Playboy's College Basketball Preview

Incredible but depressingly true--that's the Aleksander Radojevic story. Alex is a 20-year-old, 7'3" basketball player from Yugoslavia who attended Barton County Community College in Kansas with the hopes of transferring to and playing for Ohio State University this season. You think, Great--a big kid with solid basketball skills who wants to go to college rather than jump to the NBA before the ink on his high school diploma dries. Then, the NCAA rules that Alex can't play ball at Ohio State or any other college because he once accepted a few dragos for playing glorified pickup games back in Yugoslavia. Never mind that he didn't know (and couldn't know) the NCAA rules back then.

Lamar Odom isn't allowed to return for another season of college hoops either. He made the mistake of changing his mind a few times before deciding that he wanted to stay at Rhode Island. (Odom declared for the draft but wasn't allowed to undeclare because the NCAA ruled he had hired an agent.) Wait a minute. Didn't former Rhode Island coach Jim Harrick flip-flop more than once before he decided to take the job at Georgia? That's different. Harrick is a grown-up. Lamar is still a kid. He should know better.

And everyone moans about the kids not staying in, or sometimes never going to, college.

This year even Duke, a school that had never lost a kid early to the NBA, heard three underclassmen say, "Show me the money now." Everyone agrees it would be better if these kids, especially those under the age of 20, learned more about life before taking on the rigors of professional basketball. But the NBA drafts away (12 underclassmen in the first 20 picks, with number five pick Jonathan Bender heading to the Indiana Pacers from Mississippi's Picayune Memorial High School). And the NCAA says no to Alex Radojevic.

Jim Calhoun, the astute coach who led UConn to its first national championship last season and who is our Playboy Coach of the Year, puts it succinctly. "The NCAA is not for the kids."

For all the problems and frustrations, there are still plenty of talented teams who will make us forget everything that's wrong with college basketball by the time March Madness 2000 rolls around in a few months. Let's take a look at the best.

(1) Connecticut

While purists don't acknowledge the end of the millennium until December 31, 2000, the rest of us will consider 1999 the end of a thousand years. And we'll consider Connecticut the last national hoops champion of the millennium, a crown earned when the Huskies upset Duke in one of the best title games ever. Now the challenge for coach Jim Calhoun and his charges is to repeat without the scoring grace of forward Richard Hamilton, who has gone to the NBA, and the defensive skills of Ricky Moore, who graduated. Playboy All-America Khalid El-Amin, the roly-poly guard with the quick feet and the irrepressible smile, is ready to do his part. Big Jake Voskuhl, UConn's starter in 101 of 104 games over the past three years, will again be "our goalie," as Calhoun refers to him. Kevin Freeman, the third returning starter from last season, should increase his 10.4 points-per-game scoring average. And Calhoun has other cards to play. Six-eleven senior Souleymane Wane and juniors Albert Mouring and Edmund Saunders (all solid contributors off the bench last season) will be back. Calhoun has high hopes for 6'11" sophomore Ajou Ajou Deng and freshmen Doug Wrenn, Tony Robertson and Marcus Cox. There are few things in sports more daunting than repeating as college basketball's national champ, but without any dominant competition, the Huskies could pull it off.

(2) Michigan State

Playboy All-America Mateen Cleaves guaranteed Michigan State's position as a national title contender when he elected to play out his senior season in East Lansing. The Spartans--who last season won 33 games, the Big Ten conference and tournament titles and made it all the way to the national semifinals before falling to Duke (68--62)--return everyone except forwards Antonio Smith and Jason Klein. Tom Izzo, now in his fifth year as MSU coach, expects seniors Morris Peterson and A.J. Granger to fill those spots. Plus, Duke transfer Mike Chappell and David Thomas (a redshirt last season) should be significant contributors.

(3) Auburn

Auburn's football team is down, but its basketball team is near the top of the world. The Tigers dominated the SEC last season, finishing 14-2 and winning their first conference title since 1960. Their 29 overall wins were the most ever by any Alabama Division I hoop team. Coach Cliff Ellis loses only one starter from that squad and adds two exceptional recruits in Jamison Brewer and Marquis Daniels. Of course, last season's studs will be this season's studs: Chris Porter, guard Doc Robinson and seven-foot Mamadou N'diaye. With a year of tournament experience under their belts, the Tigers could be Final Four material.

