Top 20 Departing #13: Stallon Saldivar

I am counting down the top 20 players that are departing the Big Sky via graduation, transfer, or any other way.

Often, guys that post big assists numbers are helped by the fact that they are such a threat to score, and defenses have to be on them tight at all times. With no disrespect to Stallon Saldivar, he was never a great scorer, but he still wound up racking up big assist numbers throughout his career. By the time he was all said and done, Saldivar had 505 career assists, enough to rank him sixth on the Big Sky's all-time list.

His career high in points per game was 6.7 points, and he never shot better than 40.6% from the field or 32% from three, but he worked hard to make everything else about his game as good as it could be. Obviously, his passing was his best skill, and he had as good of court vision as anyone in the conference. His senior year, he also became a very good rebounder, to the tune of 5.6 boards per game, a pretty impressive number for a 6'0'' guard. Remarkably, his DR% was 18.7, which was eighth best in the conference.

Clearly, he was willing to do whatever it took to help the team win. He also improved defensively throughout his career, and his steal percentage got better each season.

Last year, even though he wasn't a major threat from the outside, he did improve a lot on his shots inside. His two-point percentage jumped from 36.6% as a junior to 48.5% as a senior, which is huge.

Saldivar was the only guy in the Big Sky to record a triple-double this year (to my recollection) which speaks to his versatility and willingness to do whatever he could to help the team. The Lumberjacks will miss his leadership and versatility.

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Northern Arizona Starts 1-0 in Big Sky Play

Last season, Northern Arizona won just a single Big Sky game, finishing with a 1-15 mark in the conference. This year, they have matched that mark after just one game.

Northern Arizona started fast and held on for an 87-80 victory over Montana State in head coach Jack Murphy's first career Big Sky game. Surprisingly, it wasn't the guard play that was the difference, but the play of big man Max Jacobsen. He came into the game averaging 5.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game on the year.

Against the Bobcats, he was good for 22 and 9, icnluding 9/12 shooting from the court. He also had a couple blocks for good measure. He was the difference with key post points when MSU was making their second half surge (it was an 18 point game at half, but the Bobcats cut it to as low as five in the second frame). Jacobsen was a star, and if he continues that, NAU is a legit threat in the Big Sky.

DeWayne Russell was solid but not spectacular. He had 12 points at the break before finishing wiht 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. All five NAU starters finished in double figures. Senior PG Stallon Saldivar picked up his 400th career assist in the game as well.

For Montana State, they drop to 2-6 on the year, and they didn't look great in this game. They struggled in a major way defensively, and only looked good offensively in spurts. Antonio Biglow had 15 points, but they need him to be a guy that gets easy baskets for others as well. He had three assists compared to two turnovers. Xavier Blunt and Jamie Stewart are other guys with the talent to take over stretches and get others good looks, but they didn't do that in this game.

It's a big year for Brad Huse, but I have a feeling he still doesn't know what he has in his team. On the other side, we know what Jack Murphy has - a program on the rise.

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A Look At Northern Arizona's Rotation

In both the coaches and media poll, Northern Arizona is being picked to finish last in the Big Sky. Regardless of whether that seems too low (we will get to that in time), there is no denying the fact that NAU has the potential to be one of the most entertaining teams in the conference this season.

For one thing, the roster will be very guard-oriented, which can lead to an exciting style of play in the right system. It appears that new coach Jack Murphy wants to play that system. He told Blue Ribbon that the philosophy would be to, "Score early, get the ball up quick, and I'm not opposed to early shot - especially ones that are open, really an attack mentality. Defensively, we're going to have to play some different ways to promote that offense."

This is good on three fronts. One, players love playing in that type of system, and so it could help in recruiting. Two, they don't really have the personnel this year to be competitive playing a more traditional type of game (we will get to that), so an up-and-down style is probably their best chance to win this year. Three, Flagstaff is over 7,000 feet, so they could have a built in advantage there.

In the backcourt, they are led by two seniors in Gabe Rogers and Stallon Saldivar. Two years ago, Rogers was one of the best shooters in the conference. He struggled after returning from a shoulder injury last year. If he is back to 100%, he can be a very good scorer. Saldivar is one of the two or three best passers in the conference, and should have a great understanding of getting guys shots in his senior year.

