UC
Irvine head coach Pat Douglass, who entered the storied 500 win
club last season was kind of enough to chat about Anteaters
basketball with CHN.
Shawn Siegel (CHN): What
will the strengths and weaknesses of
this year’s team to be?
Pat Douglass (PD):
The strength
for the 2006 season will be the front-court players due to game
experience whereas our guards are all new to the program. The
front-court will have to establish themselves early until our
guards learn how to compete at this level.
CHN: Talk about one or two of your guys that stands out
as being an unheralded leader and contributor?
PD:
Mark Kelly
who was a back up post but who always seemed to score could be a
big surprise his senior year. His play gives us additional depth
because Darren Fells has started the past two campaigns.
CHN: Who is ready to take their game to the next level to
replace the seniors?
PD Junior
forward Patrick Sanders has improved with each season so this
will be his third campaign. I think he feels
comfortable assuming a greater role especially on the offensive
end. He is a very explosive player who plays above the rim.
CHN: What should
we expect out of the incoming players. Who will make the biggest impact?
PD:
Chuma
Awaji could make an immediate impact after starting the past two
years at community college. Our starting two guard (Ross
Schraeder) has graduated and all other replacements will be
freshmen. Chuma is a well rounded who could contribute in a
variety of ways on the court.
CHN: Are you pretty well settled with your starting
lineup? If not, what should be the biggest battle for a starting
spot?
PD:
This team has more depth than any other in my ten years at UC
Irvine so there will be a great deal
of competition at all positions.
CHN: How does this year's schedule compare
to recent seasons in terms of difficulty?
PD:
Our schedule
is very ambitious considering how inexperienced we are at the
guard position. We must remain
confident early no matter what our record is going into
conference as we play the likes of South Carolina, Nevada,
Oregon and South Alabama in November.
CHN: Good luck coach.
More 2006 College Preview:
Head Coach
Interviews
