MAC Football

MAC Basketball

2003-2004 MAC Men's Basketball Outlook

This is likely to be one of the most competitive MAC basketball seasons in years.  While NIU & Miami seem to have the initial advantage of returning talent and thus are the pre-season favorites, nearly half of the conference has several new faces that will infuse a lot of talent into their respected programs.  Do expect any team to run away with the MAC title this year.  In fact, I would expect only a three game difference between the team-seeded #1 and the team seeded #10 in the post season MAC Tournament.  Click on your favorite MAC team below for details and in-depth analysis.  –Nick Gerogosian-

Predicted MAC Finish

MAC Men’s Basketball 2003-2004

MAC East

1)                     Miami
2)                     Kent State
3)                     Akron
4)                     Marshall
5)                     Buffalo
6)                     Ohio

MAC West

1)                     Northern Illinois
2)                     Western Michigan
3)                     Toledo
4)                     Bowling Green
5)                     Eastern Michigan
6)                     Ball State
7)                     Central Michigan

AKRON ZIPS

• Akron returns all five starters and 11 of 12 letter winners from last season's squad that posted a 14-14 overall mark and a 9-9 MAC record.  The Zips finished in third place in the MAC's East Division and were the #6 seed in the league tournament.
• Akron finished the season ranked tenth in the country in field goal percentage (48.7 percent) and 24th nationally in scoring offense (78.6 ppg).  Akron shot better than 50% in four of its last six and eight of its last 12 contests in 2002-03, holding a 12-3 record when shooting 50 percent or better.  Included in that span were back-to-back 59.6 percent performances at Central Michigan (Feb. 25) and at Kent State (March 1).
• Akron was the only MAC team to post a road win over Central Michigan and one of three league teams (Bowling Green/Northern Illinois) to defeat Kent State on the Golden Flashes' home floor. CMU and KSU owned a combined mark of 26-10 in MAC play and 21-6 overall at home last year.  Akron returns its top six scorers, and one of the MAC's most potent guard tandems from a season ago, in senior point guard Johnny
• Hollingsworth and senior guard Derrick Tarver. The duo combined to average 38.1 ppg in all games and 37.3 in conference tilts. The pair combined for 40 points or more 13 times last season, including over 50 points five times.
• Tarver, an All-MAC second-team pick, led the Zips in scoring with 20.6 ppg. That points-per game figure ranked fifth-best in the MAC and was the 29th-highest in the nation. He was one of ten finalists for the Jimmy V Foundation's 2003 Comeback Award after being diagnosed with a heart condition and having a defibrillator implanted last fall. He was cleared to play medically just two days prior to the team's season-opener at Wright State - a game in which he scored 24 points.
• Hollingsworth, named an All-MAC Honorable mention pick, averaged 17.4 ppg, but more importantly led the team in assists and steals (4.1apg/2.2 spg). That assist per game figure ranked fifth-best in the MAC and the steals per game was third highest in the league.
• Also returning is senior Andy Hipsher, one of the MAC's best passing forwards, who averaged 4.0 apg (eighth-best in the league). He was the team's leading rebounder averaging 5.8 rpg, a season ago. He scored in double figures in the final eight games and in nine of the last ten contests. He averaged 12.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.8 steals in that ten-game stretch.