Behind those two guys, there are some interesting options. The most intriguing is freshman DeWayne Russell, who led the state of Arizona with 27 ppg last year as a high school senior. The rest of his stat line was also impressive - over five assists, four rebounds, and four steals per game. He should be a big-time performer from the get go, and it wouldn't shock me to see occasional sets with Rogers, Russell, and Saldivar in the game.  

Michael Dunn should also get time in the backcourt, as he made 22 threes last year. Blake Hamilton and Bryce Gosar are two more freshmen that could get time in the frontcourt, but they could also be redshirt candidates.

Upfront, their best player is Gaellen Bewernick, who stands at 6'6''. He may have been their best rebounder last year. In Murphy's system, I would suspect that he will play a lot at the four again, though it wouldn't surprise me if he started games at small forward. Ephraim Ekanem, Ben Olaynika, and Max Jacobsen will all have chances to get time at the four and five spots, and all are more traditional big men returning to the roster. Len Springs was brought in as a JUCO recruit, and he could be a presence defensively.

The more interesting option up front could be Jordyn Martin, who was Murphy's first recruit. He is 6'7'', and averaged 11 and 9 last season. With the team likely building for the future, it would make sense that Martin could see a lot of time.

There are a lot of unknowns with a new coach and some new players, but NAU should be consistently entertaining. Not a lot of Big Sky teams try to pick up the pace a lot, so it would be a welcome change if the Lumberjacks do. They seem to have the personnel to make a lot of things interesting if they can push the temp.

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Stallon Saldivar Named Big Sky POW

Breaking a two week run by Weber State's Damian Lillard, Stallon Saldivar was named the Big Sky Player of the Week.

Saldivar, a 6-foot, 185-pound junior point guard from Salt Lake City, Utah, scored a career-high 24 points with nine assists and five rebounds. Saldivar hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds left in the 69-68 upset of the Pac-12 Sun Devils.

Other candidates were - Collin Chiverton (Eastern Washington), Chase Grabau (Idaho State), Will Cherry (Montana), Tate Unruh (Northern Colorado), Chehales Tapscott (Portland State), Heath Hoffman (Sacramento State), and Scott Bamforth (Weber State)

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Two Big Sky Point Guards Candidates For Bob Cousy Award

The list for the award for the nation's top point guard is out, and it contains two guys in the Big Sky (though probably not the two Big Sky point guards you would think).

The two candidates are:
Will Cherry of Montana
Stallon Saldivar of Northern Arizona


That leaves one glaring omission, and one I certainly can't explain - Damian Lillard of Weber State. He leads the nation in scoring and ORtg, and he has gotten quite a bit of national press, so I am not sure why he did not make the list. He has started at PG this year for every game, so there is no doubt what position he plays.

That said, I don't want to take away from Saldivar and Cherry, who both deserved to be mentioned here as well. Cherry has not had a huge offensive improvement, but he is still a solid passer and distributor, as well as being one of the best perimeter defenders in the country.

Saldivar led the conference in assists last season, and his ARate has gone up, currently at 35.1% as he looks poised to lead the conference again. In addition, he has shown some solid offensive improvement to his outside game, as he is shooting about 43% from downtown this season.

Kudos to those guys, who have earned this honor.

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Big Sky Teams Take Big Losses

The two early games in the Big Sky on Tuesday night did not turn out so well.

We hoped Northern Arizona would carry some momentum from their win against Arizona State into the game against Sam Houston State, but it simply did not happen. The Lumberjacks got blown out 73-49, as they were undone by a halftime score of 38-16. NAU struggled offensively (SHSU shot 52%) and offensively (shooting just 31.5%), losing a winnable game to a mediocre opponent.

NAU got a solid game out of Durrell Norman (18 and 13), but beyond that, it is easy to see why they struggled so much. Gabe Rogers struggled mightily in his second game back, shooting just 1/10 and scoring 2 points in 26 minutes. Stallon Saldivar, fresh off of the best game of his career, was 1/5, scoring 3 points to go with 4 assists. Those are their two big leaders, and they need them to be there if NAU is going to be competitive.

