Conference
season
a big deal

Post players figure to have
large roles in the outcome
of the men's league standings

Big men figure to play a huge role in deciding what team will claim the Western Athletic Conference basketball title this season.

Whether it's the power and skill of Rice forward Michael Harris against Nevada's shot blockers or Hawaii's versatile front court battling with Louisiana Tech rebounding machine Paul Millsap, just about every WAC matchup this season will feature an intriguing duel in the paint

"Looking at the WAC, there's a lot of good big men," UH forward Jeff Blackett said. "Every night is going to be a test, so hopefully we can match up with them and hopefully they feel the same way about us."

The WAC season opens today with Hawaii visiting Fresno State. The rest of the league begins conference play tomorrow and Saturday.

The Rainbow Warriors have relied on the shooting of their guards in recent years, but like other teams around the WAC, they've been carried by the play of their front court this season.

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SB FILE / FEBRUARY 2004 Hawaii's Julian Sensley and Louisiana Tech's Paul Millsap are among the best big men in the WAC this season.

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Junior forward Julian Sensley, a preseason All-WAC selection, leads the Rainbows with 12.9 points per game and is tied with Blackett for the team lead in rebounding. Matthew Gipson has turned up his production lately and center Chris Botez ranks among the WAC's leaders in blocked shots at 1.9 per game.

The ability of Hawaii's big men to control the interior against the conference's premier forwards and centers will go a long way toward determining where the Rainbows finish in the regular-season standings.

Harris has lived up to his billing as the preseason WAC Player of the Year this season, while Millsap has been the league's most productive player in both scoring and rebounding. Among the league's top 15 scorers, only three are guards.

"We have to play physical and aggressive," Sensley said. "Bump them before they try to bump us."

UH, the most successful WAC school over the past four seasons at 75-30, was picked to finish in the middle of the pack by both the coaches and media in the conference's preseason polls.

UH has won its first eight games and is the WAC's lone undefeated team. But the true mettle of the team will be revealed by how it performs away from the Stan Sheriff Center, starting with this week's visits to Fresno State and Nevada.

"If we don't win on the road this team is no different than all the other ones. If we win on the road they're special," UH coach Riley Wallace said. " If you can win all your games at home and split on the road you're going to win the championship. That's the way it works out just about every year."

Nevada and UTEP were close to following that formula last season as they shared the WAC regular-season title. Nevada was 9-0 in WAC home games and 4-5 on the road, while UTEP was 8-1 at home and 5-4 on the road.

UTEP, the preseason favorite this season, is among four schools making their final runs at the WAC championship. The Miners, Rice, SMU and Tulsa will join Conference USA next summer, while the WAC welcomes Idaho, New Mexico State and Utah State.

In the meantime, the following is a look at the WAC entering league play.

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The teams

BOISE STATE (6-5)

Coach: Greg Graham
Average points (scored/allowed): 67.4/67.6
Leading scorer/rebounder: F Jermaine Blackburn 14.6 ppg/C Jason Ellis 7.5 rpg
Outlook: The Broncos are looking to continue the momentum of last year's 23-10 campaign, but have gotten off to a ragged start. Along with leading the Broncos in scoring, Blackburn is first in assists and second in rebounds. Ellis is on his way to becoming BSU's all-time leading rebounder after finishing second in the WAC last season. But the senior has been slowed by back spasms in recent games. Outside shooting threat Coby Karl is second on the team in scoring with 11.6 ppg.

FRESNO STATE (6-3)

Coach: Ray Lopes
Average points (scored/allowed): 75.6/66.6
Leading scorer/rebounder: G Ja'Vance Coleman 19.6 ppg/F Mustafa Al-Sayyad 8.2 rpg
Outlook: The Bulldogs started 6-0 but have lost three straight heading into today's game with Hawaii. A short bench forced Lopes to play a slow-down game last year and FSU ranked ninth in the league in scoring at 62.8 ppg. He's loosened the reins on the running game and the Bulldogs are now second in the WAC in points per game. Coleman, a sophomore transfer, has stepped in as FSU's top scorer while Al-Sayyad anchors the post. Forward Drieke Bouldin sat out the first seven games with academic troubles and has averaged 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds since his return.

HAWAII (8-0)

Coach: Riley Wallace
Average points (scored/allowed): 65.9/60.4
Leading scorer/rebounder: F Julian Sensley 12.9 ppg/F Jeff Blackett, Sensley 7.4 rpg
Outlook: The Rainbows' penchant for winning the close games has them off to their best start since 1973-74, as UH has won four games by four points or fewer. Although Sensley is the Rainbows' focal point, the 'Bows have also received key contributions off the bench throughout the season. Forward Matthew Gipson posted 32 points and 21 rebounds in UH's last two games. Sophomore guard Matt Gibson is the WAC's top free-throw shooter, hitting 27 of 32 attempts.

