1. Stanford– The Cardinal will be young in the backcourt, dominant in the frontcourt and the biggest question will be how long does it take the freshmen to play at a Stanford-like level? Stanford might not get through the Pac-12 unbeaten this season.
   

   USC's Briana Gilbreath - USC athletics photo

2. USC – The Trojans have considerable experience and talent and right now they look like a team that belongs in the NCAA Tournament. But USC can’t afford bad late-season losses. And in the last few years, they haven’t been able to avoid them.
3. Cal. The Bears get a fresh start under head coach Lindsay Gottlieb and have experience all over the court, and some great young talent coming in. If this team underachieved last season – and they did – they are setting themselves up to be a potential spoiler in the Pac-12 race.
4. Gonzaga. Time to move on without Courtney Vandersloot. The Zags still look like the class of the WCC. The Nov. 13 game at Stanford will be telling for Kelly Graves’ team.
5. Arizona State. The Sun Devils, playing this season under Joseph Anders, needs offense to keep up with the best teams in the Pac-12. You probably can’t stop Stanford or USC from scoring, so you better keep up.
6. UCLA. Jasmine Dixon’s injury, paired with a head coaching change (from Nikki Caldwell to Cory Close) threatens to break the momentum that’s been gained in the past few seasons.
7. Arizona. How to replace the post presence of Ify Ibekwe? Niya Butts’ team has the backcourt covered with Davellyn Whyte and Shanita Arnold, but questions inside.
8. Utah. The Utes return four starters from a team that went to the NCAA Tournament last season and they are young with only one senior. They will be in the mix in the top half of the conference standings.
9. San Diego State. The Aztecs are back to playing “95 feet” of basketball says coach Beth Burns. Not a lot of size, but a lot of quickness and athleticism in the backcourt.
10.  Cal Poly. Kristina Santiago, out last season with an ACL injury, is back.

Close to the 10…

UC Santa Barbara

St. Mary’s

Picked to win by the coaches

The Pac-12 –Stanford

The WCC – Not released yet

The MWC – TCU

The Big West – Cal Poly

The WAC – Louisiana Tech

SDSU coach Beth Burns and center Paris Johnson - SDSU Athletics

Good things are happening at San Diego State. The football team is headed to its first bowl game in a decade. The men’s basketball team is ranked No. 7 in the nation.

And the women’s basketball team? They are playing a bit of catch-up after a tough start.

But it could be argued that the Aztec women started the whole thing with last spring’s run to the Sweet 16.

San Diego State graduated its top two players off that team, guards Jene’ Morris and Quenese Davis.

San Diego State sits a 4-5 after opening the season with a 1-4 record. The Aztecs are at home for the first time in six games Tuesday against Washington State with a good chance to get to .500 against the struggling Cougars.

Senior center Paris Johnson said the tough start – which included losses to UCLA, UC Irvine, Cal State Bakersfield and Nevada, came as a “shock.”

“I was surprised,” Johnson said. “We were practicing well. We had good chemistry. But we are basically a new team, an inexperienced team. I think our inexperience showed during games. But I think we are starting to put it together.

San Diego State has won three of its last four games.

“I pretty much knew this was going to be a work in progress,” said coach Beth Burns. “Seven of the 12 kids on our roster hadn’t played Division I basketball before. We have four returning people, but everybody’s roles have changed. We could have had six months to get read and it wouldn’t have mattered. We need to play together.”

Burns said she wasn’t shocked by her team’s struggles.

“Disappointed, but not surprised,” Burns said. “We didn’t practice like a college team until after the Bakersfield game. It would tell them, you can have three slow people running in a race. Somebody’s going to finish first, but nobody’s fast. Everybody was too slow. It just took playing some games and having some film to look at to have them understand what we’re doing.”

The always colorful Burns said it’s like “a grand canyon” between her experiences players and her younger kids.

“Every game out, they’ve played better than the game before,” Burns said.

Johnson remembers that SDSU took it on the chin in the Thanksgiving tournament in the Virgin Islands last fall and still ended up as a Sweet 16 team.

“Everybody understands that,” Johnson said. “We just can’t be losing too many more games.”

Cal guard Layshia Clarendon goes up for a basket. Photo by: Kelley Cox, Golden Bear Sports

The highest-ranked team on the West Coast hasn’t played yet – Stanford takes on Rutgers at Maples on Sunday afternoon — but the opening weekend of the college basketball season has already yielded some very interesting results.

USC 79, No. 22 Gonzaga 73

The Zags, who found themselves in the preseason rankings for the first time in school history, may quickly lose that distinction.

