Tough Mountain West to climb/ After fast start, Air Force brought

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Mar 19, 2003 | by TIM MIMICK

Progress wasn't going to be judged with a NCAA Tournament berth. Air Force wasn't expecting to leap that much higher this men's basketball season.

Before the season, more wins and a higher finish in the Mountain West Conference were seen as certainly within the grasp of Air Force. The players had listened and were wise in the ways of third-year coach Joe Scott. They were ready to scratch for a winning record, unseen in a quarter century.

For most of the first 14 games, they were as efficient as they hoped to be. Once again, though, they wallowed in the Mountain West.

The 12-16 overall record marked the program's most victories since 1989-90. The No. 135 RPI ranking in early February was the program's highest ever. The bitter truth about the record was that more league wins were available with sustained execution. Instead, another finish in the league basement was the bottom line with Air Force's third consecutive 3-11 mark.

The team that tore through its nonconference schedule with savvy and sharp shooting turned into a group that malfunctioned in the Mountain West. Air Force also didn't break through in league play on the road, extending its losing streak to 27 consecutive league losses away from home.

"When we learn to play with that intensity that we show all the time against Utah and Wyoming, then we'll be good," Scott said.

He saw what he wanted from his players in perhaps two-thirds of the 14 league regular-season games and the opening game of the EAS Mountain West Tournament.

What he saw in the nonconference made him gleam in early January. Sophomore guard Tim Keller, a Mountain West third-team selection, was among the nation's 3-point leaders. Joel Gerlach was slashing to the hoop and knocking in jump shots, especially when the team was on the road. A.J. Kuhle, the other junior starting forward, brought his style to every game, making his teammates better and his accomplishments greater than his statistics. Senior co-captains Vernard Jenkins, a point guard, and Tom Bellairs, the starting center, led with defense and rebounding.

The 9-4 mark before the Mountain West schedule had Air Force cracking into an unfamiliar level of confidence. Of course, those nonconference victories weren't against the caliber of the Mountain West elite.

The goal of an unbeaten home record ended quickly in the league opener at Clune Arena when San Diego State, not expected to be among the Mountain West title contenders, dispatched the Falcons by 15 points.

Another setback came Jan. 20 at Wyoming when Keller's 3-point shot from about 25 feet with 10 seconds remaining skidded around the rim and off, leaving the Falcons with a long trip home with a 46-44 loss.

Even holding teams below 60 points wasn't enough to make the expected strides this season. Air Force led NCAA Division I for much of the year, finishing with a 57-point allowance per game. The final game, a 42-38 loss to top-seeded Utah in the Mountain West Tournament, displayed the need for sharper shooting. In the league, opponents shot 50.8 percent, which also must be addressed.

An emphasis for marking improvement this season was winning at home, where the Falcons finished 9-4 after a 5-6 home record the previous season. Air Force won its first six home games before the San Diego State befuddlement. Three other Mountain West teams snatched wins in Clune Arena. The 68-60 defeat of New Mexico in the regular-season finale only matched the 3-11 mark of the previous two seasons.

The development of freshmen center Nick Welch and guard Antoine Hood bode well for the future. Jenkins and Bellairs were the only seniors. Jenkins ended in fourth place on Air Force's career charts in steals and assists. Bellairs, who led the team this season with 78 assists, was the fifth player in academy history to have at least 900 points and 600 rebounds. He ended third on the career rebounding chart with 694.

Three starters - Gerlach (teambest 28 blocked shots to go with his 12.1-point scoring average), Kuhle (8.7 scoring average and second in assists with 76) and Keller (team-high 14.8 scoring average) - return next season with Welch and Hood the prime candidates to take the two open starting spots.

After his first two Air Force seasons ended at 8-21 and 9-19, Scott wanted more this season, especially at home and in the conference.

"We shot the ball very well in our nonconference schedule, but it's been different, for some reason, in the conference," Scott said. "We get good shots every game. We just got to make them. When we make those shots, we'll be up there with the top teams in our conference.

"I'm very confident we'll be better next season."

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0365 or tmim@gazette.com