OREM — Much to Utah Valley State men's basketball coach Dick Hunsaker's chagrin, life without Ronnie Price is now a cold, hard reality.
The star combo guard who led UVSC to a 16-12 record last year is now a reserve for the Sacramento Kings.
Who will step up to fill Price's shoes is a question that remains to be answered. In truth, no one player will be able to bear such a burden.
A big reason Hunsaker added five junior college transfers and nary a true freshman to his roster for this season is that multiple players are going to have to perform immediately in order to fill the spacious void left by Price.
"Obviously, this is going to be a much more balanced group (than last year)," Hunsaker said. "Now, I'm dying for someone to surface as a star. I'd love to have a star, but you don't have to have stars — there's all different ways to do it."
The good news for the Wolverines is that, although Price is gone, the other four starters return. The top returning scorers for UVSC are forwards Pierre Thomas (9.3 points per game) and David Heck (9.4 ppg). Six-foot-10 center Ben Devoe returns to man the middle after averaging 7.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Sylvester Allison is the lone returning guard with Division I experience.
In their first exhibition game last week, Devoe and Allison both had 18 points as the Wolverines defeated Westminster College 81-72.
Just about the only thing the women's basketball team has in common with the men's is that there are a lot of new faces this season. While the men's team was busy compiling victories, the women staggered to a 4-22 finish. And while Hunsaker turned exclusively to juco players to replenish his ranks, five of the six recruits signed by women's coach Cathy Nixon are true freshmen.
"Our goal in recruiting is just to find the best player for the job that we can get," Nixon said. "We wanted freshmen that could compete and felt like that was the way to go if we could get freshmen, because you're going to have them here for four years."
Senior forward Miriam Palkki, formerly of Timpview High, returns after leading the Wolverines with 12.2 points per game last season.
The player on the roster who seemingly sparks the most interest, though, is true freshman Sandy Marvin. Last year, the 5-foot-6 guard led Payson High to the 4A state title with averages 20.9 points, 9.3 assists and 4.2 rebounds. In addition to being the 4A MVP in basketball, Marvin was also All-State in softball and volleyball.
Marvin will likely need some time to adjust to the speed of the college game. In the meantime, Palkki and Rebekah Fales will continue to spearhead the UVSC effort.
In a 73-43 exhibition victory over Western State on Saturday, Palkki poured in 13 points in just 15 minutes of action, and Fales added 11 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
The week that was
WOMEN'S SOCCER: Placed second at the United Soccer Conference Tournament by defeating Howard 4-0 on Friday before succumbing 2-1 Sunday to host and champion Indiana Fort Wayne Purdue. Freshman Jenni Wright scored a goal for the Wolverines in both matches.
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL: Finished regular season with two home victories. Swept North Dakota State on Thursday, and needed four games Friday to oust South Dakota State.
WOMEN'S GOLF: Competed in the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Invitational earlier this week.
MEN'S GOLF: Competed in the Bill Cullum Invitational — hosted by Cal State Northridge — earlier this week. After the first day, the team was in seventh place and junior Nic van Vuuren was tied for fifth at even par.
On tap
WRESTLING: dual match at Iowa State, 4:30 p.m. Friday; at the Iowa State Open, all day Saturday.
WOMEN'S SOCCER: season is over. Final record: 7-12.
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL: at the Division I Independent Tournament in Colorado, today thru Saturday.
WOMEN'S GOLF: idle.
MEN'S GOLF: idle.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: exhibition vs. Mesa State, 7:05 p.m. Saturday.
MEN'S BASKETBALL: exhibition vs. Mesa State, 7:05 p.m. tonight; at the Guardians Classic in Iowa, Monday and Tuesday.
Utah County connections — UVSC basketball
Russell Wesley: The 6-foot-3 senior forward led Provo High to a 4A state title as a junior in 1998. Last year, injuries limited him to nine games. Wesley and Pierre Thomas are the first four-year men's basketball players in UVSC history.
Tika Wesley: Russell's younger brother, Tika is a 6-foot-5 center just two years removed from prepping at Provo High. He spent the past two years playing at Salt Lake Community College.
Miriam Palkki: Only the second four-year player in Wolverine women's hoops history. The 6-foot-1 forward led UVSC last season with 12.2 points per game. While prepping at Timpview, Palkki was second-team All-State twice before earning first-team All-State recognition in 2002.
Sandy Marvin: A true freshman, Marvin starred in three sports while at Payson. On the hardwood, she led 4A in scoring the past two years, propelled the Lions to the 4A state title last season, and was the consensus 2004-05 4A state MVP. Also named first-team All-State in softball and second-team All-State in volleyball.