Don’t let the record fool you.
New Orleans
played a tough non conference schedule and ended up with some
decent wins. The problem is the Privateers burned out at the end
of the year, losing five of their last seven. The fact that
eight of their last nine games were away from the friendly
confines of Lakefront Arena doesn’t help a tired team on the
slide.
Who’s Out:
All the starters return and no seniors were on the roster but
there are a few outgoing players. Todd Bostic, Kris Clark and
Lionel Melvin are transferring and Kenny Simelton isn’t
academically eligible to play in 2005-2006. Bostic and Simelton
are the only impact players. Bostic averaged nearly 20 minutes
per game, seeing action in all 30 contests. The guard averaged
4.0 points. 2.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals per outing.
Simelton saw action in 23 games as a freshman, averaging 2.6
points and 2.8 boards.
Who’s In:
The newcomers will need to fill in off the bench to keep the
starters fresh down the stretch. Point guard Dusty Driggs is a
smart player and a serious threat from long range. Wayne
Williams, a 6-4 combo guard, played last year at South Georgia
Technical College where he averaged 18.9 points, 4.9 rebounds,
3.7 assists and 2.3 steals. The wings will have more depth with
the addition of Earnest Daney and Jeremie Davis. Daney’s defense
and experience will earn him some minutes. He averaged 13.8
points and 8.5 rebounds last year at Neosho County (KS)
Community College. Davis has plenty of experience as well,
playing two seasons at Spoon River College in Canton, Illinois.
He’s a solid shooter from anywhere on the floor and should be an
immediate scoring threat for Coach Monte Towe’s squad. Sami
Badawi will add another body to the frontcourt. The Spain
native, who played ball at the Cape Fear Academy in Wilmington,
North Carolina, is a solid post player who isn’t afraid to step
out on the perimeter. He still has some work to do, but has
great potential once he hits the weights at UNO. Joey Barnitz, a
walk-on transfer from Loyola, New Orleans, will add some more
depth to the frontcourt.
Who to Watch:
If you’ve never watch Bo McCaleb, you’re
missing out. He shot 26% from behind the arc last year and under
57% from the charity stripe, but still managed to score 22.6
points per game. McCaleb knows his game is not from long range
and maximizes his abilities by driving the lane. He is
definitely a consistent scorer, only ending a game under double
digits once all of last season. In a stretch from December to
February, McCaleb scored over 20 points in 15 straight games.
The point guard can dish it too, leading the squad with 3.7
assists per contest.
Projected Conference Rank:
With all five starters returning with at
least 22 starts last year, the Privateers are poised for a
drastic move up the Sun Belt standings. James Parlow and Jacob
Manning have experience coming in off the bench, but New Orleans
will need more productive depth from the newcomers if they hope
to reach the post season. A 2nd place finish in the
Sun Belt is good enough for a trip to the NIT.
Projected Post-season Tournament:
NIT
Projected Starting Five:
Bo
McCaleb, Junior, Guard, 22.6 points per game
Chad Barnes, Senior, Guard, 9.7 points per game
Jamie McNeilly, Junior, Guard, 7.7 points per game
Shawn Malloy, Senior, Forward, 7.9 points per game
Ben Elias, Junior, Center, 5.5 points per game
