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Wednesday, November 15, 2000

Men could be wild cards again
Squad may not surprise as many teams this year
By Mark Zuckerman
Caller-Times

Men's team at a glance

LAST SEASON: 13-13
COACH: Ronnie Arrow
CAREER RECORD: 127-106 (10th yr.)
KEY RETURNERS: Michael Hicks, F, 6-5/Sr. (22.2 ppg, 9.2 rpg); Lee Denmon, G, 6-2/Sr. (13.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg); Damian Kirkaldy, F, 6-9/Sr. (7.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg).
KEY NEWCOMERS: C.J. McBride, G, 5-10/Jr.; Brian Hamilton, F, 6-5/Fr.; Sennai Atsbeha, G, 6-4/Jr/; Brian Evans, G, 6-0/Fr.

Twelve months ago, few college basketball aficionados around the country knew anything about the brand new men's program at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and those who did figured the first-year Islanders would serve as nothing more than roadkill for veteran Division I opponents.
   Thirteen wins and 13 losses later, those notions were emphatically dispelled. A&M-Corpus Christi has established itself as a legitimate Division I program.
   And, in a somewhat twisted way, that could backfire against the Islanders as they begin Year Two.
   "We're not sneaking up on anybody this year," head coach Ronnie Arrow said. "We're going to have to be ready, because everybody that's playing us is going to be ready."
   The cat's out of the bag: The Islanders are no pushovers, and if you aren't careful, they might run you out of the building reeling from an unexpected loss.
   Arrow's bunch did just that on several occasions last year, particularly during a final stretch in which A&M-Corpus Christi won seven of its last eight games.
   Those victories came mostly against lesser-known independents in the college basketball world, teams like Centenary, Texas-Pan American and Stony Brook. By the end of the season, the Islanders proved they were a notch above those types of programs.
   Now they're looking to take out one of the big boys.
   "Our goal is to beat some major schools this year," senior guard Lee Denmon said. "Last year, we came close to scaring them. This year, we want to get over the hump."
   A&M-Corpus Christi will have plenty of opportunities to do just that. This year's schedule is reasonably tougher than the previous one, with the majority of big games taking place on the road (where the Islanders struggled to a 3-10 record in 1999-2000).
   Included on the slate are games at Texas Tech (Dec. 18), BYU (Jan. 6) and Texas (Dec. 16). An Islander victory against any of those opponents would do wonders for a little-known program like A&M-Corpus Christi.
   "Can we go beat Texas Tech? Can we go beat Texas? Can we go beat teams like that? Who knows?" Arrow said. "If we can, what a great feather in our cap."
   Few second-year programs would be talking about beating teams from major conferences. But few second-year programs have the Islanders' talent.
   As was the case last year, Michael Hicks leads the way once again for A&M-Corpus Christi. The 6-foot-5, do-everything forward is the reigning Independent player of the year, one of the nation's leading returning scorers and rebounders, and determined to end his college career on a high note.
   The only real question mark about Hicks is where he'll play on the court. He's a natural small forward, who can take advantage of his driving skills by staying on the wing, but he's also shown he can dominate in the post, meaning he could start at power forward.
   Ultimately, Hicks likely will see time both inside and outside, depending on which of his teammates step up. A&M-Corpus Christi's leading man is happy to play many roles for this team.
   "When you can work at different spots, that's good for a player," Hicks said. "If you can play the post position, play the shooting guard position, shoot well, run the floor well, you know you have a chance to help your team."
   Two other starting spots are solidified: Denmon at shooting guard and Damian Kirkaldy at either forward or center.
   The 6-foot-3 Denmon was the Islanders' top outside shooter in 1999-2000, connecting on 36 percent of his 3-point attempts and averaging 13.7 points per game.
   Kirkaldy, a 6-foot-9 big man, came on strong late last season, averaging 14.9 points and 7.8 rebounds over the final eight games of the year.
   A&M-Corpus Christi's most pressing need entering the season is at point guard, where a pair of newcomers are battling for a spot in the starting lineup. Freshman Brian Evans has shown poise for an 18-year-old, and Arrow has demonstrated a willingness in the past to throw young players into the fire. If Arrow elects to go the experienced route, he can turn to C.J. McBride, a 5-foot-10 junior transfer from Mississippi Gulf Coast College.
   The Islanders have options when it comes to the final starting spot. If they want to go with a big lineup, sophomores Dustin Shultz (6-foot-8) and Shaun Hemsley (6-foot-9) could join Kirkaldy up front. If they want to move Hicks inside and go small, junior Arunas Drasutis and transfer Sennai Atsbeha are two of the team's best outside shooters.
   The wild card is 6-foot-10 senior Pathe Diene. Having only played 15 games of organized basketball in his life, the native of Senegal showed flashes of brilliance last year, including an 11-rebound, five-blocked shot performance in his debut against Montana State. At other times, Diene looked lost on the court.

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