LOS ANGELES - Although the Pac-10 will be laden with new faces this season after a hoard of talented players departed last year, the picture painted around one of the nation's most dominant conferences looks strikingly familiar.
Coaches and players offered a glimpse of the upcoming baskteball season Wednesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the site of the 2002 Pac-10 Tournament.
"The conference race will really be similar to the way it has been," UCLA head coach Steve Lavin said. "I don't really see there being a big difference in the conference race based on what was lost last year."
With four returning starters, the Bruins are not only tabbed as a favorite to win the Pac-10, but they are also regarded as a team that could make a serious run for its 12th national championship. UCLA lost point guard Earl Watson from last year's team that advanced to the Sweet 16, but return its leading scorer in junior forward Jason Kapono.
"We're going to have more of an up-tempo game. We're just going to press, press, press and run, run, run," Kapono said.
Stanford is vying to capture its fourth consecutive Pac-10 title despite losing many key components from last year's team that was stopped a game short of the Final Four. The Cardinal can no longer turn to the Collins twins (center Jason and forward Jarron), forward Ryan Mendez or guard Michael McDonald, meaning junior guard Casey Jacobsen will need a year comparable to his excellent 2000 season.
"You don't realize how good the players that you had were until you don't have them anymore," Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery said. "I'm finding myself frustrated with certain things I've just been used to having for so long with guys that knew how to play, knew all the nuances of the offense and were willing to make all the plays I wanted."
USC is highly underrated even after losing center Brian Scalabrine and guard Jeff Trepagnier. USC will rely heavily on senior forward Sam Clancy, the team's leading scorer (17.3 points per game) and rebounder (7.5 rebounds per game) last season.
"My expectations are to go out and be as competitive as we can be, and to put the best product on the floor," USC head coach Henry Bibby said. "My thinking on subbing this year might be a little different. I might try to play more people depending on what the situation is."
With four players from last year's team bolting for the professional ranks, things might be different in Tucson, but the end result will probably be the same. The Wildcats will reload this time around, as junior guard Jason Gardner will step in as the court general and junior forwards Luke Walton and Ricky Anderson look to assume new roles.
"We have no clue at this time as to how we're going to be. We really don't know what we have," UA head coach Lute Olson said. "One day you feel pretty good. The next day, you wonder if you've got the same guys on the court that were there the previous day."
California has its sights set on a return trip to the Big Dance with center Solomon Hughes geared up for a monstrous senior campaign. The Golden Bears need junior guard Shantay Legans to transform himself into the team leader after losing forward Sean Lampley, who averaged 20 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last year.
"He really provided a lot for our team more so than points or rebounds," Cal head coach Ben Braun said. "The biggest things we're really trying to look at is the contributions he made in terms of leadership and experience."
Perhaps the biggest question heading into the season is where ASU will fit into the mix. The Sun Devils not only have three seniors on this year's roster, but they also bring back a talented junior class and welcome a host of highly touted newcomers. ASU hopes to use its added depth to become much more consistent from beyond the arc.
"To this point, the biggest thing for us is we have enough numbers. We had to have coaches practice against players, and competition at certain positions wasn't as good as it needed to be for us to get better," ASU head coach Rob Evans said. "Now, we have enough people. You don't see guys laying out in practice because they know the competition is there."
Both the Oregon schools will be hard-pressed to finish in the top half of the conference. Oregon State is counting on forward Phillip Ricci, a 6-foot-7-inch, 252-pound junior college transfer, to live up to the hype surrounding his name after he missed all of last year with a knee injury. Oregon must get some production out of senior shooting guard Frederick Jones, who was shaky at times a year ago, but still managed to average nearly 15 points per game.
"Throughout my past years, I've shown that I can be good some games and horrible some games," Jones said. "I've got to try to keep it on an even keel this year, and just play good every single night."
The Washington schools could prove to be the weakest links in the Pac-10. After Washington lost three starters from last year's squad, sophomore guards Curtis Allen and C.J. Massingale will be called upon to carry the team this season. Washington State senior guard Mike Bush is not slated to join the team until early January because he is playing wide receiver for the Cougar football team.
"Unfortunately, my best player is off catching passes," Washington State head coach Paul Graham said. "Mike Bush could be the first player that plays in a bowl game, and then turns around and plays in a basketball game on the same day or in the same week."
Reach Brian Gomez at bsundevil@aol.com.
