Also-Ran National Status May Apply Again

Last season a Pacific 10 Conference team won a third postseason tournament in the last five years. Unfortunately, it was only the NIT, in which California defeated Clemson for the also-ran championship of men’s college basketball.

What will be best remembered was the conference’s NCAA tournament flameout. UCLA, Arizona and Washington were run out in the first round. Stanford got to the second round only to be ousted by that well-known national power Gonzaga.

Even though Arizona, UCLA and Stanford are ranked in the top 13 in the Associated Press preseason poll, it’s hard to imagine an NCAA champion coming out of the conference this season.

There is an abundance of youth throughout the conference. Oregon State is the only school with more than three seniors on its roster. At some point this season, five freshmen may start for California.

But Stanford Coach Mike Montgomery says the Pac-10 is not in a downward spiral.

“We got hurt in the [NCAA] tournament last year,” Montgomery said. “But the last three years we’ve proven we’re good enough to compete. Those who follow basketball know how hard it is to win this league.

“We’ve had quite a few players the last few years who were first-round draft picks. And we have some young players now who could be of that caliber. It’s not a matter of having a high level of talent, but what age that talent is.”

Arizona, UCLA and Stanford are in the Pac-10’s upper tier. All three expect to win at least 20 games and make the NCAA tournament. But all three lack experience--which might preclude them having a long tournament life.

“I think Arizona, Stanford and UCLA are very similar teams,” Arizona Coach Lute Olson said. “We played a lot of young people last year, and we’ll play a lot of young people this year.”

There could be a real scramble for fourth and fifth place, which also could mean a tournament berth. Oregon State, USC, Oregon and Washington are close to one another in talent. “Can we have a breakout year? It’s possible,” Oregon State Coach Eddie Payne said. “I think we’re better, but it’s relative to the league. I think the league is better and deeper.”

Arizona State, California and Washington State appear to have no chance at winning the conference title. But they might ruin some other teams’ hopes late in the season.

“It depends on how teams mesh during the year,” Arizona State Coach Rob Evans said. “The Pac-10 is unique from top to bottom. It’s difficult to even go to the lower teams and win at their house. Coming from the Southeastern Conference [Mississippi], I’ve learned Pac-10 has so many skilled athletes.”

A look at the teams in alphabetical order, excluding UCLA and USC:

ARIZONA

Coach: Lute Olson.

1998-99 record: 22-7, 13-5 in the Pac-10, second place in the conference. Lost to Oklahoma in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Returning starters: Three.

Top players: Richard Jefferson, Jason Gardner, Loren Woods, Michael Wright.

Outlook: Wright, a sophomore forward, was last season’s Pac-10 freshman of the year and is the team’s leading returning scorer (13.9) and rebounder (8.8). The 6-foot-7 Wright, 7-1 junior Woods (a Wake Forest transfer) and 6-7 sophomore Jefferson are an active frontcourt. Arizona is favored to win the conference title, but it’s postseason hopes depend on how quickly Gardner, the freshman point guard, matures.

ARIZONA STATE

Coach: Rob Evans.

1998-99 record: 14-16, 6-12, eighth place.

Returning starters: Two.

Top players: Eddie House, Alton Mason.

Outlook: Evans spent 24 years as an assistant coach before getting the head coaching job at Mississippi in 1992, so he knows something about patience. Now in his second season at Arizona State, he’ll need to be patient in rebuilding a team that has an excellent guard tandem in the senior House, the Pac-10’s second-leading scorer last season (18.9), and the junior Mason, but little else to recommend it.

CALIFORNIA

Coach: Ben Braun.

1998-99 record: 22-11, 8-10, tied for fifth place.

Returning starters: One.

Top players: Dennis Gates, Solomon Hughes, Sean Lampley.

Outlook: The Bears move into a new on-campus arena this season (Haas Pavilion) with the youngest team in school history. Braun has five freshmen on the roster and several could get significant playing time, including former Fairfax standout Joe Shipp. Lampley, a 6-7 junior who averaged 12.4 points last season, will carry most of the offensive load. If Hughes, a 6-11 sophomore who averaged 3.3 points, is more of an inside force, he won’t have to split the center job with 6-10 sophomore Shahar Gordon.

OREGON

Coach: Ernie Kent.

1998-99 record: 19-13, 8-10, tied for fifth place.

Returning starters: Three.

Top players: Alex Scales, A.D. Smith, Darius Wright.

Outlook: The Ducks, who reached the NIT semifinals last March, have bigger goals on their minds this season. Wright a 6-foot senior who averaged 8.3 points, may be the Pac-10’s most underrated point guard. Scales and Smith, both seniors, averaged 14.3 and 13 points last season. If Oregon can find another legitimate scorer, it becomes a legitimate conference title contender.

OREGON STATE

Coach: Eddie Payne.

1998-99 record: 13-14, 7-11, tied for seventh place.

Returning starters: Five.

Top players: Josiah Lake, Adam Masten, Ramunas Petraitis, Josh Steinthal, Deaundra Tanner.

Outlook: The last time the Beavers had five returning starters (1989-90), they went to the NCAA tournament. Oregon State is deeper, bigger and more athletic than in years past. The Beavers can push their way among the league’s top teams if Tanner, a 6-2 junior who averaged 15.8 points last season, is willing to pass more and look for his shot less. Steinthal, a 6-4 junior who averaged 11.9 points, must do more than float around the perimeter and shoot three-pointers.

STANFORD

Coach: Mike Montgomery.

1998-99 record: 26-7, 15-3, first place.

Returning starters: One.

Top players: Jarron Collins, Jason Collins, Mark Madsen, David Moseley.

Outlook: As it showed by beating Duke in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, the Cardinal--despite losing four starters--will contend for the conference title again. Madsen, a 6-9 senior who averaged 13.1 points, may be the Pac-10’s best big man. If Jason Collins’ wrist is fully healed, he and twin Jarron give Montgomery another bruising frontcourt. Casey Jacobsen, last year’s California prep player of the year at Glendora, is regarded as one of the conference’s top freshmen, along with UCLA’s Jason Kapono and Arizona’s Gardner.

WASHINGTON

Coach: Bob Bender.

1998-99 record: 17-12, 10-8, fourth place.

Returning starters: Three.

Top players: Senque Carey, Michael Johnson, Deon Luton, Chris Walcott.

Outlook: The biggest hole Bender must fill is at center; 7-0 Todd MacCulloch took his 18.7 points and 11.9 rebounds to the NBA. Luton, a 6-5 senior, isn’t quite as prolific a scorer as MacCulloch but he’ll do. It’s up to Carey, a 6-3 sophomore who averaged 8.7 points last season, to get the other Huskies involved in the offense. Washington has been to the NCAA tournament the past two seasons. A third straight trip might be harder to book.

WASHINGTON STATE

Coach: Paul Graham.

1998-99 record: 10-19, 4-14, tied for 10th place.

Returning starters: Four.

Top players: Chris Crosby, Eddie Miller, Jan-Michael Thomas.

Outlook: Graham is the newest coach in the conference and faces the biggest task: trying to develop a winner at a school that has gone 12-42 the past three seasons in conference play. Crosby (13.1) and Thomas (14.1), both seniors, and junior Miller (10.9) give Graham three dependable scorers. Graham will need a season, however, to see just how much work is still ahead.