(Last Edit 10/14/18)
1 UNCG: 27-8; 15-3 (82nd KenPom)
In July of last year I was one of the few who picked the Spartans as the team to beat going into the season, contrary to the Coaches’ poll (5th), the Media poll (3rd), the picks from Blue Ribbon (6th), Sports Illustrated (6th ), Street & Smith (6th ) and most everyone else. Even KenPom ranked them 5th preseason in the SoCon at 161st overall. I see no reason to change my opinion going into next season, but I think this time I’ll have a lot more company.
https://csnbbs.com/thread-822917.html One early indicator: SB Nation had them 10th among midmajors in their June 5, 2018 power rankings.
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2018/6/5...in-Gonzaga
UNCG struggled early, looking especially for reliable scoring to replace Diante Baldwin and R.J. White.
They got a signature win at NC State 81-76 (77th KenPom) and came within 6 of Wake Forest. But they also suffered a signature screwup losing @ Presbyterian 72-74 (322nd KenPom). They lost @ UNC Asheville 60-67 (147th KenPom) and took 3 overtimes at Liberty 76-75 (154th KenPom).
But they found a player in athletic high energy freshman Isaiah Miller, and guys like Jordy Kuiper and Demetrius Troy pitched in to help with the scoring and played better going into conference. The conference season was also a struggle. With two weeks left in the regular season they were a couple of games down to ETSU in the SoCon. But they out fought the Bucs down the stretch and wound up pulling it out by a game. Then in the Tournament they squeaked by nemesis Wofford by a single point, 56-55, and got revenge for last year by outfighting ETSU 62-47 in the final.
That gave the Spartans a ticket for a battle royal against Gonzaga in the Dance. The Spartans fought back from a deficit and had a 2 point lead on Gonzaga till the 'Zags tied it with 56 seconds remaining. Do you see a pattern here? In writing about the UNCG season, how many times does one have to say that they "fought back" or "struggled back" or "pulled it out" down the stretch? Good defense (the Spartans were 20th in D1 in FG% defense with .406, behind number 13 ETSU with .403
https://www.ncaa.com/stats/basketball-me...team/149), rebounding (16th in D1 in Rebounding Margin with 6.7 ) and heart pulled them back into games, and pulled them back into the season. Unfortunately limited offensive options made it hard to seal a win. Against Gonzaga James Dickey, fighting through a lot of contact, blew a lob to give the 'Zags their chance to tie it up. Alonso missed on a drive allowing Gonzaga to pull ahead with a 3 pointer at 20 seconds. Then Alonso picked up a dumb frustrated offensive foul on a play run for him, and that was pretty much it. Three weak offensive possessions from UNCG and three effective ones from the 'Zags.
Of their top players they lose 6-9 250 Jordy Kuiper and 6-5 Garrett Collins, both replaceable in a loaded front court although they take some perimeter shooting with them. But they also lose the underrated 6-6 Marvin Smith, 12.0 ppg with 75 made 3’s (albeit on .322 shooting) and 5.4 rebounds, who is much less replaceable. 6-9 bruisers Hamilton and Abdulsalam replace Kuiper. But there does not appear to be anyone to replace the skills of 6-6 Smith. There is a hole between the 6-0 to 6-3 guards and the 6-8 to 6-10 bigs, where opponents too big for the guards and too quick for the bigs may make trouble. Kuiper, Smith and Collins take basically all of the front court’s perimeter shooting with them. Since UNCG hit patches where they struggled with offense, this loss may be really significant.
At guard it’s the Malaga Marksman, the Andalusian Assassin, El Boqueron (the 'Big Anchovy', the real life nickname for people from his lovely seaside hometown of Malaga, Spain)
6-3 185 Sr. Francis Alonso .401 from 3 with 111 makes, tireless in running off screens, clever in driving to the hoop and infuriating in flopping to draw fouls. UNCG improved when they found ways to rely on him less. They need better scoring from other guards.
