WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Bakersfield Roadrunners (0-0, 0-0 WAC)
Brandon Barnes is the top returning scorer and rebounder for Bakersfield. Playing out of position at times, the 6-1 guard was second on the 2012-13 squad in scoring 12.1 points per game, and led the team in rebounding with 5.3 per game ... Barnes is the son of Bakersfield head coach Rod Barnes ... Bakersfield has nine newcomers on the 2013-14 roster, five of which redshirted a year ago for the Roadrunners ... Nine of the 17 players on the Bakersfield roster have redshirted at least once in their career with Deng Deng sitting out 2013-14 after transferring to the Roadrunner program from Long Beach State ... Javonte Maynor averaged 10.5 points per game last season, the fourth highest average on the team. 2012-13 was his first with the Roadrunners after transferring to Bakersfield from Georgia State where he played as a true freshman.
Chicago State Cougars (0-0, 0-0 WAC)
The Cougars won the 2013 Great West Conference Tournament last season and earned a berth in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament ... it was the first postseason berth in the program’s NCAA Division I history. Chicago State’s GWC title was the first men’s basketball championship for one of Chicago’s five Division I teams since UIC won the Horizon League Tournament in 2004 ... in his first year on the job in 2010-11, head coach Dildy compiled a 957 single-year Academic Progress Rate ... his 2011-12 single-year score, the most recent data released by the NCAA, was a perfect 1,000. It was the only perfect single-year score among Chicago’s five Division I men’s basketball programs ... Chicago State used 15 different starting lineups last season with 11 different Cougars starting a contest.
Grand Canyon Antelopes (0-0, 0-0 WAC)
The ‘Lopes are under the guidance of first-year head coach Dan Majerle, who spent the previous five years as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns ... Majerle also played for the Suns for eight seasons and in total, spent 14 seasons playing in the NBA ... Grand Canyon University got an early start to the 2013-14 season, playing four games in Europe from Aug. 14-24 ... the squad went 4-0, playing two games in both Italy and Greece ... the ‘Lopes welcome nine new players to the squad, three of which have Division I experience, with Demetrius Walker from New Mexico, Daniel Alexander from Texas A&M, and Jeremy Adams from Colorado ... GCU will participate in three non-conference tournaments to open the 2013-14 season, including the USD Tournament hosted by San Diego, the Global Sports Showcase hosted by the University of Utah, and the Dr. Pepper Classic hosted by Tennessee Chattanooga.
Idaho Vandals (0-0, 0-0 WAC)
With 10 newcomers and two returning redshirts, the Vandals have 12 players on the 2013-14 roster who will potentially be playing for the first time at Idaho this season ... Idaho has six freshmen, including five true freshmen, on its 2013-14 roster ... the Vandals return just three letterwinners from 2012-13, including seniors Stephen Madison, Joe Kammerer and junior Connor Hill ... junior Connor Hill led the WAC in 3-pointers made (87) in 2012-13 and ranked second in 3-point field goal percentage (.444) ... head coach Don Verlin enters his sixth season at Idaho, and holds an 81-78 record in his first five seasons ... the Vandals went 38-111 under two different head coaches in the five seasons prior to Verlin taking over ... Idaho led the WAC in free throw percentage in 2012-13, shooting 74.3 percent from the free throw line.
Kansas City Kangaroos (0-0, 0-0 WAC)
Senior Fred Chatmon pulled down 212 rebounds last season (7.6 rpg), ranking seventh in a single season in school history ... Kansas City is entering its first season as a member of the WAC after 19 years in the Summit League ... Kareem Richardson begins his first season as the head coach of the ‘Roos, coming from Louisville, where he was an assistant coach for the 2013 National Champions ... the ‘Roos are moving back to historic Municipal Auditorium for their home games, located in downtown Kansas City ... the arena has hosted more Final Four games than any other facility ... the Kangaroos have six seniors playing this season, with at least two at each position ... the team has four returning starters and four other returning letterwinners.