Gonzaga became the first ranked team of the season to fall in a game against a USC team that will bear watching throughout the season.

The Women of Troy were down 37-30 at the half, but went on a 12-0 run early in the second half to claim the lead. USC stayed hot on the offense end in the final 20 minutes, shooting 63 percent from the field.

Briana Gilbreath led USC with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Cassie Harberts had a strong debut with 16 points and Christina Marinacci also added 16.

Courtney Vandersloot led Gonzaga with 19 points, five assists and four steals. Katelan Redmon scored 17 points off the bench.

Cal 66, Rutgers 57

The Bears made a statement about a bright future with a win over Rutgers, who might stop coming west after this.

DeNesha Stallworth’s basket early in the second half to tie the game at 35-35. From there the Bears went on a 19-5 run to take command for good.

Stallworth finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Guard Laysia Clarendon led the way with 16 points and backcourt mate Eliza Pierre, whose primary role is as a defense stopper finished with 10 points and six assists.

The last time Rutgers came to California two years, they were swept by Cal and Stanford and took weeks to regain their footing. They could be in the same boat here, coming off the loss and preparing to play the No. 3-ranked Cardinal.

No. 16 UCLA 55, San Diego State 48

The Bruins won on the road despite a slow start, despite missing 14 free-throws, despite 16 turnovers. That is not a small thing, not for a team that lost early last season to Illinois State and spent weeks regretting it.

This is a a good win for the non-conference resume and UCLA has Jasmine Dixon to thank with 15 points and 11 rebounds. They can also be grateful for good defense that held SDSU to 16 points and forced 12 turnovers in the second half.

San Diego State had an eight-point halftime lead and had to feel good about keeping Markel Walker scoreless through the first 20 minutes.

Arizona transfer Courtney Clements is going to figure big for the Aztecs. She scored 19 points in her first game for SDSU and could replace some of the offense provided by Jene Morris and Quenese Davis.

St. Mary’s 73, Washington State 69

The Gaels are probably the second-best team in the West Coast Conference and that’s good enough to squeak out a win over a lower-tier Pac-10 team.

Jasmine Smith did a fine job of filling the scoring shoes of her graduated older sister Jontelle with a career-high 24 points, while senior forward Louella Tomlinson added 11 points and 18 rebounds.

The Gaels helped their own cause greatly by dropping 30 of 36 free-throw attempts. Next up for St. Mary’s is Sunday’s measuring stick game against Cal, because the Bears are definitely upper-tier in the Pac-10.

The Cougars shot 33.3 percent for the game and got out-rebounded 47-37. Freshman guard Sage Romberg led the way with 19 points. Sophomore guard Jazmine Perkins added 17.

10. LSU at UCLA, Dec. 28

Van Chancellor’s team comes to Pauley Pavilion to take on the Bruins. The two programs haven’t played one another since 1984.

Point Guard Ashley Corral - USC Athletics

9.  San Diego State vs. UCLA, Nov. 12

One of the most interesting regional matchups because it happens so early and it will be a barometer game for two teams picked to finish second in their respective conferences.

8. Cal at Texas A&M, Dec. 4

The Bears look to avenge last year’s loss to the Aggies, a 68-61 loss in Berkeley. Texas A&M will be one of the top teams in the Big 12 this season, led by forward Danielle Adams.

7. UCLA at Notre Dame, Nov. 18

Nikki Caldwell will take her 16th-ranked team to South Bend to play a high-profile early-season game against the Irish, the first matchup between the teams since 1998. Notre Dame is one of the two ranked teams on UCLA’s schedule to open the season. The other is Stanford.

6. Gonzaga at USC, Nov. 12

The Zags, who start the season as a ranked team (No. 22 in the coaches poll) have three Pac-10 games on their schedule and this is the first on USC’s home floor. USC came to Spokane last November and left with a 70-58 loss.

5. USC at Xavier, Dec. 2

USC hosted Xavier in its season-opener last year and ended up with an 81-71 loss in overtime that set a tone for the season for both teams. The Women of Troy proved they could play with one of the nation’s elite teams and they will get a chance to prove it again.

4. USC at Duke, Nov. 15

This will be USC’s second straight trip to Durham. Last year, the Women of Troy left with a 78-72 loss to a strong Blue Devlis team. USC point guard Ashley Corral scored a career-high 26 points in that game.

3. Xavier at Stanford, Dec. 28

A rematch of the Elite Eight game from last March decided by two missed layups and Jeanette Pohlen’s coast-to-coast heroics. The Musketeers come in with the most formidable post duo in the nation in Ta’Shia Phillips and Amber Harris. Xavier will come to Maples looking for payback.

