Once again it was the lack of depth at
Louisiana Tech that resulted in
just one win in the final seven games of the season. Four
players averaged over 30 minutes per game, with the other
starter logging in nearly 28 minutes a contest. Two of those
starters are gone leaving plenty of opportunity for players to
step up and make a big impact. Coach Keith Richard’s recruiting
class is deep enough and experienced enough to make the depth
less of an issue.
Who’s Out:
Starters Donell Allick and Wayne Powell will be missed. Allick,
a shooting guard, averaged 12.3 points and 3.6 assists. Powell
averaged 10.5 points and 6.6 rebounds. Barry Thompson provided
some much needed quality minutes off the bench, averaging 3.3
points per outing. Little used forward Jeremy Johnston is
transferring out of Ruston, Louisiana.
Who’s In:
It’s a big group of newcomers, who will all need to fill in some
minutes. Most of those minutes will be acquired by four junior
college transfers. Harry Disy, out of North Idaho College,
averaged 12.3 points and 8.2 rebounds last year. Chad McKenzie,
a fellow small forward, led Los Angeles City College to a 29-4
record putting up 16.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists per
contest. Trey McDowell will provide some depth at the shooting
guard spot, as will Jerome Richardson. Richardson, a first team
NJCAA All-American, averaged 20.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.1
assists a season ago. Terry Parker Jr. started 26 games two
years ago at Wisconsin Green Bay before transferring to Tech.
The 6-3 guard gives the Bulldogs another option on the wings.
Incoming freshmen Drew Washington and Adrian Rogers, as well as
redshirt freshmen Clark Hale and J.J. Marshall, will have
trouble finding too many minutes early in their careers.
Who to Watch:
This team is all about Paul Millsap. The 6-8
junior led the NCAA in rebounding as a freshman and sophomore,
the first player to repeat as rebounding champion since Kermit
Washington in the 1971-1972 and 1972-1973 seasons. Millsap is
the only player to accomplish the feat as a freshmen and
sophomore. Last year he averaged 12.4 boards. And the kid can
score too. He put up 20.4 points per game last season and added
1.9 blocks for good measure.
Projected Conference Rank:
After Nevada, the WAC is wide open with
Hawaii, Utah State and a young Fresno State all sporting decent
squads. If the newcomers can contribute, the Bulldogs could be
competitive enough to reach the post season. A 4th
place finish is still a successful season for Louisiana Tech,
but they have the ingredients to overachieve with Millsap under
the basket and a quality senior point guard in Daevon Hakins.
Projected Post-season Tournament:
none
Projected Starting Five:
Daevon Haskins, Senior, Guard, 8.4 points per game
Jerome Richardson, Junior, Guard, DNP last season
Corey Dean, Senior, Forward, 10.5 points per game
Chad McKenzie, Junior, Forward, DNP last season
Paul Millsap, Junior, Forward, 20.4 points per game