New Mexico State Aggies (0-0, 0-0 WAC)
New Mexico State made its 20th NCAA Tournament appearance in school history in 2013 and second straight appearance ... it’s the first time the Aggies have made consecutive NCAA trips since the 1993 and 1994 seasons ... New Mexico State won the 2013 WAC Tournament Championship, the first team to win back-to-back titles since 2001 and 2002 ... the Aggies won their third WAC Tournament title in four years and now own four titles in just eight years in the WAC ... Sim Bhullar broke the school record for blocked shots in a single-season (85) last season ... NM State set two school team records in 2012-13: field goal percentage in a game (68.6 percent vs. UTSA) and blocked shots in a season (193) ... the Aggies also tied the blocked shots record for a game (12 at UTSA).
Seattle U Redhawks (0-0, 0-0 WAC)
Three starters return to the Redhawk squad in 2013-14, led by leading scorer Clarence Trent (9.8 ppg) and leading rebounder Deshaun Sunderhaus (6.0 rpg) ... Seattle U will look to improve on its 2012-13 record of 8-22 overall, including a 3-15 record within the WAC ... among the six newcomers are three players who were with the Seattle U program last season sitting out as redshirts: transfers Emerson Murray and Isiah Umipig as well as redshirt freshman Emmanuel Chibuogwu ... Seattle U welcomes two more residents of Great Britain to join returning sophomore Jack Crook: junior college transfer Shore Adenekan and freshman Theo Turner ... Luiz Bidart and David Trimble will look for another Academic All-WAC certificate after earning one in 2012-13 for their performances both on the court and in the classroom.
Texas-Pan American Broncs (0-0, 0-0 WAC)
Texas-Pan American won 16 games last season, marking the most wins in a single season since its 2007-08 campaign ... it also marked the first time since the 2007-08 season that the team had finished with a .500 record or better ... UTPA tied a program record with five Great West Conference victories last season ... the Broncs won 11 home games last year, the most victories at home since the 2006-07 season ... Texas-Pan American earned a first round bye in the Great West Conference Tournament last season by finishing in second place in the league with a 5-3 record ... the Broncs’ most impressive win last season was a 56-52 victory at Portland, a team that was ranked 115 spots higher in the RPI at the time (Dec. 29) ... new head coach Dan Hipsher and his staff welcome 10 newcomers compared to just seven returners.
Utah Valley Wolverines (0-0, 0-0 WAC)
Utah Valley was a two-time Great West Conference champion during its four seasons in that league ... the Wolverines return two first-team All-Great West Conference performers from last season’s team: Ben Aird and Holton Hunsaker ... senior guard Holton Hunsaker earned several athletic and academic accolades last season including Capital One Academic All-District 8 and D-I AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete honors ... coach Dick Hunsaker was a two-time Great West Coach of the Year. Hunsaker is entering his 12th season at UVU ... during its tenure in the Great West Conference, Utah Valley’s athletic program won the Commissioner’s Cup each year ... the Wolverines had their first-ever postseason berth in the 2012 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament ... This past summer, Utah Valley spent two weeks in China on a foreign tour.
WAC NOTES
WAC TOURNAMENT RETURNS TO LAS VEGAS
The 2014 WAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament will be held March 12-15 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas and will include eight men’s and eight women’s teams. Ticket information will be available at www.wacsports.com. The Orleans Arena in Las Vegas has been home to the WAC basketball tournament for the past three years.
WAC WELCOMES SIX NEW HOOPS TEAMS TO LEAGUE
The WAC welcomes Bakersfield, Chicago State, Grand Canyon, Kansas City, Texas-Pan American and Utah Valley to the league this season. The six new teams join Idaho, New Mexico State and Seattle U to create a nine-team WAC basketball league.
ESPN TO TELEVISE WAC TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
ESPN will once again broadcast the WAC men’s and women’s tournament championship games from the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on March 15. The women’s game will be broadcast on ESPNU at 1 p.m. (PT). The men’s championship game will also be broadcast by ESPNU at 7 p.m. (PT).
