Anteaters seek 20 wins

UC Irvine men’s basketball coach Pat Douglass told a group of Anteaters supporters recently that he was as proud last year’s team as any he has had in his 12 seasons at the school.

That praise, he explained, spoke to the 12-19 team’s turnaround from a 2-10 start to a 10-9 finish that included winning four of its last five regular-season games before falling in the first round of the Big West Conference Tournament.

Douglass, however, would like to take pride in more than perseverance this season, and has constructed a schedule, and roster, that might help the program return to the 20-win plateau for the first time since a 20-9 campaign in 2002-03 capped three straight 20-win seasons.

Adding to such optimism is the return of second-team all-conference performer Eric Wise, veteran guards Michael Hunter and Patrick Rembert, and the arrival of a Slovakian skyline — 6-foot-9 Peter Simek and 6-8 Pavol Loshonsky, a pair of junior transfers from Butte Community College.

Guards Darren Moore, Derrick Strings, forward Adam Folker and center Zach Atkinson also return after posting a combined 26 starts last season.

Depth and defense should be two areas of improvement for a team picked to finish eighth in the nine-team Big West preseason poll.

“I’m excited,” said Douglass, the school’s all-time victories leader (183-173) on the final year of his contract. “I like the way this group works and I like the idea of taking their talents and seeing what we can put together.”

Those talents include versatile 6-5 Wise, who led the team in scoring (14 per game) and was second in rebounding (six per contest) on his way to making the conference’s all-freshman team.

“He’s a unique player, in that he can go inside-out,” said Douglass, who may play Wise at a wing spot, though such a move would also dictate him posting his defender up, in order to create a mismatch.

Inside-out could also describe the capabilities of Simek and Loshonsky, Douglass said.

“The Euros are very skilled and they can both shoot the 17-footer,” Douglass said. “The only thing different about them than most Euros is, they are not soft. They are pretty aggressive, hard-nosed guys and they’re built.”

Hunter averaged 11.9 points last season and led the ’Eaters with 67 three-pointers. He plays the two.

Rembert averaged 6.9 points and a team-high 2.7 assists as a part-time starter last season and will be the primary point guard.

Moore, who averaged 5.7 points in six games, before a knee injury sidelined him allowing him to take a medical redshirt, returns at a wing.

“His knee is much better and he gives us the wing defender we didn’t have last year,” Douglass said of Moore. “I look for us to play better defense than we played last year.”

UCI’s optimism was muted some by a 57-56 exhibition loss to Monday to Concordia, an NAIA school.

The Anteaters open their season tonight at home against La Verne, a Division III school, at 7:30 at the Bren Events Center.

Adding to the optimism, however, are freshmen wing Michael Wilder and point guard Derick Flowers.

“I think a lot of people in the conference will be surprised at how well he plays,” Douglass said of the 6-2 Wilder, who averaged 23 points and 10.2 rebounds last season at Long Beach Wilson High.

“And Flowers is the fastest guard we’ve ever recruited,” Douglass said. “He can get in the lane about any time he wants to.”

UCI opens conference play Jan, 2 at home against UC Santa Barbara.