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Show Friday, December 4, 2009 7 learn Previews continued AF AIR FORCE Men's Basketbal AF UNLV After a disappointing 2008-2009 campaign, the Air Force Academy will strive to make a much stronger showing in conference this season, with nowhere to go but up. The Falcons finished last in the Mountain West Conference last season, losing every single conference game they played, finishing 0-16. Overall, the Falcons posted a 10-21 record, and will look to rebuild in the 2009-2010 season with multiple new players to complement a small returning group. Air Force head coach Jeff Reynolds will have his work cut out for him, as he lost seven letterwinners after last season and has only one starter returning. Among the lost players were the team's top three scorers and three of the team's top four rebounders. The Falcons' returning starter is junior guard Evan Washington, who averaged 6.8 points and 1.9 assists per game last year. Of the other returning letterwinners, no player averaged more than six points per game. However, despite losing most of their rebounders, the Falcons still have returning players who accounted for 54.5 percent of their rebounding last season. Washington is a strong rebounder for a guard, averaging 4.5 boards per game last year. Reynolds welcomed nine newcomers to his program during the summer, but redshirted the majority of them. The Falcons have started the 2009-2010 campaign strong, jumping out to a 4-1 record. Predictably, they've been led by Washington, but also have seen several other players emerge. Washington is averaging 15.3 points per game, and returning letterwinner Grant Parker is averaging 14 points per game, an eight-point-per-game increase over last season. Air Force has had essential contributions coming from the bench, with 6-foot-6-inch forward Tom Fow helping with nine points per game, along with Shawn Hempsey, who is chipping in five points per game. With so little experience returning, the Falcons were picked by the coaches and media preseason to finish in last place again this year. Under new head coach Kathy Olivier, the Lady Rebels made a six-game win improvement last season and made it to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the first time in four years. With a large number of returners and one of the top recruiting classes in the MWC, Olivier said she's confident the Rebels' positive attitude can carry them through the season. "The success this team had at the end of last year has them excited about the upcoming season;' Olivier said. "They gained the confidence that we can beat any team at this level, and that has really helped build a good foundation for us to continue to work on and improve this year." Although UNLV had several key upsets last season over New Mexico, Utah and TCU, the team's main goal will be to play at a more consistent level throughout the season. However, with UNLV losing five seniors— three of them starters—the squad is likely to struggle in three-point production. Last season's seniors had half of the team's 3s. The loss of the seniors could also prove to be a problem on defense, a traditional weak point for the Rebels. The team hopes to fill the gap left by the seniors with sophomore forward Jamie Smith, the 2008-2009 MWC Freshman of the Year. "We see Jamie being more of a leader this year," Olivier said. "She's worked so hard on her game, has come back this season stronger and quicker. She's so proud to be a Lady Rebel, and that pride and her leadership qualities carry onto the court." Joseph Simmons Kelsey Price C) wc oolenis BRa snkeotbaol AIR FORCE The Falcons of Air Force are coming off a 2008-2009 season in which the academy went 4-26, including a 17-game losing streak to finish off the season. Even with last season behind them, the Falcons have had much of the same luck early this year. They stumbled out of the starting blocks to a 1-5 start, with their only win coming against Adams State at home. The Falcons are a young team this year, with the lone senior on the roster being team co-captain Kathleen Schjodt. Schjodt is a 6-foot forward who is second on the team in points per game (7.0) and will be head coach Ardie Mclnelly's senior floor leader as the season moves on. Mclnelly is in her ninth season as head coach at Air Force and has been the Air Force Academy's winningest coach at the Division-I level during her time there. Junior guard Raimee Beck, who has averaged 16 points per game on 37.5 percent shooting, is leading the Falcons in scoring six games into the season. Beck also leads the Falcons in rebounds with 9.0 per game. Point guard Anna Gault, while averaging less than three points per game, has found her role in the Air Force offense—setting up her teammates. Gault has 24 assists already this season, 13 more than the next closest on the team. Air Force will have an uphill battle this season and will look to prove critics wrong as they have been chosen to finish last in the conference, according to the preseason poll. Air Force has already lost to Army, but another notable game for the Falcons includes a Dec. 22 matchup against the Naval Academy. STATE Mestdagh is averaging 19 points and five rebounds in the first seven games and has already added a Conference Player of the Week award to her résumé. She said she is focused on helping the team reach its goals. "This season, I want to evolve into one of the leaders on the court;' Mestdagh said. "1 want to be more consistent and help my team to reach our goals." The sophomore said she credits increased confidence in her shot for her increased performance. The Rams have two other players scoring in double digits. Junior guard Bonnie Barbee is averaging 13.4 points, and sophomore forward Meghan Heimstra has tallied 10.3 points. Sophomore forward Chatilla van Grinsven, from the Netherlands, averages nearly nine points per game. Bubba Brown Follow us on Twitter! ,.:wittor.co-nilTheChroyvy Bryan Chouinard CONNECT 4;.• to Th; Chronicle dailyutahchronicle.com DO-IT-YOURSELF VEHICLE REPAIR l In the first year of Kristen Holt's coaching tenure last season, Colorado State finished with a losing record of 10-21, a six-game improvement over two seasons ago. The Rams are looking to take another step forward this season. The task will be difficult, however, as the Rams are returning just one starter from last year's squad and enter the season with no seniors. The Rams will look to their six returning players to help the new players transition into the program. Holt said she expects the Rams to use their athletic ability to clear the hurdle of inexperience. The secondyear coach plans to transition the team into a more uptempo styled offense. 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