| |
LOCATION: Colorado Springs, CO
CONFERENCE: Mountain West
LAST SEASON: 10-16 (.385)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 2-12 (8th, WAC West)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 2/3
NICKNAME: Falcons
COLORS: Blue & Silver
HOMECOURT: Clune Arena (6,002)
COACH: Reggie Minton (Wooster '63)
record at school 143-275 (15 years)
career record 154-290 (16 years)
|
ASSISTANTS: Mark Englebreston (Air Force '73)
Paul Drake (Springfield '78)
Maj. Dean Christian (Air Force '82)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 8-8-5-7-10-10
RPI (last 5 years) 225-272-250-208-179
1998-99 FINISH: Did not qualify for conference tournament.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
|
Reggie Minton can finally rest easy this March. Air Force will be in a conference tournament for the first time in four years. Who knows what the Falcons' record will be or even their place in the Mountain West standings. All that matters is the Falcons will have a chance to compete for an NCAA Tournament berth. Air Force, stuck in the bottom of the Western Athletic Conference, for the last two years, didn't qualify for the tournament. The WAC took only the top six from each of the eight-team divisions. Minton openly complained about how unfair it was to each school. His concerns weren't heard until Air Force was one of eight schools that split from the WAC to form the MWC. The trick now is to see if the Falcons can do something with this opportunity. "Size is always a concern for us, but we've had guys working hard in March who couldn't get excited about a tournament," said Minton. "Whoever has to play us, regardless of where we're seeded, well, they'll have their hands full. It was unfortunate in the past, because we thought we could have done something." Minton is usually the eternal optimist, but he's got reason this year to have hope. The Falcons do have two legitimate scorers, including one of the top returning scorers in the nation.
|
Blue Ribbon Analysis |
|
BACKCOURT B+ BENCH/DEPTH D
FRONTCOURT D INTANGIBLES C
The backcourt can compete with any in the Mountain West and could hang with any in the nation. Tyron Wright and Jarvis Croff can score and create, something Air Force desperately needs to survive. Its offense can manufacture points only so much. Croff and Wright also need to set the tone defensively. The Falcons will get beat up inside against teams like Utah, Wyoming UNLV and New Mexico. Billy Humphrey and Byron Nicholson will have to play above themselves to compete. Air Force's homecourt is a danger to the elite teams after TCU and Tulsa got beat there last season. Air Force is making slow but steady improvement. The Falcons have had back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time since 1990-91. They averaged 70.4 points a game in WAC play, a school record. Both could be duplicated. Rebounding is a major concern, though, especially with David Schuck gone. "We've got a number of guys with experience and a good blend of youth and experience, more than we've had at any time," Minton said. "I won't ever look out on the floor and say 'geez.' I'm pretty confident." |
Minton found a gem in 6-4 senior Tyron Wright (18.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.4 apg). Wright was hidden on the junior varsity before moving up and putting together the third-best first-year scoring performance in Air Force history. It was good enough to earn him All-Mountain Division honors and make him a preseason all-league player. Wright scored 36 points against SMU and had two triple doubles. Wright gives the Falcons a go-to player. He can score on the wing, hit the occasional three-pointer (.281 from behind the arc) and makes his free throws (.711). "He's a tough hard-nosed kid," Minton said. "He had battles with (SMU's) Jeryl Sasser. He'll create problems for a lot of people." Minton wants the ball in Wright's hands and will start him at the point. He's got one of the top backcourts in the league with 6-4 junior Jarvis Croff (14.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, .417 3 PT) next to him. Like Wright, Croff was on the junior varsity as a freshman. He ranked second on the team in three-pointers per game (2.9). He had eight 20-plus scoring games and in his first start against TCU, he scored 28 points and had 11 rebounds. "He'll have a big year because he's a tremendous shooter," Minton said. "He'll be one of the best shooters in the MWC and he's better than a lot of shooters across the country. He's getting more accustomed to our offense and getting more in transition and on his own. The ball will swing more to him this year." Minton will move 6-6 senior Miguel Garcia to his natural wing with Wright and Croff in the backcourt. Garcia (5.8 ppg, 4 rpg, 38 assists) had to play a little bit of each perimeter spot, but he doesn't have the ballhandling skills or on-the-ball defense to be a point. "We're more cohesive with him out there and if he's confident in his shot, we'll be much better," Minton said. "He's got to learn to not take everything to the hole. He knows that we don't need 15-20 points from him. He's just got to take some pressure off." Garcia's shot was erratic (.237 from three-point range). If he can push that number up and be a steady defender, the Falcons won't get hurt at that position. Inside, the Falcons are small, as usual, with 6-6 junior Byron Nicholson (2 ppg, 3.0 rpg) and 6-6 senior Billy Humphrey (7.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg). Nicholson is a true banger with limited offensive moves, while Humphrey hasn't returned to his freshman form when he was a put-back scorer and aggressive offensive rebounder. "He's got to understand his role, because we don't need him to be a three-point shooter," Minton said. "We need him to be a force around the basket. He can get into foul trouble when he's too emotional." Nicholson is older after serving in the military for a few years before he got on the floor. His basketball skills are limited, but he's got a tremendous work ethic. The unknowns are on the bench. Minton needs to decide among 5-11 junior Eric Baugh (1.1 ppg, 0.2 rpg in 11 games) , 5-9 sophomore Selwyn Mansell (1.2 ppg, 0.2 rpg, in 13 games) and 6-foot senior Nathan Koran (2.2 ppg, 1.1 rpg) and see if any of them can contribute behind Wright at the point. Minton said Baugh came back from his Mormon Church Mission and played hard. He can make a shot when he's open, but he's not as much a playmaker. Koran started the first exhibition game last year but was lost after seven games because of a hernia and then had surgery on his knee. It's hard to predict how much he'll contribute. Mansell wasn't able to assert himself and define his play last season. The Yazzie brothers, 5-10 senior Lawrence Yazzie, and 6-foot sophomore Lomoni Yazzie, have more of a chance of contributing off the bench in the perimeter. Lawrence (3.2 ppg, 0.4 rpg) played sparingly at each perimeter position. Lomoni played on the junior varsity last season. He's a better shooter than his brother but not as good a ballhandler. He buried a career-high seven threes in a game against Western Nebraska Junior College last season. He could be the one to give the Falcons pop off the bench. The one reserve forward who could play inside might be 6-6 freshman Thomas Bellairs (Mullen HS/Denver, Colo.). He was the leading rebounder in Colorado last season with 19.5 a game. "He takes them off the board," Minton said. "He's a strong, tough kid who's constantly working on the boards. He just needs to be better offensively." The project off the bench is 6-10 freshman Clayton Sunderland (Berkner HS/Richardson, Texas). "He's a guy who has to learn how to play hard at this level," Minton said. "He gives us a big 'ol body in there. He's not a soft kid and he can hang in there." The Falcons' frontcourt depth took a hit when sophomore forward David Schuck (6.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg) transferred to UNC Greensboro.
 | The 19th edition of Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook is on sale now. To order, call 800-828-HOOP (4667), or visit their web site at
http://www.collegebaskets.com
|
| |
Conferences
America East
ACC
Atlantic 10
Big East
Big Sky
Big South
Big Ten
Big 12
Big West
Colonial
Conference USA
Independents
Ivy League
MAAC
Mid-American
Mid-Continent
Mid-Eastern Athletic
MCC
Missouri Valley
Mountain West
Northeast
Ohio Valley
Pac-10
Patriot
SEC
Southern
Southland
Sun Belt
SWAC
TAAC
WAC
West Coast
|
