The SoCon coaches have announced their preseason poll, with Wofford picked first, Chattanooga second, ETSU third and Mercer fourth. Rashawn Rembert is the only Buc to make preseason all conference, with guard Karl Cochran of Wofford the pick for Player of the Year.
http://www.soconsports.com/ViewArticle.d...EM_ID=4000
The media poll has the same top four in the same order:
http://www.soconsports.com/ViewArticle.d...EM_ID=4000
Coaches Picks are as follows:
Predicted Order of Finish
Team (1st-Place Votes) Total
1. Wofford (8) 80
2. Chattanooga (2) 70
3. ETSU 65
4. Mercer 54
5. UNCG 51
6. VMI 39
7. Western Carolina 38
8. Furman 24
9. The Citadel 16
10. Samford 13
2014-15 Preseason All-Conference Team
Ashton Moore, The Citadel
Rashawn Rembert, ETSU
Stephen Croone, Furman
Tevon Saddler, UNCG
Casey Jones, Chattanooga
QJ Peterson, VMI
James Sinclair, Western Carolina
Karl Cochran, Wofford
Spencer Collins, Wofford
Lee Skinner, Wofford
2014-15 Preseason Player of the Year
Karl Cochran, Wofford
SoCon Men’s Basketball Predicted Order of Finish – Media Poll
Team (1st-Place Votes) Total
1. Wofford (23) 252
2. Chattanooga (2) 226
3. ETSU 204
4. Mercer (1) 189
5. VMI 152
6. Western Carolina 121
7. UNCG 111
8. Furman 66
9. Samford 65
10. The Citadel 44
The Bucs don't match up badly against consensus preseason pick Wofford, with it's modest sized front court rotation of 6'6" 220 Lee Skinner supported by 6'6" 205 Justin Gordon and 6'7" 230 C.J. Neumann. The choice of Chattanooga as second depends entirely on your belief in how well a crop of new JUCO's and transfers will work out (including 6'10" 220 Justin Tuoyo from VCU, 6'6" 225 JUCO All-America Duke Ethridge, and 6'5" Tre Mclean). Sometimes they turn out as advertised - sometimes not.
3rd is also where I had the Bucs in my submission to Johnmoc. They should be in the hunt.
Seems like reasonable predictions. If Rashawn has added one or two elements to his game, I think he'll have POY-worthy season.
I was thinking ETSU should have been second.
the main thing.. [/i] peak at tourney time in Asheville....
(10-15-2014 12:44 PM)ETSUfan1 Wrote: [ -> ]I was thinking ETSU should have been second.
I worry about the new bigs coming in for Chattanooga and Mercer. Our inability to handle FGCU, Mercer and USCU the last 2 years makes me wonder about our ability to handle them.
By the way, I've been looking at how our stats match up with last years SoCon (
http://www.soconsports.com/fls/4000/soco...ldrs.htm), and have come up with this:
Strong points:
proven guard play,
scoring (
76.8 would have been 2nd best in the SoCon),
3 point shooting (
would have led the SoCon in made 3’s with 275, and been 3rd best in percentage with .363),
free throws (
would have led the SoCon in made free throws with 656 and in percentage with .748),
turnover margin (
would have led the SoCon with 2.4), quickness, speed and athleticism.
Decent back court defense (
would have led the SoCon with 7.7 steals) but some trouble defending the 3 point line that arises in part from trying to collapse to help a small front court underneath
(would have the most 3’s allowed in the SoCon with 269, and yet would have been 2nd best in percentage defense, holding opponents to .332 from the line).
Weak points:
unproven front court,
small size,
trouble with rebounding
(would have been 10th in the SoCon with -3.2 rebounding margin) and defense underneath.
Trouble defending big physical guards like Lipscomb
Trouble with 3 point defense (see above)
And that is last year's SoCon with Davidson, Elon, Georgia Southern and App State
(10-15-2014 03:34 PM)swvabucsfan Wrote: [ -> ] (10-15-2014 12:44 PM)ETSUfan1 Wrote: [ -> ]I was thinking ETSU should have been second.
I worry about the new bigs coming in for Chattanooga and Mercer. Our inability to handle FGCU, Mercer and USCU the last 2 years makes me wonder about our ability to handle them.
By the way, I've been looking at how our stats match up with last years SoCon (http://www.soconsports.com/fls/4000/soco...ldrs.htm), and have come up with this:
Strong points:
proven guard play,
scoring (76.8 would have been 2nd best in the SoCon),
3 point shooting (would have led the SoCon in made 3’s with 275, and been 3rd best in percentage with .363),
free throws (would have led the SoCon in made free throws with 656 and in percentage with .748),
turnover margin (would have led the SoCon with 2.4), quickness, speed and athleticism.
