1998-99 record: 14-18, 3-13 in the Big Ten.
Key newcomers: G Sean Harrington, fr.; G Frank Williams, fr.; F Brian Cook, fr.; F Marcus Griffin, jr.
Key returnees: F Victor Chukwudebe, sr.; G Cory Bradford, so.; F Robert Archibald, so.; F Lucas Johnson, so.; F Cleotis Brown, sr.; F Damir Krupalija, so.; F Sergio McClain, jr.
Preseason issues: Chemistry and playing time. Finding a place for McClain to play. Sorting out all the possible scenarios under the basket. McClain and Brown are both small forwards. But Chukwudebe, Archibald, Krupalija and Johnson, all of whom saw a lot of action last season, will have to fight off talented newcomers Cook and Griffin for the other two inside positions. Lon Kruger’s job is to make the pieces fit and keep them happy.
Player to watch: Williams. With Peoria Central recruit and partial qualifier Jerrance Howard ineligible this season, point guard will be a point of emphasis. Williams, a high school All-America pick, practiced with team last year as a partial qualifier and averaged 14.4 points on the Australia trip, but he must prove he can run club against Big Ten-caliber competition. With Williams at the point and Bradford at shooting guard, Illini could have one of the league’s top backcourts.
Outlook: If Williams is as good as he was in high school and Griffin and Cook play up to their press clippings and everybody stays healthy, Illini should at least earn an NCAA tournament berth. Ohio State and Michigan State are the class of league, but anything less than fourth place would be a disappointment for a still young team (two seniors) that may be only one or two years away from greatness.
DEPAUL
1998-99 record: 18-13, 10-6 in Conference USA.
Key newcomers: C Steven Hunter, fr.; G George Baker, fr.; G Paul McPherson, jr.; G Joe Tulley, fr.
Key returnees: F Quentin Richardson, so.; F Bobby Simmons, so.; C Lance Williams, so.; G Rashon Burno, so.; G Kerry Hartfield, sr.
Preseason issues: The Blue Demons need consistency at point guard. DePaul’s performance there last season was uneven at best. Burno will start, and coach Pat Kennedy needs to find a way to keep him under control. Hartfield, last year’s starter at the point, will move to shooting guard, where he belongs.
Player to watch: DePaul will get a boost from Hunter and some of the other newcomers. And Kennedy says Williams has improved more in one off-season than any player he has seen. For all that, though, this is still Richardson’s team. He might be the hardest-working player in college basketball. No opponent is safe when he is under the boards.
Outlook: This is DePaul’s time. Richardson almost surely will head for the NBA after this season. Last year’s talented recruiting class of Richardson, Simmons and Williams is a year older. If Hunter is good enough to play right away, Williams can move to power forward, Simmons can concentrate on one position and Richardson can show the pros he has an all-around game. This team has the talent to play in the NCAA tournament and perhaps do some damage. But as far as the Blue Demons being a top-10 team, let’s see if they can break a press first.
NORTHWESTERN
1998-99’s record: 15-14, 6-10 in the Big Ten.
Key newcomers: F Winston Blake, fr.; G Jason Burke, fr; F Brody Deren, fr.; C Aaron Jennings, fr.; G Ben Johnson, fr.; F Adam Robinson, fr.
Key returnees: G David Newman, so.; F Tavaras Hardy, so.; F Steve Lepore, so.
Preseason issues: Finding a way to make up for the loss of Evan Eschmeyer, the center (both figuratively and literally) on last year’s team who averaged 19.6 points and 10.1 rebounds a game. Getting older quickly, an important necessity since 10 of the Wildcats’ 11 scholarship players are either freshmen or sophomores. And finding out which of the half-dozen freshmen are capable of contributing immediately, which some must do if this team is going to be anything more than cannon fodder while going through a rebuilding process.
Player to watch: A whole lot of attention will be paid to the freshmen, but sophomore point guard David Newman is a key by the very nature of his position. Last year as a freshman, he was duly educated by Big Ten opponents like Michigan State’s Mateen Cleaves and Ohio State’s Scoonie Penn. This year, as one of his team’s elder statesmen, he must put those lessons to good use and help guide the new freshmen.
Outlook: “You know the old saying. The best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores,” says coach Kevin O’Neill. This is a familiar coach’s lament, and there will surely be times during this season that O’Neill wishes all the talent he has collected were at least a year older. But this team will be more athletic than last year’s surprise edition, and in the 6-foot-3-inch Johnson–who averaged 23 points a game as a high school senior–he finally has a true scorer to augment the defensive pressure his teams always apply.
LOYOLA
1998-99 record: 9-18, 7-7 in Midwestern Collegiate Conference.
Key newcomers: G-F Jerell Parker, fr.; G-David Bailey, fr.
Key returnees: G Earl Brown, sr.; G Chris Williams, 6-3, so.; F Damien McSwine, sr.
Preseason issues: Ramblers must appoint a “committee” to replace the 18.5 points and 8.8 rebounds a game that 6-8 Javan Goodman delivered last year. No one player can do this, but the firm of Brown-Williams-McSwine & Parker appears capable. Coach Larry Farmer also seeks to rekindle the spark his team had when it won four of its last six and five of its last eight games last year.
