on his abilities.
Denver
Top three: PG Rodney Billups, SG Erik Benzel, C Yemi Nicholson.
On the decline: When on, Billups and Benzel form one of the conference's most unstoppable backcourts, but they need help from the big guys. Gone are Brett Starkey and Zeljko Zupic, whose combined 20 points and 14 rebounds were a big reason the Pioneers fired off a winning record. Unless Nicholson really emerges and fills their shoes, Terry Carroll's team will struggle.
New Mexico State
Top three: G/F Duane John, G Allen Haynes, C Trevor Lawrence.
On the decline: The legendary Henson is 12 victories away from cracking the game's all-time top five, but every one of those will be a difficult task. Terrific forward James Moore is gone, and the team struggled to just 13 victories with him fighting through injuries last season. John, a former Missouri transfer, should fill the scoring vacancy. He'll likely move into the starting lineup and could crack the 20 points-per-game barrier.
Accolades
First team
G/F -- Mike Dean, Middle Tennessee
G -- Bo McCalebb, New Orleans
G -- Brandon Freeman, Arkansas-Little Rock
G -- Dewarick Spencer, Arkansas State
G -- J.J. Montgomery, Arkansas State
Second team
G/F -- Orien Greene, Louisiana-Lafayette
C -- Steve Thomas, Middle Tennessee
G -- Mario Jointer, South Alabama
G -- Rodney Billups, Denver
G -- Jerry Nichols, Arkansas State
Player of the year
Dewarick Spencer, Arkansas State
Newcomer of the year
Steve Thomas, Middle Tennessee
Breakthrough player
Justin Barnett, North Texas
Sun Belt Conference preview
By Tony Mejia
SportsLine.com Staff Writer
Stock Chart
Team Stock
East
1. Arkansas State
2. Middle Tennessee
3. Arkansas-Little Rock
4. Western Kentucky
5. Florida International
West
1. Louisiana-Lafayette
2. South Alabama
3. North Texas
4. New Orleans
5. Denver
6. New Mexico State
The Sun Belt continued to evolve this offseason, losing another long-time coach in Jessie Evans, who left Louisiana-Lafayette for alma mater San Francisco.
Dennis Felton left Western Kentucky before last season, and there are actually now only two coaches who have coached in the conference at their schools for longer than four years: Arkansas State's Dickey Nutt and New Mexico State's Lou Henson.
That amount of turnover makes for a free-for-all and almost evens the playing field. The Ragin' Cajuns and Hilltoppers have seen their grip on the conference slip as they try to acclimate themselves to new styles and leadership, fueling hopes around the rest of the league that someone other than the two bullies can represent the conference in the NCAA Tournament for the first time this century.
Middle Tennessee and Arkansas-Little Rock, each returning four starters from successful campaigns a year ago, have great chances to break through, but watch out for Arkansas State, which has exceptional individual talent. The Indians will be scary if Nutt can put it all together, and they figure to be a force in a tournament setting.
EAST
Arkansas State
Top three: G Dewarick Spencer, G J.J. Montgomery, G Jerry Nichols.
On the rise: Spencer and Montgomery combined for 37 per game last year, but if they're willing to trade points for victories and share the wealth, 2004-05 could be a very big year. Coming aboard are a trio of JC standouts, Nichols, PF Kitus Witherspoon and true point guard Dereke Tipler, who will make the Indians extremely strong. Nutt also expects good things from freshman Isaac Wells, who missed last year because of academic issues.
Middle Tennessee
Top three: SG Mike Dean, F Michael Cuffee, C Steve Thomas.
On the rise: The Blue Raiders caught an awful break when Dean broke his hand just before last year's league tournament, so karma should be on their side. Standout shooter Tommy Gunn is the only key loss, and an awesome incomding class featuring Georgia transfer Thomas (eligible in December) and home-schooled guard Jonathan Loe (Memphis and Ole Miss were suitors) provide great depth.
Arkansas Little-Rock
Top three: SG Brandon Freeman, PG Zack Graber, F Richard Hardman.
On the rise: Steve Shields won the league honors as top coach in his first year by claiming a share of the East division title. In Year 2, he has most of his pieces back and should field a fundamentally sound team that gets after you defensively and takes care of the ball. Simple staples, sure, but he seems to get his players to put a premium on doing the right thing. Freeman will be the primary scorer.
