| |
LOCATION: Santa Barbara, CA
CONFERENCE: Big West (West Division)
LAST SEASON: 15-13 (.535)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 12-4 (1st)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 2/3
NICKNAME: Gauchos
COLORS: Blue & Gold
HOMECOURT: The Thunderdome (6,000)
COACH: Bob Williams (San Jose State '76)
record at school 15-13 (1 year)
career record 15-13 (1 year)
|
ASSISTANTS: Marty Wilson (Pepperdine '89)
Jon Wheeler (California '87)
Greg Clink (Chico State '94)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 13-11-12-7-15
RPI (last 5 years) 164-224-212-272-189
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference semifinal.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
|
Everybody knew that Bob Williams would eventually turn UC Santa Barbara around. The young, energetic coach had the credentials, leading UC Davis to a Division II national championship and four 20-win seasons. He had the recruiting ties, knowing Southern and Central California all too well. And he had a good school to recruit too, as UCSB's campus is not only beautiful but respected for its academics, too. But this fast? In one year? Nobody predicted that. In fact when the Gauchos stumbled out of the gate and lost their first eight, it only seemed to solidify the thought that Williams was in for the rough season everyone predicted: UCSB was picked to finish last in the Big West's weaker West Division. Instead the Gauchos finished first, with a 12-4 record, and played eventual tournament champion New Mexico State tough before finally falling in the league tournament. It was an incredible turnaround, enough to earn Williams the league's coach-of-the-year honors.
|
Blue Ribbon Analysis |
|
BACKCOURT C+ BENCH/DEPTH D+
FRONTCOURT D- INTANGIBLES C-
The Gauchos have some holes, especially on the inside, but they do have a lot of options for coach Bob Williams' three-guard attack. It also doesn't help that UCSB only has three seniors on the roster. But don't doubt Williams. Last season, he made a star out of Bunton and completely turned around a depleted program with smoke and mirrors. He has more talent to work with this season, in part because the team has so much more confidence than it did last season. Will that be enough to push the Gauchos back into the Big West's elite? Probably not but we've been burned by that prediction before. |
And now he wants more. "The guys have had a tremendous offseason," Williams said. "They're all bigger, stronger and faster than they were before. Now can we win 12 games again? I don't know. But I like what I see thus far." It won't be easy. Long Beach State returns all five starters. The rest of the West Division looks like it has caught up to UCSB. And the Gauchos themselves must figure out how to replace Big West first teamer B.J. Bunton, who led the team emotionally and statistically (17.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg). Last year Williams built around Bunton's inside game. This time, he will turn to the perimeter and the three guards who have proven they can be successful at this level. "Our perimeter guys, we feel, are very solid," Williams said. "They've played a lot of minutes and they have had quite a bit of success." The perimeter play begins with 6-foot senior guard Derrick Allen (6.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg), who played markedly better in the latter half of last season. Allen has improved as a ballhandler and shooter, but his forte is defense. The 195-pounder has the strength to guard players much taller than him, giving Williams a lot of options. Allen teamed with 6-2, 210-pound senior point guard Larry Bell (3.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg) as the Gauchos' starting backcourt for the final 12 games. UCSB won nine of those games, in part because playing two point guards at the same time gave opponents fits. "What it did was give us two ballhandlers, two tough guys, two leaders and two guys with really good quickness," Williams said. "And what's great was that both guys are strong enough to defend players that are a lot bigger than them." The third returning starter in Williams' three-guard attack is 6-2 senior Erick Ashe (10.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg), a pleasant surprise last season who led the team in three-pointers with 39. He was a little loose with his decision-making at the start of last year but has improved that part of his game. He's tough to stop because he so ably combines quickness and shooting ability. In reserve is 6-foot junior guard Brandon Payton (9.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg), a former starter who is the younger brother of a certain Seattle SuperSonics star. Payton has the ability to be a force offensively, but his defense has been very suspect. "Defensively, he has a long way to go," Williams said. "He definitely has to make a stronger commitment to that part of the game. Offensively he's good, but he has to commit to playing defense, too." The Gauchos bring in three new guards to add depth, but Williams is hoping to redshirt as many of them as possible (if not all of them). The No. 1 option to play right away is 6-2 junior guard LaRon Bryant, an outstanding shooter from American River College in Sacramento, Calif. Williams describes Bryant as "a shooting star" and said he may not be able to keep Bryant on the bench. The other guard newcomers are 6-1 freshman B.J. Ward, who is known for his quickness, and 6-4 freshman Nick Jones, who is described by Williams as "a scoring machine." Ward and Jones were teammates at Santa Clara High in Oxnard, Calif. There's no question the Gauchos have enough power for their three-guard attack, but will they find enough punch for the two inside spots? The only returning frontline player is 6-9 junior Adama Ndiaye (3.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg), whose role is expected to expand as fast as his frame has: Ndiaye weighed 208 last season but has added another 22 pounds of muscle. Ndiaye was slowed last year by a midseason abdominal injury. If he stays healthy, he could take over the center position. Everyone else is new. The most athletic option is 6-6 freshman forward Mark Hull, who averaged 27.9 points per game his senior season at Hoover High School in Glendale, Calif. The most polished offensive player is 6-9 sophomore forward Mike Vukovich, who used last year's redshirt season well to become stronger and develop his back-to-the-basket skills. The best defensive player is 6-9 junior forward Ross Carmichael, a transfer from Texas Tech who won't be eligible until mid-December. Which of the three will step forward? Nobody knows, although Vukovich is the likely early-season starter. But there are other options if those three stumble. One is 6-5 freshman forward Eric Hare, a relentless rebounder who plays taller than his height. Williams predicts that he will one day be a significant player but admits it might not happen this year. Hare is from McKinney (Texas) High School. The second is 6-7 junior forward Juliano Jordani, a physical power forward who came to UCSB from Brazil via the College of Southern Idaho. He's blessed with strength, but can also step out to the perimeter. The Gauchos' only true center, 6-11 freshman J.J. Todd, will redshirt. Todd played last season at Chaminade High in West Hills, Calif.
 | The 19th edition of Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook is on sale now. To order, call 800-828-HOOP (4667), or visit their web site at
http://www.collegebaskets.com
|
| |
Conferences
America East
ACC
Atlantic 10
Big East
Big Sky
Big South
Big Ten
Big 12
Big West
Colonial
Conference USA
Independents
Ivy League
MAAC
Mid-American
Mid-Continent
Mid-Eastern Athletic
MCC
Missouri Valley
Mountain West
Northeast
Ohio Valley
Pac-10
Patriot
SEC
Southern
Southland
Sun Belt
SWAC
TAAC
WAC
West Coast
|
