Post by northcountymike on Oct 7, 2015 3:15:47 GMT -8
Pick's by Geoff Grammer - New Mexico's Mark Ziegler He went to nmsu fyi
if you want good mwc basketball new check his twitter
www.abqjournal.com/655063/sports/geoff-grammers-preseason-mountain-west-basketball-ballot-2015-16.html
Predicted order of finish
1. San Diego State: Who leads in the absence of JJ O’Brien? The team has plenty of talent, but again needs a shooter, a point guard and now a leader to emerge. I’ll still side with the Aztecs, but I think the MWC title is a three team race.
2. Utah State: The Aggies return five starters for first year head coach Tim Duryea, including potential all-leaguers in guard Chris Smith, center David Collette and forward Jalen Moore, who might be Player of the Year. Yes, Stew Morrill is gone, but don’t tell me coaches taking over MWC programs with returning talent on the roster haven’t had success in recent years (see Craig Neal 2014 and Larry Eustachy 2013).
3. Boise State: I didn’t think Derrick Marks and Anthony Drmic could co-exist in the same backcourt and have the Broncos contend last year. When Drmic was lost to injury for the year, Marks took the league by storm and my pick for this season’s Player of the Year, James Webb III, emerged. Losing what Marks became will be impossible to overcome, but I do have more confidence in the Drmic/Webb one-two punch.
4. UNLV: No fan base sent more disdainful criticism of my preseason ballot a year ago than the Rebels when I picked them sixth. They were correct. I had the team pegged all wrong. With another first round NBA Draft pick on the roster, they finished seventh. Time for my annual copy and paste Rebels prediction: “UNLV has he talent to win the league, but until I see it happen, I’ll temper expectations.”
Not bad at all. What's most telling to me is that his rankings show the real value of "team" basketball, as no Aztecs are picked to make his pre-season All-MWC Team (quick mention of Shepard and Pope though). On another note, I think Hemsley will turn a few heads and just might end up being the conference Freshman of the Year (over UNLV's Zimmerman).