Rainbows’ Nash looks to finish strong
UH’s men and women are picked to finish sixth in the WAC by the media and the coaches
SALT LAKE CITY » That his team is picked to finish sixth in the Western Athletic Conference preseason polls comes as no slight to new Hawaii basketball head coach Bob Nash.
Where his team finishes is more important to him than where it begins, anyway.
"As a conference, there is a lot of parity, and looking at the poll I think that's a good barometer for me as a coach starting out, to have a measuring stick of where we begin," Nash said. He paused, and added, "That's not where we hope to finish."
Utah State, with Preseason Player of the Year Jaycee Carroll, was picked to win by the coaches, while the media favored New Mexico State under first-year coach Marvin Menzies. Hawaii was sixth in both polls.
Twilight Ohana kicks off the season tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center, featuring team scrimmages for the men and women, and a slam dunk contest. In a new twist, fans can interact and shoot with the players during the first hour.
Hawaii eschewed exhibition games this season in favor of closed scrimmages.
It opens play Nov. 9 at home against San Diego.
The Rainbow Warriors will count on their seven seniors to bear much of the offensive brunt under Nash, with the production of Matt Lojeski and Ahmet Gueye (combined team leaders in points, rebounds, assists and blocks) now a thing of the past.
Nash will rely on his son, Bobby (11.2 points per game last year), guard Matt Gibson (10.2) and swingman Riley Luettgerodt (6.2) to push the tempo in the team's new attack, one less structured than that of former longtime coach Riley Wallace.
Bobby Nash was named to the All-WAC second team by the coaches.
"That gives us three good guys on the perimeter that can run with the best of the guys in the league," coach Nash said. "So I think if we can rebound, certainly that gives us an opportunity to run. It gives us a three-headed monster that we can do a lot of things with."
Consistency out of the three was his main concern, as they all went through periods of spotty production last year. He'll also count on forward P.J. Owsley (6.2 ppg, 4.0 rebounds per game) to produce down low. Nash conceded that the loss of Gueye will be made up by committee, since the team no longer has a singular defensive presence.
The coach shook off any notion that he would have a difficult time coaching his son on an even field with the rest of the team with the added pressure of his new mantle.
"I don't try to bring our personal father-son relationship on the floor," Nash said. "I think that Bobby and I respect each other's position. As long as we have that mutual respect, and do our best to make each other successful, I think we'll continue to have a great relationship."
Many of the WAC head coaches spoke of a wide-open race in the league this year -- four teams received first-place votes in the coaches poll -- including Nevada's Mark Fox, who has led the Wolf Pack to a first-place finish in each of the last three years.
Nevada was picked to finish third this year, with All-WAC selection Marcelus Kemp returning after flirting with the NBA Draft. However, the Pack will be without 2006 WAC Player of the Year Nick Fazekas and point guard Ramon Sessions, who were second-round NBA Draft picks.
New Mexico State advanced to the NCAA Tournament last year by winning the WAC tournament on its home court in Las Cruces, and returns Justin Hawkins and Fred Peete as this year's cornerstones. Boise State forward Reggie Larry rounded out the first-team coaches poll, while Fresno State guard Kevin Bell was swapped in for Peete in the media poll.
Notes
» Rainbow Wahine forward Tanya Smith was selected to the All-WAC women's team by the coaches. The Hawaii women were also picked to finish sixth.
» Commissioner Karl Benson said a greater emphasis will be placed on bench decorum of coaches this season. Referees have been instructed to whistle them with technical fouls at the slightest hint of abusive language, or for leaving the sideline box to berate a call or player.
» Utah State coach Stew Morrill expressed frustration at the WAC's decision last week to award the 2009 and 2010 WAC tournaments to Reno, Nev., as opposed to a neutral site.
Benson said that the coaches for the men and women had voted 18-0 to have the tournament away from any of the nine schools' home courts, but ultimately Nevada's offer to host at the Lawlor Events Center was 20 percent higher than the second-place bidder, relatively neutral Salt Lake City. Utah State is in Logan, about an hour and a half away by car.
