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Oregon Tech men league hoop favorite
Published Tuesday September 20, 2005
By STEVE MATTHIES
For the sixth straight year, Oregon Tech's men's basketball team has a target on its back.
The Hustlin' Owls have been named preseason favorite in the upcoming Cascade Collegiate Conference season with Southern Oregon.
OIT and SOU tied for the conference crown last year, and the Owls won the league's automatic berth to the NAIA Division II national championships because they swept the season series.
SOU later gained a berth to Branson, Mo., when the Raiders won the conference tournament.
They both were joined at the national tournament by Albertson College of Idaho and Western Baptist, the latter now known as Corban College.
Albertson was picked to finish third in the conference this season.
Both Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon each received five first-place votes from the conference coaches during a league meet recently held in Portland.
Each also had 16 points.
"It makes sense," veteran Oregon Tech coach Danny Miles, who will begin his 34th season with the Owls, said of the coach's poll, which was released Monday.
"We have three starters back, and Southern Oregon has four, so (the poll) didn't surprise me. I think we'll both be in the top 10 to start the season," Miles said.
The NAIA Division II national preseason poll will not be released until sometime in October.
The Owls will be led by first-team All-America Levell Hesia, along with Andre Lawrence and Danny Mills, and all three started last year for OIT.
Max Gotzler and Mike Hansen also are back for the Owls and saw plenty of playing time, and lead the list of other experienced veterans Miles can call upon.
SOU also has, among its returning starters, first-team All-America Shea Washington.
"One of the things for us is that we have some young kids who will have to step in and take the place of Alex Carlson and Michael Nunes," Miles said.
Carlson, Nunes, Jared Hall and Alassane Bakayoko were the four seniors on last year's team that reached the national tournament semifinals.
"It's how well, how quickly, the new guys come along," Miles said. "They're pretty talented kids, so I feel good about it."
What Miles found interesting in this year's conference coach's poll is that all of the coaches from teams that were ranked first through eighth had themselves in the top four of the league.
"That means a lot of teams think they are pretty good," Miles said. "I think that says a lot about the year."
Warner Pacific finished fourth in the preseason conference poll, while Corban, which will be led by first-team All-America Eric Fiegi, was ranked fifth.
Fiegi's younger brother, Ryan, will play at OIT this season.
Warner Pacific, Corban and Northwest University all have two returning starters from last season, while Albertson has one starter back.
TECH TALK - Miles will enter the season with 762 career victories, all at Oregon Tech, and is No. 14 on the all-time victory list for men's college basketball ... legendary Oklahoma State University coach Hank Iba finished his career with 764 wins, while the recently retired Lou Henson, who finished his career at New Mexico State, had 775 wins ... Lefty Driesell won 786 games in his career ... the next four coaches ahead of Miles - Jerry Johnson, Don Meyer, Herb Magee and Eddie Sutton - all are active ... OIT opens the 2005-06 season against Simpson College in a Nov. 4-5 tournament that also will include Southern Oregon and Puget Sound Christian ... the Owls play Puget Sound Christian Nov. 6, Lithuania Nov. 12 and are at the University of Oregon Nov. 15 ... the latter two games are exhibition contests ... the game at Oregon will be a first for the Owls ... OIT has played 39 games against NCAA Division I opponents, but have never met a school from the Pacific 10 Conference ... OIT opens league play Dec. 2 at Concordia, with its first home conference contest Dec. 20 against Northwest.
Cascade Collegiate Conf.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
PRESEASON COACH'S POLL
Each team is listed with its first-place votes in parenthesis and total points. A team received one point for a first-place vote, two for a second, three for a third, etc.
1. (tie) Oregon Tech (5) 16
1. (tie) Southern Oregon (5) 16
3. Albertson 33
4. Warner Pacific 50
5. Corban* 51
6. Northwest 52
7. (tie) Concordia 71
7. (tie) Eastern Oregon 71
9. Evergreen State 92
10. Cascade 98
*Formerly known as Western Baptist College.
