‘Eaters aim for big goals

Whatever charge to UC Irvine men’s basketball team might make toward a Big West Conference championship this season may have begun with a retreat.

Coach Pat Douglass, entering his 11th season, and the Anteaters held a preseason retreat in late October at Lake Arrowhead, during which teammates and coaches bonded and goals were crystallized.

Two main goals, according to fifth-year senior Patrick Sanders, are winning the Big West Tournament, which would be a first for the program, and posting a winning nonconference record.

Another goal may be finding a way to reverse a trend in which the Anteaters lost 10 of 17 games last season that were decided by fewer than 10 points, a combined average of 5.3 points per defeat. The close losses contributed to a 15-18 mark, and a 6-8 conference record that led to a fifth-place finish.

Sanders, one of four returning starters, led the team in scoring last season at 11.9 per game. A 6-foot-6 forward, he also chipped in 6.1 rebounds per game and earned honorable mention in all-conference voting.

Sanders, as athletic as any player in the conference, has battled inconsistency his whole career. He said he is ready to embrace the challenge of leading this team toward its lofty goals.

“Since I’ve been here, the highest we’ve finished in conference is second,” Sanders said. “[Winning the conference title] is the main focus and why we’ve been working so hard. We decided to condition sooner than we ever have since I’ve been here. The guys are motivated and focused to make it happen.”

Asked if he thought the Anteaters had the roster in place to attain their first conference crown since 2002, Sanders, who also led the conference with 51 blocks shots last season, jumped to respond.

“Oh, yeah,” he said.

Part of that roster includes returning senior starters Darren Fells and Chuma Awaji, as well as sophomore Michael Hunter, who started 17 games at point guard last season.

The Anteaters should also be bolstered by the addition of junior Kevin Bland, who redshirted last season after being named state Co-Player of the Year at San Joaquin Delta Community College in Stockton in 2004-05, as well as junior Adam Rodenberg, a junior transfer from Kirkwood Community College in Iowa.

Fells, who begins the year serving an indefinite disciplinary suspension due to unspecified personal misconduct, is a 6-7 post who has started the majority of his three previous seasons in the program.

Fells averaged 10.2 points and a team-high 6.1 rebounds last season, when he shot 53.5% from the field. He also received honorable mention in all-conference voting as a junior. He will not play in tonight’s season opener against Loyola Marymount, set for 7:35 at Crawford Court, but Douglass has not indicated that Fells will remain inactive for an extended period.

Awaji, a 6-3 guard, averaged 7.9 points last season, including several clutch performances late in games.

The 5-10 Hunter, named mid-major freshman All-American by CollegeInsider.com last season, averaged 6.8 points and 2.4 assists last season.

Douglass said Hunter has refined his skills and added much-needed strength in the weight room.

Bland, a 6-8 forward, averaged 22.3 points and 9.5 rebounds in his final season on the community college level, then redshirted last season after breaking his collarbone late in the summer.

“He’s a streaky shooter, who, if he hits a shot, can get to where he doesn’t think he can miss,” Douglass said of Bland, who scored just five points while being limited to 16 minutes due to foul trouble in the ’Eaters’ surprisingly close 73-71 exhibition win over Cal Baptist Tuesday.

Rodenberg, a muscular 6-7, 235 pounder is “big from his ankles to his head,” Douglass said. A versatile player who can bang inside and score from the perimeter, Rodenberg was impressive in the exhibition, converting seven of 10 field-goal attempts on his way to 16 points, which trailed only Sanders’ 18.

“I like his game,” Douglass said of Rodenberg. “He can post up, shoot the three, he can drive it, and he’s a tough-minded kid. That’s why we recruited him.”

Sophomore Chad DeCasas joined Sanders, Hunter, Rodenberg and Bland in the starting lineup for the exhibition and he figures to be a solid contributor either starting or coming off the bench. A 6-5 wing, he started 12 games last season, when he averaged 4.0 points and 2.2 rebounds. He joined Hunter on the Big West All-Freshman team last season.

Junior guard Trey Harris, a 6-0 transfer from McCook Community College in Nebraska, is expected to strengthen the backcourt rotation, Douglass said.

“Trey has quickness, scoring ability, and he’s a confident kid who wants to play,” said Douglass, who identified Harris as part of his projected eight- or nine-man rotation.

Other backcourt candidates include junior Brett Lauer, sophomore Justin Johnson and freshman Patrick Rembert. Douglass said plans are for freshman Derrick Strings to redshirt this year.

Lauer averaged 16.6 points and 3.0 assists at San Diego Mesa Community College last season and stood out in the exhibition, particularly on defense.

“Beyond Harris, I’d be lying if I told you I knew who that fourth guy was going to be,” Douglass said.

Missing from that rotation is Adam Templeton, who transferred to Drake after averaging 8.0 points. 4.4 rebounds and leading the team with 59 three-pointers as a sophomore.

Nic Campbell (10 points per game and 44 three-pointers) and Mark Kelley (9.1 points and 5.2 rebounds) exhausted their eligibility last season.

UCI was picked to finish fifth by the coaches, fourth by the media, in the preseason polls.

The Anteaters play 14 home games with four others at the Anaheim Convention Center, three as part of the inaugural Anaheim Classic, an eight-team tournament that includes 2007 NCAA Tournament teams USC and Southern Illinois.

UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are picked to finish first and second, respectively, in both preseason polls and Douglass agreed with that assessment, with a slight disclaimer.

“With this league, it wouldn’t surprise me if anyone won it, because you never know from year to year, who is going to emerge.”

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected].