2007-08 Men's Basketball Season Preview
With
two years into his tenure as Pacific head men's basketball coach, Jason
Lowery has seen his program make some big strides.
Last year, the Boxers emerged as a contender in the Northwest Conference playoff race, rallying to a fourth place finish and finishing just out of one of the league's three postseason spots. They accomplished the finish with a relatively young line-up of nine newcomers, a testament to the team's ability to learn quickly and play well as a unit.
"I think we just committed," said Lowery, who enters his third year as the head coach of the Pacific program. "It takes a while to buy into what we're about and our guys committed to it and played together."
This year, the Boxers will have to adjust again to a new group of players who will be buying into Lowery's program. The Boxers return only four players from last year team, including a core of three seniors in guards Ryan Turcott (Sr., Helena, Mont.) and Donnie Harrison-Davis (Sr., Portland, Ore.) and forward Joe Van Domelen (Sr., Hillsboro, Ore.).
What the Boxers lack in returning experience they will make up in athletic ability. The Boxers bring in nine newcomers, including four junior transfers led by talented guard Maurice Ross (Jr., Eugene, Ore.) and powerful post presence Todd Hinderman (Jr., Stanwood, Wash.).
The roster revision will not hurt the Boxers. In fact, they should make Pacific an even better team. "I think we will be able to push it a lot more this year with a point guard like Maurice, who will create a lot of opportunities just by being out there," Lowery said. "We will have some good size with a springy guy like Hinderman and Joe's wide body. I think our overall size will make us better defensively and rebounding-wise."
Provided that the team can stay healthy, the added dimension could make Pacific better than the 12 wins last season and keep the Boxers once again in contention for a NWC playoff berth.
"I see no season that, if things click, that we couldn't battle right up until the final night to be in the NWC playoffs," Lowery said. "I think if things unfold for us and we play the way that our talent should, then hopefully we will be playing in the tournament. That is our goal."
POINT
GUARD
The new look of the Pacific offense will begin with the experience of Ross.
The junior transfer led Clackamas Community College to the NWAACC championship
in 2007, earning All-NWAACC South Division honors after being selected
to the NWAACC Sophomore All-Star Game.
Ross brings to the Boxers a play-making ability that will better create opportunities for the team's corps of shooting guards. "Maurice is a penetrating, creating guard," Lowery said. "He is going to get into the paint, which a lot of kids can do, but most cannot make good decision once they get there. His perception of the game and his size and strength allows him to do good stuff once he gets below the free throw line."
Turcott will continue to see minutes after leading Pacific at the point guard position the last two seasons. Turcott finished second for the Boxers with 2.2 assists per game and will continue to add a measure of experience to the team. "Ryan understands what we want as a program and will bring us a lot of solid things there," Lowery said.
A.J. Gaulton (So., Pleasant Hill, Ore.) will provide additional depth at the point guard position and will also see time at shooting guard. Gaulton played only five games as a freshman, but has shown considerable growth during the off-season. "He is our best perimeter shooter, which will help him compete for significant minutes," Lowery said.
SHOOTING GUARD
After a season adjusting to the level of play in the Northwest Conference,
Harrison-Davis is expected to be a more complete player. Harrison-Davis
was the prime mover in the Pacific offense last year, averaging 15.3 points
per game to rank eighth in the conference in scoring.
His ability to score points was awe-inspiring. Harrison-Davis finished with eight games of 20 points or more, including a 29-point performance against Whitworth. Modifications to his game and the addition of a playmaker in Ross should make Harrison-Davis an even more potent threat.
"Having a point guard who can create a lot of opportunities for him and learning to how to play off of Van Domelen should open some doors," Lowery said. "I think his shot selection will be a lot better, which will increase his shooting percentage and allow him to put up a lot of points again this year."
WINGS
Lowery will depend on a pair of new, but talented newcomers to fill the
wings. Carson Bartlett (Fr., St. Helens, Ore.) brings some of the same
dynamic athletic ability of his older brother Ross. The younger Bartlett
was a all-conference selection his senior year as a forward while averaging
nearly 15 points per game.
Also like his brother, Carson Bartlett will likely be a two-sport standout at Pacific. Carson won the Oregon 5A state track and field champion in three events in 2007, taking top honors in the high jump, long jump and triple jump. He also ran on a pair of state placing relays teams for St. Helens High School.
"Carson is an incredibly talented athlete," Lowery said. "He can run and jump as well as anybody we have. He has a lot of youthful energy, but we expect him to see some solid minutes."
Garold Howe (Jr., Salem, Ore.) will swing between the wing and forward positions. Howe was a starter for the last two years at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, providing solid scoring and some valuable versatility while averaging close to 12 points and eight rebounds per game."
"Garold is a well-rounded player and a tough match-up," Lowery said. "He can shoot it out to the three and he can do good stuff in the post. He can be a perimeter player or a post guy. If we decide to go big he can play outside and be fine. If we see better match-ups with him playing a forward spot he can do that as well."
FORWARDS
Pacific teams have not been known traditionally for their size, but the
Boxers will have a considerable presence on the blocks with a pair of experienced
posts. While the team will miss Ross Bartlett, who suffered a torn ACL
during the off-season, the Boxers may still be better under the basket.
"We have size that will make us long defensively, which will make us able to contest shots and rebound better," Lowery said. "We like to get big and play well below the free throw line. That will allow us to win those rebounding battles and be solid defensively."
Van Domelen put together one of his strongest all-around seasons for the Boxers despite sitting out the last two years while working out academic programs. His maturity made him a formidable threat off the bench with averages of 13 points and six rebounds per game.
Van Domelen adjusted well from former head coach Ken Schumann's system to the Lowery system and a bigger emphasis on defense. "As the season wore on, Joe started to understand what we wanted from him on the boards and I think this year he will be a much improved rebounder," Lowery said. "We're expecting him to get close to double digits in rebounding each game. We will play him as many minutes as we can."
Hinderman will complement Van Domelen with a strong defensive presence. Hinderman led the NWAACC last year in offensive rebounds and finished seventh in the league with 9.2 rebounds per game and earned a selection to the NWAACC Sophomore All-Star Game. Hinderman will also be a potent offensive threat, averaging nearly 12 points per game and shooting 54 percent from the field.
"Todd is a big time athlete and a big time rebounder," Lowery said. "He is a good high-low passer and he can shoot it out to 15 feet. He adds some explosiveness to our posts and his ability to play above the rim will make him a fan favorite."
Andy Haugen (Fr., Beaverton, Ore.) adds a youthful presence and depth in the post after earning all-league and all-state honors with Oregon 4A state champion Valley Catholic last year.