Player to watch: Brown was second in the MCC both in assists and in steals. He and Williams provide a swift, skilled set of guards, second to none in the guard-rich MCC.
Outlook: Loyola has excellent guards, four returning starters and some depth. If 6-9 veteran Brad Tice and/or 6-9 newcomer Silvijie Turkovic from Croatia can rebound, Loyola can compete for the MCC title.
ILLINOIS-CHICAGO
1998-99 record: 7-21, 2-12 in Midwestern Collegiate Conference.
Key newcomers: G Jonathan Schneiderman, fr.; F Maurice Brown, so.
Key returnees: C Thor Solverson, jr.; F Ian Hanavan, so.; G Jordan Kardos, so.; G Joel Bullock, jr.
Preseason issues: Integrate freshmen Schneiderman and Brown into a young, starless lineup that will likely contain youngsters Hanavan and Kardos. Develop Solverson as an inside force in a guard-oriented league where good big men are scarce.
Players to watch: Lack of a consistent point guard was the Flames’ major problem last year. So the development of Bullock and Schneiderman will be critical. Hanavan is the best player, Brown the best newcomer and Solverson a possible star.
Outlook: People don’t expect much. But the Flames, who played nine of 13 non-conference games on the road last year, open with five of their first six at home. A good start could trigger a run to a .500 season.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
1998-99 record: 6-20, 2-16 in Mid-American Conference.
Key newcomers: F Jerry Sanders, fr.; C-F Michael Morrison, fr.
Key returnees: C T.J. Lux, sr.; G Mike Brown, jr.; G Ephriam Eaddy, sr.; F Rey Jones, sr.; F-C Steve Determan, jr.; F Leon Rodgers, 6-6 so.
Preseason issues: Keeping the three regulars who were sidelined last year healthy: All-American nominee Lux (severe shin splints), Rodgers (mononucleosis) and Determan (knee). The talent and numbers are there.
Player to watch: Two-time academic All-American Lux went into last season as the nation’s No. 1 returning rebounder (11.1) and No. 6 returning scorer (18.6).
Outlook: The addition of promising freshmen Sanders and Morrison to Lux and five other former starters gives the Huskies the tools to move up in the MAC.
NOTRE DAME
1998-99 record: 14-16, 8-10 in Big East.
Key newcomers: G Matt Carroll, fr.; C Ivan Kartelo, fr.; F Jere Macura, fr.
Key returnees: F Troy Murphy, so.; G Martin Ingelsby, jr.; F David Graves, so.
Preseason issues: Matt Doherty played a supporting role when Michael Jordan lead North Carolina to the 1982 NCAA championship. After working as an assistant at Kansas for seven years, he has replaced John MacLeod as coach of the Fighting Irish, who haven’t made an NCAA appearance since 1990.
Player to watch: Last year Troy Murphy averaged 19.2 points and 9.9 rebounds and had a field-goal percentage of .538. His 518 points set a Notre Dame record and he was the first freshman to lead the Big East in rebounding.
Outlook: Murphy has recovered from off-season hernia surgery and figures to improve on his outstanding freshman year. Carroll was a two-time high school player of the year in Pennsylvania and should be an impact player as a freshman. Don’t be surprised if Doherty takes Notre Dame back to the NCAA tournament in his first year.
VALPARAISO
1998-99 record: 23-9, 10-4 in Mid-Continent Conference.
Key newcomers: C Raitis Grafs, fr.; C Antti Nikkila, fr.
Key returnees: F Lubos Barton, so.; G Milo Stovall, so.; G Jared Nunness, so.; F Ivan Vujic, sr.
Preseason issues: What will Valparaiso’s record be by the time it plays its home opener? The Crusaders are appearing in a tournament in November and another in December and will meet Minnesota, Notre Dame and Houston on the road before finally playing its home opener Jan. 10.
Player to watch: Lubos Barton was considered a blue-chip NBA prospect when he came to Valparaiso and he lived up to expectations by immediately becoming one of his conference’s premier players.
Outlook: Only one of the 14 players on last year’s roster has graduated. Look for the Crusaders to win their sixth consecutive regular-season and conference-tournament titles and go to the NCAA tournament for the fifth straight year.
CHICAGO STATE
1998-99 record: 3-24, 3-11 Mid-Continent Conference.
Key returnees: G Jermaine Hicks, sr.; F Pierre Shuttlesworth, sr.
Key newcomers: F Corey Brown, jr.; C Dewayne Johns, jr. (eligible second semester).
Preseason issues: How does second-year coach Bo Ellis find ways to improve the offense of a team that averaged only 54.6 points last year, while giving up 75? How much of a difference will the 7-foot, 1 inch Johns make when the tallest player in school history becomes eligible in the second semester?
Player to watch: They call Jermaine Hicks “Squirt,” but the tiny guard’s offensive and defensive derring-do make him one of the highest profile players in the conference.
Outlook: Although Chicago State should have a better team, the record probably will show only slight improvement. Ellis, who played and was an assistant coach at Marquette, has capitalized on his connections to toughen his schedule. Ready or not, the Cougars will play at Marquette on Nov. 20; will visit Northwestern and ex-Marquette coach Kevin O’Neill on Nov. 23; and travel to Utah for a Dec. 18 game against former Marquette coach Rick Majerus’ team.
