OGDEN — When asked about how the preseason has gone for the Weber State Wildcats, coach Joe Cravens didn't try to sugarcoat anything.
"It's not gone very well," said Cravens, whose Wildcats are 4-7. "I think it's the worst start we've been off to in my career here."
But believe it or not, the coach said he anticipated a challenge with a host of new players. In addition to five returning players, the Wildcats added eight new players to the roster coming into fall practice. Cravens felt the talent for a good team was in place, if chemistry developed. But the journey to a winning record has taken more detours than perhaps anyone expected, especially Cravens.
"I knew we were at the beginning of a cycle and it was going take time to put things together," Cravens said. "If I could give them a grade, I'd say they were barely passing. I'd give our team a 'D.' Mostly because of effort and understanding and what it takes to be good. I think we've shown flashes that we could be good, but I don't know if we will be."
The coach decided earlier this week to drop guard Dale Parsons and forward Rodney Wash from the team and remove the redshirt from freshman Juan Pablo Silveira. Silveira played more than half the game against Utah on Tuesday and scored five points.
"We've made some changes and we've got to get guys who are willing to compete, play hard and that are dedicated to being a good team," Cravens said. "If we're going to be mediocre to bad like we are right now, I'm going to do it with young guys that are going to do what I want done and play the way I want to play."
So ready or not, Big Sky, here come the Wildcats. Weber State opens conference play Saturday at Portland State.
With four returning starters, Cravens said the Vikings should be the team to beat in the Big Sky Conference this year. Northern Arizona could also compete for the title, but after that, "the league is kind of a crap shoot," Cravens said. After PSU and NAU, no schools in the conference have winning preseason records.
"I think the first two weeks of the conference season will be very pivotal, whoever can get off to a good start, gain some momentum and confidence, like Eastern Washington did last year," he said.
In 2003-04, the Eagles were 4-9 in preseason play before taking the Big Sky by storm and earning the conference bid to the NCAA tournament. Preseason coaches and media polls favored Eastern Washington to repeat as conference champion. Portland State was selected second in both polls and Weber State was third in the media poll and fourth in the coaches poll.
For the Wildcats to compete, Weber State needs center Lance Allred to continue recording double-doubles in rebounding and points. Allred also needs help from his team. Weber simply needs to put the ball in the hoop, something that has plagued it during the preseason. The latest brick party came at the Huntsman Center, where the Wildcats shot 18 percent in the first half and 30 percent for the game.
"You can't continue to score 40 points and expect to be in many games," said sophomore David Patten following the loss to Utah. "We just need to realize that the orange thing is where we need to throw the ball, so there is not much more we can say about that."
Despite their preseason woes, the general feeling among the Wildcats is one of optimism. Cravens and several players have talked about beginning the conference season with a clean slate. If the Cats can get a few lucky bounces, some wins on the road and in the purple palace, a conference title is certainly be realistic.
E-mail: ttoone@desnews.com