1/2/2020 10:55:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
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GCU, others ready for conference reboot
By: Paul Coro
Grand Canyon comes into each season with desires and designs for reaching the NCAA tournament but the November and December results left the Lopes wishing for a do-over.
Here it is: the conference season.
As WAC play begins Thursday night for most of the conference, GCU is not alone in its appreciation for a clean slate as the Lopes prepare for their Saturday WAC opener at CSU Bakersfield.
The Lopes, at 5-9, have not played to the level of being tabbed as the WAC's preseason runner-up pick but believe they can still be that contender with good reason. Roster uncertainties cleared up with J.J. Rhymes out for hip surgery and Oscar Frayer ruled academically ineligible while the addition of junior guard Mikey Dixon brought scoring punch alongside Preseason All-WAC duo Carlos Johnson and Alessandro Lever.
Dan Majerle
"It's going to be hard," GCU head coach Dan Majerle said of the WAC. "It always is. But I know our guys will play hard and we'll see what happens. I'm confident in our guys. We have enough to win. We've just got to stay healthy and stay out of foul trouble.
"This has been a down year for us but it doesn't say that we can't go out and do something special this year."
The conference's difficult nonconference season was exemplified by the overwhelming favorite to repeat as champs, New Mexico State. The Aggies are the WAC's highest rated team at 9-6, which is more losses than it had last season at 30-5. NMSU returned nearly every key player but starting point guard A.J. Harris was out until the past two games. The Aggies also added UTEP transfer Evan Gilyard three games ago to a team that ranks 15th nationally in scoring defense (59.7 points per game).
The Aggies struggled offensively without Harris, ranking 12th in the nation for 3-pointers attempted but only making 33.0% of them. NMSU is still the team that has 15 consecutive WAC wins, reached the NCAA tournament eight times since 2010, claimed four of the 10 players on Preseason All-WAC first and second teams and won 58-52 at Mississippi State on Dec. 22.
California Baptist, which is ineligible for the WAC Tournament until 2023, posted the best nonconference mark at 9-4 after breaking GCU's record for most wins in its first Division I transition season (15) by one last season. The sharpshooting Lancers rank 11th in the nation for points per game (82.7) with Fairfield transfer Ferron Flavors Jr. joining WAC Preseason Player of the Year Milan Acquaah in the backcourt. Senior power forward De'jon Davis leads the WAC in rebounds per game (8.7) and shooting percentage (59.2%).
Kansas City (7-7) has shown early progress under new head coach Billy Donlon, a former Wright State head coach. The Roos beat Toledo, won at South Dakota and challenged Iowa State deep into the second half on the road. They lead the conference in steals and have six players scoring between 7.7 and 11.5 points per game, topped by Clemson 6-foot-10 transfer Javan White.
Like NMSU, Seattle returned nearly every key player but has been up and down in the nonconference season, including a home loss to previously winless Florida A&M when senior power forward Myles Carter was out. The Redhawks are 7-8 with junior guard Terrell Brown leading the conference in scoring at 20.5 points per game, which ranks 24th nationally. Seattle ranks 12th nationally for points at the free throw line as it vies for its first NCAA tournament trip since 1969.
Utah Valley caught attention with a 3-1 start after a win at UAB but is now 6-9 for first-year head coach Mark Madsen, the former Los Angeles Lakers player and assistant coach. Junior swingman Isaiah White missed a month of action but might be the WAC's most improved player, taking his scoring average from 8.5 last season to 16.3 this season. The Wolverines feature four double-digit scorers now that Oklahoma State transfer Brandon Averette has joined T.J. Washington in the backcourt.
More was expected from UT Rio Grande Valley after its annual progression under head coach Lew Hill but the Vaqueros are 4-9 with four consecutive losses. Junior point guard Javon Levi, the reigning WAC Defensive Player of the Year, returns with seniors Jordan Jackson, the leading scorer and Lesley Varner Jr., the leading rebounder. UTRGV's defensive brand has not changed, ranking 12th nationally for forced turnovers per game (18.5).
CSU Bakersfield (6-9) challenged itself with games at Texas Tech, Gonzaga and Mississippi but its usually tenacious defense is allowing 38.2% 3-point shooting. Junior forward Taze Moore is the Roadrunner's only double-digit scorer (11.3 points per game) after All-WAC first-team pick Jarkel Joiner transferred to Mississippi.
Lance Irvin is in his second season of trying to transform the Chicago State program. He has received strong reviews as the Cougars revamped the roster. They already have more wins than last season at 4-11 with junior guard Xavier Johnson averaging 17.7 points per game, including a 34-point game with seven 3-pointers against Tennessee State.
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