    BUFFALO BULLS

• The Bulls return all 5 starters and 9 letter winners overall, from a very young 2002-03 squad. Four sophomores and four freshmen played significant minutes. Freshmen and sophomores played in an average of 32.2 minutes (80.6 percent) of a possible 40 minutes per game. At least three freshmen or sophomores were in the starting lineup for every game last season.
• Among those returners is junior point guard Turner Battle. Battle was named All-Mid-American Conference Honorable Mention as well as to the Academic All-MAC team. He was the only player in the conference to be named to both the All-MAC and Academic All-MAC squads. The point guard led the Bulls in scoring (12.7), assists (91) and steals (38) as a sophomore during the 2002-03 season. A communications major, Battle holds a 3.45 grade point average.
• The Bulls featured a balanced scoring attack last season.  Behind Battle's team-leading 12.7 points per game average, four Bulls were within 18 points of one another. Jason Bird scored 234 points, Roderick Middleton scored 220 points, B.J. Walker scored 219 points and Mark Bortz scored 216 points. All four return to pace the Bulls' offense this season.
• Walker looks to improve upon his numbers after a solid freshman campaign. Walker averaged 7.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game during the season. In compiling those numbers, Walker recorded two double-doubles. He scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Kent State on Jan. 15. Walker also notched a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double against Eastern Michigan on Feb. 11. Walker was the first UB freshman to record a double-double since Robert Harris scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against Northeastern Illinois on Feb. 10, 1996.
• Bird was the Bulls' second leading scorer last season (8.7 ppg) and finished the year on a strong note, averaging 13.7 points per game over the final seven games. He was Buffalo's leading scorer in six of the final seven games and was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week on March 9.
• Head coach Reggie Witherspoon made the following presentations for the team's postseason awards: B.J. Walker was named the team's Top Newcomer; Jason Bird was named the team's Most Improved Player; Steve McDonnell earned the Coach's Award; and Turner Battle earned Most Valuable Player honors. Only McDonnell does not return this season.

KENT STATE GOLDEN FLASHES

• Kent State returns three starters and eight letter winners from last year's Mid-American Conference East Divisions Champions. Among the returnees are All-MAC honorable mention and Eric Haut and All-MAC Freshman team selection DeAndre Haynes.
• Despite the graduation of four starters from the 2001-02 team that made it to the Elite Eight, last year's squad won 20 or more games for the fifth straight year (21-10), made its fifth consecutive appearance in a national postseason tournament and claimed its third straight Mid-American Conference East Division crown.
• After leading the Golden Flashes to a 22-9 record and a MAC East Division title, head coach Jim Christian was named the National Rookie Coach of the Year by Basketball Times.
• Kent State ranked 10th nationally in three-point shooting and 11th in field goal percentage in 2002-03. The Golden Flashes shot .487 (848-1,741) from the floor and .303 (229-582) from three-point range as one of just 10 Division I teams that ranked in the nation's top 30 in both categories.
• Kent State will participate in 2003 Rock-N-Roll Shootout at Gund Arena. The Golden Flashes will meet St. Bonaventure University. Other non-conference foes for Kent State this year include road contests at Detroit, Boston College, Southwest Missouri State, and IPFW. Rhode Island, Cleveland State, and a yet to be named opponent will take on the Golden Flashes at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.
• Haut, an All-MAC Honorable Mention, returns for his senior campaign.  He is the leading returning scorer for the Golden Flashes, after averaging 14.1 ppg last season.  Haut also is the team's returning three-point shooter. Last season his 41.6 % from behind the arc ranked second in the MAC.
• In its drive for a fourth consecutive division title, Kent State will depend upon the play of sophomore point guard DeAndre Haynes. Haynes, named to the MAC All-Freshman team, will need to provide the same stability he did a year ago, when he led the team with 4.26 assists per game. In addition, Haynes averaged 5.4 points per game, 3.2 rebounds per game, and was tied for fifth in the MAC with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.71.

