ESPN Men's Basketball

Updated: November 2, 2006, 4:28 PM ET

Team preview: Chicago State

Blue Ribbon Yearbook previews the 2006-07 college basketball season, exclusively on Insider.

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(Information in this team report is as of October 1.)

His Cougars, who had struggled much of the season, finally played up to their potential in the Mid-Continent Conference tournament, advancing to the final before falling to Oral Roberts. With most of his players coming back, including four who started at least half the games, Jones was looking forward to a potential run at the conference title in 2006-07.

Then the roof caved in.

In April, Chicago State abruptly dropped out of the Mid-Con, saying the school's mission didn't fit with that of the league, though repeated NCAA violations by the women's basketball program might have had something to do with it.

Then three of the Cougars' key players -- leading scorer Royce Parran, top rebounder Kourtney Calvin and potential starter John Cantrell -- were ruled academically ineligible for the first semester, taking them out of action until late December, assuming they regain their eligibility. Not long after, Jones was informed that top recruit Luka Hoti, a 6-8 freshman from Croatia, did not meet academic requirements and would not be coming.

"This wasn't a good year," Jones said. "It's a shame what has happened in such a short time -- no longer being in the Mid-Continent Conference, the academic situation, the change in administration. This is my fifth athletic director.

"It's going to be a task, but I've got five guys back who all played a lot last year, and the new guys.... They're working hard already. We know we have to get started early because we've got a huge task ahead of us."

Because of the academic losses, the Cougars will begin the season severely short-handed, with only eight scholarship players. And if that wasn't bad enough, Jones said he had purposely avoided seeking walk-ons this year because he didn't want to hear them complain about playing time. By the time his roster problems became apparent, it was too late.

"I never saw this coming," he said.

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