October 15, 2006
NCAA Basketball Tip-Off Dinner Recap
Stanford coach Trent Johnson is pleased with incoming freshmen twin towers Brook and Robin Lopez
Of course, all the coaches were in a particularly good mood, being undefeated and unscored-upon at this point. St. Mary’s Randy Bennett took the honors for the most-pointed jibes at his fellow coaches but each contributed their fair share. Master of Ceremonies Dan Belluomini, the former USF coach and current television basketball analyst, played the ‘straight man’ more than any other role.
Besides the coaches, Belluomini also introduced other basketball and sports figures throughout the evening, including ex-USF coach Jim Brovelli, City College of San Francisco (CCSF) Athletic Director Brad Duggan, current CCSF Coach Justin Labagh, Mt. San Jacinto Coach Patrick Springer, longtime sportscaster Barry Tompkins and the family of the late Bobby Giron, the former USF equipment manager, among others.
Stanford’s Trent Johnson led off. Somewhat subdued, he introduced his new coaching staff, former Idaho State coach Doug Oliver, former Cardinal player Nic Robinson and former basketball operations director Donnie Guerinoni. Losing seniors Chris Hernandez, Matt Haryasz and Ernie Grunfeld, Johnson offered that his team will be young and inexperienced (five freshmen) but better by the end of the upcoming season. Junior Peter Prowitt is the most experienced big man and he’ll be backed up by the Lopez twins, Brook and Robin, both at 7-0 and in the 240 weight range. However, Brook Lopez recently underwent back surgery and probably won’t be ready until sometime in December.
Next up, Bob Thomason of Pacific offered a smiling lament about a suspect Pacific foul called late in the Boston College game in the NCAA tournament last season. Two BC free throws then tied the game as the Tigers eventually lost 88-76 in two overtimes. Entering his 18th season, Thomason lauded his staff in attendance, including longtime assistant Ron Verlin, Ben Sanders and Marty Levinson. The Tigers had seven newcomers on their 24-8 team last season, all adjusted fairly quickly and Thomason hopes for the same this coming season. But he then added: "I want them to look bad early and look good late in the season so it makes it look like I know what I’m doing."
Sacramento State’s Jerome Jenkins, in his seventh season, introduced his coaching staff, Jared Barrett, David Grace and Richard Reed. The Big Sky Conference Hornets finished 15-15 last year and Jenkins is looking for 20 wins, saying "the kids truly believe they can win now." His players were up at 5:30 that morning to practice and they are working hard. The Hornets have seven juniors on the roster, plus senior leader forward Alex Bausley and high-scoring sophomore guard Loren Leath. When the conversation turned to scheduling, Jenkins ticked off some of the tougher games on his schedule this season; Louisville, New Mexico, Boise State and Washington while hosting USF and Pacific before league play begins.
Host team USF coach Jesse Evans followed Jenkins. He smartly introduced his new athletic director Debby Gore-Mann (security being job one!) and Mark McCathrion, the new marketing and sponsorship assistant at USF. Evans also joked that his team was going to be small this season but he was checking into whether or not McCathrion, who played for USF from 1985-1989, had any eligibility remaining. He also touched upon this season’s schedule, noting that his Dons would be facing Ohio State, UNLV, Pacific and Hawaii away from home. He mentioned that former Bethune Cookman coach Denny Hinson has joined his coaching staff as an assistant. Evans’ team will be led this year by senior guard Armondo Surratt and forwards Johnny Dukes and Alan Wiggins, and will play quicker and extend the floor due to the lack of overall size.
Dick Davey of Santa Clara in a good/bad scenario indicated his team "will be very, very big but very, very slow." He did say his 6-foot-11 center, John Bryant, is down to 305 pound and that Bryant and point guard Brody Angley will allow the Broncos to compete. Davey has assembled an exceedingly tough schedule with home games against Utah, Nevada, Utah State and Hawaii, along with Cal, Stanford, Kentucky and Pacific on the road. This will be a tough 15th season for Davey at Santa Clara.
St. Mary’s Randy Bennett took some ribbing for being late but dished it right back. Now in his sixth year, he said "it’s always a good year when there are no new faces at the coaching table." Demonstrating that he was just getting started, he then good-naturedly winged a jab directed at Davey concerning a no-hard-feelings-type amnesty request for former Gael Daniel Kickert who provided medical doctors the opportunity to get in some practice stitching up Broncos Travis Niesen and Brody Angley in a game last season. Bennett also had some fun with Ben Braun’s recent marriage and the ‘lateness’ in Braun’s life for such an event. He also threw a felt-tipped dagger at Olympic Club official Phil Galvin concerning "how we all enjoy being part of this opportunity, for free," emphasizing the last two words. Bennett then lampooned this year’s St. Mary’s squad, bringing up the old John Wooden quote of "activity without achievement." His team will tackle Seton Hall, St. Joseph’s, Connecticut, and USC on the road this season, with Southern Illinois, TCU and San Diego State games in Moraga. He brought assistants Kyle Smith and Dan Shell with him to the event.
Beginning his fourth season, Gary Stewart of UC Davis is a former member of Steve Lavin’s staff at UCLA. Stewart earnestly thanked his assistants Greg Klink, John Lamanna and Kevin Nosek, adding tongue-in-cheek that "it was nice to share the experience and not have to carry all those losses by myself." He also joked about a tough road game where his team lost by 19, he took 13 players with him and returned with only six. Stewart has lost but one senior (Phil Rasmussen) from last season and added this year’s squad has been "a joy to coach" so far. He also mentioned that his high school basketball coach had just died, making him both remember and understand that "coaching is a special opportunity." Davis beat Stanford in Davis last season, 64-58, but has to go down to The Farm this year for a rematch, along with a contest against Duke in Durham, N.C. Davis officially enters the Big West Conference beginning next year.
Cal’s Ben Braun closed out the evening and came out blazing, dishing it back at Bennett for his lateness to the event and how Bennett even missed the St. Mary’s cheerleaders, who had been performing prior to the dinner. Braun updated the audience on Leon Powe’s guaranteed cntract with the Boston Celtics and added that DeVon Hardin is recovering from shoulder surgery this summer but will be counted on a lot in the upcoming season. He praised point guard Ayinde Ubaka as one of the top backcourters in the country, saying "we will push him to the off guard spot at times this season." Center Jordan Wilkes has grown an inch over summer to 7-foot and wieghed in at 230 pounds and Theo Robertson will be a mainstay as a sophomore and a likely starter. Two freshmen were mentioned by Braun--guard Jerome Randle and frontcourter Ryan Anderson. Out of Chicago, Randle will be "one of the quickest players ever at Cal," according to Braun. He added that Anderson "will provide a lift for us from the start.&qout; Braun also brought the crowd’s attention to Golden Bear Conor Famulener who was seated in the audience, mentioning that Famulener and DeVon Hardin were the teammates who battled Leon Powe the most during practices and never gave an inch.
The format was changed this year as audience members were not allowed to ask questions of the coaches.
George Nessman of San Jose State and Fresno State’s Steve Cleveland were unable to attend due to the Western Athletic Conference holding it’s basketball media day in Salt Lake City on Wednesday.