Toyminator's 2002-2003 WAC Conference Preview

The WAC had a solid season a year ago with 2 NCAA bids. Look for that to continue with Tulsa & Hawaii returning to the Big Dance this season. There's a minor changing of the guard occurring here, with Fresno St. declining in stature, and Hawaii the most likely candidate to replace them. Tulsa has always been a great basketball program and will probably be the conference's most consistent performer year after year. However, Louisiana Tech came in last year and proved that they belonged with the big boys. They will make another run at the Top 2 again this season, but the real test will be the following season when this senior class graduates and they will be forced to rebuild. If Coach Richard can do that successfully, then the WAC would benefit greatly from having a third strong program in the conference.

As for the rest of the teams, there's not much to talk about. SMU is usually mediocre at best, Fresno St will miss Tark, and even UTEP is really having problems nowadays. Most people don't even know the rest of the teams in the conference, so that says a lot. The WAC really needs to hire a few more promising coaches in order to lift some of the deadwood at the bottom of the conference and prevent it from falling into the "Mid-Major" category with the rising Missouri Valley & always tough Mid-American conferences!

ON THE RISE: Hawaii
The Rainbows have always been tough at home, but last season they were tough everywhere they played! Last season was a breakout year for them and this season they should be able to build off of their success. Coach Wallace has done a good job of building a solid program utilizing talent from all around the world! Look for them to be one of the top programs in the WAC for years to come!

IN DECLINE: Fresno St.
The legendary Jerry Tarkanian not only left his alma mater on a down note, but with little talent left for new coach Ray Lopes. Sure, there are some decent players left, but nothing that resembles a 1st round pick is coming down the pipe! They'll still be able to grab a few solid transfers here and there (Shantay Legans next season), but this program wasn't very good before Tark arrived, so I can't imagine it won't be much better now that he is gone. We'll miss you Shark!

1. TULSA

Strengths: Quick, solid backcourt - good ball handling & distribution. Excellent shooting team from everywhere. Aggressive team defense. Very experienced team.
Weakness: Short team that struggles to rebound.
Outlook: Difficult team to play against! Incredible quickness causes problems for most teams. Should be the gem of the league that will have a major impact on the national level!

2. HAWAII

Strengths: Solid backcourt. Good ball handling & distribution. Excellent team defense. Good 3-pt shooting team. Tough on the island!
Weakness: Poor rebounding team. Little depth.
Outlook: The Rainbows had a breakout year last season and should be one of the better teams in the league again this season. It will be tough to surpass Tulsa, but they should be strong enough to capture another NCAA Tournament bid!

3. LOUISIANA TECH

Strengths: Excellent team defense. Big, deep frontcourt who can rebound. Balanced offense. Lots of expereience.
Weakness: Poor ball handling & distribution. Loss of Henderson & Cole could hurt them offensively.
Outlook: The Bulldogs adjusted to their new league quite well and ended up in the NIT. Not too shabby! Look for them to continue to be breathing down the necks of Tulsa & Hawaii and make another appearance in the NIT!

4. SMU

Strengths: Exciting backcourt. Good rebounding team.
Weakness: Poor ball handling & distribution. Weak perimeter defense. Poor 3-pt & FT shooting team.
Outlook: Still got some players, especially Simpson down low and Ross on the wing! The latter should be one of the top scorers in the league. Should have a decent season, with the potential of making the NIT at the most!

5. NEVADA

Strengths: Explosive backcourt. Good perimeter defense. Lots of experience.
Weakness: Poor shooting & rebounding team. Weak frontcourt with little inside scoring. Poor ball handling & distribution.
Outlook: Nevada played better than expected last season and beat some very good teams. The loss of Corey Jackson leaves their frontcourt weak and frail, but their backcourt is good enough to carry this team to quite a few victories!

6. FRESNO ST.

Strengths: Solid team defense. Good ball handling & distribution. Very experienced team.
Weakness: Poor shooting team who could struggle offensively. Very thin bench.
Outlook: Losing Chris Jeffries to the NBA Draft hurt, but not as much as not having Tark on the bench. It will takes years, if ever, for this program to be as competitive as they have been these past few years!

7. RICE

Strengths: Good rebounding team. Good 3-pt & FT shooting team. Decent team defense. Lots of depth.
Weakness: Pitiful offense! No true PG - poor ball handling & distribution.
Outlook: The Owls have a few quality players to become the best of the bottom, but that's about it!

8. BOISE ST.

Strengths: Decent, deep backcourt. Solid team defense.
Weakness: Pitiful team offense. Poor shooting team. Weak frontcourt - little inside scoring & rebounding. Poor ball handling & distribution.
Outlook: Boise St is similar to San Jose St in many ways this season. Both have decent backcourts, horrible frontcourts, pitiful offenses, and little chance of moving up in the standings. I give the Broncos the nod based on the fact they actually do play defense!

9. SAN JOSE ST.

Strengths: Solid, deep backcourt.
Weakness: Pitiful team offense. Horrible shooting team. Weak team defense. Frontcourt is nonexistent! Too many turnovers. Little depth.
Outlook: See Boise St! The arrival of Lawrence & West gives them some hope for the future.

10. UTEP

Strengths: Decent frontcourt. Good FT shooting team.
Weakness: Dismal backcourt with no experience whatsoever! Poor team defense. Poor rebounding team. Too many turnovers. Thin bench. Horrible on the road!
Outlook: With only 2 significant players returning, this ship is sinking fast! Coach Rab is a decent coach, but with players running for the exits and little talent coming in, this could be a long, final season for him!

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Last updated on 10/9/02 by toyminator@prodigy.net