(4) Ohio State

We will never know how good this year's Ohio State team could have been if Aleksander Radojevic had been allowed to play college basketball in the USA. The NCAA ruled the 7'3" junior college player ineligible because, in the past, he had unwittingly accepted small amounts of money to play in Yugoslavia. Radojevic has gone on to the NBA. Ohio State, under coach Jim O'Brien, will still be one of the best teams in the nation, primarily because of the outstanding guard combination of Playboy All-America Scoonie Penn and junior Michael Redd, who led the Buckeyes in scoring with a 19.5 points-per-game average. With 6'11" Ken Johnson being Ohio State's only big man, expect O'Brien to emphasize a perimeter-oriented offense.

(5) Temple

Savor the coaching talents, the soulful expressions, the anger--and even the tenderness--of Temple coach John Chaney. Whenever he decides to call it a career, we'll probably not see another quite like him. Chaney has rolled up 380 victories at Temple, more than 600 in his coaching career, and he's done it all with integrity and intensity. Last year's Owls finished 24--11 and made it to the Elite Eight. This year's squad may be as good or even better. While Chaney directs from the bench, point guard Pepe Sanchez runs the show on the floor. The points will come from 6'10" Lamont Barnes and 6'5" Mark Karcher. Look for last year's outstanding sixth man, Quincy Wadley, to push his scoring average into double figures this year.

(6) Kansas

Only the most rabid KU fan failed to sense that last season would be a struggle for Roy Williams and his perennially powerful Jayhawks. Losing players with the quality of Paul Pierce and Raef LaFrentz would lay any team low. Plus, coach Williams, for the first time in his 11-year tenure in Lawrence, seemed to have failed to land a blue-chip recruiting class. And the Jayhawks did struggle, dropping five games in conference, two to upstart Nebraska. But by Big 12 tournament time, guard Ryan Robertson had established himself as KU's floor general and young center Eric Chenowith had begun to dominate inside. The Jayhawks finally beat Nebraska and went on to win their third consecutive Big 12 tourney title. Robertson graduated, but Chenowith, a Playboy All-America this year, is ready for a banner season. Guard Kenny Gregory should have a big year, and Williams has added Texas transfer Luke Axtell and McDonald's All-American Nick Collison.

(7) North Carolina

Bill Guthridge was coach Dean Smith's right-hand man for most of the Smith-North Carolina glory years. Insiders say Guthridge was an important ingredient in Smith's success--recruiting, running practices, studying film and planning strategy. Nevertheless, it's difficult to succeed in the shadow of a legend. Guthridge and the Tar Heels won 24 games last season with a team that started two freshmen. Still, the boo birds came out when Carolina failed to win the ACC and were upset by Weber State in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Guthridge is undeterred by his detractors. With four starters returning from last year's squad plus a bench brimming with potential, the boos will likely turn to cheers. Guthridge's best performers will be point guard Ed Cota and seven-foot center Brendan Haywood. Sophomore guard Ronald Curry, who doubles as quarterback on Carolina's football team, could be another Charlie Ward.

(8) Florida

Gators coach Billy Donovan has taken his team to the NCAA tourney each of the past two seasons, last year going all the way to the third round. Now, he's ready to get serious. Donovan, who returns four starters plus three strong bench players from last year's 22-win team, has landed the number one recruiting class in the nation. Freshman Brett Nelson was a McDonald's All-American, as was 6'8" Donnell Harvey, who was also named the 1999 Naismith player (continued on page 144)Basketball(continued from page 140) of the year. The best of Donovan's returning starters are senior guard Kenyan Weaks and sophomore forward Mike Miller.

(9) Duke

Being Goliath in college basketball isn't easy. You win every game in the ACC regular season and conference tournament. You stomp through the competition right up until the championship game, where you run into a David who doesn't know he's supposed to lose and whose rock is a little bigger and harder than you were expecting. And when Goliath falls, the crash is loud. In the aftermath of defeat, things managed to get worse for coach Mike Krzyzewski. Elton Brand became the first player in the school's history to leave early for the NBA. William Avery was the second. Corey Maggette, still more potential than skill, was the third. And Trajan Langdon graduated. Krzyzewski assistant Quin Snyder took a head coaching job at Missouri. Talk about turnover. But don't worry about Goliath. He's got resources. Two pretty good starters are coming back: Chris Carrawell and Shane Battier. Nate James will step up from his bench role, and Matt Christensen is ready after a redshirt year. Krzyzewski has pulled in some stellar recruits, including Carlos Boozer, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Nick Horvath and Jason Williams. Perhaps Duke will get to play giant slayer this year.

(10) Cincinnati

Bearcats coach Bob Huggins finds a way to put great basketball teams together. Some years underclassmen have jumped to the NBA. This year the NCAA has saddled Cincinnati with probation and a loss of scholarships. Huggins is unfazed. Six-eight Kenyon Martin, who is probably good enough to play in the NBA, decided to stick around for his senior season. Small forward Pete Mickeal should improve on last year's 14.9 points-per-game average. And Huggins has added three talented freshmen (DerMarr Johnson, Kenny Satterfield and Leonard Stokes) to complement returning point guard Steve Logan. Huggins is 108--25 over the past four seasons. He's not likely to hurt his winning percentage this year.