2. Stanford at Tennessee, Dec. 19

The Cardinal travel to Knoxville, where they haven’t won in this series since the Kate Starbird and Jamila Wideman era of 1996. Pat Summitt’s team wants back in the national title conversation, ranked No. 4 in the preseason polls. Knocking off Stanford would be a statement for the Vols.

1. Connecticut at Stanford, Dec. 30

In the absence of Geno vs. Pat, this is the biggest matchup of the regular season. Connecticut hasn’t played at Stanford since 1993. Maples will be sold out, national TV cameras will be turned on and it should be the most fun you can have as a women’s basketball fan outside of the Final Four.

A week before Halloween and it’s time to go out on a limb. The first power rankings of the season to chew on for a while until the actual games begin. Feel free to tell when I’m wrong.

Stanford guard Jeanette Pohlen

1. Stanford. Prediction. The Cardinal are going to spent at least a few weeks as the No. 1 team in the country this season. And yes, that means Connecticut loses at some point. This is as good a chance at a national title as the Cardinal have had in a long time with a deep, experienced, versatile team. Nneka Ogwumike is Stanford’s best player on the floor, but Kayla Pedersen sets the tone.

2. UCLA. The Bruins have almost everyone back from a team that should make some noise nationally this season. In their season seasons, Darxia Morris and Doreena Campbell need to step up in the backcourt to make this team a true power.

3. USC. The Women of Troy have a tough preseason schedule and they have experienced, talented players. Now they need to find consistency. It’s time to stop losing games they shouldn’t. It’s hard not to root for Jacki Gemelos and Stefanie Gilbreath on the full-fledged returns from a combined eight ACL surgeries. It’s also hard not to wonder whether those players will be USC a big boost along with guards Ashley Corral and Briana Gilbreath.

4. Gonzaga. The Zags have lost a lot with the departure of forwards Heather Bowman and Vivian Freison. They’ll likely climb higher on this list with Courtney Vandersloot leading them on the floor, but Gonzaga needs sometime to prove that it haven’t dropped off much from a year ago. The player who will have a breakout season will be Katelan Redmon.

5. Cal. The Bears got a lot of mileage out of their WNIT experience, mostly a handful of games in which the young players got more experience. Replacing the scoring of Alexis Gray-Lawson on the perimeter and strengthening the post game with the return of Rama N’diaye will be key, as will the early contributions of freshmen Lindsay Sherbert and Afure Jemerigbe.

Arizona's Ify Ibewke - Arizona Athletics

6. Arizona State. Getting Dymond Simon back on the floor is a huge lift for the Sun Devils, who won 18 games last season and were deeply disappointed. Simon will provide leadership for a group of young backcourt players that include Tenaya Watson, Alex Earl and Deja Mann. Inside, ASU will be led by Kali Bennett and senior Becca Tobin. The Sun Devils still don’t have a star player the caliber of Briann January in their lineup, but they want their spot at the top of the Pac-10 food chain back and nobody works harder than coach Charli Turner Thorne to get them there.

7. San Diego State. The Aztecs reached the Sweet 16 next year and won a share of the Mountain West Conference title. But Jene Morris and Quenese Davis are gone and there will be some catching up to do. Courtney Clements, the Arizona transfer who averaged double-digit scoring for the Wildcats, is eligible this season and will bring scoring punch. Center Paris Johnson will be the leader and the go-to offensive player inside. Freshman guard Melissa Sweat of Bakersfield was tabbed the MWC’s preseason newcomer of the year and that comes with expectations of impact.

8. Fresno State. There’s no disputing the ascension of this program over the past few years. Three straight WAC titles, a perfect conference record last season, and one of the top perimeter shooters in the entire country. Three-point sharp-shooter Jalessa Ross could becoming the NCAA’s all-time leader in 3-point field-goals this season and the Bulldogs are in a great spot to win the WAC again.

9. Arizona. The Wildcats have a strong inside-out combination with senior Ify Ibekwe, who led the Pac-10 in rebounds last season, and electric sophomore guard Davellyn Whyte. They also have more depth and that will help the Wildcats hang in until the end of the game against some of the top-tier conference teams. Shanita Arnold, who transferred from Arkansas, takes over the point, further strengthening Arizona’s backcourt.