LOUISIANA TECH (5-4)

Coach: Keith Richard
Average points (scored/allowed): 68.6/68.6
Leading scorer/rebounder: F Paul Millsap 21.1 ppg/12.6 rpg
Outlook: Millsap was the nation's top rebounder last season and leads the WAC in both scoring and rebounding as a sophomore. He posted 19 points and 15 rebounds in LaTech's 64-55 win at Memphis on Dec. 20 that pushed the Bulldogs over .500 heading into the WAC. While teams concentrate on containing Millsap down low, guards Donell Allick (12.1 ppg) and Corey Dean (11.1 ppg) are threats from the perimeter.

NEVADA (7-3)

Coach: Mark Fox
Average points (scored/allowed): 70.5/60.7
Leading scorer/rebounder: F Nick Fazekas 19.9 ppg/C Kevinn Pinkney 7.3 rpg
Outlook: The Wolf Pack lost three starters, including WAC Player of the Year Kirk Snyder, and coach Trent Johnson after last year's run to the Sweet 16. But Nevada returns two of the league's top big men in Fazekas and Pinkney. Fazekas is shooting 57 percent from the field and leads the team in 3-point shooting (13-for-31) and blocked shots (17). Newcomer Ramon Sessions is the WAC's top assist man with 6.2 per game. The Pack, which hosts the WAC tournament in March, had an 18-game home winning streak snapped by Pacific on Dec. 11.

RICE (5-3)

Coach: Willis Wilson
Average points (scored/allowed): 77.1/70.5
Leading scorer/rebounder: F Michael Harris 20.4 ppg/10.4 rpg
Outlook: The Owls hope the combo of Harris and guard Jason McKrieth (14.4 ppg) can spur them to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1974. Harris' proficiency has helped make the Owls the top scoring team in the conference. He scored 22 points against No. 11 UConn and finished with 25 against No. 7 Syracuse last week. Senior guard Brock Gillespie does most of his damage from long range as half of his 30 field goals have come from behind the 3-point line.

SAN JOSE STATE (3-6)

Coach: Phil Johnson
Average points (scored/allowed): 59.0/67.4
Leading scorer/rebounder: F Marquin Chandler 19.8 ppg/7.9 rpg
Outlook: The struggles continue for Johnson, as the Spartans enter the WAC on a four-game skid. Although SJSU is having trouble putting the ball in the hoop, shooting a WAC-low 42 percent, Chandler has been a bright spot. The 6-7 senior led the Spartans in scoring in eight games, but hasn't received much help. Rebounding has also been a sore spot for SJSU, which ranks last in the league at 29.2 per game.

SOUTHERN METHODIST (5-3)

Coach: Jimmy Tubbs
Average points (scored/allowed): 69.8/64.8
Leading scorer/rebounder: G Bryan Hopkins 15.8 ppg/C Eric Castro 7.5 rpg
Outlook: Hopkins' return has helped ease Tubbs into his new job. The junior is among the conference's most dynamic scorers and has won back-to-back WAC Player of the Week awards. He earned the second after scoring 32 points and hitting eight of 11 3-point shots in 26 minutes against Arkansas-Pine Bluff last week. Three other Mustangs are scoring in double figures, led by senior forward Patrick Simpson (13.8 ppg). Castro leads the WAC in field-goal shooting at 69 percent (43 of 62).

TEXAS-EL PASO (10-2)

Coach: Doc Sadler
Average points (scored/allowed): 72.5/57
Leading scorer/rebounder: F Omar Thomas 19.8 ppg/6.2 rpg
Outlook: Former coach Billy Gillespie left the cupboard stocked for Sadler before moving to Texas A&M, as UTEP returns four players who averaged double-figure scoring last season. Thomas continues to pace the Miners after leading them in scoring last season while coming off the bench. All-WAC point guard Filiberto Rivera missed three games with an ankle injury. The Miners averaged 64.3 points and 19 turnovers in his absence and 75.3 points and 8.3 turnovers in the three games after his return.

TULSA (2-6)

Coach: Alvin "Pooh" Williamson (interim)
Average points (scored/allowed): 70.1/69.6
Top scorer/rebounder: F Jarius Glenn 17.9 ppg/9.6 rpg
Outlook: Since winning the WAC tournament title in 2003, Tulsa plummeted into the depths of the WAC standings, leading coach John Phillips to resign over the weekend. Included in Tulsa's rough start were home losses to crosstown rival Oral Roberts (70-47) and Lamar (91-85), which entered the game with a 17-game road losing streak. Glenn, the lone remaining starter off the Hurricane's championship team, is Tulsa's leading offensive threat and was named to the conference's All-Defensive team last season. Junior forward Anthony Price ranks second on the team in scoring at 16.3 ppg.