Swillbury
Well-known member
COACH AND PROGRAM
Western Kentucky has made impressive strides in each of Coach Darrin Horn's three seasons. This year, however, he would be content to take a baby step -- figuratively speaking, anyway.
That's because Western Kentucky ended up being the last team scratched off of the NCAA selection committee's board last spring. The Hilltoppers were 66th in a 65-team race toward Madness despite a 25-point loss to South Alabama in the Sun Belt Tournament championship.
If guard Courtney Lee hadn't broken his hand during the league tournament -- he continued to play but his shooting suffered and he didn't play in the Toppers' NIT loss at South Carolina -- WKU might have been awarded an at-large bid even via a more competitive loss to the Jaguars.
In hindsight, being No. 66 has been good for a little publicity. And the Hilltoppers, who weren't watching the selection show with any real anticipation, didn't die a slow death as things unfolded.
"It kind of surprised me when I heard we were the last team off the board because we weren't really even being discussed [by the pundits]," Horn said. "Then when I looked at some of the other teams that got in, I was kind of surprised they hadn't discussed us more. It was disappointing in one aspect, but at the same time I think that recognition from the selection committee reaffirmed what we're doing here."
Western Kentucky went 23-8 last season, including a 12-2 Sun Belt record to win the league outright. It won 15 of its last 17, beat UAB and Virginia, and had an RPI of 56 on Selection Sunday.
The Hilltoppers must replace explosive scoring guard Anthony Winchester (18.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 81 three-pointers) and explosive post defender Elgrace Wilborn (8.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 78 blocks), and they will have to find their new groove while taking on one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country.
Western will play five teams that were in the 2006 NCAA Tournament, including defending national champion Florida, in its first 11 games. The Toppers also play UAB, Montana, Southern Illinois and Tennessee during that stretch, as well as visits to Georgia and Nebraska. When factoring in defending Sun Belt Conference champion South Alabama, WKU will play seven games against NCAA Tournament teams and eight contests against schools that qualified for the postseason last year.
"The nice thing about our schedule is that a bunch of those road games are being returned," Horn said. "Everything is either neutral sites or straight up home-and-homes. The one thing with Tennessee is that our home game with them will be in Nashville.
"It's probably not a smart schedule for a young coach. I probably could schedule 23 or 24 wins if I was trying to, but I want to grow this program."
PLAYERS
Courtney Lee (17.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.6 spg), a 6-5 junior, highlights what should remain an outstanding backcourt. He shot .408 from the three-point line last season (62-of-152) and also made 84.7 percent of his free throws (110-of-188).
"The best indicator of future performance is past performance, and Courtney has always responded to challenges," Horn said. "Whether it was learning to play harder at this level or becoming a better defender, he's always taken the next step. I expect he'll continue to do so when opponents focus on him more this season without Winchester here."
Lee led the team in rebounding (189), assists (86) and steals (77), and was second in scoring (522). He probably won't lead in assists again, and he might not lead in steals either, although not for a lack of effort.
But Horn signed a junior college point guard, 5-11 junior Tyrone Brazelton (18.3 ppg, 4.8 apg), who clearly has him excited. Brazelton was an NJCAA first-team All-American and the NJCAA Region 16 Player of the Year last season at Missouri State-West Plains. He led his team with 66 steals, and size didn't prevent him from grabbing 4.2 rebounds per game. He also made 76 3-pointers.
"Tyrone is a guy you like pressuring the ball," Horn said. "He has really long arms and he's crazy quick. He can break people down and he's terrific in transition.
"He's a little bit like Antonio Haynes. He's not as explosive offensively, but he's a much purer point guard."
The backcourt also has 6-5 senior Benson Callier (8.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg). He made 43.8 percent of his three-pointers last season (42-of-96), which was second in the league and ninth best on WKU's single-season list. Callier started 19 times and averaged 19.3 minutes in 31 games.
"Benson just needs to improve his consistency," Horn said. "If he becomes more consistent, it'll seem like he's taken a giant step. There were games he won for us almost single-handedly last season."
Ty Rogers (7.2 ppg, 43 three-pointers) is a 6-3 junior who started 22 games last year. Other guards in the mix include 6-1 sophomore Orlando Mendez-Valdez (2.8 ppg) and 6-2 sophomore Desire Gabou, a native of France who redshirted his first year last season. Horn said Gabou could be the team's best natural defender on the ball, and he anticipates Mendez-Valdez making meaningful contributions.
"I believe Mendez-Valdez can give us some good stuff," Horn said. "He was really making strides last year when he broke his foot." Another experienced guard is 6-4 senior Butch Jointer (3.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg).
The frontcourt is more iffy, although Horn likes 6-9 freshman Jeremy Evans and fellow newcomer Raed Mostafa, a 6-8, 220-pound junior who averaged 13.3 points and 5.8 rebounds last season North Dakota State College of Science. Mostafa, who's from Berlin, Germany, helped NDSCS to a 51-16 record the last two seasons.
"He's a smooth player who'll give us some maturity and a variety of tools," Horn said.
Evans, an Arkansas native, averaged 25.6 points, 11.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks as a senior at Crossett High School. He has an 84-inch wingspan.
"He's athletic and long and he can shoot it," Horn said. "He's going to be a good shot blocker at some point. The challenge right now is that he's a freshman who is probably 185 or 190 pounds."
Horn returns a pair of 6-7 juniors in Boris Siakam (3.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg) and Mike Walker (2.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg) and 6-7, 230-pound sophomore Daniel Emerson (3.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg). Walker started the first four games last year. Emerson appears to have the best chance among the trio for a considerably expanded role.
"We won't have a shot-blocking presence like we did with Elgrace Wilborn back there," Horn said. "But we're going to be much deeper, more athletic and a better defensive team. There shouldn't be as many mistakes in there to erase."
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
BACKCOURT: A
BENCH/DEPTH: A-
FRONTCOURT: B-
INTANGIBLES: A
Horn, who helped recruit Dwyane Wade to Marquette, has quickly elevated Western Kentucky back to its lofty mid-major status. The Hilltoppers have been to back-to-back NIT Tournaments, losing last year in the opening round to eventual champion South Carolina. WKU won its NIT opener in 2005 against Kent State.
Rebounding looks like a potential concern. Winchester and Wilborn averaged nearly 12 between them. The frontcourt will get a baptism by fire against Florida. Nonetheless, it should be an invaluable learning experience.
If the Hilltoppers remain a good rebounding team, they very well could end up participating in that other postseason tournament this year.
Good gut check for both programs. Quality win for Montana, and a nice road win for WKU.
Should be a great game