10. St. Mary’s. The Gaels, who won more conference games last season (12) than any SMC team since 1989-90, have one more season with Australian forward Louella Tomlinson, who owns the NCAA single-season and career records for blocked shots. They also return three other starters. Gaels coach Paul Thomas, who scheduled his team 4 Pac-10 opponents, 2 Big Ten opponents and a Big 12 foe for the non-conference, said his team needs to prepare for being “more of the hunted than a hunter” this year. He’s probably right.

San Diego State might have reached the Sweet 16, but the Aztecs are not the favorite in the Mountain West Conference.
TCU was picked to win the MWC in the preseason poll, released Wednesday afternoon.
SDSU finished second in the voting with three first-place votes and 147 points, compared to 16 first-place votes and 174 points for the Horned Frogs.
“I was a little surprised (to be picked second), because TCU and BYU are similar to what we were a year ago in that they have everyone back and have been successful,” said San Diego State coach Beth Burns.  “But when you look at one through nine, everyone has a returning all-conference performer. We went to a Sweet 16 last year and we were 10-6 in the league and that just shows you the competitive depth that we have as a conference. Women’s basketball in the MWC is so good that we had six postseason bids a year ago, and I can’t see us not having more this season.”
BYU has been chosen a close third with 145 overall points. Utah, which will be joining the Pac-10 next year, was chosen fourth.
SDSU’s Paris Johnson was named to he preseason all-league team. Sophomore guard Courtney Clements, the Arizona transfer, was chosen as the preseason Newcomer of the Year, while freshman guard Melissa Sweat is the preseason Freshman of the Year.

It’s that time of year. Teams all over the country — all over the West Coast — have begun practice for the 2010-2011 season and leftcoasthoops.com is ranking the top five players at each position, as well as the freshmen, in our little corner of the hoops world.

Stanford's Nneka Ogwumike goes against Cal last season

Did I leave somebody out? Did I get them in the wrong order? Feel free to discuss.

Point guard

1. Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga. Vandersloot will be the headliner for the Zags this year, who are replacing many of the mainstays who led them to the Sweet 16 last spring.

2. Jeanette Pohlen, Stanford. Pohlen has been the Cardinal’s point guard by necessity through the last three years and the senior has turned into a true floor leader.

3. Ashley Corral, USC. Corral plays without fear and sets the tone for the Women of Troy.

4. Dymond Simon, Arizona State. Simon is back on the floor after a year off recovering from an ACL to lead a Sun Devils team that wants back in the NCAA field.

5. Doreena Campbell, UCLA. Campbell is a senior looking to live up to the potential she’s shown throughout her career.

Shooting guard

1. Jaleesa Ross, Fresno State. The WAC’s scoring leader last year (17.4 ppg), she has 287 career 3-pointers.

2. Davelyn Whyte, Arizona. The reigning Pac-10 Freshman of the Year will try to lead the Wildcats into the top half of the Pac-10 standings.

3. Laysia Clarendon, Cal. The Bears sophomore busted out with a 29-point performance in the WNIT against UC Davis and was third on the team in scoring last year and should be doing even more with the graduation of Alexis Gray-Lawson.

4. Jazmine Perkins, Washington State. The young guard from San Francisco will be asked to do even more now that Kiki Moore has transferred to Fresno State.

5. Jacki Gemelos, USC. No pressure on Gemelos, but the potential is there for her to return to the form that made her one of the top recruits in the nation.

Small forward

1. Kayla Pedersen, Stanford. Simply one of the best, most underappreciated players in the country.

2. Markel Walker, UCLA. Walker, a sophomore, is versatile and looking to be a more consistent scorer.

3. Briana Gilbreath, USC. Gilbreath was the conference’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year last season and the team leader in rebounding, blocks and steals.

4. Gennifer Brandon, Cal. Lithe and athletic, Brandon showed signs of being a very nice player as a freshman last year.

5. Katelan Redmon, Gonzaga. Redmon, the Washington transfer, will likely take over the role as the Zags’ go-to scorer.

Power forward

1. Nneka Ogwumike, Stanford. A national player of the year candidate. How much better can she get?

2. Jasmine Dixon, UCLA. Dixon made UCLA so much better last season, leading the team in scoring and rebounding after arriving on the floor in December. Undersized, but strong.

3, Louella Tomlinson, St. Mary’s. The NCAA blocks leader will close her career with the Gaels looking to make another postseason run.

4. Ify Ibekwe, Arizona. Ibekwe is the Pac-10′s best rebounder. Can she be a more consistent scorer?

5. DeNesha Stallworth, Cal. Stallworth follows up on a strong freshman season and will be one of the Bears’ leaders on the floor, not to mention its go-to post presence.

