NWAACC Men's Basketball
Preseason rankings are usually a complete shot in the dark, as nobody really has a very good idea of how teams will be late in the upcoming campaign. These rankings are exactly that. Updated rosters are out, and a few preseason tournaments have been played, but we have yet to get a good grip on what teams will look like. On the immediate horizon are three preseason tournaments - Skagit Valley Turkey Tournament, LCC Red Devil Classic, and the Pierce College Tournament. Once those tournaments have been played, things will shake out a little more. That lack of rating material noted, here's how I stack things in the early going.
Quick note: Coaches rankings will most likely not be out for a few weeks.
Quick note: Coaches rankings will most likely not be out for a few weeks.
1. Chemeketa Storm2012 Finish:
2nd in Southern Region
Runner up at NWAACC Championships
Expected Impact Players:
Sophomore G Gavin Kauffman, Sophomore G Johnny Howard (#respect)
Chemeketa, after advancing to the NWAACC final last year, may be more loaded than any other team in the league coming in to this season. They are returning seven experienced players, including their top five scorers, all of whom averaged double figures in 2011-12. Gavin Kauffman made a splash at last year's tournament, but the Storm can get offense from any one of about six different players.
2. Clackamas Cougars2012 Finish:
3rd in Southern Region
Did Not Place at NWAACC Championships
Expected Impact Players:
Sophomore G Kirby Hawkins, Freshman G Michone Hopkins
The Cougars came in to the tournament with high expectations, but failed to produce. This year, they return without high scoring star guard Taylor Dunn, but with more experience at point guard and a more varied offensive attack. Along with adding the perimeter scoring freshman guard Michone Hopkins, Clackamas is bringing back Kirby Hawkins, who redshirted in 2011 after finishing the second leading scorer in 2010.
3. Spokane Sasquatch1st in Eastern Region
Did Not Place at NWAACC Championships
Expected Impact Players:
Sophomore G Brady Bagby, Sophomore C Luke Evans
Few teams valued a player like Spokane did Preston Wynne. Averaging 23 points a game and having hit 144 treys in 2011-12, Wynne played nearly 1000 minutes and was the go-to guy each and every night. The Sasquatch will have to replace Wynne's impact with a combination of sophomores Brady Bagby and Luke Evans, who averaged around 20 points collectively a season ago. Evans also led the team in blogs and rebounds.
4. Tacoma Titans2012 Finish:
2nd in Western Region
2012 NWAACC Champions
Expected Impact Players:
Sophomore G Josh Lord, Sophomore F Damani Coley
Tacoma lost a brilliant offensive star in Mark McLaughlin, who led the nation in scoring at the Juco level last season. TCC waved goodbye to their top four scorers, and won't feature a lineup with much experience. However, if there's one thing that's a constant, it's the ability of head coach Carl Howell to bring the best out of the talent he has. They might struggle at first, but Tacoma will finish strong.
5. Walla Walla Warriors2012 Finish:
3rd in Eastern Region
Did Not Place at NWAACC Championships
Expected Impact Players:
Sophomore G Jordan Klebaum, Freshman 6'2 Post Kim Tillery
Walla Walla had two close losses at the 2012 tournament, one to open the games at the hands of eventual champion Tacoma, and the other a narrow defeat to 7th place Shoreline. This year, the Warriors will welcome back their leading scorer and assist leader Dylan Radliff, along with four other sophomores who saw playing time in 2012.
6. Yakima Valley Yaks2012 Finish:
4th in Eastern Region
6th at NWAACC Championships
Expected Impact Player:
Sophomore G Tomas Ogbaslassie, Freshman F Joel YellowOwl
Just six games into the season last year, Yak guard Tomas Ogbaslassie was benched for the rest of 2012 with a hip injury, after figuring to be YVCC's best player. He was already averaging over 17 a game, along with leading his team in assists and steals. Even without Ogbaslssie, Yakima managed to make it into the playoffs and upset No. 1 Clark on the first day, eventually finishing 6th. Just two other players will be back from last year, but Yakima has been consistent of late: they hold the longest current streak for top six finishes in the league.
7. Peninsula Pirates2012 Finish:
2nd in Western Region
4th at NWAACC Championships
Expected Impact Players:
Sophomore G Djuan Smith, Freshman G TreShawn King-Dunbar
Coming in to last year, 2011 NWAACC Champion Peninsula was the talk of many a locker room. Their starting lineup boasted former Wake Forrest guard J.T. Terrell, as well as standouts Dudly Ewell, DeShaun Freeman and Sam Waller. Packed with talent, they seemed like an early favorite to repeat as champions. This year, however, they are only returning three players, but have a host of transfers, and a flashy new point guard from Alaska, freshman TreShawn King-Dunbar.
8. S. Puget Sound Clippers2012 Finish:
4th in Western Region
Did Not Place at NWAACC Championships
Expected Impact Players:
Sophomore G Scotty Ewing, Sophomore G Jamey Smith
The Clippers will miss their scoring and rebounding leader Ayne Turner, but they welcome back second leading scorer and assist leader Scotty Ewing, one of five sophomores on the 2012 roster. With Clark starting from scratch and most of Tacoma leaving for Central Washington, S. Puget Sound could find their way a little easier in the West this year, but it depends on how well they are able to bring their freshmen up to speed.
I understand that this is a preseason ranking, but it was posted on 11/23. Your top two teams had already lost a game by that time (one of them at home). It's your ranking and your opinion but I just found that a little odd.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for your coverage of the NWAACC, but please since you call yourself a journalist do a little research. Perhaps they're just typos, but you have a number of incorrect results for your 2012 Finish section:
Chemeketa finished 2nd in the South Region
Clackamas did not place at the NWAACC Championships
Spokane won the East Region
Walla Walla plays in the East Region and finished 3rd. They did not place at the NWAACC championships
Yakima was 4th in the East Region
Peninsula was second in the North Region
South Puget Sound did not place at the NWAACC Championships
Look I know what you do is a thankless job, but that took me five minutes of research on the NWAACC site. What you do is appreciated by those involved with the NWAACC, but I'm sure you can't be happy publishing that many mistakes.
I can tell you exactly how that happened, actually. The women's rankings were written first, and used as a template for the men's rankings. The inconsistencies are residue from the women's rankings, and will be updated shortly. That's not a result of bad research, that's the lack of an editor for 1 installment to catch the simple mistakes. As far as the rankings consoles, I still believe Clackamas and Chemeketa to be the best teams in the South. I appreciate your assistance in the editing process.
ReplyDeleteMy apologies for the typos in that last one. Commenting from my phone, here.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100% that Clackamas and Chemeketa are the two best teams in the South. And I apologize for lack of a better phrase than "bad research". Again thanks for what you do.
ReplyDelete