Decent back court defense (would have led the SoCon with 7.7 steals) but some trouble defending the 3 point line that arises in part from trying to collapse to help a small front court underneath
(would have the most 3’s allowed in the SoCon with 269, and yet would have been 2nd best in percentage defense, holding opponents to .332 from the line).
Weak points:
unproven front court,
small size,
trouble with rebounding (would have been 10th in the SoCon with -3.2 rebounding margin) and defense underneath.
Trouble defending big physical guards like Lipscomb
Trouble with 3 point defense (see above)
And that is last year's SoCon with Davidson, Elon, Georgia Southern and App State
It was exasperating watching us get outworked on the glass last season. If that trend continues, I think this season will resemble last season. If, on the other hand, our motley crew fronctourt gels into a serviceable unit, I think we'll compete for the regular season championship.
I am excited to learn more about SOCON teams and players. From a quick glance at the all-conference players' stats from last season, 6'1" Karl Cochran looks to be a versatile guard: He averaged nearly 16 ppg, 5 rpg, 3 apg, and 2 spg last season - impressive numbers across the board.
(10-15-2014 03:54 PM)Bucfaithful Wrote: [ -> ]It was exasperating watching us get outworked on the glass last season. If that trend continues, I think this season will resemble last season. If, on the other hand, our motley crew fronctourt gels into a serviceable unit, I think we'll compete for the regular season championship.
I am excited to learn more about SOCON teams and players. From a quick glance at the all-conference players' stats from last season, 6'1" Karl Cochran looks to be a versatile guard: He averaged nearly 16 ppg, 5 rpg, 3 apg, and 2 spg last season. Those are numbers are impressive across the board.
One encouraging thing about the SoCon is that all but one of the best players are guards, and not even very big physical guards at that. 6'6" 220 Lee Skinner of Wofford is the only front court player on the All-Conference team. And even he is not very big. The Bucs may not have to pay as much of a penalty for their size as they would have in many other conferences.
2014-15 Preseason All-Conference Team
Ashton Moore, The Citadel
6’0” 172
Rashawn Rembert, ETSU
6’3” 195
Stephen Croone, Furman
6’0” 170
Tevon Saddler, UNCG
6’4” 207
Casey Jones, Chattanooga
6’5” 200
QJ Peterson, VMI
6’0 170
James Sinclair, Western Carolina
6’3 180
Karl Cochran, Wofford
6’1” 175
Spencer Collins, Wofford
6’4” 195
Lee Skinner, Wofford
6’6” 220
Wouldn't this crew have had a heck of a time trying to stop 6'6" 250 KGG?
Karl Cochran's stat sheet reads like one of Courtney Pigram's.
KGG would have gained another 10lbs eating them for breakfast....just so long as he remembered to be big, and not a fancy dribbler, in front of the SoCon guards.
I didn't have any special analyses or insights, but my original perspective from this past summer - top 3 finish or bust - seems to be supported by the experts. I do want to see at least a 2nd place finish in conference and advancement to the tournament's championship game to consider this a "successful" season. The field is set for disappointment or surprise, whatever may be.
We don't do well defending a very organized or patient offense - it's always just a matter of time before they find the open three, or the backdoor pass for the layup/dunk. If that's what Wofford produces, and we repeat history, they will get the best of us. But I think we're going to see two or three tenacious rebounders emerge in our frontcourt and some long arms spreading the floor better. At least I hope...
I did not hear the call-in show last night (10/21), but my friend told me that Bartow discussed several items of interest. First, Desonta Bradford appears to be rapidly emerging as a dynamic player. I'm told that Bartow raved about Desonta's versatility, athleticism, length, and basketball IQ. Bartow also discussed his high hopes for Devin Harris, saying that Devin "is a different player from last year..." Third, Bartow stated that Lester will likely start. I don't if that means at the '3' or the '4'? Additionally, I hope that statement reflects Lester's offseason improvements rather than a lack of talent at that position. Finally, Bartow suggested that there is no substantial separation right now among frontcourt players. It sounded like to me that the jury is still out (and will be for some time) regarding who will get the lion's share of frontcourt minutes.
I'm gonna go ahead and say it. Bucs win the regular season and the tournament. Split with Chattanooga, sweet Wofford. Shine up your shoes the Bucs are going dancing.
Bucfaithful wrote:
"I did not hear the call-in show last night (10/21), but my friend told me that Bartow discussed several items of interest. First, Desonta Bradford appears to be rapidly emerging as a dynamic player. I'm told that Bartow raved about Desonta's versatility, athleticism, length, and basketball IQ. Bartow also discussed his high hopes for Devin Harris, saying that Devin "is a different player from last year..." Third, Bartow stated that Lester will likely start. I don't if that means at the '3' or the '4'? Additionally, I hope that statement reflects Lester's offseason improvements rather than a lack of talent at that position. Finally, Bartow suggested that there is no substantial separation right now among frontcourt players. It sounded like to me that the jury is still out (and will be for some time) regarding who will get the lion's share of frontcourt minutes."
