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#128 Cal State
Fullerton Titans
Big West
2004-05: 21-11, 12-6,
3rd
2004-05 postseason:
NIT
By
Joel Welser
Baseball? In March
the Fullerton faithful turned away from the diamond and to the
court to watch their Titans make a great run in the NIT. Bob Burton’s squad hit the road and won games at Oregon State and
San Francisco before falling to Georgetown in D.C. Baseball is
over for the time being and expectations for the hoops squad is
building. The momentum of the NIT run needs to continue while a
whole slew of newcomers settle into the system.
Who’s Out:
A trio of starters are gone, which
will hurt the Titans. Ralphy Holmes led Fullerton with 16.9
points per contest. Yaphett King averaged 13.8 points and 6.2
rebounds. Hardy Asprilla was only able to play in 12 games, but
proved to be a key player averaging 8.5 points and 8.8 boards.
Who’s In:
Damien Massey, Frank Robinson,
Curtis Battles and Adam Tancredi all redshirted last year.
Massey will fill in off the bench at the point along with
returnee John Clemons. Robinson, a transfer from East Carolina
will fight for a starting role at the wing. Battles and Tancredi,
both junior centers, will see some minutes under the basket.
Tancredi, a transfer from Quinnipiac, has the consistency that
could see him starting from opening day. Battles is talented in
the post, but with a weight issue, has a problem keeping pace
with the Titan’s tempo. Gary Nunez, who played the last two
seasons at Ventura (CA) College, will be thrown into the mix at
center and is expected to play quite a few minutes his first
year at Fullerton. Small forward Jerard Moret could end up to be
the best of the large class. He’s a physical player, a strong
defender and should make an immediate contribution. Manny Montano, Jerrel Lake and Chris Minardo are all possible
redshirt candidates. Minardo has the most potential of the
group. The sophomore who played at Citrus (CA) College a year
ago will add even more depth at the wings.
Who to Watch:
Not everybody is a newcomer in
Fullerton. Forward Jamaal Brown averaged 12.4 points and 7.6
rebounds a year ago. Shooting guard Jermaine Harper put up 9.7
points per outing, but it is point guard Bobby Brown (insert
Whitney Houston joke here) that is the heart and soul of the
Titans. It is Brown’s prerogative to lead the new edition of the
Titans back to the post season. As just a sophomore last year,
Brown put up huge numbers, posting 16.8 points and 4.3 assists
per game.
Projected
Conference Rank:
With Utah State out of the
conference and Pacific not expected to repeat last year’s
success, the Titans will find it easier to fight through the Big
West Conference Tournament. It is still a talented conference
with Cal State Northridge and Pacific sporting gifted squads and
UC Santa Barbara finally getting healthy again. A 3rd
place finish isn’t bad and a run in March could get them to the
NCAAs.
Projected
Post-season Tournament:
none
Projected Starting
Five:
Bobby Brown, Junior,
Guard, 16.8 points per game
Jermaine Harper,
Senior, Guard, 9.7 points per game
Frank Robinson,
Sophomore, Forward, DNP last season
Jamaal Brown, Senior,
Forward, 12.4 points per game
Adam Tancredi, Junior,
Center , DNP last season
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