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LOCATION: Mobile, AL
CONFERENCE: Sun Belt
LAST SEASON: 11-16 (.407)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 6-8 (6th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 2/3
NICKNAME: Jaguars
COLORS: Red, White & Blue
HOMECOURT: Mitchell Center (10,000)
COACH: Bob Weltlich (Ohio State '67)
record at school 32-23 (2 years)
career record 251-293 (19 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Chris Jones (Indiana State '93)
Dwight Evans (Birmingham-Southern '84)
Mark Coffman (Western New Mexico State '80)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 9-12-23-21-11
RPI (last 5 years) 235-221-82-60-202
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference quarterfinal.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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Veteran coach Bob Weltlich was hired by South Alabama at the last minute two seasons ago to replace Bill Musselman. And he barely had time to introduce himself and learn his players' names before the season started. Even though that 1997-98 team dealt with much turmoil, including injuries to several key members, Weltlich was still able to help the team repeat as regular-season champions of the Sun Belt Conference and win a second-straight Sun Belt Tournament Championship. It was the first time in South Alabama history that the Jaguars had won consecutive tournament championships and they were the first back-to-back champions in the Sun Belt since 1984. Weltlich has always proven he can coach, dating back to his days as an assistant under Bobby Knight at Army and Indiana or at head-coaching stops at Ole Miss (1977-82), Texas (1983-88) and Florida International (1991-95). But the talent well began to run dry last season, dooming the Jaguars to finish in the bottom rung of the league. And it left Weltlich searching for bodies, too. Apparently, he found them on the recruiting trail, signing nine new players, including six guards, to blend with four returning Jaguars.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT D+ BENCH/DEPTH D+
FRONTCOURT C INTANGIBLES C
Those Jaguars fans attending South Alabama home games in the new 10,000-seat, $30-million, on-campus Mitchell Center will need to buy a program on their way in so they can identify all the new players. That's good news and bad news. Coach Bob Weltlich had to go with the quick fix to get his Jaguars at least competive for a top-half finish in the Sun Belt. That meant bringing in junior college players. But he also balanced the bevy of new recruits with some solid freshmen signees who can develop with the program. As Weltlich settles into the job, watch for the Jaguars to improve athletically. The veteran coach likes to get the ball out and go with it, especially when it begins with solid defense and rebounding. Weltlich thinks he has brought in the players to do that or, at least, to start working in that direction. "This should be a competitive group that will give us an opportunity to change our style of play to be more up-tempo and score more points while still trying to be solid on defense," he said. |
"It's not what we normally do," Weltlich said of the recruiting haul. "But we had to since we missed the early visitation and signing period when I took the job. This is a recruiting class that is going to help us." Just how soon it can help is the question. And it might even take several players to take the slack up for the graduated Darrien Evans, the leading scorer in the SBC last season at 20.3 points per game. Whether the players blend quickly or not, Weltlich vows to implement his style of play with his own players, who were recruited to fit his philosophies. With all the new faces, the starting slots were unsettled heading into preseason drills. But if there was a lock for a starting nod it probably was 6-10 junior center Virgil Stanescu (9.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg), who has bulked up from 240 pounds to an imposing 267. A native of Romania and member of that country's national team from 1996-98, Stanescu was one of only two players to start every game for USA last season. He led the team and was third in the Sun Belt with seven double-doubles. Another returnee expected to start again is durable 6-4 senior swingman Dusty Dubbs (10.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, team-high 79 assists), the only player with more than a year's experience with the Jags. The defensive specialist has been with the team since the Musselman days and has played three straight seasons. He averaged 33.8 minutes per game a year ago. Also back is 6-4 senior guard Josh Hotz (8.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg), who played in only 19 games last season after breaking his ankle in a non-contact situation against Texas-Pan American. At the time of his injury, he had made 26 of 57 (46 percent) of three-point shots, including a last-second trey that delivered an upset of Louisiana Tech. From there, though, the nine newcomers and one returnee 6-5 senior forward Michael Stewart (2.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg), who played in 25 games and started three will all vie for time. The Jaguars are particularly excited about one recruit 6-2 junior guard Ravonte Dantzler (Cloud County (Kan.) CC), who is athletic enough, even at his height, to play at small forward. Out of Milwaukee (Wis.) Messmer High School, Dantzler averaged 20.3 points and 6.4 rebounds last season while shooting 50 percent from the field (42 percent on three-pointers) and 70 percent from the free-throw line. Also expected to become a starter is another recruit 6-0 junior point guard Ericson Beck (Kirkwood (Iowa) CC), who enrolled at South Alabama at mid-term last season and had nearly three months of practice with the team. He led his juco team to a 57-16 record in two seasons, including a 31-6 record and a state championship en route to the Division II national junior college tournament. That season, he averaged 12.0 points, 6.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals after similar numbers as a freshman. Beck won't start easily, however. Also getting long looks will be two other recruits 6-0 junior Irv Jenkins (Casper College, Wyo.) and 6-1 freshman Demetrice Williams (Forrest Park HS/Forrest Park, Ga). Last season, Jenkins averaged 11.9 points, 4.7 assists and 2.6 rebounds while guiding Casper to a 22-10 record. He was first-team All-Region IX, which he led in steals for two straight seasons. A product of Jersey City (N.J.) High School, Jenkins set the Casper College career record for steals with 230 in two seasons. Williams is listed as weighing only 148 pounds, but he is an outstanding athlete who proved he can score in high school. Last season, he averaged 23.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 4.0 steals while scoring 30 or more points seven times. He was selected first-team all-state in Class 3A. The favorite to start at small forward is 6-6, 210-pound Reggie York (South Plains (Texas) College), a solid rebounder who was chosen his team's "Chairman of the Boards" the last two seasons. Out of Denver (Colo.) East High, York averaged 10.2 points and 9.1 rebounds while shooting 64 percent from the field. He broke Bo Outlaw's single-game rebounding record of 18 at South Plains by pulling 24 against New Mexico Junior College. Depth along the front line will come from a player with USA starting experience 6-5 senior forward Michael Stewart (2.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg), who played in 25 games and started three. He had his moments last season with career highs of 14 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Don't be surprised if local product Henry Williams (LeFlore HS/Mobile, AL), a 6-6 freshman, sees significant minutes up front. A second-team all-state pick in Class 6A, Williams averaged 12.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.3 blocked shots, 2.5 assists and 2.2 steals while leading his team to a 30-3 record. He shot 62 percent from the field and 70 percent from the free-throw line and was voted the MVP of Alabama's Southwest Region. Also in the fold are 6-3 junior guard Brett Gravitt (Middle Georgia CC), 6-4 junior guard Akbar Stepford (Bevill (Ala.) CC) and 6-7 freshman forward/center Michael Bollman (Clarksville HS/Clarksville, Ark.). Of the three, Gravitt could see the most action after averaging 16.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists en route to making All-Region XVII and All-Region Tournament. Out of Woodstock (Ga.) Etowah High School, he shot 59 percent from the field, including 43 percent on three-pointers, and helped his team to the state championship game. Stepford averaged 9.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals last season at Bevill, which won a state championship both seasons he was there. He was selected to the national all-tournament team after his team finished among the final eight. Bollman signed with South Alabama during the fall signing period and then went on to average 18.1 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in guiding his team to a state runner-up finish after winning the district and conference. As a sophomore and junior, his team won state championships. He was voted all-district and all-region three times. Also on the roster as a walk-on is 6-3 sophomore guard Jacob Hyde (Cowley County (Kan.) CC), who averaged 7.0 points and 2.0 rebounds last season. He scored 23 points in the regional tournament against Barton County.
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