(11) Arizona

Coach Lute Olson has created a basketball juggernaut in Tucson that just keeps winning games and recruiting talented players. Last year, the Wildcats lost the premier guard combo of Miles Simon and Mike Bibby to the (continued on page 190)Basketball(continued from page 144) NBA, yet still won 22 games and show-cased the talents of Jason Terry, the national player of the year in many media circles. Now Terry and A.J. Bramlett have left for the NBA. Result: The Wildcats are better than they were last season. Sophomores Michael Wright, Richard Jefferson and Ruben Douglas are ready to step forward as bona fide stars, plus Olson will add 7'1" Wake Forest transfer Loren Woods. And there's more talent in the wings in such players as juco transfer Lamont Frazier and freshman Jason Gardner. Olson will win his 600th game this season.

(12) Kentucky

The Wildcats got two good pieces of news in the off-season. Tubby Smith, who was rumored to be on his way to another coaching job, is still in Lexington. And Jamaal Magloire, after initially declaring early for the NBA draft, returned to college, a change-of-heart allowed by the NCAA because Magloire had not hired an agent. Still, Kentucky will have some obstacles to overcome--namely, the loss of team leader Wayne Turner and dead-eye shooter Scott Padgett--if the Wildcats are to be the stuff that top-ten teams are made of. Talented freshmen Keith Bogans and Marvin Stone will get the opportunity to contribute early.

(13) Syracuse

The Orangemen met or surpassed the 20-win mark last season (21-12) for the 21st time in the 23-year tenure of head coach Jim Boeheim. With all five starters returning, Syracuse is almost certain to accomplish the feat again. Boeheim's best player is 6'9" center Etan Thomas, who will become the school's all-time leading shot blocker this year. Thomas will get strong support from guard Jason Hart, who holds the school record for steals (270), and Ryan Blackwell, who will reach 1000 points before the end of the year.

(14) Depaul

Pat Kennedy knew exactly what to do to revive a moribund basketball program at DePaul when he took over two years ago: mine the basketball talent of the Chicago Public League high schools. Last year the Blue Demons started Bobby Simmons, Lance Williams and Quentin Richardson, all from Chicago's inner city. Playboy All-America Richardson resisted the inclination to turn pro after being named Conference USA Player of the Year in his first season. This year Kennedy has added more Chicago-area talent with seven-footer Steven Hunter and junior college transfer Paul McPherson. If Kennedy coaches as well as he recruits, DePaul will have its best team since the glory days of coaching legend Ray Meyer.

(15) Utah

Rich Majerus must be the most desirable coach in the game today. It seems that every time a job opens anywhere, Majerus is mentioned as a candidate. The basketball world and the media that cover it love the guy, which only demonstrates that competence and honesty wrapped around a good heart can take a fat, bald guy from Milwaukee a long way. And Majerus takes his Utah Utes a long way with him. With only starter Andre Miller returning from the previous season's Final Four team, Utah swept the Mountain West regular season (14--0), won another conference tourney title and was set to make a serious run at the Final Four until they entered Wally's World (as in Szczerbiak) on a hot night. Although Miller graduated, Majerus returns four starters this season. Playboy All-America Hanno Möttölä will be the Utes go-to guy. Gary Colbert or juco transfer Trent Whiting could take Miller's point guard spot.

(16) Illinois

Last season had a Titanic feeling to it for the Illini, who were barely better than .500 in the preconference schedule and finished a miserable 3--13 in the brutal Big Ten regular season. Then came conference tournament time and the big turnaround. Illinois consecutively shocked Minnesota, Indiana and Ohio State, all ranked teams, before finally falling to Michigan State in the tourney title match. Said coach Lon Kruger, "Some teams take a little longer to jell than others." With all starters returning--including silky-smooth guard Cory Bradford (15.4 ppg)--plus McDonald's high school All-Americans Frank Williams and Marcus Griffin, Illinois should be ready to roll from game one this season. The Illini could turn last year's conference record upside down.

(17) Ucla

Fourth-year coach Steve Lavin has already proved he can recruit. Now Lavin has to prove he can coach. That task was made tougher with the decision of point guard Baron Davis to take an early leave for the NBA. Ryan Bailey and Earl Watson will try to fill Davis' role as floor general. Center Dan Gadzuric and forward JaRon Rush are potential superstars. Jason Kapono is one of the top freshmen in the nation. But this is still a young team, with only one senior among its top nine players. Lavin definitely has the pieces. Can he solve the puzzle?

