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LOCATION: New Orleans, LA
CONFERENCE: Sun Belt
LAST SEASON: 14-16 (.467)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 5-9 (t-7th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 1/4
NICKNAME: Privateers
COLORS: Royal Blue & Silver
HOMECOURT: Lakefront Arena (10,000)
COACH: Joey Stiebing (LSU '85)
record at school 29-28 (2 years)
career record 29-28 (2 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Anthony Anderson (McNeese St. '95)
Mike Giorlando (Spring Hill '80)
Nikita Johnson (West Georgia '89)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 20-21-22-15-14
RPI (last 5 years) 109-52-75-155-197
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference quarterfinal.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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New Orleans hopes the good news is also not the bad news this season. Four returning starters and a Top 40 recruiting class have Privateers fans happy. But it's a cautious optimism, considering those same four starters struggled through much of last season en route to an uncharacteristic tie for the bottom of the heap in the Sun Belt Conference regular-season standings. And an unceremonious exit from the league's postseason tournament causes New Orleans coach Joey Stiebing to ponder the situation as well. After all, this is program that has grown accustomed to winning as in nine 20-win seasons and postseason berths in the last 13 seasons and seven league regular-season titles in the last dozen years. So, yeah, the Privateers appear ready to challenge for league honors again. But, then again, this group of players still has to prove it can win on a consistent basis after winning 29 games and losing 29 games the last two seasons. Four starters are joined by four returning lettermen. And that eight is anchored by a recruiting haul ranked by analyst Bob Gibbons to be among the top 40 incoming classes in the country. Thus the optimism down in New Orleans, as guarded as it might be. "We may look good on paper, but saying and doing it are two different things," said Stiebing, a seven-year New Orleans assistant under a pair of successful Privateers coaches Tim Floyd, now the head coach of the NBA's Chicago Bulls; and Tic Price, the head coach at Memphis before becoming UNO's head coach. And while there are indeed four returning starters, Stiebing is quick to note that all five starting slots are up for grabs. It could be motivation, but the influx of talent is solid, if not outstanding.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT B BENCH/DEPTH B
FRONTCOURT B INTANGIBLES C+
After back-to-back seasons New Orleans fans would rather forget, including last season that saw the Privateers tie Arkansas-Little Rock for a last-place finish in the Sun Belt standings, it appears that UNO is ready to start that climb back to the top. Coac Joey Stiebing has always been a tireless recruiter who can attract name players. And playing in the marquee market of the league (Denver notwithstanding) has to be a plus when trying to recruit top talent either through the junior colleges or via transfers. Even so, the Privateers signed no freshmen in their incoming class, which means UNO must continue to harvest JC players in the next few years to remain competitive. But if they keep getting top-notch recruits like Ellis and Bailey, then the Privateers will continue to surge back to the top of the league. Expect New Orleans to challenge for league honors this season. And don't be surprised if the Privateers return to the postseason after a two-year hiatus. |
The incumbents are led by 6-8, 230-pound senior inside player Curtis Wilson (11.2 ppg, 5.7 ppg, 43 assists, 41 steals, 18 blocked shots), the team's leading scorer and rebounder as well as field-goal shooter (.587 percent) a year ago. A durable inside player who will probably slide from the post to his more natural power-forward position, Wilson also played 31.3 minutes per game and started 25 times last season, both team highs. And he also became the first underclassman in seven seasons to lead the Privateers in scoring and rebounding. Wilson is flanked on both sides of the frontcourt by two more returning starters 6-6 senior Cory Hines (10.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 59 assists, 42 steals) and 6-8 junior Tory Walker (10.