Just received my ballots for the Big Sky men's and women's basketball races. I'm going to fill out the men's ballot tonight, and the women's tomorrow night. Here's what I'm thinking on the men's race. Keep in mind I have seen nothing and know nothing about 98 percent of the newcomers in the league, so this is based almost entirely on what each team has coming back:
1. Weber State: I pick 'em every year, and every year they figure out a way to lose to Montana. I figure this year, with Will Cherry gone from the Griz, the Wildcats just might get it done. With Joel Bolomboy, Davion Berry and Kyle Tresnak, Weber certainly has the front court firepower to hang with anybody. And all reports are they have plenty of young talent in the backcourt, even with Gelaun Wheelwright departing. But that's the tricky part --- some of those young guards are going to have to contribute immediately if the Wildcats are going to finally claim the conference championship.
2. Montana: I predict the Griz' 31 game conference home streak will finally come to an end this season because Montana is just simply not going to be as good without Cherry and leading scorer Mathias Ward. But Montana still returns league MVP Kareem Jamar, a couple of growing guards in Jordan Gregory and Keron Deshields, and a lot of valuable parts.
3. North Dakota: The nameless team returns arguably the best player in the league in Troy Huff, as well as three other productive starters; Aaron Anderson, Jamal Webb and Josh Schuler. What they are missing is a big post presence, but Alorenzo Traylor, who averaged 7 points and 5 rebounds in only eight games last year, might be that guy.
4. Eastern Washington: The Eagles return one of the best front lines in the conference, starting with Venky Jois and Martin Seiforth. They also bring back a couple of young guards who came on strong at the end of last year in Parker Kelly and Tyler Harvey. They may not be athletic enough to stave off the best teams in the league, but they will be a handful most nights.
5. Northern Arizona: The Axers might be the biggest mystery in the league, what with six freshmen and four junior college transfers coming on board. But I know one thing: the three starters they return are pretty good, led by former freshmen sensation Dewayne Russell at guard. If the incoming recruiting class is as talented as advertised, NAU could make an immediate splash. But if the chemistry is a mess, look out below!
6. Northern Colorado: The Bears return five starters, including three -- Derrick Barden, Tate Unruh and Tevin Svihoveck -- who averaged in double figures last season. So one might assume this could be a pretty good year for UNC. And if they carry over some of their late-season success on the road, the Bears could be a big surprise this year.
7. Montana State: Every year MSU fans tell me this is Brad Huse's last shot as Bobcats coach. But every year, he keeps coming back. This year's team doesn't look a whole lot different than past teams that have failed to meet expectations. There are some good wing players in Antonio Biglow and Marcus Colbert, a nice, undersized four-man in Flavien Davis, and an athletic big in Paul Egwuonwu. Just how this mix will produce a different product from similar chemistry in the past remains to be seen.
8. Portland State: This is another mystery team, with two freshmen and three junior college transfers joining just two returning starters. Aaron Moore is one of the better power forwards in the league, and Gary Winston shot 44 percent from three-point range last year, so they at least give the Vikings a nice foundation on which to build.
9. Idaho State: Honestly, I was baffled about where to put the Bengals. They return some nice complementary parts in Tomas Sanchez, Chris Hansen and Andre Hatchett, but their "core" is not particularly athletic. I just don't know enough about the new guys to go out on a limb and predict immediate success for them. Ninth strikes me as a nice, safe place to put the hometown five right now.
10. Sacramento State: This could be a mistake -- in a guard's league, Sac State returns two good ones in conference assist leader Dylan Garrity and Mikh McKinney, who averaged 12 ppg last year. Nonetheless, the Hornets lost all their best post players and the Sac program can just never seem to string even modestly successful seasons back to back.
11. Southern Utah: The T-birds lost their four leading scorers, and three of their top four rebounders. They'll be relying on 6-11 C Jayson Cheesman and sophomore guard AJ Hess to provide experience, and five freshmen and a JC transfer playing important minutes.
1. Weber State: I pick 'em every year, and every year they figure out a way to lose to Montana. I figure this year, with Will Cherry gone from the Griz, the Wildcats just might get it done. With Joel Bolomboy, Davion Berry and Kyle Tresnak, Weber certainly has the front court firepower to hang with anybody. And all reports are they have plenty of young talent in the backcourt, even with Gelaun Wheelwright departing. But that's the tricky part --- some of those young guards are going to have to contribute immediately if the Wildcats are going to finally claim the conference championship.
2. Montana: I predict the Griz' 31 game conference home streak will finally come to an end this season because Montana is just simply not going to be as good without Cherry and leading scorer Mathias Ward. But Montana still returns league MVP Kareem Jamar, a couple of growing guards in Jordan Gregory and Keron Deshields, and a lot of valuable parts.
3. North Dakota: The nameless team returns arguably the best player in the league in Troy Huff, as well as three other productive starters; Aaron Anderson, Jamal Webb and Josh Schuler. What they are missing is a big post presence, but Alorenzo Traylor, who averaged 7 points and 5 rebounds in only eight games last year, might be that guy.
4. Eastern Washington: The Eagles return one of the best front lines in the conference, starting with Venky Jois and Martin Seiforth. They also bring back a couple of young guards who came on strong at the end of last year in Parker Kelly and Tyler Harvey. They may not be athletic enough to stave off the best teams in the league, but they will be a handful most nights.
5. Northern Arizona: The Axers might be the biggest mystery in the league, what with six freshmen and four junior college transfers coming on board. But I know one thing: the three starters they return are pretty good, led by former freshmen sensation Dewayne Russell at guard. If the incoming recruiting class is as talented as advertised, NAU could make an immediate splash. But if the chemistry is a mess, look out below!
6. Northern Colorado: The Bears return five starters, including three -- Derrick Barden, Tate Unruh and Tevin Svihoveck -- who averaged in double figures last season. So one might assume this could be a pretty good year for UNC. And if they carry over some of their late-season success on the road, the Bears could be a big surprise this year.
7. Montana State: Every year MSU fans tell me this is Brad Huse's last shot as Bobcats coach. But every year, he keeps coming back. This year's team doesn't look a whole lot different than past teams that have failed to meet expectations. There are some good wing players in Antonio Biglow and Marcus Colbert, a nice, undersized four-man in Flavien Davis, and an athletic big in Paul Egwuonwu. Just how this mix will produce a different product from similar chemistry in the past remains to be seen.
8. Portland State: This is another mystery team, with two freshmen and three junior college transfers joining just two returning starters. Aaron Moore is one of the better power forwards in the league, and Gary Winston shot 44 percent from three-point range last year, so they at least give the Vikings a nice foundation on which to build.
9. Idaho State: Honestly, I was baffled about where to put the Bengals. They return some nice complementary parts in Tomas Sanchez, Chris Hansen and Andre Hatchett, but their "core" is not particularly athletic. I just don't know enough about the new guys to go out on a limb and predict immediate success for them. Ninth strikes me as a nice, safe place to put the hometown five right now.
10. Sacramento State: This could be a mistake -- in a guard's league, Sac State returns two good ones in conference assist leader Dylan Garrity and Mikh McKinney, who averaged 12 ppg last year. Nonetheless, the Hornets lost all their best post players and the Sac program can just never seem to string even modestly successful seasons back to back.
11. Southern Utah: The T-birds lost their four leading scorers, and three of their top four rebounders. They'll be relying on 6-11 C Jayson Cheesman and sophomore guard AJ Hess to provide experience, and five freshmen and a JC transfer playing important minutes.
