WAC men's basketball teams loaded with transfers

Take a look at the rosters of the men's basketball teams in the WAC and you'll find 19 players who started their careers at other Division I colleges.

The WAC has become a haven for transfers, and several programs have added proven players and achieved success with the help of relocated D-I talent.

"I think that if you're in the WAC that it makes sense to keep access to any available talent pool for kids you think will be good fits for your program," said San Jose State coach George Nessman, who is expected to start four Division I transfers Thursday night at Boise State.

The Broncos (10-3 overall, 1-0 WAC) will try to beat the Spartans (6-6, 0-2) for the 13th consecutive time.

To do so, BSU must contain Chris Oakes (Pepperdine), Adrian Oliver (Washington), Tim Pierce (Arizona State) and C.J. Webster (Texas State).

"They are arguably the most improved team in the conference," BSU coach Greg Graham said. "They have a chance to make a run at everything."

The transfers are a reason why. And the Spartans aren't alone. Seven of the nine WAC teams, including Boise State and Idaho, have a D-I transfer on their roster.

"I think when you're at the University of Idaho - and we did it at Utah State - you have to explore every market you possibly can to get the best players you can," Idaho coach Don Verlin said. "Some of the best players in this league through the years have been transfers."

Since BSU joined the WAC in 2001, more than 10 D-I transfers have earned some form of all-conference recognition.

"When you go after (a transfer), you know what he can do because he's played," BSU coach Greg Graham said. "You can be selective. I also think the big advantage for transfers is they sit out a year. They're a year older. They've played a year. They get a chance to sit and watch what is going on."

BSU junior Ike Okoye has said his year off after coming from Wyoming was huge. San Jose State's Chris Oakes agreed.

"For me it was a good experience to see how the WAC was," said Oakes, who transferred after a coaching change. "Every league is different. You get to see how teams play, plus you get to work on your own game."

Not all transfers work out. Fresno State coach Steve Cleveland brought in a few who never made a big impact, either because they became academically ineligible or were kicked off the team. The ramifications cost the Bulldogs scholarships under the NCAA's APR rules.

"The decision we finally had to make at Fresno State that if we are going to fix the APR that we have to go with freshman," Cleveland said, adding that he would consider a D-I transfer if they were in good academic standing.

Another danger with a transfer is finding out the true story behind why a player wants to leave.

"Sometimes you don't really know what you're getting until you get it," said New Mexico State coach Marvin Menzies, who has no transfers on his roster. "The reasons for leaving aren't always crystal clear. The flip side is sometimes you get a kid who just went too far from home or had a transition to a new coach ... when the reasons for leaving are legitimate, you can get a steal."

That's what Nessman feels he got when Oliver decided to leave Washington and return to be closer to his Modesto, Calif., home.

"He's awfully good," Nessman said. "We couldn't have gotten him out of high school. He was successful at Washington but his desire was to come home and do different things as a basketball player."

Nessman said three of his four transfers are from nearby, which made taking them an easier decision.

"They were kids we could get reliable background information on," he said. "The theme of all our D-I transfers is they are all young transfers. They all came to us in the sophomore year of eligibility and have three years to play. Getting a guy for four years almost akin to getting a high school guy."

Most coaches in the conference prefer to recruit high school seniors, but it doesn't always work.

"It would be great if all the schools in the WAC could recruit themselves four McDonald's All-Americans like schools in the ACC or Pac-10," Nessman said. "But that's just not a market we've got access to unless it's a highly unusual situation."

Nessman said Nevada freshman Luke Babbitt is one example of a WAC school successfully landing a national-caliber recruit. Herb Pope, who played at New Mexico State last season, is the other recent notable WAC signee.

"At our level - and it's a pretty high level but it's not that upper echelon - we have to find players and not recruit them," Nessman said. "We're out finding the rough-cut diamonds, the guys who still need a little bit more polishing."

Nick Jezierny: 377-6420