UC Santa Barbara Basketball: 2019-20 season preview for Gauchos

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 14: Ami Lakoju #14 of the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos scores in front of Gyorgy Goloman #14, Ike Anigbogu #13 and Isaac Hamilton #10 of the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion on December 14, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

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LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 14: Aaron Holiday #3 of the UCLA Bruins blocks the shot of Max Heidegger #21 of the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos form behind at Pauley Pavilion on December 14, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

The Gauchos could be a very deep team

Four of the starters, Sow, Heidegger, Devearl, and McLaughlin are back, which means just one spot is open. If Pasternack once again goes with a four-guard starting line up then the competition for that spot will probably be between a trio of 6-5 guards, two transfers, Gittens and Cyrus and the incumbent, Sekou Toure.

In the frontcourt, a couple of returnees are likely to back up Sow, the 6’10 Idehen averaged double-digit minutes last season and in that time he scored three points and grabbed 2.8 rebounds, and Jay Nagle is a 6’8 forward from California who averaged three points and just under two rebounds, but he can play on the perimeter having knocked down 44% from distance in a small sample size. The two newcomers, Freeman the grad transfer and the freshman from Croatia, gives the Gauchos two more 6’10 bigs should play rotational minutes for Pasternack.

Last season UCSB had nine players averaged double-figure minutes in the games in which they appeared, and this season they could be even deeper with the eligible transfers and Kukic, in addition to the solid rotation they already had returning. Expect the UCSB rotation to be guard-heavy because that is where the depth is, but the frontcourt has a chance to be deeper than in years past.