(18) Texas

It's transformation time down in Austin. Mack Brown has turned around the football program. Now coach Rick Barnes will do the same with the Long-horn hoops team. In his second season since coming over from Clemson, Barnes has added six new faces to give substantial depth to the Texas squad. In the meantime, Playboy All-America Chris Mihm will assert himself as the best big man in the nation. Forward Nnadubem Gabe Muoneke will provide additional power underneath the basket and plenty of challenges for play-by-play announcers.

(19) St. John's

The Red Storm would have been a true powerhouse this season if super soph Ron Artest hadn't taken an early exit for the NBA. But second-year coach Mike Jarvis, a winner when he was at George Washington and a 28-game winner in his debut season at St. John's, thinks a strong backcourt and solid athleticism up front will keep the Storm blowing strong again this season. Erick Barkley and Bootsy Thornton will be one of the best guard tandems in the Big East--or anywhere--while frontcourt power could come from junior Reggie Jessie and newcomer Anthony Glover. Without Artest, another Elite Eight appearance is unlikely, but Jarvis will have his team in the thick of the race for the Big East title.

(20) Tennessee

Jerry Green has posted 41 wins, the most for any Tennessee coach after two seasons. But he is far from satisfied. "We have sold lots of tickets and gotten some national attention, but we still have lots of work to do." That work has been made easier with the return of junior guard Tony Harris, who led the Southeast Conference last season in three-point shooting with a .470 average. Isiah Victor, who started only eight games last season, will be a double-digit scorer this year. Green is excited about freshman Ron Slay, who led Virginia's Oak Hill Academy to USA Today's number one national ranking last year. The Vols would love to repeat last season's sweep of Kentucky, which enabled them to win the SEC's Eastern Division for the first time since divisional play began, in 1992.

(21) Gonzaga

Last season, the Bulldogs were everything that's good about college basketball--high energy underdog scrappers from a little school whose only basketball claim to fame is that John Stockton once matriculated there. Led by Playboy All-America guard Matt Santangelo (a player who maximizes his talent better than any other in the nation), Gonzaga battled from an opening season loss at Kansas to a 28--7 record that included a West Coast conference title and three memorable NCAA tournament victories before finally falling to Connecticut in the West Regional Final. Gonzaga returns Santangelo and two other starters from last year's team, but coach Dan Monson took the Minnesota job that opened up when Clem Haskins resigned. Gonzaga wasted no time in naming Mark Few, formerly an assistant, to be its new top Bulldog. Six-eleven Axel Dench and 6'8" Zach Gourde, who redshirted last year, need strong seasons in the paint if the Bulldogs are to re-create last year's magic.

(22) Indiana

When Luke Recker announced that he was transferring from Indiana to Arizona, you might have thought it would be the arrow that finally hit the heart of controversial coach Bob Knight--that is, if you were one of the faithful who still believed that Knight has a heart. Recker had seemed to be the quintessential Hoosier--a great shooter, good fundamentals, team player, Indiana born and bred. This defection could have ended the 28-year reign of the enigmatic Knight. But, love him or hate him, Knight life will apparently continue undisturbed in Bloomington. Playboy All-America A.J. Guyton will play his senior season for Indiana, and Knight has found a budding star in 6'10" forward Kirk Haston.

(23) Oklahoma State

The Cowboys have enough returning talent to exceed the 23-win total of last season that took them to the Big 12 tournament title game (they lost to Kansas) and as far as the second round of the Big Dance (they fell to Auburn). Veteran coach Eddie Sutton (632-252 career) thinks 6'6" senior forward Desmond Mason is ready for a break-out season. Doug Gottlieb, who totaled 299 assists last season, will quarterback the Cowboys from his point guard spot. Junior college transfer Roy Candley (7'2", 380) will command attention inside if he's in shape. Joe Adkins and Glendon Alexander will try to fill the perimeter role of graduated Adrian Peterson, OSU's leading scorer the past three seasons. In a stronger Big 12, the Cowboys have to be better than last year if they hope to succeed.

(24) Arkansas

With the departure of the Razorbacks' three leading scorers from last season (Kareem Reid, Pat Bradley and Derek Hood), this year would appear to be a rebuilding one for perennial winning coach Nolan Richardson. "This is definitely one of the youngest teams I've ever coached," says Richardson. And yet he thinks his squad has the potential to contend for the SEC West division title and more. He's putting a lot of stock in his only senior, Chris Walker, who scored a career-high 22 points in the Hogs' NCAA tournament loss to Iowa. Richardson is also confident that Sergerio Gipson, Brandon Dean and T.J. Cleveland are ready to handle big-time competition. As green as the Hogs are, Richardson will have them running hard and playing stubborn defense.

