OUTLOOK: The Summit League is made up of 10 teams, all of which will compete
for one bid to the NCAA Tournament this season. There will be plenty of
competition at the top of the heap, but we feel confident that Oakland will be
left standing when the dust settles. IUPUI and South Dakota State figure to
push the Golden Grizzlies, as both of those teams welcome back a wealth of
talented performers. Oral Roberts is perhaps the most recognizable team in the
conference from a national perspective, but the Golden Eagles lost many of
their top players from a year ago and may have to deal with being a second
tier team for a season. IPFW is a team on the rise, and with four returning
starters back, there is certainly reason for optimism. Southern Utah and North
Dakota State will be competitive almost every time out, but anything more than
a middle-of-the-pack finish would be surprising. Rounding out the bottom of
the league figures to be Western Illinois, UMKC and Centenary. None of those
three figure to be in contention for their respective division crowns come
February 1st.
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Oakland
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: 1. Oakland, 2. IUPUI, 3. South Dakota State, 4.
IPFW, 5. Oral Roberts, 6. Southern Utah, 7. North Dakota State, 8. Western
Illinois, 9. UMKC, 10. Centenary
TEAM BY TEAM ANALYSIS:
OAKLAND - So why are we so high on Oakland? Well, start with center Keith
Benson, a 6-10 junior center who scored 14.3 ppg to go along with 7.8 rpg a
year ago. Few teams have a pivot with Benson's combination of size and
athletic ability, so expect the Golden Grizzlies to exploit that advantage.
Johnathon Jones brings back 13.3 ppg, and his 8.1 apg ranked among the
national leaders. Expect the point guard to get some backcourt help from Drew
Maynard, who figures to up his output after a solid freshman season. Will
Hudson is a 6-9 forward who scored 7.4 ppg last season, and he will benefit
from the attention that Benson will draw. Benson set several school records
for blocked shots last season, and coach Greg Kampe knows that he must made
the most of the big man's presence. Simply put, Oakland will be tough to beat
this year.
IUPUI - Last season, IUPUI finished 9-9 in Summit League play, as a youthful
lineup experienced some growing pains. Now, however, coach Ron Hunter has both
talent and experience in place, so expect a major turnaround. Only one starter
from the 2008-09 squad is gone. IUPUI's non-conference schedule features the
likes of Notre Dame, Memphis, Kansas State and Auburn, and the hope is that
those bouts will prove beneficial once league play begins. Robert Glenn is a
6-7 senior forward who scored 14.0 ppg last season, and Alex Young returns
11.0 ppg to the mix. As for Leroy Nobles, a 6-5 swingman, he had 9.9 ppg last
season and figures to score in double figures this year. John Avery is a
player to watch, as he figures to be much improved as a senior. If that is the
case, IUPUI is capable of winning the league title.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE - Last season, South Dakota State finished 13-20 overall,
including 7-11 in Summit action. So why is it that the Jackrabbits are
expected to execute a major turnaround this season? Well, the fact that all
five starters are back certainly helps the cause. The best of the bunch may be
Garrett Callahan, who scored 15.8 ppg in 2008-09. Clint Sargent brings back
14.1 ppg, and those two players form a tremendous backcourt duo. Up front,
Anthony Cordova (12.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg) adds plenty of bulk with his 6-7, 249-
pound frame. Kai Williams, 6-6 forward, posted 9.8 ppg and 7.1 rpg last
season, so he shouldn't be overlooked. Clearly, this team is balanced and
talented. Finishing out of the top four would be surprising for this squad.
IPFW - Dane Fife was a terrific college player, but as a head coach he has
posted a lackluster 48-70 record in four years at IPFW. Fortunately, the
2009-10 campaign has the potential to be his best yet. Fife welcomes back four
starters from last season's team that finished 8-10 in Summit play. Ben Botts
is the leading returning scorer with 11.3 ppg, and there is no question that
the 6-0 junior guard has learned a great deal from his coach. Nick Daniels
posted 8.4 ppg last season, and Zach Plackemeier added 7.7 ppg. Fife starts
all three players at the guard position, and while the lineup is rather small,
there is something to be said for having three ball-handlers on the floor at
the same time. Keep an eye on Trey McCorkle, a 6-10 sophomore who will help
the frontline tremendously if he can improve on a lackluster freshman
campaign.
