FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 19, 2020) – What a difference a year makes. A year ago, Northern Arizona men's basketball head coach
Shane Burcar inherited a 10-win team with an interim title. Entering the 2020-21 season, the interim title has been lifted following the Lumberjacks' 16-14 (10-10 Big Sky) campaign in 2019-20, marking the program's first winning season in five years.
Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic has provided its own fair share of challenges, but Burcar and the Lumberjacks are revved up to get the season going after the most unusual offseason.
"It was a little concerning with the pandemic in terms of our momentum," Burcar said. "Losing to Idaho State in the Big Sky Tournament was probably a necessary evil as far as our focus in the offseason and it was a disappointment to not have the opportunity to play in a postseason tournament. But the 14 guys we have in this program want to be Lumberjacks and believe in this place and what it stands for. The competitive spirit and mindset is different and we're ready to go."
BACKING IT UP
The Lumberjacks' success this season will start with their two leading returning starters, junior
Cameron Shelton and redshirt junior
Luke Avdalovic. Together, the pair gives NAU a potent starting backcourt that could very well be the top backcourt in the entire conference.
"Putting my NAU gear on, I think they're the best," Burcar said. "There are a lot of great backcourts in the league, but we'll have 20 (conference) games to prove who is the best."
On a team with just five upperclassmen – and no seniors eligibility-wise – Shelton and Avdalovic will be counted on as leaders, equally if not more than the numbers they will put up on any given night.
"When your best players share the same vision as you, we're able to coach basketball," Burcar said. "I trust Cam and Luke to the fullest and if you don't have trust, you don't have anything. They want to win more than anybody, and they're here to win Big Sky Championships. Those are the type of guys you want to build a program with."
Of course, their numbers will ultimately tell a big story as both players will aim to continue their ascension.
Shelton, a returning All-Big Sky Third Team honoree, enjoyed a breakout sophomore season with averages of 14.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He is the only returning player in the conference to rank in the top 10 in all four categories last season. Sitting at 682 career points entering this season, he is on pace to become the newest member of the school's 1,000 point club.
Meanwhile, Avdalovic led the team in three-pointers made (52) and three-point percentage (.413) for the second consecutive year. Averaging 8.9 points per game, Avdalovic's 45.6 three-point clip over the last two seasons is not only tops in the Big Sky, but ranks fourth all-time in program history. He is just 10 three-pointers away from cracking into NAU's top 10 career three-pointers made list.
BIGGER ROLES COMING
True sophomores
Isaiah Lewis and
Ajang Aguek and redshirt sophomore
Keith Haymon all figure to see increased playing time after each showed flashes of excellence during their respective freshman seasons.
Lewis got off to a hot start registering 13 points and six rebounds against No. 21/17 Arizona in his collegiate debut and was averaging 9.0 points per game through his first three games.
In NAU's conference opener, Lewis filled up the box score with three points, two rebounds, two assists and four steals in just 18 minutes versus Montana in Missoula. However, a sprained ankle suffered that evening hampered him the rest of the season.
"I really believe if Isaiah doesn't sprain his ankle in Montana, he has a legit chance at being Freshman of the Year. He was banged up for five to six weeks where he wasn't 100 percent healthy and that stunted him."
Although Aguek only averaged 1.7 points and 0.8 rebounds in just under six minutes per game as a true freshman, his length and athleticism will be key to the Lumberjacks' frontcourt depth that returns just redshirt junior
Nik Mains among players who averaged double-digit minutes a year ago.
Aguek's best outing came in a season-high 20 minutes versus Northern Colorado, the league's No. 2 team a year ago. Aguek totaled seven points, seven rebounds, two assists and a block against the Bears.
Haymon made his debut following a redshirt year in 2018-19 and showcased an ability to stretch the floor, shooting 37 percent (10-of-27) behind the arc in 21 games. His three-point percentage ranks only behind Avdalovic among returning players.
After connecting on a pair of threes en route to eight points in 11 minutes on the road at Montana State during the opening weekend of conference play, Haymon worked his way into the rotation playing in 17 of 20 Big Sky games.
"Keith and Ajang are going to play major minutes," Burcar said. "All three of these guys are going to be critical to our success."
NON-CONFERENCE GAUNTLET
NAU may only be playing seven non-conference games due to a slightly delayed start to the season, but there is no question that the Lumberjacks will be battle-tested by the time they are fully into conference play on New Year's Eve.
The Lumberjacks' five non-conference opponents combined for a .606 winning percentage in 2019-20 with four of them posting winning records. Three of them (Arizona, Gonzaga and Texas State) compiled 20-plus wins with Gonzaga, who rose to No. 1 in the country and finished the abbreviated season at No. 2, recording a 31-2 mark.
"The Big Sky Conference might be the most underrated conference in the country – in the West absolutely for sure," Burcar said. "Our guys are great players and they want to play these types of schools. Arizona is going to be ready to go on November 25 and on December 12, we're going to go play Gonzaga, the preseason No. 1 team in the country."
"At the end of the day, if we have a nice run in Boise and we make it to the NCAA Tournament, we're playing one of those teams anyway, but now we're playing them on a neutral court," Burcar added. "We want to play two or three of those games a year and we're not going to shy away from competition."
Add in NAU's early conference opening weekend at home versus Eastern Washington, the defending Big Sky regular season champions, and the Lumberjacks' first seven games will come against teams with a combined 2019-20 winning percentage of .628.
The Lumberjacks will play the Eagles, a 23-win team, twice on Dec. 3 and 5 in Flagstaff to open Big Sky play before resuming at Idaho on Dec. 31.
