Oct. 9, 2002
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Take a look around Sam Carver Gymnasium. A number of familiar faces aren't there anymore. Seven players, including five four-year letter winners, finished their Western Washington University careers last season.
Those players were a major part of the team that went 21-6 in 2001-02, tying for the inaugural Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship with a 15-3 mark but being denied a berth in the West Region of the NCAA Division II National Tournament after reaching the national semifinals in 2000-01.
This season, the Vikings will have six freshmen on their roster. Some will see extensive action, but there's also a core of returnees, led by 6-foot-10 senior all-West Region center Mike Palm (Puyallup/Rogers), who have played major roles in the Vikings going 48-10 over the last two years.
"In many ways, it's a new team," said Western coach Brad Jackson (18th year, 320-189), the winningest coach in school history and among the top 30 of active NCAA II coaches in victories. "But we still have some core players here. Mike Palm is the cornerstone, and as a fifth-year senior, he was part of that big class. But there's other guys who have been important parts of our program and now move into new leadership roles."
Western enters the season on a nine-game winning streak, one exceeded in NCAA II only by national champion Metro State. The Vikings have also won 13 straight games at home, and 20 straight conference games at Carver Gym.
"We have a highly motivated, self-disciplined group," said Jackson. "All our incoming players are smart and played in good programs. The key is that we need to develop quickly if we hope to be able to compete at a high level in our conference and in the West Region."
The centerpiece of the Vikings, in more ways than one, is Palm. Palm averaged a team-high 13.6 points a game last season, shooting 60.6 percent from the field and earning second-team all-West Region honors. He also contributed 7.9 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and made a team-best 89.0 percent (121-of-136) of his free throws, ranking 10th nationally in NCAA II, one of just two players 6-8 or taller to be in the top 30 in any of the three NCAA Divisions. Palm enters the season 11th in Western history in career scoring (1,149) and is fifth in both rebounds (610) and blocked shots (109). He needs just 40 points to become one of just two players to be in Western's top 10 in points, rebounds and blocked shots.
In June, Palm spent a week with the Swedish national team, averaging 7.5 points in four games and impressing Sweden assistant coach Per Karlsson to the point Karlsson says the only European big man with a comparable touch is Dirk Nowitzki.
"What gets lost with Mike's size is that he's a really good basketball player, he has a great sense and feel for the game," Jackson said of Palm. "Beyond that, he's a very gifted offensive player with about every shot you can imagine. He's also worked hard to get stronger, and over his first three years, he's been very consistent. You always know what you're going to get from Mike."
The other returning starter is senior 6-4 forward Nehemiah Campbell (Los Angeles, CA/Washington), who started 13 games, including seven of the nine in the season-ending winning streak. Campbell averaged 3.8 points and 2.5 rebounds, and is a defensive stopper often assigned the other team's top scorer. He's also an inspirational leader who plays with visible and vocal enthusiasm.
"Especially last year, he's battled injuries that hurt him," said Jackson. "Every time a player is out of the lineup, it takes time to get back into the flow of things. Nehemiah is a great defensive player. He can D up anybody. He's always had the capability on offense, and if he can develop some confidence early in the season, he'll be solid."
Western's depth up front doesn't end with Palm and Campbell. Forward Maurice Tyree (Sacramento, CA/Jesuit), a 6-7 sophomore, had an immediate impact as a freshman, averaging 5.9 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 56.2 percent from the field.
"Maurice is a warrior, a very tough, competitive kid," said Jackson. "He had an excellent freshman year and with that experience comes a little better understanding of college basketball. Because of that, I'd expect we'll see more improvement offensively. He gives us a lot of options, especially at the defensive end. He's long and very quick, and when there's a ball on the floor, he's after it."
The other experienced hand on the frontline is 6-9 senior center Chris Stevens (Sr., Long Beach, CA/Long Beach Poly), who lettered three years prior to redshirting last season. Stevens was the primary backup in the post as a junior as Western reached the national semifinals, averaging 2.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and providing a rugged inside defensive presence as well as shooting 72.3 percent from the field.
"Chris has been overshadowed in some ways, but he's a great team guy," Jackson said. "He's a very good defensive player and rebounder, and offensively, he's got a great touch and good range."
Adding additional depth in the post is 6-11 junior Luke Arthur (Silverdale/Central Kitsap), who played one season at NCAA I Montana State and most recently averaged 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds at Olympic CC in 1999-2000.
"He's been out of basketball for awhile, but he's a big body (280 pounds) with a strong desire to make our team better," Jackson said. "He's real tough on the low block. Big guys are at a premium, and it helps us a lot to have him."
Two freshman forwards - 6-6 Darrell Visser (Lynden) and 6-6 Jordan Rush (Los Angeles, CA/Crossroads) - may also figure in. Visser averaged 10.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks for a Lynden High team that was 23-3 and reached the Class 3A state tournament, and proved his versatile athleticism by being a first-team all-state pick both offensively and defensively in football.
Rush averaged 14.5 points and 6.0 rebounds, earning MVP honors for a Crossroads High team that reached the second round of the CIF Southern Section 4A playoffs.
"Darrell is an exceptional athlete who doesn't yet know how good he can be," Jackson said. "He blocks a lot of shots, and I think he'll improve by leaps and bounds now that he's focused on basketball. Jordan is extremely quick and an explosive leaper. He's a very good defender both inside and outside, and offensively, he has a nice shot and good moves facing the basket."
Leading the backcourt is junior 6-1 guard Jason Burrell (Ontario, CA), who has played in every game the last two years. Burrell averaged 6.4 points and 2.8 assists last season and started three games. He contributed 8.5 points a game as a freshman.
"He's had two great years," Jackson said of Burrell. "We pulled him aside after last season and told him 'It's your team now.' He's the natural quarterback of our team."
The other backcourt returnee is 6-0 junior Stefan Dickason (Kent/Kentridge), a solid defensive player who played 10 games last season, averaging 1.1 points.
"He's a super hard worker, and he's really developed offensively," Jackson said of Dickason. "He's such a good athlete, and is an outstanding defender."
Freshmen make up the rest of the backcourt. One is 6-4 Grant Dykstra (Everson/Lynden Christian), who redshirted last season and can also play forward. He was the Class 2A Player of the Year in 2000-01, averaging 22.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
"I've watched Grant play since about third grade," said Jackson. "He's a very intelligent player. He makes the right pass, he knows when to shoot, and he'll be more mature than most freshmen. He's the complete package - there's not a lot of weaknesses in his game."
Another redshirt freshman is 5-10 guard Kyle Jackson (Bellingham/Sehome). The son of the head coach, he averaged 16.0 points and 4.4 assists as a high school senior, earning unanimous all-Western Conference honors and playing in the Washington-Oregon all-star game.
"He's in a unique situation, one a lot of kids never experience," said the elder Jackson. "He's very heady, he shoots as well as anybody, and he makes other people better."
They'll be joined by 6-1 true freshman Ryan Diggs (Victorville, CA/Silverado), the younger brother of student assistant coach Shelton Diggs, the ninth leading scorer in school history. Ryan Diggs averaged 16.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists at Silverado High, being named MVP of the Desert Sky Conference.
"Ryan is a very talented player," said Jackson. "He's smart and very physically developed for his age. The thing I really like is that he comes to play, he sticks his nose right in and gets after it. He's capable of being a big-time scorer at some point."
Completing the roster are 6-2 freshman guard Preston Vermeulen (Sumas/Nooksack Valley) and 5-10 freshman guard John Schindler (Spokane/Mt. Saint Michael's), who served as team manager last year.
