Experienced Cal favored in Pac-10

Men's Basketball: Media poll ranks Romar's Huskies No. 2, UCLA third

DON RUIZ; The News Tribune | • Published October 30, 2009

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LOS ANGELES - The best college basketball programs run like a conveyer belt, with new talent regularly arriving to replace what departs.

But this season, men’s basketball in the Pacific-10 Conference seems more like a Ferris wheel, with several programs loading near-empty cars at the bottom while anticipating an eventual climb with new talent.

Not surprisingly, the teams already loaded and near the top are the ones the Pac-10 media picked to have the smoothest ride in the 2009-10 season.

The annual men’s basketball poll, released Thursday at Pac-10 Media Day in Los Angeles, places California at the top. The Golden Bears return four starters and 94 percent of their scoring from last season.

Washington, which returns all but two regulars from its regular-season championship team of a season ago, is picked to finish second.

“I think you’re correct,” UCLA coach Ben Howland told the assembled voters. “The teams that returned the most and had really successful seasons last year are Washington, which won the conference. Lorenzo did a great job. They lost (Jon Brockman and Justin Dentmon), but they still have a great nucleus returning. … Cal is the best-shooting team in the country, and they’ve obviously got a great coach in Mike Montgomery.”

Howland’s Bruins were picked third. UCLA lost four starters from last season’s second-place finisher, but there’s little new about that. Over the last six seasons, seven Bruins have left early for the NBA; and over the past four seasons four Bruins point guards have been drafted in the first round.

UCLA remains among the elite because the departing stars are quickly replaced by incoming stars. But few schools can match that level of talent, and UW coach Lorenzo Romar said it’s getting tougher all the time.

“The way things are now with the ability to come out early, I think it makes it tricky for a lot of programs,” Romar said. “When you recruit you have to be really strategic and creative. … (And) now you don’t only have kids leaving for the NBA, but kids that transfer if things don’t go their way, and that sets you back as well.”

Much of the rest of the league is suffering from some degree of setbacks.

At Washington State, which lost top scorers Taylor Rochestie and Aron Baynes, the losses extended to the coaching staff when Tony Bennett departed.

New coach Ken Bone, a former UW assistant, returns to the league after four seasons at Portland State. He said he will try to speed up the Cougars’ offense and spread their defense across more of the court. But he admits he can’t fully install the system he wants until he has time to bring in the players who can make it work.

“It would be nice to play faster than we will this year,” Bone said. “But I don’t want to take it there until we’re ready. There’s not enough depth now, and it would be too big a jolt from what’s been done. Playing faster fits my style, but until we’re able to recruit the players that fit that style we will probably be somewhere in between.”

Two other schools with new coaches face their own challenges.

At USC, Kevin O’Neill takes over a program in shambles after the sudden departure of Tim Floyd. Three of the top four starters from last season are gone, and an NCAA investigation looms over the program.

At Arizona, coach Sean Miller admits that the Wildcats’ loss of Jordan Hill and Chase Budinger jeopardizes their streak of 25 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.

“We’ve never been more vulnerable,” Miller said. “Can that streak end under me this season? Absolutely.”

Arizona State lost what could prove to be an irreplaceable pair in James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph. And Stanford is almost starting over in Johnny Dawkins’ second season after losing Anthony Goods, Lawrence Hill and Mitch Johnson.

The Oregon schools return most of their rosters. But while both are expected to climb, neither is seen as ready to reach the top yet.

“Last year we snuck up on a lot of people,” OSU coach Craig Robinson said. “This year we won’t be able to do that. It’s different when you’re expected to win a few games instead of being expected to lose every game.”

One advantage for the Beavers: They return four starters from the CBI-championship team of a season ago.

Don Ruiz, 253-597-8808

don.ruiz@thenewstribune.com

blog.thenewstribune.com/uwsports

Cal leads pac

Results of voting by 37 media members on how they think the Pacific-10 Conference men’s basketball race will finish, with first-place votes in parenthesis.

Pos. Team Points

1.California (25) 350

2.Washington (7) 330

3.UCLA (5) 302

4.Arizona 221

5.Oregon State 218

6.Oregon 175

7.Arizona State 144

8.Washington State 123

9.USC 109

10.Stanford 63

The media have correctly picked the champion 11 times in 17 polls. Last season’s top pick, UCLA, finished second. Actual champion UW was picked fifth.

Don Ruiz, The News Tribune