(25) Oklahoma

The Sooners have lost four starters from last year's team, which won 22 games and battled toe-to-toe with Michigan State in the Midwest regional semi-final of the NCAA tournament before losing by eight points. Fortunately for coach Kelvin Sampson, his one returning starter is Playboy All-America Eduardo Najera, generally regarded by his opponents as the nicest guy off the court, but the baddest of the bad when you have to play him. (This is the fellow who split his chin in a collision with Mateen Cleaves and returned moments later with bandage and stitches.) Najera will have help from guard Tim Heskett, who set a school single-season record for three-point shooting (.473). Sampson thinks J.R. Raymond, who couldn't play last year because of academic problems, will be a factor this season.

(26) Maryland

With superstar Steve Francis leading the way, coach Gary Williams had everything lined up for a shot at the national championship last season. But then the Terps got waylaid by hot-shooting Ron Artest and St. John's in the tournament's third round. Four starters are gone from that team (including Francis), but Maryland has enough talent left to again be a factor in the ACC and possibly the national picture. Points will flow from 6'8" junior forward Terence Morris, who would love to fill Francis' scoring shoes. Williams says of Morris: "Every once in a while you have a player who doesn't seem to have a ceiling to his game. Terence has a chance to be great, and I don't say that about many players." Freshmen Steve Blake, Tahj Holden and Drew Nicholas have a chance to be impact players in their first season, with Blake likely to start as point guard.

(27) New Mexico

As the Kenny Rogers song goes, "You got to know when to fold 'em." Dave Bliss, Lobo coach for 11 years, hadn't been able to nudge New Mexico past the second round of the NCAA tournament in any of the past four seasons. Star Kenny Thomas had exhausted his eligibility, and wingman Lamont Long was thinking about the NBA. Bliss saw an opportunity at Baylor and took it. The Lobos promptly hired a new coach from New York City, Fran Fraschilla, who had great success at Manhattan and a too-short run at St. John's. "When I got on a plane at La Guardia, no one noticed," he reported. "When I got on a plane in Albuquerque to take my first recruiting trip, people applauded." Fraschilla received good news as well as applause when Lamont Long decided that he would return to college for his senior season. Freshman guard Marlon Parmer will be an immediate hit. If Fraschilla can find someone to muscle up inside, the Lobos could be very good.

(28) Pennsylvania

And you thought you'd never get the chance to see Michael Jordan play basketball again. Penn's Michael Jordan may not be the best basketball player on the planet, but he is the best in the Ivy League. The six-foot guard, who averaged 15.3 points per game, led the Quakers to 21 wins overall last season and 13 in conference, good enough to take home the Ivy League title. Coach Fran Dunphy expects highly touted freshmen Koko Archibong and 6'8" Ugonna Onyekwe to make significant contributions. Someone will have to play the Quakers when tournament time rolls around. No one will look forward to it.

(29) Valparaiso

The names Valparaiso and Homer Drew conjure up the best scenes from the movie Hoosiers. Little guys taking on and beating the big guys. Backboards nailed against the sides of barns. And coach Homer Drew's Crusaders play the kind of team basketball that Gene Hackman's character tried to inspire. These days, however, Drew relies on a cast of characters who didn't cut their basket-ball teeth in America's heartland: Ivan Vujic and Lubos Barton, both European-born talents. But Homer's basketball melting pot works. The Crusaders, who won 23 games last season and sewed up a fourth straight conference championship, should be even better this year. The motto of last year's team was "exceeding expectations." If the Crusaders exceed again this year, they will certainly be a factor when the madness rolls around in March.

(30) North Carolina-Charlotte

When you think of powerful teams in Conference USA, you think of Cincinnati and Louisville. But the team that beat them both on the way to the conference tourney crown last season was UNC-Charlotte. In fact, the 49ers have been in the conference championship game each of the past three years and are one of only nine teams that have advanced to the NCAA second round in each of the past three seasons. Coach Bobby Lutz thinks his team can be a winner again this season despite the loss of talented forwards Galen Young and Kelvin Price. The leader of this year's squad will be guard Diego Guevara, who will likely improve his 12.5 points-per-game average of last year. Lutz expects help from junior college transfer James Zimmerman and 6'8" freshman Rodney White.

