With the baseball playoffs capturing Chicago’s attention and Notre Dame-USC marking the start of the second half of the college football season, we take a moment for a first look at college basketball, which tips off the season within a month.
SCHOOL: CHICAGO STATE:
By Amanda Kaschube
Last season: 9-19 overall, 7-9 in Mid-Continent
Opener: Nov. 20 at Ohio State
WHO’S GONE? Deji Akindele (2005 Mid-Continent defensive POY) signed with Golden State. He ranks 1st in school history with 132 blocked shots in 60 games. Also gone: guards Craig Franklin (13.0 ppg) and Tony Weeden (13.1).
WHO’S BACK? Two starters return: 5-10 guard Royce Parran, who averaged 10 points and 2.7 assists per game, and 6-1 Kevin Jones is back for his junior season after playing in 27 games and averaging 5.9 ppg. Senior Leon Petty also will be available after being declared academically ineligible in 2004.
WHAT WE KNOW: Cougars have been consistent the past two seasons, winning 16 conference games (5th highest in Mid-Continent). But they will have a difficult non-conference slate again, opening the season at Ohio State and will play road contests at Louisville, Purdue and Nebraska.
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW: Chicago State needs to rebuild–fast. Gone are 64.8 percent of its scoring (1,171 of 1,808 points), 67.1 percent of its rebounding and 51.6 percent of its assists. Added 10 new players, including 6 junior college transfers, to fill the holes.
SCHOOL: DEPAUL
By Skip Myslenski
Last season: 20-11, 10-6 in Conference USA
Opener: Nov. 19 vs. Bradley at Allstate Arena
WHO’S GONE? Forward Quemont Greer, who was both the leading scorer (18.3 ppg) and rebounder (7.6 pg). Guard Drake Diener, who was the second-leading scorer (14.2 ppg). Guard LeVar Seals, who was the best perimeter defender. WHO’S BACK? Just two starters: 6-9 center Marlon Brumfield, the only senior on the team, and junior guard Sammy Mejia, who averaged 11.8 points per game. Also expected to make contributions is sophomore point Cliff Clinkscales, who last season had out 104 assists to just 45 turnovers.
WHAT WE KNOW: New Blue Demons coach Jerry Wainwright stresses defense and physical toughness, which his team will need as it joins the Big East. “I guarantee you, if a guy doesn’t get on the floor, doesn’t take a charge, doesn’t block out, he’ll sit next to me,” he says, which means play hard or not at all.
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW: The Blue Demons return just 37.3 percent of their scoring and 53.8 percent of their rebounding. Who will emerge as leading scorer? Leading rebounder? Then there’s the jump to the Big East, where you can’t take a play off let alone a game.
SCHOOL: ILLINOIS
By Neil Milbert
Last season: 37-2, 15-1 in Big Ten
Opener: Nov. 18 vs. South Dakota State at Assembly Hall.
WHO’S GONE? Three starters– guards Deron Williams and Luther Head to the NBA, and forward Roger Powell. Also missing are two frontcourt reserves–Jack Ingram and 7-2 Nick Smith. Also, seldom-used guard Fred Nkemdi.
WHO’S BACK? Two starters–guard Dee Brown, the Big Ten Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, and forward James Augustine, who averaged 10.1 points and 7.6 rebounds last season. Brian Randle is back from a broken hand. Also, guard Rich McBride and forwards Warren Carter and Shaun Pruitt.
WHAT WE KNOW: All that separated the Illini from an undefeated season were a one-point loss at Ohio State and a four-point loss to North Carolina in the NCAA championship game. Coach Bruce Weber has lost too many VIPs and the Big Ten is too strong for the Illini to clone that kind of season.
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW: Can McBride and Randle consistently come on as strong as they sometimes did two years ago? Can hefty 6-8 junior transfer Marcus Arnold replicate the numbers (12.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks) he put up at Illinois State?
SCHOOL: ILLINOIS CHICAGO
By Amanda Kaschube
Last season: 15-14, 8-8 in Horizon League
Opener: Nov. 17 vs. Montana State
WHO’S GONE? Cedrick Banks, the Flames’ all-time leading scorer, signed with the French B League in August. Also gone is Armond Williams, who lead the team in rebounding and ranked second in scoring (10.3 ppg).
WHO’S BACK? Former Farragut standout Elliott Poole started 28 of 29 games last season and was one of four players to play in every game. He averaged single-season bests of 9.9 ppg and 5.8 rpg. Jovan Stefanov shot just under 50 percent from the field (8.8 ppg) and Rocky Collum also returns (8.7 ppg, 3.2 apg).
WHAT WE KNOW: The Flames need to take better care of the ball. Last season, UIC averaged 12.8 turnovers per game vs. 13.3 assists per game. Banks led the team in turnovers, averaging almost 3.0 per game, but he also led in assists (2.5 apg).