"Instead of doing what's right, it came down to money," Morrill said. "All the coaches voted on a neutral site, and we didn't get it."
WAC PRESEASON POLLS
MEN (FIRST-PLACE VOTES IN PARENTHESES)
COACHES RANKINGS
1. Utah State (4) |
58 |
2. New Mexico State (3) |
57 |
3. Nevada (1) |
53 |
4. Fresno State (1) |
46 |
5. Boise State |
34 |
6. Hawaii |
29 |
7t. Louisiana Tech |
17 |
7t. San Jose State |
17 |
9. Idaho |
13 |
MEDIA RANKINGS
1. New Mexico State (13) |
255 |
2. Utah State (10) |
250 |
3. Nevada (7) |
239 |
4. Fresno State |
208 |
5. Boise State |
175 |
6. Hawaii |
151 |
7. Louisiana Tech |
104 |
8. San Jose State |
91 |
9. Idaho |
57 |
Coaches’ preseason All-WAC
Player of the Year: Jaycee Carroll, Utah State
First team
G |
Jaycee Carroll, Sr. |
Utah State |
G |
Marcelus Kemp, Sr. |
Nevada |
G |
Fred Peete, Jr. |
New Mexico State |
G/F |
Justin Hawkins, Jr. |
New Mexico State |
F |
Reggie Larry, Sr. |
Boise State |
Second team
G |
Kevin Bell, Sr. |
Fresno State |
G |
Bobby Nash, Sr. |
Hawaii |
F |
Hector Hernandez, Sr. |
Fresno State |
F |
Demarshay Johnson, Sr. |
Nevada |
F |
Matt Nelson, Sr. |
Boise State |
MEDIA’S PRESEASON ALL-WAC
Player of the Year: Jaycee Carroll, Utah State
Newcomer of the Year: Herb Pope, New Mexico State
First team
G |
Kevin Bell, Sr. |
Fresno State |
G |
Jaycee Carroll, Sr. |
Utah State |
G |
Marcelus Kemp, Sr. |
Nevada |
G/F |
Justin Hawkins, Jr. |
New Mexico State |
F |
Reggie Larry, Sr. |
Boise State |
WOMEN (FIRST-PLACE VOTES IN PARENTHESES)
COACHES RANKINGS
1. Boise State (7) |
63 |
2. Nevada (1) |
52 |
3. Louisiana Tech (1) |
50 |
4. Fresno State |
39 |
5. New Mexico State |
35 |
6. Hawaii |
31 |
7. Utah State |
28 |
8. San Jose State |
15 |
9. Idaho |
11 |
MEDIA RANKINGS
1. Boise State (9) |
128 |
2. Louisiana Tech (2) |
109 |
3. Nevada (1) |
98 |
4. New Mexico State (2) |
94 |
5. Fresno State (1) |
85 |
6. Hawaii |
63 |
7. Utah State |
46 |
8. Idaho |
27 |
9. San Jose State |
25 |
COACHES’ PRESEASON ALL-WAC
Player of the Year: Jessica Thompson, Boise State
First team
G |
Dellena Criner, Jr. |
Nevada |
G |
Jessica Thompson, Jr. |
Boise State |
G |
Tierre Wilson, Sr. |
Fresno State |
F |
Sherell Neal, Jr. |
New Mexico State |
F |
Tanya Smith, Sr. |
Hawaii |
Second team
G |
Brandi Fitzgerald, Sr. |
Nevada |
G |
Tasha Harris, Sr. |
Boise State |
G |
Taylor Richards, Sr. |
Utah State |
F |
Shanavia Dowdell, So. |
Louisiana Tech |
P |
Katie Madison, So. |
Idaho |
MEDIA’S PRESEASON ALL-WAC
Player of the Year: Jessica Thompson, Boise State
First team
G |
Dellena Criner, Jr. |
Nevada |
G |
Jessica Thompson, Jr. |
Boise State |
G |
Tierre Wilson, Sr. |
Fresno State |
F |
Sherell Neal, Jr. |
New Mexico State |
P |
Katie Madison, So. |
Idaho |