(31) Georgia Tech

A severe knee injury forced budding superstar Dion Glover to miss all of last season, dooming the Yellow Jackets to a losing record (15-16) and a third consecutive year without an invitation to the Big Dance. But coach Bobby Cremins is smiling this year despite the fact that Glover is now in the NBA. Seven-foot forward Jason Collier, another transfer from Indiana, is back after averaging 17.2 points per game last year. Junior center Alvin Jones is already Tech's leading all-time shot blocker. And to make a good situation better, Cremins has added 6'5" guard Shaun Fein, a transfer from Stonehill College.

(32) Tulsa

With muscular power forward Michael Ruffin and 6'10" Brandon Kurtz inside, the Golden Hurricane left 23 opponents bruised and defeated last season. Ruffin has graduated, and coach Bill Self will shift to a perimeter-oriented offense that will better use team quickness. Guard Greg Harrington, one of four returning starters and the WAC freshman of the year last season, will be an important ingredient in Self's new strategy.

(33) Stanford

Based on the fact that Stanford returned all five starters from its 1997-1998 Final Four team, expectations were high that the Cardinal would make a serious bid for the national title last season. It didn't happen. Stanford quietly bowed out of the second round of the tournament after a good, but not dominant, season. Only forward Mark Madsen returns from that starting five. Coach Mike Montgomery expects some of last year's bench players to step up big in starting roles. He has particularly high hopes for brothers Jarron and Jason Collins and Michael McDonald. Look for freshman Casey Jacobsen, a McDonald's All-American, to be an immediate hit.

(34) Weber State

One of the beautiful things about the NCAA tournament is that there is almost always an upset (or near upset) of a major power by a school that most people have never heard of. Last year it was Weber State's first-round defeat of North Carolina. Just exactly where is Weber State anyway? Ogden, Utah. And who was the Weber State player in the zone for that game and a good part of the subsequent close call loss to Florida? Harold Arceneaux. What most people didn't realize was that Harold (his nickname is appropriately The Show) has been in the zone many times. Those games just didn't happen to be on national TV. The Show returns for his senior season along with guard Eddie Gill and a 6'10" player from Italy, Ivan Gatto.

(35) Detroit Mercy

"It all starts with defense," says Detroit Mercy coach Perry Watson. Last year the Titans finished second nationally in field goal percentage defense and third in scoring defense, a strength that netted them a second consecutive MCC championship and a second straight upset of a higher ranked opponent in the NCAA tournament first round (St. John's in 1998, UCLA in 1999). Watson thinks his Titans will get the job done again this year despite the graduation of Jermaine Jackson, last season's MCC player of the year. Guard Rashad Phillips is the top returning scorer in the MCC (15.7 ppg) and 6'7" Desmond Ferguson is the best three-point shooter in the conference. Forward Terrell Riggs, who sat out last year for academic reasons, will be an immediate contributor.

(36) Texas Christian

The loquacious Billy Tubbs predicts his Horned Frogs "will struggle early, but we'll end up with a team that will be a handful for anyone by February." Biggest problem for the sixth-year coach will be finding someone to score and nab rebounds as adeptly as graduated forward Lee Nailon. Six-nine Marquise Gainous will pick up some of the slack while Myron Anthony (a transfer from Kentucky) and 6'10" juco transfer Derrick Davenport get acclimated. TCU was second in scoring in Division I last season with an 86.8 points-per-game average. Tubbs thinks a better defensive effort would push that average even higher.

(37) North Carolina State

With Duke busy kicking everyone's butt in the ACC last season, North Carolina State's respectable 19--14 season went unnoticed. With all five starters returning and a couple of seasoned contributors ready to come off the bench, coach Herb Sendek's squad may be the ACC dark horse. Sendek also recruited Damien Wilkins (rated by talent expert Bob Gibbons as the number one high school senior in the nation last year) and Wisconsin high school player of the year Marshall Williams.

(38) Bradley

Jim Molinari has gained a reputation as a great defensive coach during his eight years at Bradley. In seven of those seasons the Braves have finished among the top 24 teams in the nation in scoring defense. This year the Braves should be able to put up some offensive numbers to compare with their defensive stats. All five starters return from last season's 17-win squad, including guard Rob Dye, who averaged over 17 points per game last year. The Braves will get a boost from Jermaine Brown, brother of NBA veteran Randy, and 6'11" Jeff Rabey, who was the national rebounding leader (12.2 rpg) on the junior college Division II level last season.

(39) New Mexico State

Turns out that Thomas Wolfe was wrong. You can go home again. Lou Henson did exactly that after stepping down as longtime coach at Illinois a couple of years ago. Everyone assumed Lou would work on his golf game, his garden, his hair. But instead he reclaimed the New Mexico State head coaching job, a position he had held before joining the Illini. And Lou quickly proved that he can still coach, leading the Aggies to a 23--10 record, a Big West tournament title and a first-round appearance against Kentucky in the NCAA tournament. Henson has four starters plus three solid bench players returning. And he's recruited very well in-state, persuading New Mexico high school scoring phenom Kelsey Crooks to come to Las Cruces.