MARSHALL THUNDERING HERD

• The Thundering Herd will be under the direction of new head coach Ron Jirsa this season. Jirsa, 43, took an assistant coaching position at Clemson in April from the University of Dayton where he was senior assistant coach for four years. He brings 22 years of collegiate coaching experience to Marshall, including 15 years at the NCAA Division I level.  He has served as an assistant under Tubby Smith and Oliver Purnell. He succeeded Smith as Georgia's head coach in 1997 and posted a record of 35-30 in two seasons, with two NIT appearances.  The Bulldogs reached the NIT semifinals in 1998.
• Jirsa has put together a rather impressive group of assistants. Senior assistant Bob MacKinnon comes to Marshall from the University of North Carolina, Josh Postorino served along side Jirsa at Clemson and Dayton, and Aki Collins joins the Marshall staff from Howard. Marshall's new coaching staff has a combined 53 years of coaching experience between them.
• Jirsa has a personal post-season streak of 11 straight seasons. Marshall's new head coach has been a part of three NCAA appearances at Tulsa, two NCAA and two NIT berths at Georgia, and two NCAA and two NIT appearances at Dayton.
• Marshall's A.W. Hamilton will look to build on a strong sophomore campaign this season. The 6-3 point guard led the MAC in assists with 138 and was the only MAC player with an assist to turnover ratio above 2.0 (2.19) last season.
• Marshall has connected on at least one three-point shot in 398 consecutive games. The last time Marshall did not make a three-pointer in a game was on Feb. 27, 1989 against Appalachian State (Marshall won 97-96).
• Marshall ranks among the top 10 Division I schools in the nation in the production of 1,000-point scorers. Last season, Ronald Blackshear became the 42nd person in MU basketball history to reach the 1,000-point mark, tying MU with Notre Dame for seventh on the list.
• Marshall boasts a record of 80-15 at home since 1996 and during the time has posted a record of 28-2 in non-conference contests, including wins over Wake Forest, Georgia, and UMass.
• Marshall played nine games last season on television and came up short in every contest. Five games were on the THN/ISP network, the WVU game was televised statewide in W.Va., the Eastern Michigan game was carried on Fox Sports Net, ESPN Regional/Full Court televised the Illinois State game while the game at Ohio was carried on the Ohio Sports Network.

MIAMI REDHAWKS

• Not only does Miami return nine letter winners, including four starters, from the 2002-03 roster, but it also returns an impressive 91.5 percent of its scoring and 78.7 percent of its rebounding output.  Returning starters Juby Johnson, Chet Mason, Danny Horace and Josh Hausfeld accounted for 73 percent of Miami's scoring and 59 % of its rebounding. Gene Seals, Tim Schenke, Larry Drake, Nate Vander Sluis and William Hatcher, the RedHawks' other returning letter winners, comprised an additional 19 percent of Miami's scoring and 20 percent of its rebounding off the bench.
• Guards Johnson and Hausfeld earned 2002-03 Mid-American Conference postseason honors. Johnson was a second-team All-MAC selection, while Hausfeld was named to the MAC All-Freshman Team. Johnson becomes the first Miami player to earn second-team honors since Alex Shorts in 2000-01. Doug Davis was an honorable mention all-MAC pick in 2001-02. Hausfeld is the third-straight all-freshman honoree for Miami, following Danny Horace and Johnson.
• Entering the 2003-04 campaign with 954 career points, senior guard Johnson needs just 46 more points to become the 28th player in school history to surmount the 1,000-career point plateau. If Johnson scores at his 2002-03 average of 14.1 ppg, he is on pace to score at least 1,368 points, which would place him 10th on Miami's career scoring list.
• With two more starts, senior guard Johnson will crack Miami's career top-10 list for starts. Johnson has 86 career starts. If he starts every game this season, he will tie for third on the all-time list. Johnson also is within two treys of breaking onto Miami's career three-point field goal list and is two three-point attempts away from the career top-10 list.
• Amassing 51 steals last season, guard Mason catapulted himself onto Miami's single-season steal list, tying Derrick Cross' 1994 and 1995 season tallies for sixth. The single-season thieving standard is 101, set by Ron Harper in 1986.