The Bearkats improve to 4-7, while NAU drops to 4-8. After a great start under interim coach Dave Brown, they will have to go into the Christmas break with this taste in their mouth.

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I did not expect Montana State to go into New Mexico and beat the Lobos, but I did think they would keep it reasonably competitive. No such luck, as they fell 91-46 in Albuquerque, including getting outscored 53-16 in the first half (!). Combining this with their loss to Pepperdine, and it is has not been a very good week for MSU.

It is tough to find bright spots for Montana State. They shot 30% from the field, even worse from downtown, and allowed New Mexico to play a brutally efficient offensive game. If you look deep enough, you can see that Tre Johnson had a nice night with 16 points and 6 rebounds, and Christian Moon hit four threes, but those are about the lone bright spots.

For Montana State, it was not long ago that I was wondering if they were the second best team in the Big Sky. Suddenly, they look like a fringe Big Sky tournament team.

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Northern Arizona Stuns Arizona State

Photo courtesy of Northern Arizona News.

About 10 days ago, Northern Arizona was sitting at 2-7. They hadn't beaten a Division I team, and they were coming off of a 49-40 loss to Pepperdine. Their long-time coach Mike Adras was about to resign in a situation where all of the details still aren't known. They would promote the 70 year old radio announcer to be the head coach, and it seemed like they were the best candidate to finish last in the Big Sky.

It is funny how things change. In the first two games since the chance in coaching, Northern Arizona finally beat a Division I team with an 80-67 win over Cal State Bakersfield. Amazingly, they topped that last night, with a 69-68 victory over Pac-12 Arizona State, getting a buzzer beater from Stallon Saldivar to shock the Sun Devils.

"I had planned that we would hit it to win it and told them that," said Interim Head Coach Dave Brown of the final play. "The guy was going to miss one free throw and we were going to get our chance. That is one thing we try to do to reinforce confidence. It is important and we want shooters to shoot."

If you haven't heard the audio of the game-winner, click here.

For NAU, a couple big storylines in this game. First, was simply the brilliance of Stallon Saldivar. The junior guard's performance was sublime in this game. He shot 7/12 (and 6/8 from downtown), finishing with 24 points. He always displayed his normal solid decision-making, finishing with 9 assists compared to 2 turnovers. To top it off, he pulled down 5 rebounds. He has been counted on to the stabilizing force for them this year, and in this game he looked like one of the best players in the conference. This is certainly a game he will remember for a long time.

The other big story was the return of Gabe Rogers from injury. He didn't have a huge impact in this game, shooting 2/7 for 4 points in 15 minutes, but the mere fact that he is back on the court is huge for the Lumberjacks. He was expected to be their leader and best player this year, but then he suffered a preseason shoulder injury. If Rogers can get back to full health, he is one of the best shooters in the Big Sky (and in the country) and a huge difference-maker for NAU.

Not long ago, NAU was looking like a pushover. Now, suddenly, a three-guard lineup with Saldivar, Rogers, and James Douglas is something that no Big Sky team is going to want to face. Can they keep this up? I'm not sure, but for the first time this year, this are signs of life in Flagstaff.

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Audio of Stallon Saldivar Game-Winner

I will have more to say on this game tomorrow, but for now, audio of Stallon Saldivar's game-winning three with 0.8 seconds left, as Northern Arizona took down Arizona State for a thrilling road upset.

The audio can be found here.

If you like excited audio calls of game-winners (and who doesn't), you best click that link.

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!

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Northern Arizona and Idaho State Take Care Of Business

Picture from Idaho State website.

Northern Arizona and Idaho State had a couple of easy ones on Friday, and thankfully they went out and took care of business in games they should have and did dominate.

The Lumberjacks got their first win against Arizona Christian, winning 103-42. The game was never in doubt, as the Lumberjacks took a 27 point lead into halftime and dominated the second half even more. It is not a game that will boost any resumes or look impressive, but sometimes it is good to just get that first win and to experience playing well to boost confidence. Five players posted double figures, including Stallon Saldivar (with a career-high 17 points and 9 assists) and freshman James Douglas (with 18 points).

They should have another easy win on Tuesday as they take on Northern New Mexico, an NAIA team that has been throttled by both Weber State and Montana State this season.

