Posted on: Tuesday, December 25, 2001
Question marks for Fresno as it prepares for UH
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
Fresno State men's basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian received an early Christmas present this week, but he's hoping for a late one — a much bigger one — Thursday.
The first gift came in the form of point guard Chris Sandy, who will make his season debut against Hawai'i, according to Tarkanian.
The second — 6-foot-10 star center Melvin Ely — remains wrapped in an NCAA suspension, although Tarkanian is hoping to get him eligible to play against the Rainbow Warriors.
The Bulldogs and 'Bows are scheduled to open the Western Athletic Conference season at the Stan Sheriff Center Thursday at 7 p.m. Fresno State won the WAC regular season championship last season; Hawai'i won the WAC Tournament.
During the preseason, Fresno State and Hawai'i were predicted to finish first and second, respectively, by the conference coaches. The 8-4 Bulldogs and 9-2 'Bows have both experienced early-season success, despite eligibility problems.
"It's going to be a very difficult game for us," said Tarkanian, who has 767 coaching victories over 31 seasons. "We could be without our best player, we'll have a new point guard, and we're playing one of the best teams in the conference. Looking at all that, I think I could have waited a couple weeks to go play Hawai'i."
Ely, last season's WAC Player of the Year, has sat out five games of a six-game suspension for receiving improper benefits. Ely's roommate received a hotel room paid for by a sports agency, although Ely denies any knowledge of it.
Fresno State officials will appeal the suspension Thursday, and Ely has received clearance from the NCAA to travel with the team. If the appeal is accepted, Ely will start against UH.
He is averaging 19.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.7 blocked shots per game. Fresno State is 3-2 in the games he has missed; 5-2 with him in the lineup, with the losses to nationally ranked Wake Forest and Gonzaga.
"We're not the same team without Melvin, that's obvious," Tarkanian said.
UH head coach Riley Wallace said: "We don't care. We have to get ready for this ball game either way. If he's in there, we played against him last year, so we know what to expect. If he's not in there, we also know what to expect."
The mystery player might be Sandy, a 6-2 former junior college All-American. He was ruled ineligible for his first semester at Fresno State for academic reasons. He is expected to fill the void created by Tito Maddox, last season's WAC Freshman of the Year who was dismissed from the team just prior to this season.
"Chris Sandy is not the athlete Maddox is, he's a different kind of player," Tarkanian said. "But he's a smart player and he knows what to do with the basketball."
Tarkanian said Sandy will start against Hawai'i, ready or not.
"I don't know how he'll respond," Tarkanian said. "It's a road game, and it's a very important conference game. It'll be a tough first test."
What's more, Tarkanian said he watched all three of UH's nationally televised victories in last week's Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic, and thinks this season's 'Bows might be better than last year's.
"They run that offense as well as anybody," Tarkanian said. "And now they got their defense going. That makes them one of the best teams in the conference."
