RAINBOW WARRIOR BASKETBALL
Nevada focused as WAC opens play
The Pack have won the last three titles but do not take a fourth for granted
To those hoping Nevada would get caught up in its own hype ... sorry.
The Wolf Pack, the three-time defending Western Athletic Conference champions, have had a place in the national polls all season and are off to the program's best start in 55 years.
But protecting their ranking while bearing the target the rest of the league will be aiming for this season hasn't distracted the veteran group from the task ahead.
"We don't pay attention to all that," Nevada coach Mark Fox said. "They've been real balanced with their focus and they're not worried about expectations and things like that. They're just worried about playing basketball, and it's very rewarding as a coach to see their approach."
A focused Wolf Pack team led by a beefed up Nick Fazekas may be bad news for Hawaii and the rest of the conference as the WAC season opens today.
The Rainbow Warriors begin head coach Riley Wallace's 20th and final WAC campaign today at New Mexico State, one of the teams expected to push Nevada for the regular-season crown. They continue the road trip at Louisiana Tech on Saturday.
The Rainbows enter league play on a five-game winning streak to take a 9-4 record into today's game. They built their current streak at the Stan Sheriff Center, but as has long been the case, winning on the road will likely determine Hawaii's fate in the WAC race.
"We've got to continue to take care of business at home," Wallace said, "and
we've just got to find a way to grab and scrape and dig and pull out some wins on the road."
As the Rainbows aim for a return to the postseason after a two-year absence, their RPI (No. 66 this week according to collegerpi.com) got a boost recently with their nonconference opponents such as Creighton, Nebraska and Hofstra picking up big wins over the weekend. Moving up farther will depend on their performance during the league season.
"Now we have to take care of our own business," Wallace said. "They've been helping us, so we have to help ourselves."
The Rainbows will be among the teams looking to knock Nevada off the WAC's top line this season, but that certainly won't be easy.
The Wolf Pack have gone 42-10 in WAC games over the past three seasons and solidified their place in the polls with a 12-1 start.
Fazekas, the two-time WAC Player of the Year, returned to Reno after considering a jump to the NBA after his junior year and spent the summer adding muscle to his 6-foot-11 frame. He ranks 18th in the nation in scoring and second in rebounding.
"He's playing a lot stronger," Fox said. "It's been easier for him to do some things and that's a credit to the work he did in the offseason."
Though Nevada is the favorite, Wallace is impressed by the depth and talent of New Mexico State and expects the top six teams to spend the next two months beating up on each other leading up to the WAC tournament in early March in Las Cruces, N.M.
And a little bit of good fortune will also go a long way in deciding the league title.
"I think staying healthy is going to be the key," Fox said. "You have to protect your home court and steal a few on the road, but keeping everyone healthy will be the key."
Following is a look at the conference entering today's openers, listed according to preseason coaches and media polls:
Nevada Wolf Pack (12-1)
Coach: Mark Fox (third year)
2006 WAC finish: 13-3, first
Players to watch: Senior forward Nick Fazekas, junior guard Marcellus Kemp, junior guard Ramon Sessions
Outlook: Fazekas is threatening to become just the second player in league history to win three WAC Player of the Year awards, with 20.9 points and 12.4 rebounds per game. He's currently second in the nation in rebounding and recently became Nevada's all-time leading scorer. But the Wolf Pack's win over Gonzaga last Saturday demonstrated what makes Nevada the WAC favorite again. The Pack outscored the Bulldogs 21-7 in the final minutes -- after Fazekas fouled out. Kemp (17.9 ppg) leads the WAC in 3-point shooting. Sessions (13.2 ppg) is third in the WAC with 4.69 assists per game.
New Mexico State Aggies (10-3)
Coach: Reggie Theus (second year)
2006 WAC finish: 10-6, tied for fourth
Players to watch: Junior forward Justin Hawkins, junior guard Fred Peete, junior center Hatila Passos
Outlook: With four Division I transfers now eligible after sitting out last season, the Aggies are expected to challenge for the title following a strong showing in Theus' first year. The 6-7 Hawkins, one of last year's redshirts, leads NMSU in scoring (17.5 ppg) and rebounding (8 rpg). NMSU has scored at least 100 points in three games and enters today's game with Hawaii as the top scoring team in the WAC at 84 ppg.
