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LOCATION: Stockton, CA
CONFERENCE: Big West (Western Division)
LAST SEASON: 14-13 (.518)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 9-7 (t-2nd)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 1/4
NICKNAME: Tigers
COLORS: Black & Orange
HOMECOURT: Spanos Center (6,150)
COACH: Bob Thomason (Pacific '71)
record at school 174-144 (11 years)
career record 301-226 (19 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Don Verlin (Sacramento State '90)
Alan Major (Purdue '92)
Adam Joacobsen (Pacific '97)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 14-15-24-23-14
RPI (last 5 years) 145-167-79-82-211
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference quarterfinal.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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Etch it in stone: Next season the Pacific Tigers will bring in the new millennium by flirting with 20 wins and a Big West Conference championship. Coach Bob Thomason is hoping that the Tigers' next celebration party doesn't come too long after New Year's, however. Pacific is restocking for the future, but that doesn't keep the longtime coach from dreaming of another title this season. "I think it's going to be a wide-open race, and I think we have a chance," Thomason said. "We're building for the future, but hopefully we can build by winning a championship this year. That's the goal. "But either way we could be a really special team in a year or two." Special is a good word to describe the program Thomason has built in Stockton. The private school has won 76 percent of its games over the last three years, has won 36 of its last 39 games before the steadily-growing crowds at the Spanos Center, and has put together a string of seven straight winning seasons. That streak should grow to eight this year, as Pacific tries to mesh four starters and 10 lettermen with a group of highly-regarded newcomers. "I'm excited about our progress," said Thomason, who last year guided a young team to a 14-10 record before the Tigers finished the season with three straight losses. "I think we have a little more depth this year. The thing I don't know is that we don't have one or two players that we can totally depend on every night. We might have to take turns, with six or seven different guys that will have to step up on different nights."
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT C BENCH/DEPTH C-
FRONTCOURT C- INTANGIBLES C-
Coach Bob Thomason is a master at putting together teams and getting the most out of his players, so by the end of the season Pacific could be a contender. The Tigers can shoot. They have some inside presence. Unfortunately, they struggle to penetrate and dribble against pressure. "We're going to have to win as a team," Thomason said. "We don't have one guy that can score 20 every night, so we're going to have to have someone else step up and lead us every night." Pacific has a chance because of Thomason and its experience. Either way, the Tigers will be setting the foundation for what promises to be a bright future. |
One thing Thomason can count on is outside shooting. The first sweet shooter to consider is 6-2 senior guard Clay McKnight (12.9 ppg), who hit 44 percent of his three-pointers last season. He worked hard over the summer to quicken the release on his shot and develop some moves to the basket. While most of the attention surrounding McKnight centers on his perimeter jumper and his 94 percent free-throw shooting, Thomason will be looking for more away from the basket. "At times last year he was as good a shooter as I've ever seen, but he needs to more effective when he's not shooting the ball well," Thomason said. "He's just got to be more consistent in being able to help the team even when he's not shooting well." Barry Marvel (8.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg) gives Thomason a second shooter. The 6-7 senior forward had his season ended prematurely by a foot injury last year, one of several reasons the Tigers struggled down the stretch. The emotional leader of the team, Marvel is being counted on to be an even bigger scoring force this season. Two more veterans return with strong three-point shooting skills: 6-7 sophomore forward Dan Masters (2.7 ppg) and 6-10 sophomore center Ross Mills (2.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg). Masters could be an ideal small forward, but he's still rehabbing a knee injury sustained in the Big West tournament. He was inconsistent last year, giving the Tigers a lot of good minutes at home and then struggling on the road. Mills, meanwhile, will see his role expand this year. "I think this is going to be a breakout year for him," Thomason said. "He has good size. He's had ankle and foot problems in the past, but I think those things are behind him. He's just got to get tougher and more focused defensively. If he does that, he will be fine." All those perimeter shooters makes starting point guard Nathan Davis (5.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg) seem a bit out of place. The 6-2 sophomore dropped 27 pounds before the season, which should make him a little quicker. Thomason describes Davis as the best floor leader he's recruited in a long time. The beneficiary from all this great outside shooting is 6-10 sophomore Tim Johnson (4.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg), a returning starter who is coming off foot surgery. Johnson went to Pete Newell's Big Man Camp over the summer and Thomason is expecting him to have a bigger role. Johnson will split time with 6-9 sophomore Mike Preston (5.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg), whom Williams said should be the most-improved player on the team. "He's just so coachable and humble," Williams said. "He's just starting to realize how good he is." Providing depth on the front line will be 6-7 redshirt freshman forward Matt Abernethy, 6-7 sophomore Mike Hahn (3.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg), 6-6 sophomore Eli Kiedrowski (1.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg) and 6-6 junior forward Bill Walton (0.9 ppg, 0.7 rpg). Hahn might play a lot at power forward, perhaps up to 25 minutes per game. Walton also might see some playing time if he can learn to dribble against pressure. The backup point guard will be 6-2 freshman Ray Harris Jr., a strong scorer whom the coaches will try to convert into a point guard. Harris played for Luther Burbank High in Sacramento, Calif. Abernethy's twin brother, 6-7 freshman forward Andy Abernethy, is expected to miss the season because illness. No matter what, he won't be eligible until midseason. Abernethy is from Carmel High in Carmel, Ind. Freshman Tom Cockle, a 6-5 guard that needs more strength, will likely redshirt. Cockle played last season at Northeast Lincoln Christian High School in Raymond, Neb.
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