Since they apparently don't have any fans on here, I'm representing now.
Actually, my cousin goes there and I went to the game versus UTPA over Thanksgiving. I don't really know what the quality of most A-Sun teams is now with the newer schools and just not seeing many A-Sun games, but I know this team would have been solid during the last days of UCF's A-Sun membership. Also had a chance to watch them on the BTN against Ohio State, and they hung in there until Ohio State's depth and superior athleticism just proved to be too much. But heck, Ohio State is a top 10 team.
This is a young team - only 4 upper-classmen and the young kids looked athletic and well-coached. I'd say the full transition up to D1 has helped Upstate's recruiting take a step forward from what I saw out of the upperclassmen, who I guess were recruited at the end of the D2 era.
The PG Ty Greene is going to be really solid - you can see as a FR that he has some court vision and distributes well. He handled Ohio State pretty well and played good defense. He's not pulling in the assists right now - actually the SF Craig lead the team in the games I watched - but I felt like he's going to get there.
At SG, they've got a German kid, Mario Blessing. I think the game's still a bit fast for him, but his defense is above average at this point. Not much on offense in either game, but I see some upside for him as a 1/2 combo who can distribute and be trusted to defend a good opposing guard, though right now he's not going to shut down a real athletic, talented player. Definitely has a ceiling, but with more experience, he can be a solid contributor...really needs to develop offensive confidence and a shot from beyond the arc to help the post guys.
At the 3, they've got Torrey Craig, a 6'6 forward. He goes down into the post some, and led the team in scoring against OSU. He was A-Sun Freshman of the Year last year, so you know he can play. Definitely developing into a legit scoring threat, though I didn't see evidence (either way) about his touch beyond the arc. Looked to have good touch on the mid-range and an ability to drive for the layup.
They rotate the big guys at 4/5 a lot. The one that caught my attention against UTPA and Ohio State was Babatunde Olumuyiwa. He was off the bench against UTPA, and I frankly thought he was underused. He is a fierce defender and rebounder...reminds me of Lavell Payne from UCF's A-Sun days...a bit undersized to play C, but makes up for it with intensity. Ricardo Glenn is the other post guy that caught my attention. He's likewise a bit undersized (6'8) but bulkier than the other guys. Decent scorer based on the stats, but I honestly didn't pay enough attention to his moves to be able to say how skilled he is right now.
Craig is the most talented guy on the team, without a doubt. He's their best scoring threat and he makes his teammates better by dishing the ball when he needs to. The post guys all contribute, and I think Glenn can be a scorer at the 4 with Olumuyiwa providing solid defense and boards from the 5. The team probably needs another year before they're ready for a real solid run through the A-Sun, and while I see some potential in the 2G Blessing, I think they need a scoring threat at guard. If one of the larger backups develops into a good scoring threat or if they pick up a JUCO that can score at the 2, I think they'd be dangerous in A-Sun play next year for sure.
Also, their PA announcer has a synthesizer so he sounds like Leonidas from
300 to go with the Spartan mascot. It was kind of awesome.