Point guard 6-0 187 Sr Demetrius Troy came on strong late in the season. In the SoCon and NCAA tournaments he played at an entirely new level, averaging 14 points a game (14, 13, 13 and 16 against Gonzaga). That was double his per game average of 6.9 points at the end of the regular season. His FG% was .574 compared to .384 in the regular season, and 3 point shooting .500 compared to .350 for the rest of the season. If he can even approach that offensive performance his senior year, it will be a huge boost for the Spartans. Fiery
6-0 180 So Isaiah Miller brings excellent athleticism, non stop energy and defense but questionable shooting (1-9 from 3), his development coinciding with UNCG’s later season improvement.
6-3 185 Jr Malik Massey stats were the same as his freshman year as he was passed up by Miller – Spartans could really use improvement from him and better shooting from Miller.
6-4 190 R-Fr Kaleb Hunter could be a factor. He redshirted last year but was a highly touted recruit with a dozen offers including Arizona State, VCU, ODU, MTSU, Murray State, Southern Miss, ECU and Charlotte, far more than his fellow freshman, the very successful Isaiah Miller. He had been rated the number 5 recruit in North Carolina by Prep Hoops, but missed his senior season due to a foot injury. I wonder if that was part of the decision to redshirt, and also if he is still having health problems? On June 5, 2018, Verbal Commits reported the
transfer of 6-3 160 ODU SO G Michael Hueitt, a former 3 star recruit with 13 other offers; but who only saw action in 13 games freshman year, averaging 5.9 minutes with 2.1 points and 2.1 rebounds. He'll sit out this year.
But the big reason for optimism is in the front court with long athletic
6-10 200 Jr James Dickey defensive POY and best rebounder in the SoCon poised for a conference POY Junior season.
Jr 6-8 215 Kyrin Galloway improved his game. They are joined by
6-9 250 Jr transfer Eric Hamilton who was the slam dunk champion at Wichita State 2 years in a row. As a freshman he got into 21 games, averaged 3.4 ppg on .364 (4-11) from 3 with 1.7 rebounds.
Freshman 6-9 268 bruiser Mohammed Abdulsalam of Ibadan, Nigeria, ranked 4* by ESPN and 16th among high school centers with offers from Wichita State, Tennessee, Providence, Georgia Tech and UAB should muscle his way into the mix. Check his highlights - he could be reminding them of R.J. White:
https://youtu.be/nqa32m7anBM That jump hook is pretty tough to stop. Except for the lack of perimeter shooting, Hamilton and Abdulsalam should be an upgrade over Kuiper, especially in athleticism. Abdulsalam's high school teammate
athletic 6-6 195 Fr Angelo Allegri looks like a basketball player but got no other D1 interest.
[Gone from roster Oct 13] 6-5 195 Rs-So Kalia Sykes had energy and defense but very limited scoring. Add 6-6 175 Fr-WO Khyre Thompson. Fr Allegri is not likely to make them forget 6-6 Marvin Smith.
These guys play tough, gritty defense featuring a continuous half strength press that can spring into a full strength trapping press. That slows the opponent getting into their offense, and keeps opposition scoring to 62.5, 5th in D1. They do not quit and will fight you and claw back when down. Offense still comes up short sometimes on days when Alonso is not wearing his Superman cape. The absence of Marvin Smith will make that worse and could sometimes prove fatal. Keys are Troy performing near tournament level, Hamilton and Abdulsalam being as advertised and improved scoring from Miller, Hunter or Massey. The defense and rebounding will make pretty much every game a war.
Guards:
#10 6-3 185 Sr. Francis Alonso, 29.3 minutes, 15.5 ppg, .401 from 3 (3.2 makes), 3.0 assists, 1.0 steals
# 24 6-0 180 So., Isaiah Miller, 16.3 minutes, 8.3 ppg, (1-9 from 3), 3.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals
#11 6-0 187 Sr. Demetrius Troy, 25.7 minutes, 7.7 ppg, .387 from 3 (1.5 makes), 3.9 assists; but, he finished the season averaging 14 ppg on .500 from 3 in 4 tournament games!
