Its players have come together from all over.

Magnum Rolle from the Bahamas, Olu Ashaolu hails from Canada, Kyle Gibson is a Los Angeles kid, Jamel Guyton and DeAndre Brown both come from Texas and David Jackson grew up in Tucson, Ariz.

Now, they have come together at Louisiana Tech to form the nucleus of a team that has emerged as one of the top mid-major squads in the nation.

A year ago, basically the identical group finished 15-18. The only addition is that of Brown – a JUCO point guard who came in with the reputation as a scorer.

"It's like bamboo," Louisiana Tech coach Kerry Rupp said. "You plant the stuff, and it takes a while for it to grow."

Rolle, a long and talented LSU transfer, has finally started to establish consistency. He's averaging 13.4 points and 8.7 boards. Gibson, who leads the team in scoring at 21.7 points per game, is a former Dorsey High (Calif.) standout who had one other Division I offer and was referred to Rupp by former USC coach Tim Floyd.

Ashaolu (11.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg) is the most highly touted of the group, and he decided to sit out his freshman year to work on his perimeter skills in hopes of making the transition from an inside player to a small forward.

Guyton (12.7) and Brown (11.1) give Louisiana Tech five players who average in double figures.

One year ago at the same juncture, Rupp & Co. were just 8-11. Now, the Bulldogs are 17-2 – with losses coming against New Mexico and at Arizona – and are the lone undefeated team in the WAC at 5-0.

The Bulldogs have already knocked off the two favorites in the league: Utah State and Nevada.

"I'm trying not to get caught up in it and trying to focus on the moment," Rupp said.

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