Two years ago, Mike Mackell never blossomed into the superstar he was supposed to become, while Tony Bland came down with a case of Kobeitis, or unwillingness to share the ball.

Last year, Aztecs first McDonald?s All-American, Evan Burns, did not meet the grade requirements to stay eligible, and decided to drop out of college altogether.

Also, at the end of the year, Wesley Stokes decided to follow in Burns? footsteps, and become ineligible for the 2004-2005 season.

On top of that, Aerick Sanders, the best player on the team last year, graduated.

With all of these things combined, it would seem this year?s team would be a lost cause.

However, I think this years team is made up of very athletic, dedicated, and smart players that will produce a very good team.

On defense, the Aztecs are going to be very tough, especially at the guard positions.

Brandon Heath and John Sharper can get after it. They pick up their man before half court and harass him for the entire game. They get over picks really well, and they have exceptionally quick hands. Last year, Heath was the 3rd most prolific thief in the Mountain West Conference, averaging a little over 1.4 steals a game, and that was as a freshman. He is only going to get better.

In the frontcourt the Aztecs should be solid defensively. Marcus Slaughter is the best defender out of the group. He is a 6?9" forward with the wingspan of somebody who is 7?2". He is very quick and can jump out of the gym. He is a very good shot blocker, and a phenomenal rebounder. Opposing teams will not be getting too many second chances when he is on the floor crashing the boards.

Chris Walton, the other forward, is a smart defender. He is not the most athletic person, but he never lets his man beat him with the same move twice. He likes to get physical and doesn?t usually let people beat him inside. However, he is slow to react to somebody driving in the lane, and this causes him to get into early foul trouble.

Mohammad Camara, the new powerful center, fills out the Aztecs frontcourt. Camara is a very big guy, 6?11" and 260 pounds, who likes to get physical in the paint. This is a good thing, because the Mountain West Conference is filled with talented centers. He helps on picks pretty well and he is a solid rebounder, but he likes to jump at every pump fake, which results in foul trouble. In order for the Aztecs to be good, Camara is going to need how to learn to defend post effectively, without getting too many fouls.

On offense, the Aztecs have the potential to be very effective. The offense starts with Slaughter. The talented sophomore should be able to score at will this year. He is a force when he gets the ball in the post, using a lot of spin moves and an effective drop step. Also, he is talented facing the basket. He can knock down 15 footers all day long, and occasionally hit the open three. He needs to learn how to drive a little bit more effectively, but that will all come in time.

Heath, who averaged 13.8 points last year as a freshman, has refined his shot and become a lethal three-point bomber. However, defenders can?t crowd him, because he is very successful when driving to the hoop. He drives down the lane nicely, but is it his vision that sets him apart. He can dish it to the open big man for an easy lay-up, or the shooter in the corner.

Most likely, that shooter is going to be John Sharper. This guy does not miss when he is squared up behind the arc. Last year, he made 40% of his threes on 75 attempts. He will have a lot more attempts this year, especially when you consider Heath?s drive and dish ability, and the presence of Slaughter down low. He is going to be key for the Aztecs to have a solid inside-outside game.

Although Slaughter and Heath are the major offensive weapons on the team, Walton is the key to success for the Aztecs.

This year, I think Walton is going to have his break out year. Remembering Luke Walton? He popped out of nowhere in the middle of his junior season, only to become one of the top players in college basketball. Well, I am looking for his brother to replicate the feat.

Walton is a big, strong guy at 6?10 and 240 pounds. He has some nice post moves, and he also has a very sweet shot within seventeen feet. He drives through the lane well, and he makes smart plays. There is no reason why he shouldn?t be a scoring threat, except for the fact that he is a mental case.

Last year, he had a bad game early in the season, and he never forgot about it. It ate him up for the entire season, and he never let himself play confidently. Hopefully, he has let that game go and will allow himself to try and reach his maximum potential as a scorer.

I think this is the year Walton breaks out to help the Aztecs become a force in the Mountain West Conference.

The Aztecs have a strong starting five, but they also have a deep bench. Key players off the bench this year will be Chris Manker, Trimaine Davis and Tommy Johnson.

Manker is the soft shooting seven-footer. He can nail the three with the best of them, and look for him to cause serious match-up problems with opposing centers. However, he does very little in the department of rebounding.

Davis is a very athletic forward. He is 6?8 and 220 pounds. He brings a lot of energy to the floor. He is always hustling, and making that extra effort to give his team the advantage. He rebounds very well, and has the ability to shut people down on defense.

Finally, Johnson is a former Los Angeles player of the year. Now a senior, he never panned out to be the player everybody expected. He will be the first option off of the bench for the guard spot. He has a nice shooting stroke, but is prone to making horrible passes. He also is a liability on defense, getting a lot of ticky-tac fouls.

With the addition of Camara, the seasoning of Slaughter and Heath, and the coming of age of Walton, look for the Aztecs to be close to the top of the Mountain West Conference.

They will probably not be as good as Utah or UNLV, but they should contend for third place in the Mountain West, and most likely get a bid to the NCAA tournament.