14B the university daily kansan
basketball preview
tuesday, November 11, 2003
Big 12 coaches want season to be fresh start
By Joey Berlin jberlin@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
You might think Baylor men's basketball coach Scott Drew
doesn't have much reason to be smiling. He's taking over a program that just endured one of the biggest, most unbelievable scandals in sports history.
But at the Big
12 Conference Men's Basketball Media Day on October 30, Drew was smiling constantly and looking remarkably upbeat for someone in the position he's in.
"The chance to create Baylor into a team that competes for Big 12 titles, that's something that excites you," he said.
Drew and new Iowa State
coach Wayne Morgan are both taking over after an off-season in which their predecessors resigned following highly publicized scandals.
Morgan
A third Big
12 coach, Missouri's Quin Snyder, enters the season facing questions about his job status as he waits for the results of NCAA and FBI investigations into his program.
Drew, who came to Baylor after one year in charge at Valparaiso, faces the most difficult situation. The shooting death of Baylor forward Patrick Dennehy, a crime for which former Baylor player Carlton Dotson has been charged, sparked an
investigation into alleged illegal payments made to two Baylor players, including Dennehy. After coach Dave Bliss resigned, tapes recorded by assistant coach Abar Rouse surfaced. The tapes contained conversations in which Bliss attempted to form a conspiracy to make it appear Dennehy had been dealing drugs.
The NCAA then waived its transfer rules for Baylor players, paving the way for the Bears' top three scorers from last season to transfer to other schools. The transfers left Baylor with just eight scholarship players. The roster is so sparse, Drew is hoping to add walk-ons from the football team once its season is over.
Drew said he was drawn to Baylor in part by the thought that 'you can compete in the Big 12 and have a chance to win a Big 12 title and win a national championship, as we all know. So the
upside at Baylor is tremendous."
Morgan's predecessor at Iowa State, Larry Eustachy, resigned after photographs surfaced on the Internet depicting him holding a beer and kissing women at a college party in Columbia, Mo. Eustache said he would get treatment for alcoholism and vowed not to resign, then worked out a resignation deal with the school.
To replace him, Iowa State promoted Morgan, an assistant who previously coached at Long Beach State for six years and was an assistant at Syracuse for 12 years.
Morgan has had to deal with even more turmoil since taking over. Forward Jackson Vroman was arrested in October on his second drunk-driving charge of the year and has been suspended indefinitely. Guard Tim Barnes, arrested in June on charges of drunken-driving and marijuana possession, has been ruled academically ineligible for the first semester,
Snyder's team has a brighter outlook for the season than Drew's or Morgan's, Big 12 coaches picked Missouri to win the league in their preseason poll. But the NCAA investigation of the program continues after Jessica Bunge, the ex-girlfriend of former Missouri guard Ricky Clemons, claimed Clemons received gifts, cash and improper academic help through Missouri's staff.
Meanwhile, Clemons, who served time in jail this summer for choking Bunge, is the subject of an FBI investigation for reasons that still have not been made public. The FBI received 28 hours of Clemons' jailhouse phone conversations from the Boone County, Mo., sheriff.
Snyder opened his Media Day question-and-answer session by immediately addressing the
NCAA investigation. He said he couldn't comment on the specifics of the inquiry.
"Obviously, the investigation is something we're taking very seriously." Snyder said.
"Ultimately, like in any business, if there are mistakes that have been made, we will move to correct them."
With Drew and Morgan trying to make strong impressions in their new jobs, and Snyder facing a potential fight to keep his, Big 12 fans face a potentially interesting season both on and off the court. All three coaches face huge challenges, but Drew said the challenge of the Baylor situation was one of the things that lured him to Waco, Texas.
"It's always the journey that makes it rewarding," Drew said. "It's not the five minutes on top of the mountain, it's the journey getting there, and that's where we're at right now."
Arizona Wildcats scrimmage to get season under way
By Brett Fera Arizona Wildcat via U-Wire University of Arizona
TUCSON, Ariz. - With the offseason departure of last year's three senior leaders, the Arizona men's basketball team has been searching for someone to take over that role.
