Ask almost any Ball State player what the difference is betweenthe 2003-04 team and last season's, and words like "together,""closer" and "chemistry" are among the first to flow out of theirmouths.
"This team this year, we're really together," said junior guardDennis Trammell, who has been voted a captain even though he hasyet to play a regular-season game at Ball State. He sat out lastyear after transfering from New Mexico State. "It's like a family,and that's a very important part when you're trying to win games. Ithink that's one of the biggest parts this year from last year.We've got a lot of guys that just want to win really bad."
"Our comaraderie is good," said senior forward Robert Owens,another captain, "how together we are and how confident, everybodyis to go out there and play hard. Guys are lot closer thisyear."
And unselfish.
"There's going to be more willingness to play for the name onthe front of the jersey, rather than the name on the back," saidcoach Buckley, whose team is looking to rebound from a 13-17 (8-10Mid-American Conference) season, the program's first sub-.500record in 15 years. "I really see that attitude. This year, there'sgoing to have to be better ball movement. There's going to have tobe more of that extra pass.
"I think that our players learned a lot, also. I think they'revery willing to learn and listen even more than a year ago. I thinkthey've got that chip on their shoulder, and they want to come backand have success."
BACKCOURT
Seven of the 13 players on Ball State's roster are listed asguards, and that doesn't include 6-foot-3-inch freshman forwardSkip Mills. So you better believe that's where head coach TimBuckley believes his team's best chance of winning lies.
"People may think we have too many guards, but I think you cannever have enough guards," said Buckley. "I think we've always hadour best success with guards. We played a three-guard lineup twoyears ago, and I think that's the best way to play for how we wantto play.
"I don't know that you always have to play big. As we've studiedteams in our conference and at our level, a majority of them havepower forwards who are 6-4, 6-5. It's not imperative that you havegreat size inside."
The Cardinals may have lost prolific scorer Chris Williams, butjunior Matt McCollom returns after averaging 11.9 points and 2.6assists and will move from the point to an off-guard position.Buckley says McCollom, the third captain on the team, has respondedwell to the move.
"I think with Matt, it's going to come down to playing loose andplaying confident," he said. "Matt wants everything to be perfect,and sometimes perfect gets in the way of being very good. We justwant Matt to be very good and I think he understands that. He'sbeen a great leader for us this year, and he's becoming moreconfident in himself."
McCollom is also one that Buckley needs more scoring from inorder to make up for the loss of Willams.
"I think it's going to have to be several players," he said."We're going to try to get more consistency out of everyone. Mattaveraged 12, 13 points per game last season. Matt never scored 12or 13. It was either all or nothing."
Sophomores Jesse McClung, a junior college transfer, and KyleCox (1.8 ppg), along with freshman Peyton Stovall, who Buckley saidis a tremendous athlete and has a great feel for the game, are thecandidates to take over at point guard.
Joining McCollom on the wings are juniors Michael Bennett (2.2ppg) and Trammell (5.6 ppg in two seasons at NMSU), and freshmenMills and Darren Yates. Cox, Stovall and Owens can also playthere.
After injuries often left his team wanting for bodies last year,Buckley is excited about the depth this squad has, particularly inthe backcourt.
"I think the freshman class is as good a class as we've broughtin," he said. "To have depth is really going to help us. Your guyslisten better when you have depth. When they have to sit, then itopens their ears. They play a little better. I think that's goingto make things very competitive for us on a day-to-day basis."
FRONTCOURT
The Cardinals have all three starters back, although6-foot-9-inch sophomore center Kevin Cates (3.4 points, 5.1rebounds per game) is out indefinitely with an undisclosed illness.Classmate and 6-foot-11-inch backup Tom Howland may miss the firstfew games while recovering from knee surgery earlier in thefall.
Owens and Cameron Echols, the team's lone seniors, will again bethe forwards and will be counted on to provide offensive punchinside, especially with the two centers out. The 6-foot-7-inchOwens brings back averages of 10.2 points and 4.9 rebounds and canstep outside to hit the 3-pointer (33 percent over his career).Terrance Chapman, a 6-foot-6-inch junior college transfer, will seeplenty of minutes as well after averaging 19.6 points and 9.1rebounds last season at Lincoln CommunityCollege.����
Echols averaged 13.1 points and 8.7 rebounds in his first seasonout of junior college, and Buckley said his comfort level this yearis much higher.
"It's really clicked for Cameron," he said. "You can see it inthe way he carries himself and goes about his business on thefloor.
"We're going to do things to take advantage of Cam's verstility.Cam's a guy who likes the ball in certain places, and if you canget it to him there, he's programmed to make those shots. You'llprobably see him play center at times."
Echols is comfortable with taking his 6-foot-8-inch, 221-poundframe to center when needed and knows the importance of himproviding an inside threat.
"That's going to be a key," he said. "With Cates and Howlandout, people may think we're going to struggle, but we're reallynot. I've worked on my inside game, but I've also played the 5-man,like when 'T' Smith was playing, so I'm basically doing the samething (as then).
Passing and defense are also on Echols' checklist ofimprovement.
"Number one, I think I had to work on being more of a passer,looking for the cutter. I settled for a lot of off-balance jumpshots at times in the critical point in the game, and that wouldkind of mess up the team. Also, fronting the post, to make itharder to throw the ball into the post."
SCHEDULE
Ball State will play four NCAA Tournament teams among itsnon-league foes before opening its MAC slate Jan. 3 at KentState.
The Cardinals open at home Nov. 25 with Xavier, who returns fourstarters after advancing to the second round of the NCAAs. SweetSixteen qualifier Butler and Western Kentucky will also make visitsto Worthen Arena. On Dec. 28, the Cardinals will fly East to takeon preseason No. 1 Connecticut.
"We're playing a very competitive non-conference schedule,"Buckley said. "And regardless of what the results are from that, wehave to feel like we're progressing and getting better, and notjust looking at the end result. I don't think you can look atyourself in terms of wins-losses, as to where your team is.
"Obviously we want to compete for a conference championship.Like everyone else, we'd like to shoot for post-season play. Ithink we have the capabilities of doing, but we have to grow fromlast season."
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