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Independents reports
SportsLine.com Report
April 15, 2000
Conference Overview
The Independent ranks expanded with the additions of Division I newcomers
Albany and Stony Brook, the resurrection of Texas A&M- Corpus Christi and the
defection of Centenary from the TAAC. Although Denver found a home in the Sun
Belt, the Indy ranks were crowded and the fact that there were so many helped them form a competitive mini-league.
Though any championship was unofficial, most Independent teams faced each
other at least once, with those games being the closest thing to a conference
game that many of these programs will see for a while.
There were individual success stories, such as Centenary's Ronnie McCollum,
the nation's third-leading scorer this year, and there were also great team
accomplishments, like Texas-Pan American's resurgence, Albany and Stony
Brook's adjustment to the highest level of competition, and TAMU-CC's
rebirth.
The Indys took advantage of their status by challenging some of the top teams
in the nation, an endeavor that made them stronger for next season.
Conference champion
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi finished with the top record of all Independents, ending up 13-13. The team, put together by former South Alabama boss Ronnie Arrow, thrived behind the play of forward Mike Hicks, who
averaged 22.2 points per game, and led four others in double figures. All return next season, giving the Islanders plenty of reason to expect a repeat performance.
Biggest disappointment
Belmont's collapse was definitely the biggest disappointment of this year's Indy season. The favorite for Independent
supremacy nearly brought up the rear, falling from last season's winning mark to just seven wins, half of the total won in 1998-'99.
Biggest surprise
TAMU-CC's success definitely came as a surprise, but the fact that Albany also had success in their first D-I season, and Texas-Pan American doubled their win total under a new coach also merit as nice shocks.
Player of the Year
Hicks was the best player on the best team and averaged over nine rebounds per game for TAMU-CC. He shares the award with McCollum, who never met a shot he didn't like, but nailed his fair share, stepping into
the limelight as one of the nation's top point producers.
Newcomer of the Year
Keeping the integrity of this title is difficult when you are Independent, so we'll take all JuCO transfers out of the mix and name the top freshman. Unfortunately, no one set themselves apart. Belmont's Omari Booker, Albany's Sam Hopes, and Stony Brook's Joakim Eriksson each had their moments and have bright futures.
Coach of the year
While UTPA's Bob Hoffman and Centenary's Kevin Johnson are to be commended for finding success after inheriting jobs just before the season started, Arrow's rebuilding of the TAMU-CC program and the immediate
success they enjoyed merit the honor.
The future
As of this writing, all the Independents will remain Independents, and all expect to be better next year. While TAMU-CC has to be considered the favorite, Albany is making strides, Centenary will have
McCollum to lean on for another season, UTPA will look to improve on last
year's improvement, and Belmont can always turn things around and regain its
form and recapture the level it attained two years ago.
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