Forward Andre Iguodala made a definitive case for himself Wednesday night in the McKale Center, leading the UA Blue squad to a 99-93 victory over the UA Red team during the team's annual Red-Blue intrasquad scrimmage.
"I was pretty excited putting on a jersey again," Iguodala said.
Iugodala dominated from start to finish, scoring a game-high 32 points after stealing the ball away from the Red team at the opening tip, giving his team an early lead.
Thirty-nine minutes of basketball later — with team Blue lead.
ing 96-93 — the 6-foot-6, 207-pound Iguodala was in the right place at the right time again, blocking a potential game-tying 3-point shot by junior guard Salim Stoudamire in the final minute of play.
The Blue squad led for most of the first half. Its largest lead of the opening frame came after an Iguodala basket put the Red team down by eight with just over four minutes to go.
Team Red fought back, however, outscoring the Blue team 15-5 — including three buckets by freshman forward Kirk Walters — over the final 3:34 of the first half as it headed to the locker room with a 45-43 advantage.
But Blue regained the lead after a 3-pointer by Iguodala gave his team a one-point advantage just 1:47 into the second half. Team Red tied the game at 90-90 on a layup by junior center Channing Frye with just under
five minutes remaining, but the Blue team was able to regroup and hold on for the six-point victory.
"I was real proud of everyone," said head coach Lute Olson. "I think we've got a long way to go, but we still look pretty good."
Stoudamire notched 16 points, but connected on just 2-of-7 3-point attempts.
"I thought Salim forced some shots." Olson said.
Big men Isaiah Fox of the Blue squad and Frye of the Red team beat up on each other all night down low, combining for 54 points and 20 rebounds while shooting nearly 62 percent from the floor.
"Me and Isaiah have been playing each other for three years," said the 6-foot-10 Frye. "We're always trying to make new moves and challenge each other."
Frye displayed a shooter's touch both near and far from the
basket. He cut into the Blue team's lead by knocking down back-to-back jumpers from the top of the key, en route to shooting 12-of-23 from the field. Frye finished with 24 points and 15 rebounds, including five on the offensive end.
The story of the game, however, was Iguodala's inside-out game, as the sophomore led all scorers with 32 points to go along with his game-high 17 rebounds.
Igudala hit 3-of-8 3-point attempts, dished out five assists and tallied three steals, displaying his versatility during the entire 40-minute exhibition.
"I've been working on it all summer," said Iguodala of his questioned jump shot. "I think a lot of work needs to be done, especially on the defensive end."
Olson was both critical and complementary of the sophomoreswingman — who also committed six turnovers — despite his
gaudy numbers.
"I thought Andre's shooting was a plus," Olson said. "But we need to get more of his 15 defensive boards. He's got to push the ball better."
Some fresh faces also got into the act, as the 6-foot-10 Walters made 9-of-13 field goals — good for 22 points — and grabbed 10 boards.
Walters' inexperience showed at times, however, in the first half. He didn't pick up his first basket until 10 minutes into the game and hit the front of the rim on his way up for a dunk. Walters also shot a near-airball on an early free-throw try.
Regardless, Olson said he was glad he got a chance to see Walters in action.
"I think it was good for the new guys," he said. "Kirk Walters every day gets better. He was really nervous early."
Freshman point guard Mustafa
Shakur struggled to gain his touch on the shooting end, finishing 5-of-15 from the field, but still managed 14 points and nine assists on the night.
While the two were rarely paired up against each other, sophomore guard Chris Rodgers' experience made the difference in the point guard battle. Rodgers finished with 23 points and six assists on 9-of-17 shooting, despite missing all five attempts from beyond the 3-point arc.
Iguodala said he was looking forward to the team's next game, an exhibition contest against a squad from Sydney, Australia, on Wednesday. He said it will be beneficial for the team to play against people other than themselves.
"I think we took a little bit of a beating, but it's only going to help us in the end," Iguodala said. "I'm very anxious. We're tired of beating each other up."