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Meanwhile, Idaho State took out Colorado Christian 93-66, though it was only a 9 point game at halftime. The Bengals had 6 guys in double figures, led by 16 points from Andre' Hatchett. It was a very nice offensive performance, but Coach O'Brien wasn't super pleased with the first half defense:

“The first six minutes we played like we had been practicing and played with a lot of intensity on the defensive end of the floor,” O'Brien said. “That resulted in some running and easy shot opportunities. They were really frustrated with what they were going to do offensively. They were having a hard time handling Chase, Kenny and Andre's pressure. The last 12 minutes of the half we backed off defensively and started lining up between the ball and the rim. All we did was give up lay ups and commit fouls.”

Still, they figured it out in the second half and coasted for an easy victory. The win improves them to 1-2.

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Guest Post: Northern Arizona's Hellish Weekend in San Francisco

We have a guest blogger on today, going by the initials MP. We will probably see a post a week from him, as he brings another viewpoint and a little more coverage to the blog, which is always a nice thing.


The college basketball season (for most teams) is merely only 4 days old. So how low can things get in that time span? Well, if you ask the young Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, pretty low.

Granted, the college basketball season is a marathon, not a race. And in small-conference basketball, non-conference games don’t have as much of an impact as it does for the big boys. That being said, NAU kicked their season off in a somewhat disturbing fashion in the Hilltop Challenge in San Francisco.

Heck, before the season even started, the Lumberjacks received bad news when their leading returning scorer, Gabe Rogers suffered an injury that will keep him out for at least two months.

The Challenge featured a round-robin three game set between Northern Arizona, University of San Francisco, Louisiana-Lafayette and North Dakota State.

It was a tournament filled with teams who are expected to perform marginal, at best, in their respective conferences. That meant Mike Adras’ squad had a chance to make an early splash on the 2011-2012 season.

In game one, the Lumberjacks tipped-off against Louisiana-Lafayette (or University of Louisiana, if you’re new-school), it was a sloppy affair. And NAU found themselves down 40-27 at the break. The Ragin’ Cajuns 6’9 JUCO transfer Kadeem Coleby (by way of the Bahamas) was a force in the paint all evening long, scoring 16 points--but more astonishingly--blocking 8 shots. A young Lumberjack was led offensively by freshman James Douglas who scored 21 points, but the most frustrating stat for Adras’ squad in the 83-66 loss was the 24 turnovers they gave up.

On Saturday evening, in the second game, the ‘Jacks faced the host school of the Hilltop Challenge, the San Francisco Dons. Twenty turnovers and a 35% shooting performance later, NAU was trounced 69-50.

In the third and final affair, the turnovers were restricted (12), but the North Dakota State Bison were able to shoot an unconscious 60% from the floor, which paced them to a 21-point lead at the break, and after a second half which saw Northern Arizona pick up the pace, the Bison left the Lumberjacks 0-for-San Francisco with a 70-58 victory.

An 0-3 start isn’t necessarily reason to hit the panic button for the faithful in Flagstaff, Arizona. But it raises a question of how will this young team be able to turn the corner in time to be a competitive factor in conference play?

Those close to the Lumberjack program hope Rogers (the junior who averaged 13.1 points) is going to be available by mid-January, shortly after Big Sky play begins. But, what’s to say he will be able to play a major role on this team immediately after his return? Or what if his timetable gets pushed back to early-February, and the Lumberjacks aren’t contending at the top of the standings? Wouldn’t the wiser move be just to redshirt him at that point?  [Editor's Note: From my understanding, Rogers redshirted his first year, so this option is unfortunately unavailable for the Lumberjacks]

The Lumberjacks (excluding Rogers) return only three contributors from last season, two of which played a big role (assist-extraordinaire Stallon Saldivar and Durrell Norman). That means there is a pressing need for this team to figure out their individual roles during non-conference play. The major problem though, is do they have anyone that can create their own shot?

Cam Jones was a special talent, who could create for himself as well as score from all places on the floor. The hole he left in his graduation is gaping for this program. Not only did Jones graduate, but so did Eric Platt and Shane Johannsen, two of the top-four scorers from last year’s Big Sky Tournament semifinal team.