Fresno State Bulldogs (11-2)
Coach: Steve Cleveland (second year)
2006 WAC finish: 8-8, sixth
Players to watch: Senior guard/forward Quinton Hosley, junior guard/forward Dominic McGuire, junior forward Hector Hernandez
Outlook: No team in the WAC has launched more 3-pointers this season, taking 341 from beyond the arc so far. But the addition of McGuire, a transfer from California, has given Fresno State an interior presence as well. He won WAC player of the week honors by recording a triple-double against San Diego last week with 14 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocked shots. Guard Kevin Bell is the WAC's top assist man with 5.69 per game. The Bulldogs are the stingiest team in the conference, allowing fewer than 63 ppg.
Utah State Aggies (10-3)
Coach: Stew Morrill (ninth year)
2006 WAC finish: 11-5, tied for second
Players to watch: Junior guard Jaycee Carroll, senior guard/forward Durrall Peterson, junior forward Stephen DuCharme
Outlook: With three senior starters from last year's WAC tournament finalist gone, Carroll has carried the load for the Aggies. He ranked among the nation's top scorers early in the season (scoring at least 19 points in Utah State's first nine games) and continues to lead the WAC with 21.1 points per game. DuCharme (11.5 ppg, 5.8 rebounds) has come on lately to provide interior scoring.
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (9-4)
Coach: Riley Wallace (20th year)
2006 WAC finish: 10-6, tied for fourth
Players to watch: Senior guard Matt Lojeski, senior forward Ahmet Gueye, junior guard Matt Gibson
Outlook: The 'Bows won five straight after a 4-4 start in Wallace's final year in Manoa. Lojeski's 33-point performance against Creighton is the best among WAC players this season and he ranks among the league leaders in scoring (17.8) and assists (5.08). The health of Gueye's surgically repaired knee figures to be an issue throughout the season. After a slow start, junior Bobby Nash has been one of the team's top producers in recent games. The Rainbows lead the WAC in assists with 17.85 per game, and have outrebounded their opponents in each of the last six games.
Boise State Broncos (6-5)
Coach: Greg Graham (fifth year)
2006 WAC finish: 6-10, seventh
Players to watch: Senior guard Coby Karl, junior forward Matt Nelson, junior forward Reggie Larry
Outlook: After an eventful offseason that included cancer treatments and NBA workouts, Karl returned to Boise State as the Broncos' leader. Though Karl leads BSU with 14.9 points per game, the 6-9 Nelson has given the Broncos balance inside, shooting 63 percent from the floor and grabbing a team-best 8.8 rebounds per game. Boise State has won four of its last five games heading into league play after a slow start.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (2-10)
Coach: Keith Richard (ninth year)
2006 WAC finish: 11-5, tied second
Players to watch: Senior forward Chad McKenzie, senior guard Marcus Elliott, senior guard Trey McDowell
Outlook: The post-Paul Millsap era hasn't been kind to the Bulldogs. With the three-time national rebounding champ now playing with the Utah Jazz, LaTech hasn't gotten much production outside of McKenzie (12.3 ppg), the only Bulldog player averaging double-figure scoring. The Bulldogs are last in the conference with 58.5 points per game and their WAC opener against San Jose State today will be just their fourth home game this season.
San Jose State Spartans (1-11)
Coach: George Nessman (second year)
2006 WAC finish: 2-14, eighth
Players to watch: Senior center Menelik Barbary, senior guard Carlton Spencer
Outlook: This figures to be a season of growing pains, as Nessman has a roster with seven freshmen and sophomores. Ten players have taken a turn in the starting lineup, with guard Jamon Hill the only constant in the first five. Barbary leads the team with 11.8 points per game. Spencer returned to action for the last two games after being ruled academically ineligible for the fall semester. He led the Spartans with 11 points in a 70-51 loss at Duke on Sunday.
Idaho Vandals (2-10)
Coach: George Pfeifer (first year)
2006 WAC finish: 1-15, ninth
Players to watch: Senior guard Keoni Watson, junior forward Darin Nagle
Outlook: Pfeifer moved up to the top job after serving as an assistant last season and took over a team that lost four starters. The 5-10 Watson has been the Vandals' most consistent scorer with 16.5 points per game. Nagle has averaged 14.3 points since becoming eligible three games ago and scored 20 in his debut against North Dakota State. Both of Idaho's wins came against South Dakota State.