Team preview: Kennesaw State
Blue Ribbon Yearbook

COACH AND PROGRAM

Kennesaw State Owls
Last Season 8-23 (.258)
Conference Record 6-14 (t-8th)
Starters Lost/Returning 1/4
Coach Lewis Preston (VMI '93)
Record At School First year
Career Record First year
RPI Last 5 years 276-323-336-281-321

Lewis Preston's last three coaching stops were at Notre Dame, Florida and Penn State. He was on Billy Donovan's staff when the Gators won their second consecutive national championship.

Kennesaw State is a far cry from the Big East, the SEC or the Big Ten. But Preston is a first-time head coach, and he's ready to make his bones in the Atlantic Sun.

"I'm very excited about being a first-time head coach," Preston said. "The thing that has stuck out more than anything else is the number of meetings you have outside of coaching, how much of an emphasis is on being part of an entire athletic program instead of just staying within the dimensions of your team.

"It really makes you plan out your time from day to day. But it's all positive. I have an opportunity to get out in the community and to teach and guide and help mold young men."

What would make a coach choose Kennesaw State other than the fact it's a head-coaching job? Preston saw a couple of positives despite last year's 8-23 mark.

"One thing that's very intriguing to me about this opportunity is it's a growing university," Preston said. "It's gaining not only a regional but national reputation, and there's a tremendous amount of basketball talent in Cobb County and the greater Atlanta metro area. It's a very rich recruiting base, and I think that's one of my strengths."

PLAYERS

The other positive for Preston is the returning roster. Obviously things didn't go smoothly for the Owls last season, but this team isn't devoid of talent. In fact, it returns nearly everybody, including the A-Sun's leading scorer and its leading rebounder.

"That was another intriguing piece to thisthe roster," Preston said. "There is a lot of talent, and it's a pretty veteran group. They just have to learn how to play as we as opposed to a bunch of individuals.

"I think they've been very receptive to what we're doing so far. But we're just two weeks into school. It's still fresh. I'm more concerned with what we do in the latter part of September. Will we continue to do what we're doing or resort to what they've done in the past?"

Preston has taken an interesting tack in learning about his new players.

"One of the things I haven't done, and intentionally, is watch a lot of film of last year," Preston said. "You can get preconceived notions and they can be the wrong type of notions. I'm trying to do a lot of on-court work with them and trying to teach them a little bit, and then I can figure out what to do offensively and defensively."

KSU, which pulled one of last season's biggest upsets when it knocked off Georgia Tech, lost five games by five points or less. It was a team that didn't shoot particularly well (.416) and played loose with the ball (nearly 100 more turnovers than assists for the season). It's not a leap to believe that with putting a little more value on each possession, the Owls could be around a .500 team.

It all starts with forward Markeith Cummings (18.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg), who led the A-Sun in scoring last season. The 6-7 junior scored in double figures in every game except two of the three meetings against conference champion Belmont. He tallied a season-high 31 against Campbell and dropped 30 on Mercer.

"I think since I've arrived he has bought in totally," Preston said. "He's a very talented young man. In regards to guys I've coached, he reminds me a lot of Ryan Humphrey at Notre Dame -- athletic, explosive, can score in a variety of ways. I expect him to have a banner year this year. Hopefully he could be one of those young men mentioned for player of the year in the Atlantic Sun.

"I think he's gotta be more consistent on the defensive end, and we've had conversations about that. He has to get other guys involved, which he has done to this point. Markeith needs to take more of a leadership role in regards to his team."

Another guy Preston will count on to lead and distribute the ball is 6-0 senior point guard Spencer Dixon (13.1 ppg, 3.4 apg). Dixon ranked seventh in the A-Sun in assists, but his assist-to-turnover ratio needs improvement.

He also needs to be a more consistent scorer. He had six 20-point games by Jan. 3 but not one after that.

Preston likes Dixon's desire.

"I find him to be one of the more competitive guys on this team," Preston said. "He's an extremely hard worker in between the lines.

"We continue to talk about finding ways to get guys involved. He can be even better at that. We've talked about understanding how to play the game within the game, understanding who's hot and making sure we get him the ball. There are four other guys on the floor, and we can all help each other."

The third key returning piece is 6-9 junior forward LaDaris Green (9.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.8 bpg), the leading rebounder in the A-Sun. Green finished with 11 double-doubles, including a stretch of seven in a row during conference play.

Green still isn't the biggest guy at 210 pounds, but he's an excellent leaper with good timing on the defensive end. During the aforementioned seven-game streak, Green averaged 13.4 points and 12.1 rebounds. If that guy shows up for a full season, KSU will be difficult to handle.

"I think he has grown since the end of last year," Preston said. "I talked to him about continuing to handle things off the floor. They can help you get better on the floor. Managing your time, get between the lines, work and develop his game, not only on the perimeter, but with post moves and counter moves. Get added strength in the weight room.

"Those first three guys can all be all-conference players. There are two things in my mind it comes down to. The first thing is putting the work in and doing the little things that help you win. And No. 2 is you gotta win."

Aaron Anderson (6.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg), a 6-7 junior forward, will start in the frontcourt with Cummings and Green. He racked up six double-digit rebounds games last season.

"I think Aaron can be an X factor," Wilson said. "He's very athletic, deceptively athletic. He can be a double-digit rebounder. And he has a wide variety of ways to score. One thing is just having confidence and doing it game in and game out."

The backcourt mix alongside Dixon is crowded. Returnees Nick Turner (0.7 ppg, 0.6 rpg), a 6-3 sophomore, and Brandon Dawson (2.9 ppg, 0.9 rpg), a 6-6 sophomore, will vie for minutes with newcomers Delbert Love (Cleveland/St. Edward's), a 5-11 true freshman, and Chase Robinson, a 6-3 transfer from Duquesne who has two years of eligibility remaining.

Turner and Dawson attended summer school and put in extra work on the practice court. But they'll have a battle on their hands with the recruits. Love was honorable mention all-state in Ohio, and Robinson has more experience than any of them.

"Delbert Love absolutely can contribute right away," Preston said. "Very plainly and simply he's been around a high level caliber of basketball at St. Ed's, and he's accustomed to winning. Once he gets acclimated, his natural tendencies will come to the forefront. He's a combo guard who can catch and shoot and has good handle. He also can help us extend the floor.

"Chase brings a level of maturity and even more importantly we can put him in a variety of different positions."

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS

BACKCOURT: C+
BENCH/DEPTH: C
FRONTCOURT: A
INTANGIBLES: B

Preston picked up plenty of insight into the game from the likes of Notre Dame's Mike Brey and Florida's Billy Donovan. He said Brey preached to keep the game simple and stay even keeled.

Preston believes he got a "Ph.D." in Xs and Os from Donovan, who championed a family atmosphere, and these Owls definitely need some parenting. They need to find a little more confidence and be less fragile, and if Preston can get them to trust each other and believe in the direction of the program, KSU could be in for a quick turnaround.