by Sports Xchange

SCOUTING THE NEWCOMERS: There are plenty of new faces in the Lumberjack camp. Guard Eric Platt is perhaps the top newcomer. He's a 6-foot junior who played in 71 games in a two-year career at Wyoming before sitting out last season as a transfer. Platt averaged 6.5 points per game as a freshman and 3.5 points per game as a sophomore at Wyoming. Other transfers of note include guard DeAngelo Jones of Cochise College, guard Julian Olubuyi of Northwest Junior College in Wyoming, forward Isaiah Jackson of Mississippi Gulf Coast and center Austin Smith of Liberty.

KEY EARLY-SEASON GAMES: The Lumberjacks play road games at Arizona, Santa Clara and San Diego State in November, but the truly big games early on will take place in Montana. Northern Arizona is at Montana on Dec. 4, then plays at Montana State on Dec. 5.

PROGRAM DIRECTION: Definitely descending. The Lumberjacks were 12-2 in the Big Sky five years ago. After back-to-back 11-5 seasons, the team slipped to 5-11 last season.

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP: PG Eric Platt, SG, G Cameron Jones, SF Shane Johannsen, PF Nick Larson, C Josh Lepley.

ROSTER REPORT

--G DeAngelo Jones is a transfer from Cochise College who was 28th in the nation in junior college scoring, averaging 19.5 points per game.

--G Julian Olubuyi played his last two seasons Northwest Junior College in Wyoming and averaged 14.3 points per game.