By STEVE MATTHIES
For the sixth straight year, Oregon Tech's men's basketball team has a target on its back.
The Hustlin' Owls have been named preseason favorite in the upcoming Cascade Collegiate Conference season with Southern Oregon.
OIT and SOU tied for the conference crown last year, and the Owls won the league's automatic berth to the NAIA Division II national championships because they swept the season series.
SOU later gained a berth to Branson, Mo., when the Raiders won the conference tournament.
They both were joined at the national tournament by Albertson College of Idaho and Western Baptist, the latter now known as Corban College.
Albertson was picked to finish third in the conference this season.
Both Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon each received five first-place votes from the conference coaches during a league meet recently held in Portland.
Each also had 16 points.
"It makes sense," veteran Oregon Tech coach Danny Miles, who will begin his 34th season with the Owls, said of the coach's poll, which was released Monday.
"We have three starters back, and Southern Oregon has four, so (the poll) didn't surprise me. I think we'll both be in the top 10 to start the season," Miles said.
The NAIA Division II national preseason poll will not be released until sometime in October.
The Owls will be led by first-team All-America Levell Hesia, along with Andre Lawrence and Danny Mills, and all three started last year for OIT.
Max Gotzler and Mike Hansen also are back for the Owls and saw plenty of playing time, and lead the list of other experienced veterans Miles can call upon.
SOU also has, among its returning starters, first-team All-America Shea Washington.
"One of the things for us is that we have some young kids who will have to step in and take the place of Alex Carlson and Michael Nunes," Miles said.
Carlson, Nunes, Jared Hall and Alassane Bakayoko were the four seniors on last year's team that reached the national tournament semifinals.
"It's how well, how quickly, the new guys come along," Miles said. "They're pretty talented kids, so I feel good about it."
What Miles found interesting in this year's conference coach's poll is that all of the coaches from teams that were ranked first through eighth had themselves in the top four of the league.
"That means a lot of teams think they are pretty good," Miles said. "I think that says a lot about the year."
Warner Pacific finished fourth in the preseason conference poll, while Corban, which will be led by first-team All-America Eric Fiegi, was ranked fifth.
Fiegi's younger brother, Ryan, will play at OIT this season.
Warner Pacific, Corban and Northwest University all have two returning starters from last season, while Albertson has one starter back.
TECH TALK - Miles will enter the season with 762 career victories, all at Oregon Tech, and is No. 14 on the all-time victory list for men's college basketball ... legendary Oklahoma State University coach Hank Iba finished his career with 764 wins, while the recently retired Lou Henson, who finished his career at New Mexico State, had 775 wins ... Lefty Driesell won 786 games in his career ... the next four coaches ahead of Miles - Jerry Johnson, Don Meyer, Herb Magee and Eddie Sutton - all are active ... OIT opens the 2005-06 season against Simpson College in a Nov. 4-5 tournament that also will include Southern Oregon and Puget Sound Christian ... the Owls play Puget Sound Christian Nov. 6, Lithuania Nov. 12 and are at the University of Oregon Nov. 15 ... the latter two games are exhibition contests ... the game at Oregon will be a first for the Owls ... OIT has played 39 games against NCAA Division I opponents, but have never met a school from the Pacific 10 Conference ... OIT opens league play Dec. 2 at Concordia, with its first home conference contest Dec. 20 against Northwest.
Cascade Collegiate Conf.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
PRESEASON COACH'S POLL
Each team is listed with its first-place votes in parenthesis and total points. A team received one point for a first-place vote, two for a second, three for a third, etc.
1. (tie) Oregon Tech (5) 16
1. (tie) Southern Oregon (5) 16
3. Albertson 33
4. Warner Pacific 50
5. Corban* 51
6. Northwest 52
7. (tie) Concordia 71
7. (tie) Eastern Oregon 71
9. Evergreen State 92
10. Cascade 98
*Formerly known as Western Baptist College.
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