OHIO BOBCATS

• Ohio will be in search of firepower in the upcoming season.  The Bobcats may be the only team in the nation that loses three 1,000-point scorers to graduation.  Brandon Hunter, Steve Esterkamp and Sonny Johnson all completed their eligibility and earned their degrees in the spring.
• Coach Tim O'Shea hopes he can find more consistency with this year's team.  The Bobcats did not win back-to-back games until late February in 2002-2003.
• There will be a handful of new Bobcats to add to the roster in the upcoming season.  Big man Clay McGowen (6-11, 220) sat out last season after transferring from Old Dominion, junior college transfers Diamond Gladney and Terron Harbut will be in the mix at guard and power forward respectively.  In addition, incoming freshmen Sonny Troutman, Whitney Davis, and Matt Annon will all get a shot at making the rotation.
• The Bobcats normally spend the greater portion of December on the road, due to school being out the entire month (quarter system). Last season, Ohio played its first five games away from Athens and didn't play its second home game until New Year's Eve.  However, this season, Tim O'Shea's team will play four straight home games between Nov. 30-Dec. 9.
• Ohio also normally starts its regular season later than most, again due to the quarter system and finals week for fall quarter taking place the week prior to Thanksgiving.  Again, O'Shea bucks the trend this year by opening in the BCA Classic at Xavier Nov. 15-17th.  Other schedule highlights include an appearance in the Rock N' Roll Shootout at Gund Arena against Wisconsin and in the Bracket Buster event in February.
• Top assistant coach Gary Manchel left Ohio to take a head coaching position at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa.  Brian Townsend, formerly the head coach at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Mich, replaces him on the staff.
• O'Shea also likes to work in Minnesota when recruiting.  His success with luring Troy Bell to Boston College was followed by his successful find of Jeff Halbert, who started the last 20 games for Ohio and averaged 12.5 ppg over the last six.  O'Shea expects bigger things from fellow sophomore Stephen King, former Mr. Basketball in Minnesota. And O'Shea dipped back into the "Land of One Thousand Lakes" by signing forward Matt Annon, who will join the team this year.

BALL STATE CARDINALS

• Ball State will return four starters and a total of seven letter winners who saw significant playing time in 2002-03.Cameron Echols leads a trio of double-figure scorers returning next season. Echols ended the 2002-03 campaign averaging 13.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per contest. Matt McCollom averaged 11.9 points, while Robert Owens added 10.2 points per outing. Echols paced the team in rebounding, while McCollom was the team's leader in assists.
• Owens averaged 17 points per game in BSU's final six games of the 2002-03 season, including a career-high 28 points in the finale vs. Bowling Green March 10. He scored in double figures in nine of BSU's last 10 games of the year. He registered his second career double-double with the 20 points and a career-best 12 rebounds vs. BGSU Feb. 26.  Owens has scored in double figures 20 times in his BSU career and 12 times last season.
• In addition to the offense, Owens paced BSU in rebounding in four of BSU's last seven games. He grabbed five-or-more boards in 12 of BSU's last 15 games, including a career-high 12 vs. Bowling Green Feb. 26. 
• Ball State made its 22nd appearance in the Mid-American Conference Tournament in 28 years as a member of the league. The Cardinals own an all-time MAC Tournament record of 34-15 with seven tournament championships and eight tourney Most Valuable Players. Those totals are the most of any team in the league.
• McCollom ended the year averaging 11.9 points per game, including 13.9 points per game in league contests. Also last season he followed a career-high 29 points vs. Toledo Jan. 18 with 22 points in the Cardinals' win at Eastern Michigan Jan. 21. He recorded the seventh 20-plus game of his career with 20 points vs. Kent State Feb. 12
• Junior Michael Bennett looks to build off of the end of last year into a strong campaign this season. After averaging just five minutes per contest from Jan. 21 through Feb. 6, Bennett averaged 23.3 minutes per game in BSU's last 10 games in 2003. Bennett played a season and career-high 31 minutes at Toledo March 5. He scored five points, grabbed three rebounds and handed out three assists.
• Ball State's victory against Ohio Feb. 6 was head coach Tim Buckley's 100th career win. Buckley owns 54 career wins in three seasons at Ball State.
• Junior Echols recorded his fourth 20-plus scoring game of the season with 22 points at Buffalo Feb. 15. Echols reached double figures in scoring 21 times plus had four games of 20-or-more points in 2002-03. The 6-8 junior college transfer shot 48 percent from the field for the season. Echols aver-aged 13.1 points and ranked fifth in the MAC in rebounding at 8.7 per game.

