OGDEN -- Hey, Weber State, you just won the Big Sky championship, beat North Carolina and came within one point of going to the Sweet 16. What are you going to do next?

"Anything less than what we did last year," says senior forward Harold Arceneaux, "would be a letdown. Especially with the talent we have."Normally, a team from the Big Sky Conference might sound a bit brash for expecting a trip to the Sweet 16. Normally, any team losing its head coach and three starters might be looking at a rebuilding season. But this is no ordinary Big Sky basketball team.

Last year the Wildcats finished the season 25-8 and became one of the biggest stories in the NCAA Tournament when they upset the Tar Heels and took Florida to overtime before falling agonizingly short of sending former coach Ron Abegglen out with at least a pair of NCAA wins.

The 1999-2000 version of the Weber State Wildcats, which opens its season tonight at Alabama, promises to be just as exciting. While WSU returns only two starters, they are good ones.

Arceneaux is the reigning Big Sky player of the year. Point guard Eddie Gill was named conference newcomer of the year. Together, the duo has magazines such as Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Slam, Sport and Playboy all coming to Ogden to do interviews. A quick look at the schedule reveals only a handful of "lose-able" games, and it's not hard to imagine why the Wildcats were a unanimous choice to repeat as Big Sky champs.

Gill averaged 14 points, 4.6 assists and 2.7 steals a game last year. Arceneaux averaged 22.3 points, grabbed 6.9 rebounds and blocked 1.7 shots. He also sent the Dee Events Center crowd into spontaneous fits of joy as he slammed home 50 dunks last year while shooting 51 percent from the field and added 1.7 steals a game. He scored 68 points in two NCAA tourney games in Seattle last year, including 36 against North Carolina.

But ask new coach Joe Cravens about all the expectations and watch him bristle.

"There is a misconception around this country that we return the entire team from last season," Cravens said. "We lost six of our top eight players, three of them starters. We lost probably the two best defensive players in the league last season in Noel Jackson and Andy Jensen. That was a pretty good team with some good chemistry."

In the next breath, though, Cravens lets you know the cupboard is far from bare. "Now, Harold Arceneaux and Eddie Gill are probably two of the best players in the Big Sky Conference," Cravens admits. "Our task and challenge is to build around them with players who didn't really see a whole lot of playing time last season."

Against Alabama, we'll see how well the surrounding cast has been assembled. So far, it looks like any number of players could be the ones that emerge as the complementary players the Wildcats are hoping for.

Returning veterans include shooting guard Shawn Moore, a senior from Ogden, and power players Dan Del Vechio and Marc Thurig. But if the recruiting reports are to be believed, WSU is in good shape.

Jensen was perhaps the most underrated player in the Big Sky last year. But he's being replaced by a variety of players. Ivan Gatto and Stephan Bachmann, both 6-foot-10 Europeans, are expected to start at the center and power forward positions. Thurig and Del Vechio will provide depth in the post.

Gatto is the most intriguing newcomer. The junior from Italy played for a year at Midland JC in Texas with Arceneaux and is, as can be expected with big men from overseas, an outside shooting threat. Bachmann is just a freshman but spent the last two years playing for the Swiss national team and is the favorite to start at center.

Providing depth in the backcourt are point guards Luke Condill, a junior, and transfer Stevie Morrison. Quynn Tebbs, from Bingham High by way of the University of Arizona, and Damon King are ticketed to back up Moore.

But no matter who you ask, or what publication you read, this team is about The Show.

"Obviously, Harold will have a bull's-eye on the back of his jersey this season," Cravens said. "He's no longer a secret. He has all the tools on the offensive end to dominate, and we need to get him the ball."

Getting that ball to Arceneaux is the job of Gill, who figures to be just as good this year since adding 10 pounds of muscle and an extra four inches of vertical leap to his legs.

"Eddie will be much stronger this season because of a diligent workout program during the spring and summer," Cravens said. "Eddie is a very intense player who is driven to succeed. I don't know of a better all-around point guard in the collegiate ranks coming back."

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The all-star duo figures to get the most ink and the most attention on the court, but Cravens said he's looking forward to using a rotation of three 6-10 players to take some of the pressure off Arceneaux on the inside. "I'm liking it even more than coach Cravens," Arceneaux said.

A year ago, Arceneaux was quickly made the target of physical pounding from opposing post players. This time around, if an opponent decides to put a big man on Arceneaux, Gatto and Bachmann will be able to post up the smaller players inside while Arceneaux drives from the wing. If the small forward is assigned to guard The Show, Gatto and Bachmann will move outside where their 3-point shooting threat will hopefully spread out defenses.

"Gatto is an extremely talented young man who can really shoot the ball," Cravens said. "If he can come in and take some pressure off Harold and Eddie, that would be a big plus for us. Bachmann and Morrison are both players who look to push veterans for a lot of playing time."

As if the talent weren't enough, the schedule also favors the Wildcats. Of the instate schools, only BYU is a road game. And aside from trips to Alabama and Boise State, few other teams figure to give the 'Cats a formidable challenge until Big Sky play.

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