Pac-10 Basketball: Ranking the Incoming Classes
This is the 2nd part
of a two-part series on the Pac-10's incoming classes.
Click here for teams 1 through 5.
The
Beavers … loaded in 2005-06? Well, not exactly. But a solid recruiting class
has Oregon State headed in the right direction. After taking an 0-9 collar
on the road in conference play last season, the Beavers finished the season
a disappointing 17-15 after a frothy 10-3 start.
Head
coach Jay John – a former assistant under Lute Olson at Arizona – posted a
four-player haul that includes 6-3 point guard Josh Tarver (Portland, Ore)
and late-comer Jack McGillis, a 6-6 “tweener” who planned to walk on at
Washington until the Beavers offered a scholarship in May.
Tarver,
the No. 29 point guard in the class of 2005 according to Rivals.com, is a
strong on-ball defender with long arms and quick hands who some scouts
compare to Kentucky’s Rajon Rondo. McGillis, a pure-shooter with a reliable
long-range stroke, could be asked to red shirt with Beavers glut of wing
players.
Six-foot-three point guard Wesley Washington (Santa Ana, Calif.) and 6-9
forward Calvin Hampton (Fort Washington, Md.) round out the 2005 pull – a
class John hopes can help the Beavers get off to another fast start.
Up the
way in the college hoops wasteland that once was Pullman, Wa., head coach
Dick Bennett has designs on overcoming the loss of three key players from
his 2004-05 team with a fiver-player recruiting class that includes three
JUCO transfers: 6-6 Ivory Clark (New Orleans), Rodney Edgerson (Peoria,
Ill.) and 6-1 point guard Antonio Chavers (Tyler, Texas).
Bennett’s impact in the Palouse over his first two seasons has been
measurable. The Cougars 25 wins are as many as the team had over the three
seasons prior. The seasoned haul of JUCO players and the addition of 6-8
center Caleb Forrest (Pagosa Springs, Co.) could get Bennett closer to the
middle of the pack in the Pac.
On the
subject of measurable impacts, Mike Montgomery’s departure for the NBA
hasn’t adversely affected Stanford’s to attract blue chip talent. While the
buzz around “The Farm” has centered on the imminent arrival of the Lopez
twins (Brook and Robin) in 2006, Cardinal fans would be remiss to overlook
Montgomery’s parting gift – an 05 class that has to rank at or near the top
of the Pac-10.
Second-year head coach Trent Johnson will have the back-up services of
highly touted point guard Anthony Goods (Corona, Calif.), the 143rd
rated player overall according to recruiting guru Bob Gibbons and the 15th
ranked PG in the country according to Rivals.com. Goods will apprentice
behind the conference’s best floor-leader and perhaps one of the most
underrated point guards in D-I in senior Chris Hernandez.
The one
that got away from both Arizona and Arizona State was 6-8 Lawrence Hill, who
chose Stanford as much for academics (Hill was 4.0 student at Deer Valley HS
in Glendale) as hoops. Possessing incredible quickness and hops, the
205-pounder projects at the three spot and should provide Johnson with some
much-needed athleticism (Hill has drawn comparisons to Josh Childress).
As for
the aforementioned Sun Devils, the early (but expected) departure of Ike
Diogu for the NBA opens the door for more production from 6-8
junior Serge Angounou, and immediate playing time
for JUCO transfers Antwi Atuahene (Trinity
Valley Community College) and Bruno Claudino (Southern
Idaho). Atuahene, a 6-3 point guard from Toronto, was a standout at the 2002
Nike All-American Camp in Indianapolis.
Claudino and Atuahene join a fall signing class
that included Sylvester Seay (Winchendon School (Mass.)/San Bernardino,
Calif.), Seketoure Henry (Lynwood, Calif.), and Jeff Pendergraph (Etiwanda,
Calif.).
Optimism
abounds in Eugene heading into the fall, and rightfully so: The Ducks are
projected by a fistful of national publications to be in the mix for an NCAA
tourney bid in 2005-06. Led by guards Aaron Brooks, Malik Hairston and Bryce
Taylor, Ernie Kent’s experienced squad should rebound from a rocky 14-13
campaign (6-12 conference).
Because
the Ducks return their entire roster from last season, Kent and his staff
tread lightly on the recruiting trail. Churchill
Odia, a 6-6 guard from Lagos, Nigeria,
transferred from Xavier and will sit out the 05-06 season.
Rankings
1.Stanford
2.Arizona State
3.Oregon
State
4.Washington State
5.Oregon
New
faces to watch
Stanford
– Lawrence Hill
Arizona
State -- Antwi Atuahene (JUCO)
Oregon
State -- Josh Tarver
Washington State -- Ivory Clark (JUCO)
Oregon
-- NA
Click here for teams 1 through 5.