BOWLING GREEN FALCONS

• Entering last season, Bowling Green face the daunting tasks of replacing all five starters from a team which won 24 games and advanced to the MAC Tournament championship game. Despite that, last year's team was in first place in the West Division at the halfway point of the season. This year's team looks to build on the experience gained, with five players returning who started 21 or more games. Overall, the Falcons return ten letter winners.
• Center Kevin Netter returns for his senior campaign, after a successful junior season, his first as a starter. Netter led the Falcons in scoring with a 15.3 points per game average, and was named Honorable Mention All-MAC.
• Named to the MAC All-Freshman squad, guard Ron Lewis averaged 12.5 points per game and raised his scoring average three points in the final eight games. During the last four games of the season, Lewis averaged 23.5 points, including 29.0 in the MAC Tournament.  He set a MAC tournament record for individual free throws made and attempted in a game, and for the entire tournament as while. Lewis also was a co-leader in rebounding for the Falcons, averaging 5.0 rebounds per game despite standing 6'4".
• The Falcons also return the MAC's best three-point shooter in junior forward John Reimold. Reimold led the league in three-point field goal percentage at 42.0, while averaging 15.0 points per game for the Falcons. In addition, Reimold was a co-leader in rebounding for the Falcons, averaging 5.0 rebounds per game.
• The Falcons were hit hard by injuries last year, finishing the season with just six scholarship recruits, two football players, and another walk on. However, they advanced to the MAC Tournament Quarterfinals at Gund Arena for the fourth straight year since the event moved to Cleveland.
• The Falcons will spend the Christmas Holiday in Hawaii, as they will participate in the Rainbow Classic. BGSU is scheduled to play Fairfield in its first round match up.  Other schools in the event include American, East Tennessee State, Hawaii, New Orleans, Pepperdine and Texas Southern.
• Bowling Green coach Dan Dakich has the highest conference winning percentage, 58.3, among active MAC coaches with three or more years in the league. In the last five seasons, Dakich has posted a 56-34 MAC record, the second best among the 13 league members in that same span.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN CHIPPEWAS

• The Chippewas had a storybook season in 2002-03, winning their second MAC regular season title in the last three years while also capturing the 2003 MAC tournament.  CMU defeated No. 15-ranked Creighton, 79-73, in the first round of the NCAA tournament to advance to the second round of the Big Dance for just the second time in school history.  CMU's 25-7 record gave the Chippewas the most wins in school history.
• The Chippewas dominated MAC post season awards, coming home with the Coach of the Year in Jay Smith, MAC Player of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year in Chris Kaman, and Sixth Man of the Year in guard Whitney Robinson.
• Central Michigan returns two starters who played key roles in the Chippewas' MAC regular season and tournament championships last season.  Senior point guard T.J. Meerman started all but one game last season and he's CMU's leading returning scorer after averaging 5.6 points and 2.9 assists per game.  Junior guard/forward Tony Bowne started 23 games and averaged 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds while tying for the team led with 3.3 assists per game.
• Central Michigan will have to replace 76 percent of its scoring and 64 percent of its rebounding from last season with the loss of five letter winners.  The Chippewas lose their top four scorers from last season in NBA lottery pick Chris Kaman (22.4 ppg), and graduated seniors Mike Manciel (16.6), J.R. Wallace (14.3) and Whitney Robinson (7.1).
• Kaman and Manciel were the MAC's top scoring duo last season with Kaman ranking second in the MAC in scoring and Manciel 10th.
• Meerman turned in some of the best performances of his career when CMU needed him most last season during the MAC tournament.  Meerman averaged 11.3 points and 3.3 assists in the Chippewas' three MAC tournament games.  He turned in a career-high 12 points in the semifinal against Northern Illinois and then upped it to 16 points in the finals win over Kent State.  He shot 71 percent from the floor in the tournament and 70 percent from three-point range (7-for-10).
• Tony Bowne started the final 22 games last season and he played big for the Chippewas down the stretch.  He filled a number of different roles as seen by his career highs of 18 points (vs. BGSU), nine rebounds (MAC tournament final vs. KSU), and 10 assists (vs. Buffalo).  Bowne tied for the team assist lead last season with 3.3 per game and he's CMU's top returning rebounder with 3.3 boards per game.

