Missouri Valley Conference report

SportsLine.com Report
April 5, 2000

In the paint

Evansville was in the thick of the Missouri Valley Conference race and rolling along after beating Creighton 88-83 on Jan. 23. The Purple Aces were 15-4 overall and 6-2 in the league, with a 14-game home winning streak.

But the rest of the season turned into a struggle. Evansville won just three of its last 11, including three home losses and a quarterfinal exit at the MVC Tournament.

What happened? The knee injury to Craig Snow might have shook up the Aces, their defense faltered a few times and they finished without backup center Kwame James because of knee problems.

A glance at 2001

If Evansville can fix some of the leaks from this season, it has talented players back. Snow, Adam Seitz and Jeremy Stanton all have All-MVC potential.

But one of the Purple Aces' problems is they aren't very athletic, and they won't be able to change that in the offseason.

The coach

Veteran leader Jim Crews helped Evansville win 41 games in the past two years, including an NCAA Tournament trip in 1999. Overall, he is now 273-172 in 15 years with the Purple Aces.

A year ago, Crews' name popped up when some jobs opened, but not much talk is out there right now.

Who'll be back

The 6-foot-7 Snow is a talented All-MVC forward who averaged 16.6 points and returns as Evansville's top 3-point threat. With Seitz, Clint Keown, Chuck Hedde, Kyle Runyan and Stanton, the Purple Aces return their top six scorers.

Stanton is a proven leader and defensive whiz. The 6-8 Hedde ended up a starter down the stretch and fits what Crews is trying to do, at least on the offensive end.

Evansville also brings back Drew Church, Kris Stoneking, John Boateng, Jared chambers, Faruk Mujezinovic, Zack Anderson and Dan Lytle.

Who's gone

The 6-8 James was more of a factor as a junior than a senior, but he had inside skills the Aces definitely needed. Matt Vidoni and Richie Schueler played sparingly.