No reason for the coach to rush to judgment in the frontcourt. By about December 13 we'll have 8 games in, including conference games against Western Carolina and UNC Greensboro, and some decent mid majors (at Valparaiso, UNC Asheville, at Winthrop and at Morehead State). Then we should know a whole lot more about who's got talent and who really wants to play in the paint this year.
There may be lots of ups and downs and false leads. I still think that there are many similarities with 2008-2009, when we had an untried sophomore Tommy Hubbard, redshirt freshman Isiah Brown, a true freshman of unusual size in 6'11" Seth Coy and little used second year JUCO in Greg Hamlin. There were lots of false leads (after the Tennessee Tech game several on this board thought that Seth Coy would be the answer - but injuries helped set him way back) and twists and turns before a very serviceable answer emerged. Once again we've got untried sophomores (Isaac Banks) a JUCO unknown (Tommy Williams) and a freshman of unusual size (6'10" Karl Overstreet), with 6'6" Ron Giplaye instead of 6'6" J.C. Ward and 6'9" transfer Alex Bates instead of redshirt freshman Brown.
There are a lot of pieces that could fit in different ways. And solid answers can only came in games, not in practice.
Glad to hear that Devin is "a different player", and hope that the same could be said of a few others, including Isaac Banks. Those little used freshmen can turn into surprising sophomores.
Can't wait till we get to see these guys on the floor.
I was told that Bartow stated (on the call-in show) that Lester would start at the '4'. I'm unsure of the context of this statement - if Bartow meant if the season started today or if Lester's penciled in as the starter at PF.
Probably meant if we intended to lose more games because of size and rebounding. I'm sure he'd start Williams at 5, to make it legit...It's like someone told Bartow we might not be the smallest team in our conference anymore. Come on, coach.
(10-22-2014 04:27 PM)Bucfaithful Wrote: [ -> ]I was told that Bartow stated (on the call-in show) that Lester would start at the '4'. I'm unsure of the context of this statement - if Bartow meant if the season started today or if Lester's penciled in as the starter at PF.
Lester had a generally strong freshman and sophomore year, comparing pretty well with Mike Smith, and seemed to show in the last 15 games last year that he's poised to step it up. His game has had holes in it - particularly in defense and passing. But if he shows the kind of Junior year improvement that players like Mike Smith, Tommy Hubbard, Adam Sollazzo or Rashawn Rembert did - then he will be an all league player.
I think that there is good reason to pencil him in as a starter. We have no one else at the 4 who has produced like Lester on the D1 level.
I've always wondered with a deep bench if you could continually change the entire lineup every 3 mins or so keeping fresh legs on the court and making opponents adjust their game. I imagine it would throw some teams out of rhythm, probably ours as well. Has anyone seen a coach do this and did it work?
(10-22-2014 07:19 PM)squeak Wrote: [ -> ]I've always wondered with a deep bench if you could continually change the entire lineup every 3 mins or so keeping fresh legs on the court and making opponents adjust their game. I imagine it would throw some teams out of rhythm, probably ours as well. Has anyone seen a coach do this and did it work?
Didn't Waugh send in 2-3 players every dead ball?
I think that some folks on the board have been underrating Lester Wilson due to some obvious weaknesses in his game during his freshman and sophomore years. But look again at how his freshman and sophomore stats compare to Mike Smith.
Lester Freshman.: 13.0 ppg, .366 from 3 (75 made), 5.3 rpg, in 31.9 min.
Mike S Freshman.: 11.0 ppg, .378 from 3 (48 made), 3.7 rpg, in 25.7 min.
Lester Sophomore: 10.1 ppg, .333 from 3 (63 made), .816 free throws, 3.5 rpg in 21.8 minutes
Mike S Sophomore: 7.0 ppg, .364 from 3 (16 made), .720 free throws, 4.7 rpg in 23.6 minutes
It’s important to remember that Lester finished last season strongly in the last 12 games, starting with the second Jacksonville game and going through the Lipscomb tournament game:
Lester late Sophomore year: 15.2 ppg, .470 from the field, .410 from 3 (34 made), 22-24 for .916 from the line, 4.8 rpg in last 15 games, in 25.7 minutes. Tell me that those numbers haven’t earned him a starting spot until someone proves themselves better. Have Giplaye, Banks, Williams, Bates or Overstreet done anything even close to that on the D1 level? Don’t make the mistake of underrating Lester because he doesn’t have the length of a prototypical 4.
