More news from the Big West Conference, where Cal State Northridge has remade its roster with transfers, Cal State Fullerton has found a few good big men, a second championship contender has a key player who may not play this season, and a quality coach may be on his way out after more than a decade. I’ll be back in the next few days to offer some predictions. In the meantime …
Matadors reloading
Cal State Northridge coach Bobby Braswell appears to have a lot of firepower for a guy who lost five of his six leading scorers from last year’s NCAA Tournament team. Braswell has three solid returners in point guard Mark Hill, small forward Kenny Daniels and power forward Willie Galick. Then there’s a whole host of newcomers, many of whom will figure in Braswell’s rotation.
Point guard Vinnie McGhee, a transfer from Sacramento State, was named Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year after averaging 12.1 and 5.1 assists in 2007-08. Point guard Dathan Lyles averaged 9.6 points, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals in helpingSalt Lake Community College win a national championship last season. Shooting guard Rashaun McLemore averaged 8.3 points as a freshman at Ball State and 17.6 points as a sophomore at Frank Phillips College. Center Lenny Daniel averaged 17.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots at Coffeyville Community College. Then there’s junior forward Kevin Menner, who averaged 23.8 points as a freshman at Ventura College, and 19.3 points and 7.9 rebounds as a sophomore at Saddleback College. Menner scored 39 points in one game for Ventura and 38 in another. Braswell said Lyles has been recovering from ankle surgery but should be cleared to practice next week.
UCR point guard on the mend
The Highlanders have talent, but do they have a point guard? Senior Javon Borum, recently named one of the top 50 shooters in the nation by Fox Sports, is not practicing and may not play this season after having a bone spur removed from his heel over the summer. UC Riverside coach Jim Wooldridge said Borum’s status for this season is “still up in the air.” Wooldridge wouldn’t tell me more, but Borum told Allan Steele of the Riverside Press-Enterprise that he has not played in months.
“Right now I’m just trying to get healthy,” Borum told The Press-Enterprise, adding he is not sure he will play this season. “I should know within the next month or two. I haven’t even started running yet.”
The Highlanders have some very good players, including first-team All-Big West selection Kyle Austin, Gonzaga transfer Larry Gurganious, and Dwight Gordon, a guard who scored 41 points on 14-of-18 shooting in his final game atVictor Valley Community College. The question now is whether they have someone to distribute the ball.
End of an era at UC Irvine?
The writing may be on the wall at UC Irvine, where Pat Douglass is entering his 13th season as head coach and the final year of his contract. Douglass is a good coach who has won more games at UC Irvine than any of his predecessors, but the Anteaters have finished under .500 twice in the past three years, haven’t won 20 games since 2002-03 and have never reached the NCAA Tournament. There were “whispers” regarding Douglass’ future at last season’s Big West Tournament, according to The Orange County Register. The newspaper went so far as to name two potential replacements, both of whom have ties to UC Irvine athletic director Michael Izzi. One of them, former Stanford assistant Doug Oliver, worked as a special assistant to Izzi in the UCI athletic department last year. This year, Douglass has added Oliver to his coaching staff.
Titans get taller
Cal State Fullerton coach Bob Burton is promising a new look this season after years of small ball. A couple of years ago, Burton had a 5-6 point guard and a 6-6 center. Now he’s planning to start 6-0 Jacques Streeter at point guard, 6-4 Aaron Thompson at shooting guard, 6-6 Gerard Anderson at small forward, 6-6, 240-pound Jer’Vaughn Johnson at power forward and 6-10, 240-pound Bryce Webster at center. The Titans have nine newcomers, including three with Division I experience. Johnson played atSan Diego State, Webster played at Minnesota and junior forward Orane Chin played for South Florida. Streeter, Thompson and Anderson are solid players. If the new big men are as good as Burton seems to think, the Titans will be in the hunt.
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More Big West basketball notes
More news from the Big West Conference, where Cal State Northridge has remade its roster with transfers, Cal State Fullerton has found a few good big men, a second championship contender has a key player who may not play this season, and a quality coach may be on his way out after more than a decade. I’ll be back in the next few days to offer some predictions. In the meantime …
Matadors reloading
Cal State Northridge coach Bobby Braswell appears to have a lot of firepower for a guy who lost five of his six leading scorers from last year’s NCAA Tournament team. Braswell has three solid returners in point guard Mark Hill, small forward Kenny Daniels and power forward Willie Galick. Then there’s a whole host of newcomers, many of whom will figure in Braswell’s rotation.
Point guard Vinnie McGhee, a transfer from Sacramento State, was named Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year after averaging 12.1 and 5.1 assists in 2007-08. Point guard Dathan Lyles averaged 9.6 points, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals in helpingSalt Lake Community College win a national championship last season. Shooting guard Rashaun McLemore averaged 8.3 points as a freshman at Ball State and 17.6 points as a sophomore at Frank Phillips College. Center Lenny Daniel averaged 17.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots at Coffeyville Community College. Then there’s junior forward Kevin Menner, who averaged 23.8 points as a freshman at Ventura College, and 19.3 points and 7.9 rebounds as a sophomore at Saddleback College. Menner scored 39 points in one game for Ventura and 38 in another. Braswell said Lyles has been recovering from ankle surgery but should be cleared to practice next week.
UCR point guard on the mend
The Highlanders have talent, but do they have a point guard? Senior Javon Borum, recently named one of the top 50 shooters in the nation by Fox Sports, is not practicing and may not play this season after having a bone spur removed from his heel over the summer. UC Riverside coach Jim Wooldridge said Borum’s status for this season is “still up in the air.” Wooldridge wouldn’t tell me more, but Borum told Allan Steele of the Riverside Press-Enterprise that he has not played in months.
“Right now I’m just trying to get healthy,” Borum told The Press-Enterprise, adding he is not sure he will play this season. “I should know within the next month or two. I haven’t even started running yet.”
The Highlanders have some very good players, including first-team All-Big West selection Kyle Austin, Gonzaga transfer Larry Gurganious, and Dwight Gordon, a guard who scored 41 points on 14-of-18 shooting in his final game atVictor Valley Community College. The question now is whether they have someone to distribute the ball.
End of an era at UC Irvine?
The writing may be on the wall at UC Irvine, where Pat Douglass is entering his 13th season as head coach and the final year of his contract. Douglass is a good coach who has won more games at UC Irvine than any of his predecessors, but the Anteaters have finished under .500 twice in the past three years, haven’t won 20 games since 2002-03 and have never reached the NCAA Tournament. There were “whispers” regarding Douglass’ future at last season’s Big West Tournament, according to The Orange County Register. The newspaper went so far as to name two potential replacements, both of whom have ties to UC Irvine athletic director Michael Izzi. One of them, former Stanford assistant Doug Oliver, worked as a special assistant to Izzi in the UCI athletic department last year. This year, Douglass has added Oliver to his coaching staff.
Titans get taller
Cal State Fullerton coach Bob Burton is promising a new look this season after years of small ball. A couple of years ago, Burton had a 5-6 point guard and a 6-6 center. Now he’s planning to start 6-0 Jacques Streeter at point guard, 6-4 Aaron Thompson at shooting guard, 6-6 Gerard Anderson at small forward, 6-6, 240-pound Jer’Vaughn Johnson at power forward and 6-10, 240-pound Bryce Webster at center. The Titans have nine newcomers, including three with Division I experience. Johnson played atSan Diego State, Webster played at Minnesota and junior forward Orane Chin played for South Florida. Streeter, Thompson and Anderson are solid players. If the new big men are as good as Burton seems to think, the Titans will be in the hunt.