Beginning Monday, June 21st, 2004 CHN began unveiling 144 Team previews in 144 Days. CHN ranked the nations top 144 teams, and is unveiling one per day leading up until the opening day of the 2004-05 Season.

Bookmark the 144 Teams in 144 Days home page, and check back each day to see which team is previewed next.

Santa Barbara was the other team in the Big West last year that put together a solid season. Wins at UCLA and Hawaii started off a solid non conference schedule before going 10-8 in conference.

Who’s Out: UCSB was a balanced squad last year, with nine players averaging over 18 minutes per game. Four of those nine are gone, but none more important then Branduinn Fullove. The 6-4 guard led the team with 10.6 points per game during his senior campaign. Jacoby Atako led the squad in assists with 2.6 per outing. Nick Jones and Bryan Whitehead both saw quality minutes and will be missed. Forward Bray Skultety has also run out of eligibility.

Who’s In: The Gauchos can go nine deep again with a solid group of newcomers brought in by head coach Bob Williams. Todd Follmer should see some good minutes as a freshman. The 6-10 forward has a nice shooting touch for a big guy and doesn’t hold back on the defensive end either. Follmer has the potential to become a great player. Chris Moore will add even more depth to the frontcourt. The 6-9 forward averaged a double-double in his senior year of high school in Ohio. At 240 pounds, Moore is a tough competitor under the hoop. Chris Devine redshirted for UCSB last year and is ready to step in and make an immediate contribution. The small forward is a well balanced player with a nice stroke and great vision. Shooting guard Alex Harris could be a great scorer down the road. Junior Michael Chambers is transferring in from San Francisco. The 6-2 guard didn’t see much playing time at USF, but could see some more minutes at his new home down the California coast.

Who to Watch: Somebody needs to step up to take over the leading scorer role for Brandiunn Fullove. Forward Cameron Goettsche is the likely candidate. He was third on the team in scoring last year with eight points per game and led the squad with 5.5 boards per contest. Towards the end of his sophomore campaign Goettsche had two double-doubles and was beginning to show that he could be a big time player for UCSB. At 6-9 and 225 pounds, Goettsche can battle underneath against almost any competition in the Big West.

Projected Conference Rank: Santa Barbara should compete for the top spot in the conference, but the competition will be tough. A 4th place finish for the Gauchos may be disappointing for the UCSB faithful, but rather possible

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

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Email Joel Welser: jwelser_chn@ameritech.net

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