Just submitted my ballot for the Big Sky Conference pre-season men's basketball poll. Here's how I voted and why:
1. Montana--the Grizzlies have everybody of consequence back from last year's championship team, plus they've added depth in Washington transfer Donaven Dorsey and redshirt freshmen Peter Jones and Kelby Kramer. I voted Ahmad Rorie pre-season MVP, and Michael Oguine all-league, and Jamar Akoh and Bobby Morehead are back as well. The Griz play a softer non-conference schedule this year, which means they could top last year's 26-win season.
2. Weber State--Jerrick Harding is the leading returning scorer in the Big Sky, Zack Braxton the leading returning rebounder and Brekkott Chapman one of the best all-around players. The Wildcats will win over 20 games again, and the beat goes on in Ogden.
3. Northern Colorado--The Bears won the first post-season tournament championship of any kind in Big Sky history last year, taking the College Insider.com title. They lose one-year wonder Andre Spight, who broke Bengal Dave Wagnon's 52-year conference record for most points scored in a season, but they return star PG Jordan Davis, leading rebounder and defender Jonah Radebaugh, and Jalen Sanders, who was terrific as a freshman.
4. Eastern Washington--Yes, all-time Big Sky Conference scoring leader Bogdan Bliznyuk finally graduated after last season, and the Eagles will miss the conference MVP, no doubt. But they reached the league title game last year not only due to Bliznyuk, but also because they have a passel of good, young players, including Aussies Jack Perry, Mason Peatling and Jesse Hunt.
5. Idaho State --Admittedly this prediction is based on everything working out for the best, and history tells us that rarely happens for Idaho State two years in a row. Still, I like this roster a lot. I picked Brandon Boyd to the pre-season all-conference team, I believe he'll play more, earlier and better now that he's established himself as one of the best players in the conference. Jared Stutzman was the best three-point shooter in the league (and one of the best in the nation), and there's no reason to expect him to slack off this year. Balint Moscan and Gary Chivichyan provide experienced three-point gunners.
But the real keys to ISU's season this year, I believe, are two JC transfers who the Bengal coaching staff are very high on. Kelvin Jones, the 6-11 JC transfer who started his career at UTEP, has the potential to be one of the best "bigs" in the Big Sky, I am told. He struggled last year in JC with a chronic leg issue, and the Bengals need him to stay healthy. If he does, he'll capably fill the hole left by Novak Topalovic's departure to Utah.
The other key piece for the Bengals is JC F Alonzo Walker, who may be the best athlete on the team. At 6-6, he won't be asked to score a ton of points, but if he brings that athletic ability to bear as a rebounder and defender, he'll be giving Coach Bill Evans just what he needs upfront.
Finally, the Bengals need some depth to materialize from the bench -- in particular, PG Sam Dowd has to provide more minutes and more production, JC F Chier Maker needs to bring some offensive firepower off the pine, and returning F Blake Truman, who I'm told has improved his conditioning, has to be a contributor.
Yes, I'm going out on a limb here on a team that will most likely be picked in the bottom three when the poll comes out. But I think this team has the potential to not only finish in the middle of the pack again, but also get Evans' first conference tournament win at ISU.
6. Southern UtahThe T-birds jumped up from the 10th seed to upset Idaho State and reach the conference tournament semi-finals last year. They return plenty of firepower in F Dwayne Morgan and Gs Brandon Better and Drew Marin, plus they add D-1 transfers Cameron Oluyitan (Boise State) and Andrew Adams (Arizona State). As usual, it's not necessarily a question of talent as much as chemistry in Cedar City.
7.Portland State--The Vikings were the best Big Sky team in the pre-season, but injuries and suspensions slowed down their frenetic pace once league play arrived. They return freshman of the year Holland Woods, who led the conference in assists last year, as well as four other players who saw significant minutes in Barret Peery's scamble system. They'll also get to play a few non-conference home games this year in their newly remodeled arena.
8.Idaho--I have to admit, in reflection this rating may be too high for the Vandals, especially after Coach Don Verlin announced last week that F Nate Sherwood, their only returning starter, may not play this year due to an arthritic condition. The Vandals will still have some good, young players, however, and Verlin always seems to do a good job when his team isn't expected to perform well.
9.Northern Arizona--The Lumberjacks got an early look at their squad with a four-game summer trip to the Bahamas and generally liked what they saw, winning four games in the islands. Junior college transfer F Jonathan Andre, 6-7, was their leading scorer on the trip, and he'll join three returning starters for Coach Jack Murphy, who probably needs a big year to keep his job after this season.
10. Montana State--It's hard to pick a team with two returning all-conference picks, Tyler Hall and Harald Frey, this low, but the vibe out of Bozeman at the end of last season was terrible, and it doesn't look like the Bobcats did much to improve the roster in the off-season. But a new year always brings new hope.
11. Sacramento State--The Hornets suffered a big loss when G Marcus Graves went down for the season last year, and he'll be back this year, along with productive big man Joshua Patton. But Justin Strings, their best scorer and rebounder, is gone, and Sac, despite returning four starters, is coming off a 4-14 mark in the conference.