(40) Missouri

There's been a change of the guard at Missouri. Norm Stewart, hired 32 years ago at the age of 32, was pushed out. Pulled in was 32-year-old former Duke assistant Quin Snyder. Stewart's last team finished a respectable 20--9, including 11 wins in the Big 12. He left behind some good players for Snyder to begin with, the best being backcourt combo Keyon Dooling and Brian Grawer. Snyder quickly latched onto Missouri high school player of the year Kareem Rush and juco transfer Tajudeen Soyoye. Snyder brings a renewed sense of urgency to the Tigers program, a closet full of slick suits, but little head coaching experience. "As of now," quipped Snyder at his introductory press conference, "I have about ten minutes' worth."

Playboy's 2000 All-America Team

Matt SantangeloGonzaga

Eduardo NajeraOklahoma

Mateen CleavesMichigan State

Scoonie PennOhio State

T.J. LuxAnson Mount Scholar/AthleteNorthern Illinois

Jim CalhounCoach Of The YearConnecticut

Chris MihmTexas

Khalid El-AminConnecticut

Quentin RichardsonDepaul

Eric ChenowithKansas

A.J. GuytonIndiana

Hanno MöttölâUtah

Playboy's

Top 40

The Playboy all-Americas

Our Coach of the Year, Jim Calhoun, led Connecticut to an amazing victory over Duke as the Huskies won their first-ever national championship. But Calhoun is used to winning. In 13 seasons at UConn, his teams have totaled 304 victories, an average of better than 23 victories a year. The Huskies have won the Big East regular season title a league-record six times, including sole possession of the crown in five of the past six seasons. Connecticut's postseason record under Calhoun is equally impressive: 31--9 in tournament competition.

Khalid El-Amin--Guard, 5'10", junior, Connecticut. Third player in UConn history to score 1000 points as a sophomore. Averaged 14.9 points, 4 assists and 1.7 steals over 73 games. He's a two-time Playboy All-America.

Mateen Cleaves--Guard, 6'2", senior, Michigan State. Another two-time Playboy All-America, he holds the number two spot for career assists and is number five in career scoring at Michigan State. He was one of five finalists last year for the John Wooden Award.

James "Scoonie" Penn--Guard, 5'10", senior, Ohio State. Before transferring to OSU in 1997, he was East Coast Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year at Boston College. Last season, the media voted him Big Ten Player of the Year. He averaged 16.9 points per game and totaled 154 assists and 70 steals.

Matt Santangelo--Guard, 6'1", senior, Gonzaga. Averaging 14.1 points per game over his three-year college career, he led his team last season to a West Coast Conference regular season and conference tourney crown and then all the way to the Elite Eight before the Bulldogs were beaten by eventual champion Connecticut. He has already surpassed John Stockton's scoring mark and is on pace to surpass Stockton's record 554 assists.

A.J. Guyton--Guard, 6'1", senior, Indiana. He has registered at least 400 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists in each of his two seasons at Indiana. The only other Hoosier player to accomplish that feat was Isiah Thomas. Guyton is a two-time Playboy All-America.

Quentin Richardson--Forward, 6'7", sophomore, DePaul. Last season's Conference USA Player of the Year, he finished his freshman season with an average 18.9 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.

Eduardo Najera--Forward, 6'8", senior, Oklahoma. His hard-nosed play made him the mainstay of his Sooner team. He averaged 15.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Starred on Mexico's national team this past summer.

Hanno Möttölä--Forward, 6'10", senior, Utah. Started 67 consecutive games for the Utes. Averaged 15.3 points per game last season while earning first-team all-conference honors. Also a member of the Finnish national team.

Eric Chenowith--Center, 7', junior, Kansas. Started all 33 games for the Jayhawks last season and averaged 12.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. He already ranks sixth on KU's all-time blocked-shots list with 140, 78 of which he recorded last season.

Chris Mihm--Center, 7', junior, Texas. He recorded 19 double-doubles last year and is ranked second on Texas' all-time blocked-shots list, with 174. He averaged 13.7 points and 11 rebounds per game last season.

Cole's All-Nickname Team

Harold "The Show" Arceneaux Weber State

James "Scoonie" Penn Ohio State

Raymond "Peanut" Arrington Radford

Marvis "Bootsy" Thornton St. John's

Brad "Big Continent" Millard St. Mary's

Anson Mount Scholar/Athlete

The Anson Mount Scholar/Athlete Award recognizes achievement both in the classroom and on the basketball court. Nominated by their colleges, the candidates are judged on their scholastic and athletic accomplishments by the editors of Playboy. A donation of $5000 has been made by Playboy to the general scholarship fund of the winner's school.