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW: Who will replace Banks? Last season, he led Illinois-Chicago in 11 categories. Poole looks to be a good substitute, but his point output pales in comparison–286 vs. 541 in 2004-05.
SCHOOL: LOYOLA
By Amanda Kaschube
Last season: 13-17, 8-8 in Horizon League
Opener: Nov. 19 at Indiana Purdue-Ft. Wayne
WHO’S GONE? Gone are DaJuan Gouard and Tyrelle Blair, who combined for 21.9 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game. Gouard was strong from the free-throw line (77.6 percent).
WHO’S BACK? Three starters are back, including guard Blake Schilb, who finished strong last season, averaging team-high 17.9 ppg while shooting 82 percent from the line. Sophomore Tom Levin (5.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg) started 23 games, while senior Chris Logan (2.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg) started 13.
WHAT WE KNOW: Loyola won 9 of its final 13 contests to tie for fourth in the Horizon League. Schilb stepped up early last season, filling in for the injured Gouard in early December, and posted team highs in points, rebounds, assists and steals.
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW: The frontcourt lacks experienced depth, but coach Jim Whitesell is hoping Kye Pattrick and Brandon Woods (junior college transfers) and Leon Young (21.4 ppg as a senior in high school) can contribute immediately.
SCHOOL: NORTHERN ILLINOIS
By Amanda Kaschube
Last season: 11-17, 7-11 in Mid-American
Opener: Nov. 19 at Missouri State
WHO’S GONE? Center Johnathan Byrd grabbed 3.6 rpg and averaged 5.9 ppg. A starter in 20 of 28 games, Byrd improved his numbers from 2003. Paige Paulsen made seven starts and shot 76.7 percent from the free-throw line.
WHO’S BACK? Anthony Maestranzi (8.0 ppg, 3.1 apg) and Mike McKinney (honorable mention All-MAC, 12.6 ppg) are the first four-year performers of the Rob Judson era. Todd Peterson (11.3 ppg) and James Hughes (53 blocks, 136 rebounds) also return.
WHAT WE KNOW: Huskies return 83 percent of their scoring and 80 percent of their rebounding from a team that lost eight games decided by one possession. Maestranzi finished his junior year with 52 three-pointers career high and ranks eighth in school history with 123.
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW: Eleven players return from last season’s team. They won’t be surprising anyone and will face stiff tests vs. DePaul on Nov. 28 and at Illinois-Chicago on Dec. 17. The seniors need breakout seasons to improve on last season.
SCHOOL: NORTHWESTERN
By Terry Bannon
Last season: 15-16, 6-10 in Big Ten
Opener: Nov. 13 vs. Lehigh in Laramie, Wyo.
WHO’S GONE? Guard T.J. Parker, Wildcats’ No. 3 scorer at 9.7 ppg, surprised NU by jumping to pros–in France. Forward Davor Duvancic, and his 6.5 ppg, graduated.
WHO’S BACK? Senior forward Vedran Vukusic, the Wildcats’ leading scorer at 16.8 ppg, is the leader. Senior Michael Thompson (10.2 ppg) returns at center. Senior guards Mohamed Hachad and Michael Jenkins finished strong. Juniors Tim Doyle and Bernard Cote will get time at forward.
WHAT WE KNOW: Vukusic will score and the Wildcats are deeper than they have been in recent years with a rotation that might go nine deep. Coach Bill Carmody is looking for right personnel combinations.
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW: Can Jenkins or Hachad jumpstart the offense? Will Thompson bounce back from an injuryriddled junior season? Will Jean-Marc Melchior, a 21-year-old freshman from Luxembourg, adjust quickly enough to help?
SCHOOL: NOTRE DAME
By Avani Patel
Last season: 17-12, 9-7 in Big East
Opener: Nov. 20 vs. Lafayette at the Joyce Center
WHO’S GONE? Leading scorer Chris Thomas, who averaged 14.2 points per game, transfer forward Dennis Latimore, whose played only a season at Notre Dame, and forward Jordan Cornette, who put up 4.2 points per game.
WHO’S BACK? Senior point guard Chris Quinn, who averaged 12.5 ppg. Two Chicago-area players– guard Colin Falls, of Park Ridge, who hit a team-best 93 threepointers last year, and forward Rick Cornett of Country Club Hills, who shot a team-best 59 percent from the floor–will lead the team.
WHAT WE KNOW: With Quinn and Falls in the backcourt, the Irish will continue to be able to score in bunches from beyond the arc. And Quinn’s stewardship from point guard will be smart, competent and mistake free. He had nearly three times as many assists last year (86) as he did turnovers (31).
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW: Who will grab the rebounds that Cornette and Latimore snagged? Will Rick Cornett finally compete for a starting spot, or will he be stuck behind underperforming Torin Francis? Without a superstar on the roster, can the Irish compete in the even bigger Big East?