With such inexperience, some young guns are going to have to grow up quick. And without any real size inside to speak of, that young help will come in the form of guard-play. Namely, point guard James Douglas, long-range shooter Danny Cheek and Colin Gruber. All three guys were just at their high school senior prom just months ago.

It might be a scary thought for Lumberjacks fans, but the keys of the program are being handed over to three 19-year old kids until reinforcements arrives. And those three kids will dictate whether Northern Arizona is a team that is strictly preparing for future seasons, or if they are ready to make an impact this season.

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On The Loss of Gabe Rogers

In case you missed it, Northern Arizona Guard Gabe Rogers will miss at least the first couple months of the season, and maybe more, as he has a torn labrum.

Junior guard Gabe Rogers, who averaged 13.1 points per game last season, had surgery Monday to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

"You never know when life's going to deal you a crooked hand and you're going to have to figure something out," NAU coach Mike Adras said. "It's unfortunate, but it'll make Gabe better. ... We're going to have to figure out what to do now, that's just the reality of where we're at -- somebody else will have to figure it out now and grow up a little quicker than expected."

Rogers is one of the best shooters in the Conference and in America, and I thought he could be a first team All Big Sky performer. He was going to be a huge part of what the Lumberjacks did, as he was the leading returning scorer after the graduation of Cameron Jones.

So, how does Mike Adras replace Rogers until he returns? (Rogers is shooting for a return at the beginning of the conference slate). Here are a few key things to watch for:

- James Douglas and Danny Cheek will have to grow up fast. I thought Cheek could get a lot of time and Douglas would play a more limited role as a freshman, but both could see a lot of minutes early. James Douglas has reportedly looked excellent so far this year, and Danny Cheek was very highly touted. If those two can gain valuable experience, NAU will be that much more explosive when Rogers returns.

- Stallon Saldivar could lead the Big Sky in assists. He posted one of the highest ARates in the country last year, and should handle the ball even more without Jones or Rogers to control the offense. He won't score much, but he creates a lot of opportunities for other guys..

- It will be a balanced attack. Northern Arizona's roster consists of 10 guards and 5 forwards, so they will be a run and gun attack one would assume. With no stars, a lot of guys should see time, and they will need different guys to step up and put points on the board.

Mike Adras is one of the best coaches in the Conference at plugging guys in, and he will need to do some masterful work early this season without Gabe Rogers. If he can weather the storm and get the young guys to grow up quickly, NAU will be dangerous down the stretch. At the very least, with their roster configuration, they should be a lot of fun to watch!

How Good Can Gabe Rogers Be?

After the graduation of Cameron Jones, someone is going to need to step up and be the leaders for the Lumberjacks next season. The frontcourt is lacking in established players and star talent, which could a lot of pressure on the backcourt.

Fortunately, NAU has a very talented player back there in Gabe Rogers, who could be a star entering his junior season. Rogers was second team All-Conference last season, so he is no stranger to success. But this year, there will be no Cameron Jones to draw the attention of defenses.

First and foremost, Rogers is an elite shooter from the outside. He shot 46.8% from 3-point range last season, draining 81 of them. Because of this, he posted solid EFG& and ORtg, though not quite as good as you would expect for someone with that high of an outside percentage. The reason is that he only shot 40.1% from 2-point range, which is a very mediocre mark. It is not really an aberration either, because he was at 41.2% his freshman year. An improvement to even a modest 45% would do wonders for his offensive efficiency.

Rogers takes good care of the basketball, posting a pretty solid 15.9% TO Rate, even with using 21.6% of their possessions. However, his Assist rate was also pretty average, at 16.1%. If he is going to be the leader, he has to become a better distributor. While he will be off the ball a bit with Stallon Saldivar in town, he needs to create shots for his teammates more often.

One more improvement would be if he can get to the FT line a little bit more. He is a very good FT shooter, and so some increased attempts would be a nice boost for his scoring and efficiency.

Cameron Jones used 37.6% of NAU's possessions last year, second most of anyone in the NCAA. That is a lot of shots and possessions to make up. Gabe Rogers was second on the team in those areas last season, and even more of the load will fall onto his shoulders this year. If he can improve inside the arc, maintain his great outside shooting, and find a way to get teammates a few more open looks, he could definitely be a member of the First Team All-Conference at the end of 2012.