Center

1. Paris Johnson, San Diego State. Johnson averaged 11.1 points and 6.3 rebounds a game last year for the Aztecs. She’s a proven contributor on an NCAA caliber team.

2, Sarah Boothe, Stanford. Yes, Boothe sat out last season, but she is the heir apparent to Jayne Appel in the post for the Cardinal.

3.Kari LaPlante, USC. LaPlante averaged 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds a game last season.

4. Kali Bennett, ASU. The Sun Devils could use a breakout season from Bennett in the post.

5. Regina Rogers, Washington. The UCLA transfer started 29 games last year for the Huskies and finished strong with a 23-point effort against Washington State late in the season.

Freshmen

1. Chiney Ogwumike

2. Cassie Harberts, USC

3. Lindsey Sherbert, Cal

4. Afure Jemerigbe, Cal

5. Sara James, Stanford

San Diego State is going for degree of difficulty with a challenging non-conference schedule this fall, “one of the most challenging and competitive that we’ve ever had here at San Diego State,” said coach Beth Burns.
The Aztecs will be facing at least five teams in non-conference play that reached the postseason last spring, three of those reached at least the second-round of the NCAA Tournament — UCLA, Dayton and Texas A&M.
SDSU opens the season with its first game against UCLA in 11 years on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. at Viejas Arena.
They will face Cal State Bakersfield and UC Irvine in November and will travel to Reno for a Thanksgiving weekend tournament — one of three preseason tournaments – in which they will take on Minnesota and then possibly North Carolina State.
The Aztecs will play in the USC Tournament, taking on Dayton and then possibly USC. A Dec. 21 game against Washington State sets the stage for the Aztecs own tournament, in which they will take on Texas-San Antonio and then Texas A&M.
San Diego State is coming off a Sweet 16 season and Mountain West Conference title.

Mark Trakh and Beth Burns have been friends since 1981.

And now the former USC and Pepperdine coach will take a spot next to Burns on the bench at San Diego State.

Trakh said Wednesday evening that he’s accepted the associate head coach position at SDSU to “learn as much as I can.”

“Beth and I started talking a couple of weeks ago and it just worked out,” Trakh said. “I’m heading down there. She’s a great coach and a good person and she’s someone I’m really comfortable with.”

Trakh left USC at the end of the 2009 season after leading the Women of Troy to a 95-64 record and two appearances in the NCAA Tournament. He chooses not to discuss why he left, though he coached to the end of his contract before engaging in discussions with administration about whether he would stay.

The Women of Troy had a litany of costly injuries during his tenure and never got a full chance to make good on Trakh’s considerable recruiting abilities.

Trakh has applied for a couple of jobs he didn’t get (Hawaii and USF) and chose not to put his hat into the ring for the Oregon State job.

He said he spent the last year attending practices and taking some time off.

“It watched a lot of people work. I wanted to absorb what I could and prepare myself in case an opportunity did come up,” Trakh said.

It would not be a surprise if Trakh gets another shot at a head coaching job. He is keeping himself visible at San Diego State working under Burns. And he’s working with a program coming off a Sweet 16 appearance.

“San Diego is a great place to live,” Trakh said.

And work — at least for a while.

Mark Trakh, the former coach at USC and Pepperdine, who has been linked to job openings at USF and Oregon State in recent months, was hired as the associate head coach at San Diego State.

Mark Trakh

Trakh left USC at the end of the 2009 season after going 90-64 over five seasons. His tenure there was considered a success, but was also characterized by a devastating spate of injuries to top recruits such as Jacki Gemelos and Stephanie Gilbreath. Trakh led the Women of Troy to two NCAA appearances.

Trakh spent 11 years at Pepperdine from 1993-2004, going 199-123 and winning four conference titles.

Trakh declined an interview request Tuesday.

Trakh left USC after his contract ran out at the end of the 2008-09 season. He has been in the mix for jobs at Hawaii, USF and was mentioned as a candidate for the Oregon State opening before accepting this position.

SDSU head coach Beth Burns, whose team reached the NCAA Sweet 16 this season, said she hired Trakh because of his experience working with young players.

“We really like the talent level of our 2010-11 team,” Burns said in a statement. “We are short on experience, however and expect all five newcomers to compete for playing time this season. With that in mind, we chose to go after the absolute best teacher we could find to contribute to our program right now. Fortunately for us, that coach will be Mark Trakh.”

The Aztecs will be filling some big roles next fall with the departure of guards Jene Morris to the WNBA and Quenese Davis.

San Diego State shook up the NCAA bracket in March by defeating Texas and West Virginia to reach the Sweet 16 before falling to Duke.