Expectations are a double edge sword for any coaching staff. While no coach wants to be in a position of the fan base not expecting success, there are times when it comes back to haunt them if the fan's lofty goals are not met at the season's end. As Coach Darrin Horn enters his 5th year as head coach of his alma mater, one of the signs of the success of his tenure is the fans expectation for this year.
Lead by the talented 6' 5" senior swingman Courtney Lee, the Hilltoppers are forecasted by many to win the Sunbelt and reach the NCAA madness in March. Lee led the team in scoring last year averaging just over 17 points a game. While Coach Horn and his staff will rely on Lee's athletic ability to lead the Toppers this year, the Hilltoppers are not a "one man show." Far from it. A deep and experienced backcourt will be depended on to deliver and they have shown in the past they can do just that.
6' 3" senior shooting guard Ty Rogers will be called upon to bust any zone defenses the Toppers encounter. If Rogers has an off night, there is no shortage of solid outside threats for the Toppers to turn to. Orlando Mendez-Valdez a 6' 1" Jr. point guard, was the hottest hand from the outside last year, hitting a sizzling .474 percent from behind the arc, and an overall .508 percent from the floor. A fan favorite for his gutsy play in the clutch, Mendez-Valdez will push Tyrone Brazelton for minutes at the point guard position. Brazelton, a 6' 0" senior point guard started in every game for the Hilltoppers last at the point guard spot. The point guard is the spark plug that fires the engine of the team and Brazelton will be expected to keep the Hilltopper engine firing on all cylinders this season.
Perhaps the player that has most improved over the summer is 6' 3" SO shooting guard A.J. Slaughter. After a hot start to his freshman campaign, a midseason shooting slump took its toll. Slaughter found his eye towards the end of the season and his defense and floater in the lane was key in comebacks that fell just short at South Alabama and North Texas. Slaughter has a way of making the game look easy. Fans will see ‘that’ A.J. Slaughter more this season. Look for Slaughter to compete for a starting position on this year’s team. Backcourt spot minutes will be seen by Desire Gabou and walk on Adam Howard.
If the backcourt is solid and experienced, the direct opposite can be said of the Topper front line. Super Soph Jeremy Evans will lead a front line with lots of question marks to be answered.
After a year of getting pushed around inside by players that outweighed him by 40 pounds or more, I look for the 6' 9" Evans to move to the more natural power forward spot and become more active on the outside. Evans lead the Tops in rebounding and shot blocking last season and the sky is the limit for this gifted player.
The inside muscle will be provided by a host of candidates. First up is D.J. Magley. The 6' 9" 260-pound freshman from Bradenton Florida will be called upon to use that muscle inside. How well he adapts from the smallest Florida high school athletic classification to big time D1 ball remains to be seen but this reporter can state that he was not afraid to use all his 260 pounds to get his way in the paint this summer. Magley shows surprising ball handling skills for a player his size, both in passing, and putting the ball on the floor and driving to the hoop. Look for him to literally try to muscle his way into the starting lineup early in the season.
Other players that have fans wondering how much they will contribute are Filipino Japeth Aguilar a 6' 9" junior and A'Darius Pegues a 6' 10 sophomore. Both sat out last year and expectations are one or both will give a big boost to the inside defense that was lacking at times last year. Aguilar is a shot-blocking specialist that can help defend the paint with his leaping ability and long wingspan. Pegues was a highly touted prospect out of Louisville Kentucky that has had a long road to recover from a knee injury that occurred his SR year in High School. Fans hope he will be ready to contribute after cheering from the sidelines last year.
The other two freshmen in the 2007 class are two very athletic guard/ forwards. Perhaps the best known is Stephon Pettigrew, 6’ 5" 2007 Mr. Kentucky Basketball from Elizabethtown, KY. A inside player in high school he'll finally get to play more on the perimeter for WKU while continuing to post up inside where his slippery moves and none stop motor will be sure to make him a fan favorite. B.J. Frazier rounds out the talented trio of incoming freshmen for the Hilltoppers. The versatile 6' 7" forward from Georgia has a nice outside shot and the ability to go inside as well.
Three upperclassmen will be looked to for experience in the paint. 6' 7" Boris Siakim was Mr. Energy off the bench last year. Whenever the Toppers needed a lift, Siakim was the man Coach Horn looked to come off the bench for instant excitement and Siakim delivered that repeatedly last season.
Mike Walker a 6' 7" inside force that had to overcome injury his senior year in high school will be looked to come in and give the tops a rebounding boost inside.
Matt Maresca walked on to the Hill from the Warren Central KY State Championship team and into a starting role for the Hilltoppers for five games last year. A steady player inside, the 6' 8" Maresca will see plenty of playing time this year for Coach Horn's squad.
With the start of the season just four weeks away (Nov. 1st vs. Campbellsville), the excitement and expectations (there is that word again!) are quickly getting to a fever pitch on the hill. For the coaching staff and team, that, more than anything else, is a sign of where the fans see the program heading.
The season promises lots of excitement and the fans will get to see just how much the Toppers have improved over the summer and this writer thinks they will not be disappointed.