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 41 assists, 33 steals, 39 blocked shots). Neither are bulky, however, with Hines listed at 195 pounds and Walker weighing in at 180. But both have experience up front and know how to maneuver around the basket as well as out on the floor. In fact, Walker carries quite a pedigree, having claimed Sun Belt Conference Freshman-of-the-Year honors two seasons ago. His scoring increased nearly 20 percent last season, and Stiebing is hoping for more of the same in offensive production this time around. But one area where Walker must improve is three-point shooting, which went from .436 as a freshman to .278 last season. Even so, Walker became the first UNO player to ever make 30 three-pointers and block 30 shots in the same season. Hines is a nice complement to Walker on the front line. Not flashy but solid, Hines led the team in steals a year ago and ranked second in rebounding. Consistency is his best trait, having scored in double figures 17 times. Returning to the backcourt at shooting guard is 6-3 senior Desmond Baxter (9.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg), who led the team in free-throw percentage (.756), assists (64) and three-point field goals made (42). He also scored in double figures 17 times. And he is also a standout in baseball and is expected to play for UNO after basketball season ends. Technically, Markell Sneed graduated from the point-guard slot, but there were times when Andre Blackmon (5.6 ppg, 0.9 rpg), who started the team's last five games, was just as effective. In fact, the 6-0 senior saved his best for when it counted the most, averaging just 1.8 points in the team's first 19 games but a hefty 16 points in seven February games. That included one stretch of four games when he averaged 18 points when Walker was sidelined with an injury. Even with those five returning players, Stiebing still vowed that all jobs were open when practice began. "The thing I like about this team is that I can't project any starters right now," he said. One of three backcourt returnees could again see significant minutes 6-2 sophomore Kyle Smith (2.0 ppg, 0.9 rpg), who played in 28 games and started 11. Also back but expected to play sparingly are 6-3 junior Tim Brinker (1.9 ppg, 0.8 rpg), who played in 15 games last season; and 6-0 sophomore Brett Meliet, who played in two games but did not score. The Privateers are proud of their incoming recruiting class, especially a pair of junior-college standouts 6-7, 230-pound junior forward Clyde Ellis (Chipola (Fla.) JC) and 5-9 junior guard Nathaniel Bailey (North Idaho JC). Ellis averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds last season en route to being chosen Panhandle Conference Player of the Year. That's the same award that Auburn star Chris Porter, last season's Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and an All-American, earned the previous season. Ellis was also selected to the league's all-academic team. Out of Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, New York, Ellis was a high school teammate of NBA star Stephon Marbury. He chose New Orleans after being recruited by Auburn, UAB, Georgia and Southern Mississippi. "Clyde is a warrior," Chipola coach Travis Garrett said. "He's relentless on both ends of the floor. He can score inside or outside. He's a tough, tough player." Bailey is a product of one of the premier high school programs in Tennessee Johnson City Science Hill, which he led to back-to-back Class AAA titles as a sophomore and junior. He originally signed with Virginia Tech out of high school and later with Texas, but headed to Odessa (Texas) Junior College, when as a freshman he led the Wranglers to the national juco tournament by averaging 28.0 points and 9.0 assists. After sitting out a season, Bailey landed at North Idaho, where he averaged 14.1 points last season. A pair of 6-11 sophomore centers become eligible this season. Corey Sanders sat out last season after transferring from Cal State-Fullerton, while David Morin (Pensacola (Fla.) JC) has played at various club levels in his native France. Sanders averaged 11 minutes per game as a freshman at Fullerton and should be an impact if fully recovered from corrective surgery on both feet last fall. Also transferring from the junior-college ranks are 6-1 junior guard Ben Adams (Copiah-Lincoln (Miss.) CC) and 6-4 junior swingman Rickie Marlowe (Alabama Southern). Adams averaged 12.5 points, 5.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds in helping his team to the Region 23 semifinals. Marlowe notched 16.5 points and 5.6 rebounds while becoming an all-conference and All-Region 22 selection. And he has playing experience with both Ellis and Baxter, with whom he was a teammate two seasons ago at Chipola before transferring to Alabama Southern. "We've added size and quickness," Stiebing said. "And our depth will be solid the best since I became head coach. I think we'll be two-deep at every position, and that will allow us to play more up-tempo."
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