When sophomore guard Ben Uzoh signed with Tulsa in the spring of 2006, he was gambling on a combination of the program's past and future. The Golden Hurricane didn't have much present to offer at that point in time.

Coach Doug Wojcik had to convince Uzoh and others that the program had won big before and could do it again. Wojcik, a highly regarded assistant at North Carolina and Michigan State, had taken the same gamble when he took the job the previous spring.

"During the recruiting process, (Wojcik) told me that we want to build something special," Uzoh told the Tulsa World. "We see it happening before our eyes right now."

In Wojcik's third season on the job, the Golden Hurricane took a big step in the right direction by winning the first College Basketball Invitational, reaching the finals of the Conference USA tournament, finishing 25-14 and winning 15 of its last 19 games.

"This is awesome," sophomore center Jerome Jordan, the CBI's most valuable player, said after Tulsa defeated Bradley in a best-of-three championship series. "To win a championship means that all of our hard work that we've put in has paid off."

Now, the Golden Hurricane insists, it's time to return to the NCAA Tournament after a five-year absence. Tulsa played in eight NCAA tournaments over 10 seasons from 1994-2003, reaching the Elite Eight once, the Sweet Sixteen twice and won at least a first-round game seven times.

"Going into this tournament, our goal was winning it, but at the same time we had to take the learning experience from it," Uzoh said. "We want to take the intensity and high level of play into next year. The NCAA Tournament is where we want to be. This feels great, but at the same time we can't be satisfied."

For that to happen in 2008-09, Tulsa must replace three hard-working seniors who played valuable roles in 2007-08. Over time, Brett McDade developed into a capable point guard who could carry the team through tough times. Shooting guard Rod Earls' production slipped as a senior but he played well in the postseason. Power forward Calvin Walls was a tough and willing rebounder and defender who also scored 8.5 points per game.

"Those three guys, I have been pushing for them to play well," Wojcik said after the final win over Bradley, 70-64 on April 4. "They really responded in their final home game. They refused to lose and found a way to win."

There are plenty of reasons to think the success can continue. Those reasons start with Uzoh, Tulsa's leading scorer with 15.6 points per game, and Jordan, who went from raw 7-footer to dominating player over the final 10 games of the season, averaging 14.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game. Along the way he also broke the C-USA single-season record for blocked shots with 143.

"After everything settled down, I turned to Jerome and Ben and said to 'keep it going,'" Walls told the Tulsa World following the final game. "Obviously, they're the future of this program."

A third starter, junior wing Ray Reese, also emerged as a strong defender who took pressure off Uzoh by usually guarding the opponent's best scorer.

"The Reynolds Center has a nice team for next year," Earls said. "With Ben, Jerome and Ray, they'll have something to watch every week."

The Golden Hurricane will need a new point guard. Freshman Glen Andrews showed some positive signs as a scorer, but he still has a lot to prove to be a steady and capable playmaker. The point guard of the future was supposed to be Mark Hill, but he left three games into the 2007-08 season when he lost his starting job back to McDade. Two days later, Wojcik signed juco point guard Adrian Hernandez from Monterrey (Calif.) Peninsula College.

Sophomore small forward Bishop Wheatley and junior Sam Mitchell must take on more significant roles as well, while freshman forward Steven Idlett redshirted and freshman guard Justin Hurtt played in only 17 games before shoulder surgery brought his season to a close.

That means Tulsa will likely need immediate help from two prep signees, 6-7 Armond Battle and 6-6, 232-pound Joseph Richard.

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