This year's Anson Mount Scholar/Athlete Award in basketball goes to T.J. Lux from Northern Illinois University. A 6'9" fifth-year senior, Lux was the nation's number one returning rebounder going into the 1998-1999 season, but he suffered an injury that resulted in a medical hardship waiver. Over the course of his career, T.J. has averaged 16.4 points and 9.8 rebounds per game and has recorded 45 double-doubles. He's already earned a degree in mathematics education with a 3.41 overall GPA and is currently enrolled in graduate school.

Honorable mentions: Robert S. Krimmel Jr. (St. Francis-Pa.), Valter Karavanic (Bucknell), A.D. Smith (Oregon), Mike Ensminger (Miami U.), Matthew Williams (Montana), Paul Shirley (Iowa State), Corey Osinski (Siena), Mario Layne (Texas Tech), Kevin Cuttica (Cornell), Josh Reid (Kansas State), Devin Pack (Alcorn State), Hanno Möttölä (Utah), Mike Babul (Massachusetts), Mike Pegues (Delaware), Lavor Postell (St. John's), Alejandro Olivares (Fordham), Etan Thomas (Syracuse), Jeremy Hays (Alabama), H. Earl Flowers (Southern Mississippi).

Rest of the Best

Guards: Michael Redd (Ohio State), Cory Bradford (Illinois), Eddie House (Arizona State), Gee Gervin (Houston), Ed Cota (North Carolina), Jason Hart (Syracuse), Doc Robinson (Auburn), Tony Harris (Tennessee), Bootsy Thornton and Erick Barkley (St. John's), Michael Jordan (Penn), Lamont Long (New Mexico), Johnny Hemsley (Miami), Kevin Braswell (Georgetown), Jami Bosley (Akron), Robert O'Kelley (Wake Forest), Monty Mack (Massachusetts), Chico Fletcher (Arkansas State), Ramel Lloyd (Long Beach State), Trenton Hassell (Austin Peay State).

Forwards: Chris Porter (Auburn), Troy Murphy (Notre Dame), Mark Madsen (Stanford), Morris Peterson (Michigan State), JaRon Rush (UCLA), Michael Wright (Arizona), Jason Collier (Georgia Tech), Lamont Barnes (Temple), Mike Miller (Florida), Marquise Gainous (Texas Christian), Terence Morris (Maryland), Pete Mickeal and Kenyon Martin (Cincinnati), Lubos Barton (Valparaiso), Marcus Fizer (Iowa State), Sean Lampley (California), Ron Hale (Florida State), Chris Williams (Virginia), Harold Arceneaux (Weber State), Marcus Goree (West Virginia), Malik Allen (Villanova), Kaspars Kambala (UNLV). CENTERS: Mamadou N'diaye (Auburn), Etan Thomas (Syracuse), Brendan Haywood (North Carolina), Jamaal Magloire (Kentucky), Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje (Georgetown), Ugo Udezue (Wyoming), Brad Millard (St. Mary's), Darren Fenn (Canisius).

Top Five Freshmen

Steve Blake 6'3" Maryland

Joseph Forte 6'4" North Carolina

Nick Collison 6'9" Kansas

Donnell Harvey 6'8" Florida

Casey Jacobsen 6'6" Stanford

Top Five Tucos Entering Division T

Terry Black 6'7" Baylor

Marcus Griffin 6'9" Illinois

Antonio Jackson 6'5" Mississippi State

Paul Mcpherson 6'4" Depaul

Lamont Roland 6'4" Lsu

Top Five Transfers

Luke Axtell 6'9" Texas To Kansas

Mike Chappell 6'8" Duke To Michigan State

Chris Owens 6'8" Tulane To Texas

Karim Shabazz 7'2" Florida State To Providence

Loren Woods 7'1" Wake Forest To Arizona

Top Five Foreign-Born Players In Division T

Jamaal Magloire (Canada) 6'10" Kentucky

Eduardo Najera (Mexico) 6'8" Oklahoma

Hanno Möttölä (Finland) 6'10" Utah

Mamadou N'Diaye (Senegal) 7' Auburn

Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje (Cameroon) 7' Georgetown

Cote's All-Name Team

Commander KingNorthern Arizona

Majestic MappVirginia

Duany DuanyWisconsin

Fido WillybiroLehigh

Michael JordanPenn

Ajou Ajou DengConnecticut

Souleymane WaneConnecticut