Pac-10 Basketball: Ranking the Incoming Classes
Huskies Top
Recruiting Haul in 2005-06 Suffers Slight Setback with Departure of Webster
to NBA
It’s been a while since the balance of power in the
Pac-10 rested in the Pacific Northwest. One has to go all the way back to
the Gary Payton-led Oregon State teams of the late 80s to find an upper-PAC
team that struck fear in hearts of its conference opponents.
With Washington
earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament last season, and point guard
Nate Robinson being drafted by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the
NBA draft, many believed the Huskies had staked a legitimate claim to being
a rising PaC-10 power.
Head coach Lorenzo Romar’s recruiting haul for the
2005-06 season appeared to have the Dawgs moving from “rising” to
established.
Romar and his staff were dealt a serious setback,
however, when McDonald’s All-American recruit Martell Webster opted for the
NBA draft and was selected sixth overall by the Portland Trailblazers.
Fortunately for Washington, fellow McDonald’s
All-American and Seattle prepster Jon Brockman will suit up for the Huskies
this season, along with an incoming supporting cast that includes ballyhooed
power forward Artem Wallace (Russia) and 6-5 shooting guard Harvey Perry –
the 27th ranked player at his position according to Rivals.com.
Romar will need immediate contributions from his entire
pull of rising froshes if the Huskies harbor any hopes of extending their
stay among the conference’s elite. Washington returns a conference-low seven
of 12 players off last year’s 29-6 squad, and Webster’s absence will put
even more pressure on senior shooting guard Brandon Roy
On the other end of the spectrum, Ben Braun and the
Cal Bears had one of their weakest hauls in
recent years – there’s just no room on the bench in Berkeley. Cal returns
all 16 players, including Kansas transfer Omar Wilkes. The 6-3 California
native and son of NBA legend Jamaal Wilkes will likely have an immediate
impact on the Bears' talented roster (not the least of which is having
younger brother Jordan – a top center prospect -- commit to Cal after being
courted by Kansas, Stanford and Washington).
With Wilkes and 2003-04 PAC-10 freshman of the year Leon
Powe returning to the lineup, the Bears aren’t likely to sneak up on anyone.
The sleeping giant of the PAC-10, however, could be the “other” L.A. school
– Southern Cal. The Trojans return their top
three scorers from last season: rising sophomores Gabriel Pruitt (12.3 ppg)
and Nick Young (11.1 ppg) and junior Lodrick Stewart (12.1 ppg).
New head coach Tim Floyd and his NBA pedigree are paying
immediate dividends in recruiting: the men of Troy expect up to eight
newcomers, including highly touted 6-8 Jeremy
Barr of Westbury Christian (Houston) and
6-9 RouSean Cromwell (IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla). Insiders are also
impressed with College of Southern Idaho transfer Abdoulaye Ndiaye and Baton
Rouge point guard Ryan Francis – both whom could realize significant playing
time in Floyd’s system.
Across the way in Brentwood,
UCLA returns an impressive array of sophomores in addition to boasting a
solid recruiting class turned in by third-year head coach Ben Howland. The
Bruins add 6-0 point guard Darren Collison to their stellar backcourt of
Jordan Farmar, Aaron Afflalo, and Josh Shipp. Collison is joined by 6-7
power forward Alfred Aboya and 6-9 Canadian power forward Ryan Wright --
both ranked among the best at their positions by various recruiting
services. Aboya recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery but should be
cleared for the start of practice, October 14.
Where does the resurging L.A. story leave traditional Pac
powerhouse Arizona? The Wildcats return 11
of 13 roster players. But the two departures – first round draft pick
Channing Frye and second round selection Salim Stoudamire – left giant voids
in scoring and rebounding.
As they have traditionally done under Lute Olson, Arizona
pulled one of the nation’s top point guard prospects in J.P. Prince. The 6-7
Memphis native (and cousin of former Kentucky guard and Detroit Piston
Tayshaun Prince) could press incumbent PG Mustafa Shakur for playing time.
Prince also adds a new dimension to “point guard ‘u’” with his NBA-ready
size and near 7-foot wingspan.
Via assistant coach and former UA player Josh Pastner’s
Houston connections, the Wildcats once again dug deep into the Lone Star
state to pull 6-7 small forward Fendi Onobun from Aleif, Texas. Onobun is
joined by 6-8 small forward and Seattle-native Marcus Williams, and together
the duo could see significant playing time at a position held down by
talented but undersized senior Hassan Adams.
Incoming Class Rankings
1.Washington
2.UCLA
3.Arizona
4.Southern Cal
5.California
Top New faces to watch
Washington – Jon Brockman
UCLA – Darren Collison
Arizona – J.P Prince
Southern Cal -- Jeremy Barr
California – Omar Wilkes
(transfer)
Part two: Arizona State, Oregon,
Oregon State, Stanford, and Washington State.