Mike Smith didn’t really become the great player that we remember until fully 20 games into his Junior year (2008-2009). I posted on that at the time, noting that it was as if a light had switched on for Mike. In 20 games prior to the second Jacksonville contest, Mike averaged 13.9 ppg and 6.4 rpg in about 34 minutes. But in the 13 games from Jacksonville II through the tournament he upped that to 18.0 ppg and 9.8 rpg in about 36 minutes.
Just because Mike made the leap forward doesn’t guarantee that Lester will. But I think that he’s got the smarts, the talent and the work ethic to elevate his game to the Kevin Tiggs/Courtney Pigram/Mike Smith range these next two years. Other front court players have yet to prove that they can do anything approaching Lester's game.
I really do favor Lester and had him in my starting 5 earlier in the summer. I just don't think 4 is his place, especially not on defense. But if that's what happens, then show me some real results this season to justify not developing your true-sized Freshman center and Sophomore power forward. Lester can play 3, but they can't.
I hope your prediction of Lester is accurate as it would be such a waste of talent if he did not turn into the Mike/Tiggs/Pigram type player we all know he can be. You mentioned work ethic as one of this strengths, but from what my friends tell me who frequent bars in Johnson City, i think his work ethic might not be as good as we think. He is frequently seen out during the week and weekends throwin' em back. I was always disappointed when I heard this, mainly because I know how much Rashawn works and if Lester would follow suit, he could be a tremendous player.
(10-22-2014 08:50 PM)swvabucsfan Wrote: [ -> ]I think that some folks on the board have been underrating Lester Wilson due to some obvious weaknesses in his game during his freshman and sophomore years. But look again at how his freshman and sophomore stats compare to Mike Smith.
Lester Freshman.: 13.0 ppg, .366 from 3 (75 made), 5.3 rpg, in 31.9 min.
Mike S Freshman.: 11.0 ppg, .378 from 3 (48 made), 3.7 rpg, in 25.7 min.
Lester Sophomore: 10.1 ppg, .333 from 3 (63 made), .816 free throws, 3.5 rpg in 21.8 minutes
Mike S Sophomore: 7.0 ppg, .364 from 3 (16 made), .720 free throws, 4.7 rpg in 23.6 minutes
It’s important to remember that Lester finished last season strongly in the last 12 games, starting with the second Jacksonville game and going through the Lipscomb tournament game:
Lester late Sophomore year: 15.2 ppg, .470 from the field, .410 from 3 (34 made), 22-24 for .916 from the line, 4.8 rpg in last 15 games, in 25.7 minutes. Tell me that those numbers haven’t earned him a starting spot until someone proves themselves better. Have Giplaye, Banks, Williams, Bates or Overstreet done anything even close to that on the D1 level? Don’t make the mistake of underrating Lester because he doesn’t have the length of a prototypical 4.
Mike Smith didn’t really become the great player that we remember until fully 20 games into his Junior year (2008-2009). I posted on that at the time, noting that it was as if a light had switched on for Mike. In 20 games prior to the second Jacksonville contest, Mike averaged 13.9 ppg and 6.4 rpg in about 34 minutes. But in the 13 games from Jacksonville II through the tournament he upped that to 18.0 ppg and 9.8 rpg in about 36 minutes.
Just because Mike made the leap forward doesn’t guarantee that Lester will. But I think that he’s got the smarts, the talent and the work ethic to elevate his game to the Kevin Tiggs/Courtney Pigram/Mike Smith range these next two years. Other front court players have yet to prove that they can do anything approaching Lester's game.
I can't claim any inside knowledge of the players. My Abingdon night life is pretty much restricted to pickin' with my old fart friends, so I don't run in the same circles. But some pretty fine athletes are "work hard, play hard" types.
In fact, speaking of Mike Smith's improvement and success, I had one friend tell me that Mike was known to enjoy tossing a few, or more, back. And when my son, RunningFool15, ran for William & Mary, he knew some hard working all-American runners who also enjoyed partying pretty hard.
Not that you'd recommend it. It's more that some succeed "in spite of" the recreational aspects.
Whenever I've seen Lester interviewed, he's acknowledged the weak spots in his game, and said the right sort of things. And the last 40% of last season certainly showed some significant improvement. Junior year has been a time when a lot of guys really hit their stride and dominate. But not everybody. Some guys flat line or regress. In two years we can look back at those stats I've cited and say "yes, the good omens were there. You could see the success coming." Or say, "pity. He was pretty good, but he could have really been something special."
So I'm hopeful. If Lester continues his fine shooting and makes incremental improvements in defense, passing and rebounding - in other words, if he makes those Junior year improvements that we saw from Mike, Tommy Hubbard, Adam Sollazzo, Rashawn and others - I think we'll really like the result. Even if he enjoys the recreational aspects a little too much.