weberwildcat
Active member
WSU hoopsters to show off tonight
By Roy Burton
http://www.standard.net/topics/college-sports" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
OGDEN -- It's time to meet the Wildcats.
Weber State's men's and women's basketball teams host their annual preseason Purple and White scrimmage tonight at 7 p.m. at the Dee Events Center.
Players from both teams will be introduced, followed by the men's scrimmage and a 3-point challenge before the women close out the event with their first public scrimmage under the direction of new coach Bethann Ord. Seven players return from last season's Weber State women's team.
WSU fans will also see 2009-10 Big Sky men's basketball MVP Damian Lillard in action for the first time since he broke his foot last December and missed the remainder of the season.
The junior point guard from Oakland, Calif., can't wait to get back on the court in front of fans.
"I can't even explain how I feel," he said. "I just appreciate everything more, just practicing harder and kind of staying in the moment with having to sit out and watch for a whole year almost. It feels good to be back, just to be out there with the team."
The Purple and White game will be a showcase for what the Wildcats expect to show their fans during the regular season, he said.
"We're just going to play hard. Our goal from the beginning of the school year has been to get better every day," Lillard said. "We're not going to come out and try to do anything spectacular, show off for the fans, we're just going to give them what they're going to see during the whole season -- just go out there and play hard, share the ball and play team defense."
The Weber State men were picked first in the preseason coaches and media polls for the fourth straight year.
Sixth-year WSU men's coach Randy Rahe doesn't worry about preseason polls.
"We've got high expectations every year, it doesn't matter what the polls say, doesn't matter where they pick us, we have a certain expectation of our program every year that we're trying to uphold," Rahe said. "Everybody gets a kick out of the polls for one day, the day they come out. After that it's really kind of gone."
He doesn't think the hype gets to his players.
"If somebody is out there telling them, hey, you guys should be pretty good, in their minds, it's kind of what they're expecting or hoping anyway. I don't think it affects them at all," he said. "We talk all the time about distractions, you've got to eliminate the noise. That's what we've got to do to be good. We've got to focus on ourselves."
Rahe's staff set it as a goal early in his tenure to compete at the top of the league every season.
"We take it as an honor to be picked No. 1, we really do," Rahe said. "To know that the coaches especially think that highly of our program, that's an honor for them to think that. It doesn't mean anything because you've got to go back it up, obviously. I think our kids look at it as a challenge."
First-team All-Big Sky player Kyle Bullinger is excited for tonight's Purple and White scrimmage because it means the season is on its way.
"It will be a chance to get the nerves out. No matter how many times you do it, there's always a little bit of nerves. It will be fun to get the community back around us, we obviously enjoy the support they bring us," Bullinger said. "We're excited to play in it and we're excited for what it symbolizes. It's the beginning of the season, it's our last real scrimmage against each other. We've got opponents coming up and it means we're getting ready and getting into the heart of the season so we're excited for it."
Junior guard Megan Patterson is the leading returning scorer for the women's team (11.8 points per game) and hit more 3-pointers last season (73) than any player back in the Big Sky.
By Roy Burton
http://www.standard.net/topics/college-sports" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
OGDEN -- It's time to meet the Wildcats.
Weber State's men's and women's basketball teams host their annual preseason Purple and White scrimmage tonight at 7 p.m. at the Dee Events Center.
Players from both teams will be introduced, followed by the men's scrimmage and a 3-point challenge before the women close out the event with their first public scrimmage under the direction of new coach Bethann Ord. Seven players return from last season's Weber State women's team.
WSU fans will also see 2009-10 Big Sky men's basketball MVP Damian Lillard in action for the first time since he broke his foot last December and missed the remainder of the season.
The junior point guard from Oakland, Calif., can't wait to get back on the court in front of fans.
"I can't even explain how I feel," he said. "I just appreciate everything more, just practicing harder and kind of staying in the moment with having to sit out and watch for a whole year almost. It feels good to be back, just to be out there with the team."
The Purple and White game will be a showcase for what the Wildcats expect to show their fans during the regular season, he said.
"We're just going to play hard. Our goal from the beginning of the school year has been to get better every day," Lillard said. "We're not going to come out and try to do anything spectacular, show off for the fans, we're just going to give them what they're going to see during the whole season -- just go out there and play hard, share the ball and play team defense."
The Weber State men were picked first in the preseason coaches and media polls for the fourth straight year.
Sixth-year WSU men's coach Randy Rahe doesn't worry about preseason polls.
"We've got high expectations every year, it doesn't matter what the polls say, doesn't matter where they pick us, we have a certain expectation of our program every year that we're trying to uphold," Rahe said. "Everybody gets a kick out of the polls for one day, the day they come out. After that it's really kind of gone."
He doesn't think the hype gets to his players.
"If somebody is out there telling them, hey, you guys should be pretty good, in their minds, it's kind of what they're expecting or hoping anyway. I don't think it affects them at all," he said. "We talk all the time about distractions, you've got to eliminate the noise. That's what we've got to do to be good. We've got to focus on ourselves."
Rahe's staff set it as a goal early in his tenure to compete at the top of the league every season.
"We take it as an honor to be picked No. 1, we really do," Rahe said. "To know that the coaches especially think that highly of our program, that's an honor for them to think that. It doesn't mean anything because you've got to go back it up, obviously. I think our kids look at it as a challenge."
First-team All-Big Sky player Kyle Bullinger is excited for tonight's Purple and White scrimmage because it means the season is on its way.
"It will be a chance to get the nerves out. No matter how many times you do it, there's always a little bit of nerves. It will be fun to get the community back around us, we obviously enjoy the support they bring us," Bullinger said. "We're excited to play in it and we're excited for what it symbolizes. It's the beginning of the season, it's our last real scrimmage against each other. We've got opponents coming up and it means we're getting ready and getting into the heart of the season so we're excited for it."
Junior guard Megan Patterson is the leading returning scorer for the women's team (11.8 points per game) and hit more 3-pointers last season (73) than any player back in the Big Sky.