I'll try to do this with all the WAC teams...

Starters
03 Isham, Justin.... 6-5 198 9.6 points, 4.6 rbs...48% from 3.
11 Hopkins, Bryan.... 6-0 195 11.1 points, 2.2 rbs, 32/40 Ast/Turn
13 Ross, Quinton..... 6-6 195 19.3 points, 5.9 rbs.
21 Castro, Eric...... 6-8 250 9.0 points, 6.6 rbs.
33 Kelley, Jibran.... 6-8 235 2.2 points, 2.7 rbs.

Bench Players
01 Simpson, Patrick... 6-9 220 8.8 points, 6.8 rbs.
24 Lowe, Kris......... 6-6 212 4.1 points, 1.7 rbs.
50 Smith, Nigel.. 6-10 275 2.9 points, 2.0 rbs.
23 Atkins, Lavardicus. 6-3 195 2.5 points, 1.7 rbs.

All of these players have started at least 4 games and average at least 13 minutes per game.

SMU is 5-5, 4-0 at home, 1-0 neutral and 0-5 on the road

Could be a sloppy game as SMU also has a turnover problem with 180 turnovers compared to 120 assists on the year.


Guard Quinton Ross is the ultimate team player. He can score -- his average of 17.4 points per game was the fifth-highest total in the WAC -- but he also does everything else a coach could ask. He takes his bone-this 6-foot-6-inch frame into the paint as arguably the best rebounding (6.5 per game) guard in the conference, he’s an exceptional ball-handler and passer and is the team’s most reliable three-point shooter, burying a team-high 58 bombs from behind the arc last season.

The other senior on the 2002-03 SMU squad will be bruising power forward Jibran Kelley, a 6-foot-8 banger who was the team’s quickest interior defender a year ago and also developed into a capable three-point shooter as a junior.

While the Mustangs will look to Ross and Kelley for leadership, the team also will benefit from the addition of five freshmen this year.

The marquee name is point guard Bryan Hopkins, a 5-10 speedster from Dallas Lincoln High School. The lightning-quick Hopkins is considered the top recruit in SMU history and has drawn favorable comparisons to T.J. Ford, the similarly quick point guard who earned freshman all-America honors last year at Texas. Hopkins, who was ranked among the top five high school point guards in the country last year and was on most lists of the nation’s top 25 players at any position, is every bit as quick as Ford, is a more explosive leaper and has a better-developed outside shot. His speed allows him to dominate games defensively, despite his diminutive stature, and he orchestrated the offense for a high school team that was ranked No. 1 in the nation in his senior campaign.

Hopkins, who chose SMU over Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Arkansas and Georgia Tech, will be joined at SMU by his twin brother, Ryan. At 6-foot-1, Ryan Hopkins has the ball-handling and shooting ability to play both guard spots for the Ponies.

“Bryan and Ryan are outstanding young men that we are excited to have joining our team,” SMU head coach Mike Dement said when the twins signed with the Ponies. “They are winners and are extremely well-coached by Leonard Bishop at Lincoln.”

The other SMU recruit who might have a significant impact on the Ponies this season is 6-foot-11 center Donatas Rackauskas, who chose SMU over Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia, Wake Forest, New Mexico and LaSalle. Listed at 215 pounds when he signed, Rackauskas has worked hard to add strength and weight, and will continue to do so upon his arrival at SMU. His role with the Mustangs will be split -- on defense, he will will step in as a center, replacing the graduated Mike Neimi and Jon Forinash. But offensively, he’s more of a face-the-basket big man, who can put the ball on the floor and shoot from as far out as the three-point arc. Called by some a poor man’s Dirk Nowitzki, Rackauskas doesn’t have the open floor speed that the Dallas Mavericks star possesses, but he can get up the floor very well for a man his size. How much he contributes as a freshman will depend largely on his ability to add strength to withstand the rigors of the college game.

Two other freshmen -- 6-foot-9 forward Alex Craft and 6-2 guard Duke Biggers -- round out the Mustangs’ highly touted freshman class. But there is a lot more to this team than its seniors and newcomers.

Small forward Kris Lowe developed into a capable scorer last year and is second to Ross from the free-throw line among the regulars. And 6-10, 270-pound senior center Nigel Smith recovered nicely last year from the sinus surgeries that threatened his playing career to return to the paint as a consistent rebounder who blocks shots and alters others.

Perhaps the most promising crop of players on the 2002-03 team will be the sophomores. Last year’s freshman class included four significant contributors.

Forward Patrick Simpson was the team’s third-leading scorer, his 1.48 blocks per game were the fourth-highest total in the WAC and his 6.8 rebounds per game led the team. The 6-9 Simpson has polished low-post moves and improved his shooting range and defense throughout his freshman season en route to a spot on the WAC’s All-Newcomers team.

Power forward Eric Castro was developing into a solid low-post offensive threat and a dominant rebounded before his freshman season was ended prematurely because of a broken hand. Guard Justin Isham is among the most el ectrifying leapers in the league, and uses his quickness, long arms and 6-5 frame to present defensive problems for opposing guards. And 6-4 guard Brian Miller showed solid shooting ability before his season was shortened by a back injury.

There is reason for optimism in 2002-03 -- perhaps a lot of optimism. But at some point, that optimism will have to translate into improved records. By guiding the Ponies to a 15-14 record last season, Dement tied a school record by coaching the team to 15 or more victories in six consecutive seasons. But his teams also have not won in the WAC tournament, and a one-game appearance in the NIT after the 1997-98 season was the team’s only postseason appearance in Dement’s tenure. Assistant coach Jimmy Tubbs, regarded as a sensational recruiter, left after last season to take a similar position at Oklahoma. Dement has added two new assistants: former Florida State assistant Coleman Crawford and former Duke star Robert Brickey, each of whom will be counted on to fill the recruiting void created when Tubbs headed north of the Red River.

Ross will be the leader in Dallas this season, but his personality and playing style don’t exactly clamor for the spotlight. If the young Mustangs can learn from their most versatile player and take on his unselfish personality, the Ponies might exceed all expectations.