Western Kentucky
Top three: SG Anthony Winchester, PG Antonio Haynes, PF Elgrace Wilborn.
On the decline: The Hilltoppers went just 8-6 in league play in Darrin Horn's first season, and prospects for this year don't look much brighter. Leading scorers Nigel Dixon and Mike Wells are gone, as are three players who were released from their scholarships, leaving WKU short-handed. Newcomers will have to have an immediate impact, particularly Wilborn, a Tennessee transfer who will be the primary forward.
Florida International
Top three: F Rafael daSilva, G/F Junior Matias, PF Ivan Almonte.
On the rise: The Golden Panthers became a joke last season, winning just once in the conference and often quitting in games. Highly regarded Sergio Rouco, a no-brainer hire with his Miami connections, will look to clean up the mess. He paid immediate recruiting dividends by bringing JC standout Almonte on board to anchor the post. Rouco will turn things around eventually.
WEST
Louisiana-Lafayette
Top three: F Brian Hamilton, G/F Orien Greene, PG Dwayne Mitchell.
On the decline: On paper, the Ragin' Cajuns appear to still be the most talented team in the West. That's quite an accomplishment, considering they lost three double-digit scorers. That doesn't count standout center Michael Southall, whose troubles with the law ended up being his undoing. With Evans leaving and successor Glynn Cyprien dismissed after a resume scandal, assistant Robert Lee takes over a team with strong pieces up front (Hamilton, Chris Cameron) and on the wing (Greene, Mitchell and ETSU transfer Tiras Wade).
South Alabama
Top three: G Mario Jointer, F Richard Law, C Jacque Pate.
On the rise: John Pelfrey should have the personnel to play his up-tempo style this season. Despite the fact there are an abundance of new faces, we like the chances of success. UAB transfer Jeffrey Collins and Mississippi State transfer Stephen Howard join JC imports Jointer, Jacque Pate and Brandon Gordon to give the team a level of depth it has never enjoyed.
North Texas
Top three: G Leonard Hopkins, G/F Calvin Watson, C Justin Barnett.
On the rise: Johnny Jones employed a 10-man rotation last year, so the loss of three key starters doesn't hurt as badly when you consider the returners won't be shy. Hopkins and Watson are terrific wings who learned to play better together at the tail end of last season, but a point guard must be found. Senior Marqus Mitchell is around, but JC transfer Isaac Hines is reportedly enough of a talent to make that area a strength.
New Orleans
Top three: SG Lester McCalebb, PF Nathaniel Parker, G/F Chad Barnes.
On the decline: Monty Towe picked up a contract extension after UNO's trip to the Sun Belt final last year, so morale is high. Unfortunately, momentum won't be easy to maintain due to the loss eight key players from last year's 17-win squad. The Sun Belt's reigning top newcomer McCalebb is back, so the team will build on his abilities.
Denver
Top three: PG Rodney Billups, SG Erik Benzel, C Yemi Nicholson.
On the decline: When on, Billups and Benzel form one of the conference's most unstoppable backcourts, but they need help from the big guys. Gone are Brett Starkey and Zeljko Zupic, whose combined 20 points and 14 rebounds were a big reason the Pioneers fired off a winning record. Unless Nicholson really emerges and fills their shoes, Terry Carroll's team will struggle.
New Mexico State
Top three: G/F Duane John, G Allen Haynes, C Trevor Lawrence.
On the decline: The legendary Henson is 12 victories away from cracking the game's all-time top five, but every one of those will be a difficult task. Terrific forward James Moore is gone, and the team struggled to just 13 victories with him fighting through injuries last season. John, a former Missouri transfer, should fill the scoring vacancy. He'll likely move into the starting lineup and could crack the 20 points-per-game barrier.
Accolades
First team
G/F -- Mike Dean, Middle Tennessee
G -- Bo McCalebb, New Orleans
G -- Brandon Freeman, Arkansas-Little Rock
G -- Dewarick Spencer, Arkansas State
G -- J.J. Montgomery, Arkansas State
Second team
G/F -- Orien Greene, Louisiana-Lafayette
C -- Steve Thomas, Middle Tennessee
G -- Mario Jointer, South Alabama
G -- Rodney Billups, Denver
G -- Jerry Nichols, Arkansas State
Player of the year
Dewarick Spencer, Arkansas State
Newcomer of the year
Steve Thomas, Middle Tennessee
Breakthrough player
Justin Barnett, North Texas