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LOCATION: Ruston, LA
CONFERENCE: Sun Belt
LAST SEASON: 19-9 (.679)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 10-4 (1st)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 1/4
NICKNAME: Bulldogs
COLORS: Red & Blue
HOMECOURT: Thomas Assembly Center (8,000)
COACH: Keith Richard (Northeast Louisiana '82)
record at school 19-9 (1 year)
career record 19-9 (1 year)
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ASSISTANTS: Charles Baker (Eastern Kentucky '90)
Marcus Stribling (Georgia State '95)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 14-11-15-12-19
RPI (last 5 years) 173-232-150-181-142
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference quarterfinal.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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Louisiana Tech coach Keith Richard said his players took solace in winning the Sun Belt Conference regular-season championship, after they were ousted from a semifinal of the league tournament by Western Kentucky. Sure, the team wanted a postseason tournament berth, either by winning the league tournament and its automatic NCAA berth or, at the least, an invitation to the NIT. Instead, Louisiana Tech went to neither. The Bulldogs didn't spend all summer fretting about what might have been. With four starters and a part-time starter among nine returning lettermen, Louisiana Tech is eager to begin a season that will find it as the favorite to repeat as league champion. "It was disappointing at the moment," Richard said of the early tournament exit. "But we also soon realized that it has been a long time since Louisiana Tech had even won a regular-season championship. This team was proud of what it accomplished last season." Last year's run was even more impressive considering the obstacles the program had to overcome. Start with Richard who was chosen the league's coach of the year being elevated to head coach just two months before the start of preseason practice when Jim Wooldridge left and joined the Tim Floyd's Chicago Bulls staff. Then there was the schedule. Of the 310 Division I teams in the country last season, only 92 won 19 or more games, including Louisiana Tech. And of those 92 teams, the home victory average was about 14 games. New Mexico won 20 home games, the most in the country. The least amount of home victories for teams with 19 or more victories was nine by Louisiana Tech.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT B+ BENCH/DEPTH C+
FRONTCOURT B INTANGIBLES B
To win consistently is the mark of a good program. And that is coach Keith Richard's goal to keep the Bulldogs atop the Sun Belt Conference for years to come. On paper, it should happen this season, with a bevy of starters and veterans bolstered by some key recruits. And while they might put a spin on it, there has to be some smarting from last season's disappointment of winning the regular-season crown but not making the postseason, or even the tournament title game. "The postseason, that's everybody's natural goal," Richard said. "But I'm not going to put any pressure on our team to win the league again just because we won it last year. I want us to just stay on an even keel and be playing our best basketball in February and March." Even with seven seniors on the roster, the Louisiana Tech program appears on solid footing for years to come. There are several players returning next season and Tech always seems to recruit well. |
That was last year. And this year is one when more of the same is expected. "It's a double-edged sword," Richard said. "On one hand, we are proud of where the program is and what we did last season. But we still have a lot to do. I'm approaching this year with the same sense of urgency we had last year." Even so, Richard has to feel confident about the team's prospects, especially with the return of all-league shooting guard Craig Jackson (15.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg), a 6-1 senior who emerged as one of the Sun Belt's premier players and scorers. He scored in double figures 18 times, including a career-high 36 points against Arkansas-Little Rock. Jackson made 34 percent of his three-point shots last season. "He's an explosive scorer, a true scorer who can score in a variety of ways," Richard said of the muscular, compact Jackson, who was chosen to the All-Junior College Transfer Team by College Hoops Insider after transferring from Shorter (Ark.). Jackson can even move to point guard, a position that is considered the team's biggest question mark. As many as four players can see playing time there, although the starting nod at guard opposite Jackson will be 6-4 junior Gerrod Henderson (9.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg), a key player last season who played in all 28 games and started 15. Henderson had career highs in all categories, including 24 points against Southern Utah, six rebounds against Arkansas State and nine assists against Florida International. In mid February, he was chosen conference player of the week. Even with Henderson's return, point guard will be manned by committee, along with 6-2 senior Derek Smith (10.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg), a returning starter who is listed at small forward but will play three positions. A smooth shooter and solid defender, Smith was third in the league in free-throw percentage (.808). The only true point guard on the team is junior-college transfer Travis Lewis (Southeastern (Iowa) Community College), a 6-0 junior who was 10th in the nation in free-throw percentage (.838). The Bulldogs should be improved down low with the return of two 6-9 seniors power forward Kendrick Spruel (13.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and center Curtis Williams (9.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg). A transfer from Florida, Spruel scored in double figures 18 times. He was ninth in the league in scoring, 20th in rebounding and fourth in blocked shots with 30, which also put him 12th on the all-time Tech chart. Williams was also selected as the league player of the week during the season. He scored in double figures 12 times, including four double-doubles. Season highs came in points (22) and rebounds (13) in a victory over Florida International. While 6-4 senior guard Omar Cooper (9.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg) is not listed as a returning starter, he is expected to return from an Achilles injury that sidelined him a third of the way through last season. His promise was realized the previous season when he led the Sun Belt in field-goal percentage (.645, 129-of-200). Also back to provide depth down low are 6-10 sophomore center Jon Fowler (1.6 ppg, 1.7 rpg), 6-8 junior Mike Pawelczak (2.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg) and 6-6 junior Fred Smith (0.6 ppg, 1.7 rpg). The player who could leap-frog all those frontcourt backups is 6-9 freshman power forward Antonio Meeking (Farmerville HS/Farmerville, La.), a prize recruit who was rated among the South's top 50 prospects by one recruiting service. Meeking averaged 26.4 points and 16.8 rebounds en route to being chosen All-Northeast Louisiana, District 2-AAA Most Valuable Player and Class 3A first-team all-state. He is a past member of the National Junior Olympic Team. "Meeking is a natural low-post scorer who will make us a better team and have an impact this season," Richard said. "We will be better down low for a couple of reasons, especially with the return of Spruel and Williams. Just the experience factor makes us better." Sitting out last season and available to the Bulldogs this time around are redshirt freshman Karelius Paul, a 6-7 forward; and 6-5 swingman Marco Cole, a transfer from Charlotte Junior College. Two incoming freshmen enrolled but sitting out this season as Proposition 48s are 6-7 forward Marcus Pastor (Ruston HS, Ruston, La.) and 6-8 forward Zack Johnson (Woodlawn HS, Shreveport, La.).
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