EASTERN MICHIGAN EAGLES

• Head Coach Jim Boone's third squad showed improvement last season by winning 14 games, an increase of eight from the previous season. EMU also claimed six more league wins than the previous campaign, finishing 8-10. Three returning starters, and eight letter winners overall have the Eagles prepared for a breakout season in 2003-04.
• Other positives from the 2002-03 season include a road overtime win at Ohio, Eastern's first victory in Athens since 1988, defeating MAC champion and NCAA Round 2 participant Central Michigan, two wins over MAC-West rival Toledo, and home wins against Bowling Green, Marshall, Western Michigan and Buffalo.
• The Eagles also posted their best home-court record since the arena opened in 1995, winning 11 of 14 contests at the Convocation Center.
• Michael Ross returns for his junior campaign after a year in which he became one of the top point guards in the MAC. His 5.1 assists per game was second in the MAC, while his 1.5 steals per game was 11th, his free-throw percentage of .794 was good for eighth, and his assist/turnover ration of 1.75 was fourth in the MAC. Ross finished the season averaging 11.3 points and 3.6 rebounds.
• Backcourt mate JaQuan Hart returns after the junior became eligible to play for the Eagles after sitting out the first 10 games of 2002-03 as a transfer from Ohio State. Hart started 20 of the 23 games in which he saw action for the Eagles last season and averaged 7.2 points and 2.9 rebounds. His 2.91 assists per game ranked 14th in the league.
• The final returning starter is Markus Austin. The junior was one of the most consistent performers for the Eagles as a starting forward in all 28 games. Austin averaged 14.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and made 39-119 three-point field goals. For his efforts, he was named the Most Valuable Player on the squad.
• Senior guard Ricky Cottrill was a top scorer for the Eagles in his first two seasons but with the addition of Hart and the emergence of Ross, he was not asked to produce as much offense in 2002-03.  Cottrill arguably became the best perimeter defender on the team.  He provided more of an overall game last year and was third on the team in assists (57) and played the fourth-most minutes on the team (767).
• Some of Eastern Michigan's non- conference foes this season include road contests NCAA Big Dance participant Pittsburgh, BIG 12 member Nebraska, and ACC league member Florida State.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS HUSKIES

• Northern Illinois, which won 10 of 11, and had two five-game winning streaks during the season, finished 17-14 in 2002-03.  It was a year of firsts for Northern Illinois as the 2002-03 edition accomplished many feats that had not been seen in Huskie territory in some time. The overall record was NIU's first winning campaign since the 1995-96 season.
• NIU defeated Buffalo and Western Michigan in the MAC Tournament before falling to NCAA second round participant Central Michigan in the semifinals.
• The Huskies' league mark of 11-7 was their best mark within MAC play since they rejoined the league in 1997.
• NIU was rewarded for its success with postseason awards, with Marcus Smallwood was named to the first-team All-MAC. P.J. Smith gained All-MAC accolades with a honorable mention selection. Rounding out the awards was guard Todd Peterson, named to the MAC All-Freshman team.
• In order to have continued success, NIU will rely on the leadership from  Smallwood, who is the lone returning first-team All-MAC selection.  A Co-team MVP finished 17th in the country, third among players 6-6 and under, and third in the league with 10.1 rebounds per game. Last season he upped his scoring norm to 13.3 points per game as one of only 20 players in the country to average a double-double.  Smallwood returns this year as the 6^TH leading rebounder in the country, and first in the MAC.
• Huskie guard Smith, an honorable All-MAC performer in 2002-03 will be counted on to provide the same scoring punch as he did during last season's campaign. Smith averaged 14.7 points per game, and on six different occasions had games of scoring outbursts of 20 or more.
• Smith raised his level of play during the postseason, during which he averaged 23.3 points per game, and was named to the MAC All- Tournament team and was Co-MVP for the Huskies along with Marcus Smallwood.
• NIU ranked 30th in the nation last season from behind the arc with a 38.3% rate. Many of those responsible return including Senior guard Al Sewasciuk, who made 46 three balls, and sophomore Anothony Maestranzi, who set a school record with eight-consecutive threes on his way to 29 for the year.
• This year the Huskies'  non-conference schedule includes, road contests at Notre Dame  and at the Iowa Hawkeye Classic.