THREE HEAD COACHES BEGIN FIRST YEAR WITH RESPECTIVE WAC PROGRAMS THIS SEASON
Dan Majerle will begin his first season as head coach at Grand Canyon, Kareem Richardson takes over the Kansas City program and Dan Hipsher will guide UTPA in his first year with the Broncs. Majerle takes over the GCU program after spending the last five years as an assistant coach with the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Majerle played 14 seasons in the NBA (eight seasons with the Suns), averaging 11.4 points over 955 games. He made three All-Star appearances and also was named to the 1990-91 and 1992-93 NBA All-Defensive second team. He led the league in three-pointers made (192) in 1993-94. Richardson takes over the Kansas City program after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Louisville under legendary coach Rick Pitino. He helped Louisville to the Big East tournament crown and the NCAA Tournament No. 1 overall seed, on the way to the 2013 National Championship. Richardson has 16 years of collegiate coaching experience. UTPA welcomed Hipsher to lead its program this past offseason. Hipsher had been the associate head coach at Alabama for the last four seasons where he most recently helped guide the Tide to a 23-13 record (12-7 SEC) and the NIT quarterfinals. Hipsher has 34 years of collegiate coaching experience, including 15 seasons as a head coach at Wittenberg, Stetson and Akron.
RETURNING ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS
Eleven players that recieved All-Conference honors in their respective leagues last season return for the 2013-14 season. Daniel Mullings and Sim Bhullar of New Mexico State were named to the all-WAC second and third teams, respectively. Mullings returns for his junior season, while Bhullar enters his sophomore campaign. Mullings also was named to last year’s WAC All-Defensive team, and Bhullar earned WAC Freshman of the Year and All-Newcomer team honors. Chicago State and Utah Valley each return multiple Great West All-Conference honorees from a year ago. CSU’s Nate Duhon returns for his senior season after earning All-Great West second team and all-newcomer team honors last year. Duhon also recieved Great West Newcomer of the Year honors. Quinton Pippen returns to Chicago State for his senior year after being named to the Great West’s second team All-Conference and All-Newcomer squad. Pippen was named Great West co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2013. Jamere Dismukes and Matt Ross return to Chicago State after both earned all-Great West honorable mention honors last year. Ross also was named to the Great West’s All-Newcomer team. Utah Valley returns two players who earned Great West all-conference awards last season. Ben Aird and Holton Hunsaker both return to the Wolverines for their senior seasons after being named to the Great West’s all-conference first team.
LETTERWINNER/STARTER CAPSULE
Five of the nine WAC schools – Chicago State, Grand Canyon, Kansas City, New Mexico State and Seattle U – return at least three starters this season. Bakersfield, Idaho, Texas-Pan American and Utah Valley each return two starters from a year ago.
KEY NON-CONFERENCE MATCHUPS
WAC teams have several key non-conference matchups this season, including 20 games against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season. The complete list is below.
Games vs. ‘13 NCAA Tournament Teams
Nov. 8 Chicago State at Indiana
Nov. 11 Kansas City at Creighton
Nov. 11 North Carolina A&T at Utah Valley
Nov. 12 Utah Valley at Oklahoma State
Nov. 13 Idaho at Oklahoma
Nov. 19 Seattle U at Boise State
Nov. 19 Utah Valley at Oregon
Nov. 22 Chicago State at Illinois
Nov. 25 Kansas City at Iowa State
Nov. 30 New Mexico State at Colorado State
Dec. 4 Kansas City at Louisville
Dec. 4 New Mexico at New Mexico State
Dec. 7 New Mexico State at Gonzaga
Dec. 11 New Mexico State at Arizona
Dec. 17 New Mexico State at New Mexico
Dec. 23 Chicago State at Cincinnati
Dec. 23 Grand Canyon at New Mexico
Dec. 28 Montana at Idaho
Dec. 28 South Dakota State at Kansas City
Dec. 30 Chicago State at Creighton
WAC TEAMS SET TO PLAY NINE GAMES AGAINST TEAMS IN USA TODAY COACHES TOP-25 POLL
Teams from the WAC are scheduled to play nine games against teams that have been ranked in the preseason USA Today Coaches’ Top-25 Poll. The last time the WAC played at least nine top-25 teams was during the 2006-07 season. The WAC played four games against top-25 competition in each of the previous two seasons.
Games vs. USA Today Coaches’ Top-25 Preseason Poll Teams
Dec. 4 Kansas City at #3 Louisville
Dec. 11 New Mexico State at #5 Arizona
Nov. 12 Utah Valley at #12 Oklahoma State
Dec. 7 New Mexico State at #14 Gonzaga
Nov. 19 Utah Valley at #18 Oregon
Dec. 4 #20 New Mexico at New Mexico State
Dec. 17 New Mexico State at #20 New Mexico
Dec. 23 Grand Canyon at #20 New Mexico
Nov. 8 Chicago State at #24 Indiana