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State Line Hoops Rankings© — 11/13/01
1. Duke ... The defending national champions lost Shane Battier and
Nate James from last year’s NCAA champions but point guard Jason
Williams may be the best player in the country. Transfer Dahntay Jones
should be a presence on the wing. Mike Dunleavy and Casey Sanders have
added weight which should allow them to be more physical. Sanders
could emerge and allow Carlos Boozer to move from the low post to the
four spot. Chris Duhon can step it up offensively, giving Coach Mike
Krzyzewski another weapon in the backcourt. Freshman Daniel Ewing is
another athletic guard. The Blue Devils will miss Battier’s leadership
but they may be even more talented this year. Matt Christensen and
Nick Horvath can be summoned for frontcourt depth.
2. North Carolina ... Some eyebrows were raised when the Tar Heels
sustained a decisive exhibition loss to a team that had lost to Old
Dominion among other teams. One extenuating factor was that Jason
Capel didn’t play. Still, there are questions about the point guard
spot if Ronald Curry doesn’t play. Kris Lang will rebound and score
steadily, and 6-foot-6 Jackie Manuel could provide immediate and
needed point production. Freshman Jawad Williams should similarly
provide instant frontcourt help. The jury is still out on second-year
Tar Heels coach Matt Doherty, who pushed the team to No. 1 midseason,
but who struggled to deal with combat fatigue by his players down the
stretch.
3. Wake Forest ... The new boss of the Deacons is Skip Prosser, a
likeable guy who was hired when Dave Odom bailed out for bigger bucks
at South Carolina. Odom didn’t leave the cupboard bare and Prosser has
molded the returning talent to his style of pressing defense and fast
break offense. The team stumbled after a 12-0 start last season,
possibly because center Darius Songaila was burned out after playing
for Lithuania in the Olympics the previous summer. Broderick Hicks is
under-appreciated at the point and Ervin Murray is a solid back-up,
who started during the 2000 run to the NIT title. Josh Howard is an
exciting small forward. Shooting guard Craig Dawson and big forward
Antwan Scott have shown signs of stepping up. Newcomers Vytas Danelius,
another Lithuanian, and Steve Lepore, a transfer from Northwestern,
may figure in Prosser’s plans. The Deacons edged UNC-Wilmington 79-78
in their season opener on Monday night.
4. Charlotte ... The 49ers don’t even have football but Coach Bob
Lutz is 9-1 in the Conference USA tournament with two titles. Shooting
guard Jobey Thomas is an exceptional shooter with a league record 236
career three-pointers. The 49ers are one of 15 schools that have
advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in four of the
last five years. Charlotte becomes an instant natural rival for East
Carolina.
5. N.C. State ... This looks to be a pivotal season for Coach Herb
Sendek, who has yet to get the Wolfpack into the NCAA Tournament in
his five years at State. The Pack didn’t even make the NIT field last
season but Sendek won respect in many circles when he dismissed Damien
Wilkins from the program. You definitely need a program to learn all
the new players in the program, the best of which is supposed to be
6-6 McDonald’s All American Julius Hodge. Guards Anthony Grundy and
Archie Miller lead the returning cast. The addition of former Ohio
head coach Larry Hunter to the coaching staff may pay dividends behind
the scenes.
6. South Carolina ... The new home of Dave Odom, who took over
after Eddie Fogler’s last team went 15-15 overalll and 7-11 in the
SEC. Odom assumes control of a program that was last in the league in
scoring (68.1) and shooting, 41.7 percent. Guards Aaron Lucas and
Jamel Bradley as well as center Tony Kitchings all averaged in double
figures in scoring last season, providing a workable returning
nucleus. Chuck Eidson supports Kitchings in the frontcourt.
7. College of Charleston ... John Kresse has 539 wins in 22 years
of coaching the Cougars. Senior guard Jeff Bolton, who averaged 16.1
points last season, and Leighton Bowie, a 6-6 junior forward who
averaged 9.8 points, are the top returnees from a 22-7 team which was
12-4 in the Southern Conference.
8. Clemson ... The departure of high-scoring guard Will Solomon for
the NBA after his junior season leaves the Tigers without their go-to
guy. Coach Larry Shyatt’s youthful roster features five freshmen and
three sophomores. The sophomores — guard Tony Stockman, swingman Dwon
Clifton, and muscular forward Chris Hobbs, will shoulder leadership
roles. Freshman guard Chey Christie of Biloxi, Miss. was highly-rated
nationwide on the high school level — No. 39 by one prominent
recruiting analyst. Based on his ability and out of necessity as well,
he could quickly become to the Tigers what Solomon has been in recent
years.
9. UNC-Wilmington ... A solid mid-major program under Jerry
Wainwright, who enters his eighth season as head coach. Hard-nosed
defense and patient offense are Wainwright trademarks. Junior guard
Brett Blizzard made all-conference for the second straight season
after averaging 13.8 points last season although the Seahawks’ hopes
for a second straight Colonial Athletic Association Tournament
championship were rebuffed 35-33 by George Mason in the league
tournament final. The Seahawks settled for the NIT rather than
punching their ticket for a second straight NCAA appearance. UNCW is
the preseason favorite in a league which lost American, East Carolina
and Richmond while gaining Delaware, Drexel, Hofstra and Towson.
Senior forward Ed Williams is the frontcourt leader. He averaged 12
points and 6.4 rebounds last season.
10. East Carolina ... The Pirates embark in Conference USA with
some solid young talent and ambitious third-year coach Bill Herrion.
Expectations must be tempered with reality as ECU moves from being an
also-ran in the Colonial Athletic Association, rated 15th nationally
in the Sagarin ratings, to C-USA, rated seventh. The Pirates sail into
those uncharted waters without Gabriel Mikulas and freshman Moussa
Badiane, whose eligibility must be defined because they played on
teams internationally on which other players received payment. Mikulas
was CAA rookie of the year last season. Freshmen Devin Boddie, a guard
from Durham Jordan who was state high school player of the year last
season, and forward Jonathan Moore are brimming with potential.
Brandon Hawkins and Travis Holcomb-Faye are capable backcourt leaders.
Kenyatta Brown and Fred Primus can provide scoring from the perimeter.
Sophomore Erroyl Bing has considerable physical presence and skills.
ECU opens its season on Wednesday at 4 p.m. against Rutgers at the
Entertainment and Sports Arena in Raleigh in the Black Coaches
Association Invitational. The Pirates continue play Thursday and
Friday in the BCA at the ESA.
