TEAM BY TEAM ANALYSIS:
CS-BAKERSFIELD - The Roadrunners went just 8-21 last season, but the hope is
the return of three starters in Trent Blakley (13.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg), Santwon
Latunde (11.0 ppg, 7.6 rpg) and Alex Johnson (8.3 ppg, team-high 89 assists)
will held coach Keith Brown's team log a winning record this time around. For
that to happen, the team as a whole must shoot better than the 39.3 percent it
put forth last year while also figuring out a way to keep opponents from
shredding the net (.463) with any degree of regularity. CSUB will play its
first five games and 12 of its first 13 in the state of the California,
although a five-game road trip in which the 'Runners will take on Pac-10 foes
UCLA and Oregon State in the first few weeks will be difficult for sure.
LONGWOOD - Coach Mike Gillian has the luxury of having four of five starters
back for the 2009-10 season, and best of the bunch is sixth-year senior Dana
Smith (14.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg). Help for Smith comes in the form of Kevin Swecker
(10.9 ppg, 63 made three-point FGs), Billy Robinson (7.2 ppg) and Durann Neil
(7.1 ppg, 3.9 apg). Smith, Swecker and Robinson are all seniors and the
Lancers will need their veteran leadership to help them continue the recent
success they've had -- the team went 17-14 last year, marking Longwood's
highest win total since making the move to Division I in 2004-05, and its most
wins since the 2000-01 campaign. Another guy to keep an eye on is 6-6
sophomore Antwan Carter, a Florida native who averaged 8.9 points and 5.5
rebounds per game last year mostly in a reserve role.
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL - The Eagles had their wings clipped 27 times in 31
games last season, so there is obviously room for improvement as new head
coach LeVelle Moton begins his tenure at the school where he himself was a
star player back in the mid-1990s. Moton's team suffered a huge blow in the
off-season as leading scorer Jamar Briscoe (17.8 ppg) transferred to UNC-
Charlotte, leaving sophomore Vincent Davis as the primary offensive weapon for
the Eagles. Davis (11.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg) won't go into battle alone of course,
but the cupboard is pretty bare in terms of proven production so it will be
interesting to see who, if anyone, steps to the forefront. NCCU lost all 17 of
its road games last season, and the Eagles will play their first two and seven
of their first eight away from home this year, including the opener against
defending national champion North Carolina on November 11th.
SAVANNAH STATE - After posting a 15-14 mark last season, the return of three
starters should help the Tigers compete for another winning record in 2009-10.
Coach Horace Broadnax knows how to get the most out of his players, and he
will rely on Rashad Hassan (8.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg) and Jovonni Shuler (8.3 ppg, 3.9
rpg) to lead the team, although both will need to produce more offensively for
Savannah State to truly be competitive. A glaring lack of scoring hurt the
Tigers last season as no one player averaged double digits, and the team as a
whole tallied just 59.8 ppg. SSU went 13-3 at home last year, and the club is
fortunate to have four of its first five games at Tiger Arena this time
around, although one of those bouts is against Big East power Georgetown.
SEATTLE - The Redhawks' first season at the Division I level was a highly
successful one as they went 21-8 and won all 10 of their home games. The loss
of leading scorer Austen Powers (12.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg) hurts, but the hope is
that Chris Gweth (10.8 ppg, team-high 55 three-pointers) will assume the role
of team leader this year. Also gone is double-digit scorer and leading
rebounder Michael Wright (10.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg), so help will need to come from
guys like Mike Boxley (8.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and Aaron Broussard (6.7 ppg, 4.2
rpg). Seattle has a new head coach in former Washington assistant Cameron
Dollar, and the hope is the transition of power won't adversely effect the
Redhawks. Seattle opens the season with two straight road games (Oklahoma
State and Portland), and will play just four of its first 12 at home.
SIU-EDWARDSVILLE - The Cougars won half as many games as they lost last season
(10-20), their first as a member of Division I, but there is room for optimism
in 2009-10 as the team returns three starters. Sophomore Mark Yelovich
highlights the group, and he is poised to take his game to the next level
after averaging 13.7 ppg last year. A well-rounded player despite his relative
youth, Yelovich is the best three-point shooter (.451) on the team and does an
admirable job on the glass (4.7 rpg) as well. 6-10 Serbian Nikola Bundalo will
be a handful for most defenders in close to the basket, while Aamir McCleary
(9.5 ppg) adds another dimension at the offensive end from his spot in the
SIUE backcourt. Third-year head coach Lennox Forrester will surely have the
Cougars prepared for the challenges that lie ahead, but alot has to go right
for them to show marked improvement from last season.
©2009 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