ORAL ROBERTS - The fact that the Golden Eagles missed the post-season in
2008-09 for the first time in five seasons can't make head coach Scott Sutton
happy. Neither can the fact that the two best players from that team are gone.
ORU exited the Summit League Tournament in the first round last season, and
the only way Sutton will see better results this year is if Kevin Ford and
Dominique Morrison step up huge. The two forwards averaged just under 10.0 ppg
apiece, and Ford grabbed 7.4 rpg. Because of inexperience at guard, the
offense will likely run through the frontcourt, Kyron Stokes is a sophomore
swingman who scored 7.0 ppg this season and could be a double-digit
contributor. The one player to watch, however, is Michael Craion, a juco
transfer with explosive scoring ability.
SOUTHERN UTAH - Just two starters return to the lineup for the Thunderbirds,
but fortunately Davis Baker is one of them. The 6-4 senior guard scored 17.4
ppg last season and is one of the truly elite players in the conference. Baker
will have to carry the offensive load, so don't be surprised if he scores at
least 20.0 ppg this season. The only other returning starter is Jake Nielson,
who tallied 5.8 ppg last season as a freshman. There are no key returning
reserves to get excited about, so this team will depend on some fresh faces to
make an immediate impact. Keep an eye on freshman Dallin Bachynski, a 6-11
center who has the skills to score on the low block.
NORTH DAKOTA STATE - The Bison were sensational last season, winning both the
conference's regular season and tournament titles. They finished 26-7 overall,
including 16-2 in conference during the regular season. Unfortunately for head
coach Saul Phillips, Ben Woodside and his 23.2 ppg and 6.2 apg is gone. So,
too, is Brett Winkelman (18.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and Mike Nelson (11.6 ppg). In
fact, only one of the five starters from the title team returns, and with all
due respect to Michael Tveidt, his 9.8 ppg aren't going to scare anyone. There
aren't any reserves back in place that really made a major impact last season,
so Phillips will have to do a tremendous job of coaching to stay competitive
with the conference elite.
WESTERN ILLINOIS - Last season, the Leathernecks posted a 9-20 overall record,
which included a 6-12 mark in Summit League action. Considering the fact that
the two best players from that squad are gone, Western Illinois may be even
worse in 2009-10. Among the three returning starters, none scored more than
8.4 ppg last season. David Nurse is a solid senior guard, but he doesn't seem
capable of emerging as a successful go-to guy at the offensive end. Ceola
Clark and Tommie Tyler round out the three-guard attack, and both sophomores
will attempt to build on their respective rookie showings. The most intriguing
name on the roster is Emeka Okafor, Jr., the cousin of a former UConn great
and current NBA standout with the same name. Unfortunately, the Okafor that
plays for Western Illinois doesn't appear to be nearly as good as his notable
relative.
UMKC - In two seasons at UMKC, Matt Brown has posted an 18-45 record, and he
finished 7-24 overall last season, including 3-15 in Summit play. It can be
argued with great credence that the two best players from the 2008-09 squad
are gone, so there is no reason to believe that a major turnaround is
forthcoming. Bakari Lewis, a 6-1 junior guard, brings back 10.8 ppg to the
lineup, and Spencer Johnson returns 10.7 ppg and 6.6 rpg to his forward
position. Latreze Mushatt adds 9.1 ppg to the roster, and the hope is that the
sophomore forward has just shown a small glimpse of what he can actually do.
Kirk Korver certainly enters UMKC with a pedigree, as the freshman has a
brother, Kyle, who has been a successful shooter in the NBA.
CENTENARY - The fact that Centenary is going to drop all the way down to
Division III in 2011-2012 is certainly disappointing for fans of the
basketball program, and for the young players who expected to have a four-year
Division I run at the school. Guard Chase Adams is the top returnee for the
Gents, as he scored 14.6 ppg last season and should be able to at least
maintain that mark in 2009-10. Adams was the conference's defensive player of
the year last season, largely because he finished first in steals. But Adams
also placed third in the league in assists, proving to be a tremendous all-
around performer. Jerrald Bonham is the only other returning starter for the
program, but he did little last season to impress coaches. The returning
reserves from a year ago are rather unimpressive as a whole as well, so Adams
may be a one-man show.
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