1. Montana--the Grizzlies have everybody of consequence back from last year's championship team, plus they've added depth in Washington transfer Donaven Dorsey and redshirt freshmen Peter Jones and Kelby Kramer. I voted Ahmad Rorie pre-season MVP, and Michael Oguine all-league, and Jamar Akoh and Bobby Morehead are back as well. The Griz play a softer non-conference schedule this year, which means they could top last year's 26-win season.
2. Weber State--Jerrick Harding is the leading returning scorer in the Big Sky, Zack Braxton the leading returning rebounder and Brekkott Chapman one of the best all-around players. The Wildcats will win over 20 games again, and the beat goes on in Ogden.
3. Northern Colorado--The Bears won the first post-season tournament championship of any kind in Big Sky history last year, taking the College Insider.com title. They lose one-year wonder Andre Spight, who broke Bengal Dave Wagnon's 52-year conference record for most points scored in a season, but they return star PG Jordan Davis, leading rebounder and defender Jonah Radebaugh, and Jalen Sanders, who was terrific as a freshman.
4. Eastern Washington--Yes, all-time Big Sky Conference scoring leader Bogdan Bliznyuk finally graduated after last season, and the Eagles will miss the conference MVP, no doubt. But they reached the league title game last year not only due to Bliznyuk, but also because they have a passel of good, young players, including Aussies Jack Perry, Mason Peatling and Jesse Hunt.
5. Idaho State --Admittedly this prediction is based on everything working out for the best, and history tells us that rarely happens for Idaho State two years in a row. Still, I like this roster a lot. I picked Brandon Boyd to the pre-season all-conference team, I believe he'll play more, earlier and better now that he's established himself as one of the best players in the conference. Jared Stutzman was the best three-point shooter in the league (and one of the best in the nation), and there's no reason to expect him to slack off this year. Balint Moscan and Gary Chivichyan provide experienced three-point gunners.
But the real keys to ISU's season this year, I believe, are two JC transfers who the Bengal coaching staff are very high on. Kelvin Jones, the 6-11 JC transfer who started his career at UTEP, has the potential to be one of the best "bigs" in the Big Sky, I am told. He struggled last year in JC with a chronic leg issue, and the Bengals need him to stay healthy. If he does, he'll capably fill the hole left by Novak Topalovic's departure to Utah.
The other key piece for the Bengals is JC F Alonzo Walker, who may be the best athlete on the team. At 6-6, he won't be asked to score a ton of points, but if he brings that athletic ability to bear as a rebounder and defender, he'll be giving Coach Bill Evans just what he needs upfront.
Finally, the Bengals need some depth to materialize from the bench -- in particular, PG Sam Dowd has to provide more minutes and more production, JC F Chier Maker needs to bring some offensive firepower off the pine, and returning F Blake Truman, who I'm told has improved his conditioning, has to be a contributor.
Yes, I'm going out on a limb here on a team that will most likely be picked in the bottom three when the poll comes out. But I think this team has the potential to not only finish in the middle of the pack again, but also get Evans' first conference tournament win at ISU.
6. Southern UtahThe T-birds jumped up from the 10th seed to upset Idaho State and reach the conference tournament semi-finals last year. They return plenty of firepower in F Dwayne Morgan and Gs Brandon Better and Drew Marin, plus they add D-1 transfers Cameron Oluyitan (Boise State) and Andrew Adams (Arizona State). As usual, it's not necessarily a question of talent as much as chemistry in Cedar City.
7.Portland State--The Vikings were the best Big Sky team in the pre-season, but injuries and suspensions slowed down their frenetic pace once league play arrived. They return freshman of the year Holland Woods, who led the conference in assists last year, as well as four other players who saw significant minutes in Barret Peery's scamble system. They'll also get to play a few non-conference home games this year in their newly remodeled arena.
8.Idaho--I have to admit, in reflection this rating may be too high for the Vandals, especially after Coach Don Verlin announced last week that F Nate Sherwood, their only returning starter, may not play this year due to an arthritic condition. The Vandals will still have some good, young players, however, and Verlin always seems to do a good job when his team isn't expected to perform well.
9.Northern Arizona--The Lumberjacks got an early look at their squad with a four-game summer trip to the Bahamas and generally liked what they saw, winning four games in the islands. Junior college transfer F Jonathan Andre, 6-7, was their leading scorer on the trip, and he'll join three returning starters for Coach Jack Murphy, who probably needs a big year to keep his job after this season.
10. Montana State--It's hard to pick a team with two returning all-conference picks, Tyler Hall and Harald Frey, this low, but the vibe out of Bozeman at the end of last season was terrible, and it doesn't look like the Bobcats did much to improve the roster in the off-season. But a new year always brings new hope.
11. Sacramento State--The Hornets suffered a big loss when G Marcus Graves went down for the season last year, and he'll be back this year, along with productive big man Joshua Patton. But Justin Strings, their best scorer and rebounder, is gone, and Sac, despite returning four starters, is coming off a 4-14 mark in the conference.