TOLEDO ROCKETS

• Senior guard Keith Triplett emerged as UT's go-to player down the stretch last year with his 22.1-point average in the Rockets' last nine contests. An honorable mention All-MAC selection, Triplett finished the season with a team-high 16.9 points per game and also led the team in rebounding for a second straight campaign with 5.8 boards per contest.
• Triplett's improvement offensively was buoyed by better shooting, increasing his field goal percentage from his rookie campaign by over 12% points (35.8 percent in 2001-02/48.0 percent in 2002-03). He also experienced similar jumps in both his three-point field-goal percentage (.300 to .429) and free throw percentage (.674 to .787) to register 20 or more points in 10 contests.  The Toledo native also continued his strong play on the defensive end by earning the Rockets' Defensive Player of the Year award for the second straight year. Triplett is regarded as one of the top defensive players in the MAC after ranking among the conference leaders in steals the last two years second with 2.3 spg in 2002-03 and fourth with 1.9 in 2001-02.
• Sophomore Sammy Villegas made quite an impression in his inaugural collegiate season even though he was playing out of position at point guard. This year, he will shift to shooting guard in place of the graduated Nick Moore.  The Carolina, Puerto Rico-native earned 2002-03 MAC Freshman of the Year honors after averaging 10.8 points, leading the team in assists (3.61) and assist/turnover ratio (1.19) and ranking second in steals (1.34).
• The Rockets will be looking to rebound from last year's 13-16 win-loss mark, the program's first losing season in six years.
• The Rockets' 81-76 win at No. 14 Michigan State served as the highlight of the 2002-03 campaign and was the second win over a ranked opponent under head coach Stan Joplin. The win snapped the Spartans' 36-game non-conference win streak at the Breslin Center and was just their third home setback in their previous 68 contests.
• Toledo set a school record for most three-point field goals in a season (248) and a conference season (149). The Rockets led the MAC in three-point field goals per game (8.55) and ranked third in three-point field-goal percentage (.387). On a national level, UT was 14th in three-pointers per game and 21st in three-point field goal percentage.
• Toledo boasts the top in-coming freshmen crop of recruits led by native Chicagoans Tino Valencia & Rashay Russell.

WESTERN MICHIGAN BRONCOS

• The 2003-04 Western Michigan men's basketball campaign will mark the first under the direction of new head coach Steve Hawkins, who was named the program's 13th head coach in May. Hawkins, who served as the top assistant at WMU for each of the past three seasons, inherits a roster ready to challenge for a MAC title.
• Hawkins posted a 137-111 record in nine seasons at NCAA Division II Quincy University, where he led the program to three NCAA Tournament appearances. The Broncos return nine letter winners and four starters from last season's 20-win season, including all league candidates Anthony Kann, Ben Reed and Mike Williams.
• Last season, the Broncos played in the NIT, posting a win over Illinois-Chicago and falling at Siena. In addition, WMU had regular-season wins over Michigan (Big Ten) Auburn (SEC) and Virginia Tech (Big East).
• The Broncos return honorable All-MAC choice Kann, who averaged team-highs in scoring, 14.4 ppg, and rebounding (8.8 rgp) in 2002-03.  Reed, the 2002 MAC Freshman of the Year, followed up with 7.4 ppg and 4.4 rpg as a sophomore, while senior Mike Williams averaged 13.6 ppg and ranked fifth in the MAC in field goal percentage (.534) and ninth in blocked shots (1.07).
• The biggest question surrounding the team as it prepares for the 2003-04 season relates to the squad's point guard duties. The graduation of two-time all-league performer Robby Collum, who started all but one of the 31 games last year, leaves the roster short on experience. Junior Rickey Willis is the only point guard with collegiate experience, having appeared in 59 career games (10 starts) in two seasons. Willis has shown glimpses of his potential and is expected to develop consistency needed with the departure of Collum.  Freshmen Mike Jefferson and walk on Jeremy File both own standout prep careers at the point, but their contributions at the NCAA Division I level have yet to be measured. Classmate Silver Laku is most comfortable at the shooting guard position, but his versatility adds much needed depth.
• The four members of the latest Bronco recruiting class address the immediate needs of the program produced by the graduation of five letter winners; Pat Cleland, Robby Collum, Nick Evola, Antwan Joseph, and Terrance Slater.