Tom Crean has already held six practices – three in July and three more this past week - in preparation for Marquette's trip to Vancouver in early September.

``It’s a perfect year,” Crean told FOXSports.com. “We originally set it up thinking Dominic wouldn’t be here, but it’s great all the way around now. It gives us a chance to play different ways with different combinations.”

Crean expects one of those combinations to be a four-guard lineup with James, Jerel McNeal, Wesley Matthews and David Cubillan.

Crean will also use plenty of sophomore forward Lazar Hayward, who the Golden Eagles head man feels could develop into one of the best forwards in the Big East.

``I’m excited with this team because they’ve had a good spring and summer,” Crean said. “And they have a real hunger. There’s also an opportunity to create more competition in practice because we’ll be deeper on paper.”

Especially in the backcourt, where ex-Ball State point guard Maurice Acker is eligible after sitting out last season.

``Tim (Buckley) says how much he’s improved in the last year,” Crean said.

Buckey, now a Marquette assistant, should know. He recruited Acker when he was the head coach at Ball State.

Crean should also have more options up front with the return of Ousmane Barro and Dwight Burke – and the addition of freshman Patrick Hazel and Trevor Mbakwe.

AMAKER CHANGING CULTURE AT HARVARD

Things are changing at Harvard Yard.

Exhibit A: Andrew Van Nest, a skilled 6-foot-10 senior forward from Massachusetts who will spend his second season at Northfield Mount Hermon, has the Crimson among his leaders. Van Nest was also considering Pittsburgh, Georgetown and Virginia until a sub-par summer in which he didn’t play all that much. Now he’s got Tommy Amaker’s club right there with UMass and Davidson – and currently ahead of Penn, Princeton and Northwestern.

Would this be possible if Amaker hadn’t taken over.

``I doubt it,” Van Nest admitted. ``Harvard is Harvard – it’s the best college in the country – and now it’s a program with a high-major feel because of Coach Amaker.”

The ex-Michigan and Seton Hall head man is still getting settled in Cambridge, but he and his staff (which includes Will Wade and Kenny Blakeney) have done a tremendous job getting the Crimson involved with players who would never have given a sniff to the old regime.

``Before we’ve got to win some of the battles, we’ve got to be in some of the battles,” Amaker said.

Amaker has already added talented 6-foot-10 Cem Dinc, who spent his freshman year at Indiana before getting a 4.0 GPA at a junior college in Iowa last year.

The Crimson are in the mix with Max Kenyi, a wing out of Gonzaga in D.C., and Frank Ben-Eze, a 6-foot-10 big man from Bishop O’Connell (Va.). One of the schools they are battling for both players: Marquette, a legitimate Top 10 school in the country.

``We’re in the mix and we like the position we’re in, but we’ve got to crack one of these guys,” Amaker said.

TEAM USA BOUNCES BACK

The Americans/Northern Iowa bounced back from an opening-game setback to Lithuania and crushed Angola, 84-26, at the World University Games in Thailand.

Big man Jordan Eglseder scored 16 points and grabbed a dozen boards for Team USA, but it was the defense that was the story. Angola was just 2-of-23 from the field in the first half.

Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson got more bad news, though, as guard Carlton Reed broke a bone in his right foot. Sophomore point guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe strained his knee in practice on Sunday and will also miss the rest of the tournament.

The United States will play Turkey on Sunday in the second phase of pool play.

FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT AT UCSB

Bob Williams is in his 10th season at UC Santa Barbara and he’s got arguably two of the Big West’s top five players in Alex Harris and Chris Devine.

Harris led the league in scoring last season at 21.1, narrowly beating out Cal State Fullerton’s Bobby Brown, while Devine put up 14.1 points and 6.6 boards per game.

The Gauchos were 18-11 last season and tied for second in the league at 9-5, but Williams thinks that the difference-maker could be senior transfer Nedim Pajevic – who started as a junior at Weber State.

``He’ll provide us with a physical presence we didn’t have last year,” Williams said. ``He’ll be a surprise in the league.”

Williams and his staff have also gotten it done of late on the recruiting trail. The Gauchos signed senior Will Brew out of St. Mary’s High in Berkeley about a month ago and then followed it up with the commitment of Brew’s younger brother, junior combo guard Chris Brew.

``He’s a tenacious defender and an athletic guard,” said one D-1 coach. “He’s a Pac-10 caliber kid.”