#2 6-3 185 Jr. Malik Massey, 14.6 minutes, 3.8 ppg, .302 from 3 (0.7 makes)
#44 6-4 190 Rs-Fr Kaleb Hunter, 12 offers including Arizona State, VCU, ODU, MTSU, Murray State, Southern Miss, ECU and Charlotte. But redshirted after missing senior high school season to a foot injury.
Front Court:
#21 6-10 200 Rs-Jr James Dickey, 27.7 minutes, 8.9 ppg, 8.4 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 0.8 steals
#35 6-9 250 Jr transfer from Wichita State Eric Hamilton; Career stats: 5.5 minutes, 3.6 ppg on .261 from 3, 1.5 rebounds
#14 6-8 215 Jr Kyrin Galloway, 19.6 minutes 5.7 ppg, .283 (13-43 from 3), 4.4 rebounds
#25 6-11 270 Sr Lloyd Burgess got into only 5 games
[Gone Oct 13] 6-5 195 Rs-So Kalia Sykes, 10.1 min, 2.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.6 stl
Newcomers with
Highlights:
6-6 195 Fr F Angelo Allegri, no D1 offers, 4 small schools
6-9 268 Fr C Mohammad Abdulsalam; 4* and 16th ranked C Per ESPN, offers from Wichita State, Tennessee, Providence, Georgia Tech and UAB;
https://youtu.be/nqa32m7anBM
Sitting out this year is ODU TR
6-3 175 SO G Michael Hueitt, Jr. a former 3* recruit with 13 midmajor offers; 13 games, 5.9 minutes, 2.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg,
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/pla...tjr-1.html
2 ETSU: 25-9; 14-4 (93rd KenPom)
The Bucs had a decent 9-4 OOC (94th KenPom) leading Xavier by over 20 points in the second half, a great 13-0 start in conference (raising their rank to around 56th in KenPom) and a frustrating 1-4 regular season finish, dropping 3 home games in a row to Citadel, Wofford and Furman. They finished back at 93rd in KenPom. They beat Chattanooga and Furman to get a shot at UNCG in the SoCon Tourney title game, but lost a defensive battle 47-62, with an injury to SoCon POY Desonta taking him out for over two minutes at crunch time.
At the end of OOC and through those first 13 conference games the Bucs developed a grinding, suffocating defense that impressed a lot of commentators. In the first part of conference the FG% and 3 point shooting also picked up. But the driver was the defense. The Bucs were right near the top of D1 with a FG% Defense of .367 halfway through conference play. UNCG was at .424. But at the end of season the Bucs seemed worn down, maybe more emotionally than physically. Maintaining the grinding defense may in the end have been as tough on the Bucs as on opponents. Defense and rebounding dropped off dramatically during that slump (although the Bucs STILL finished 13th in D1 in FG% Defense with .403. But they were dropping while UNCG improved to .406.
https://www.ncaa.com/stats/basketball-me...t/team/149) 3 point shooting dropped off a bit, too, but that was weak most of the year. The problem was the inability to maintain the defensive pressure and rebounding (rebounding margin was +3.9 on the season, 54th in D1) that had become the trademark of this team. Of course there would have been more depth if the 2nd highest rated player on the squad 6-7 Jeromy Rodriguez was not lost to injury, and if skilled 6-6 JUCO recruit Andre Edwards had not been lost to off court issues.
Looked at from the preseason, the Bucs exceeded what most folks predicted. Preseason they were 4th in the Coach’s Poll, 4th in the Media Poll, 4th in Blue Ribbon, 3rd in Sports Illustrated, 5th in Street & Smith. Even KenPom ranked us 2nd, to Mercer, at 111th overall. Yet they finished 2nd in the regular season and made it to the title game. Looked at by what the Bucs showed they were capable of midseason, however, it was a disappointing finish. That's a high bar, because midseason the Bucs were doing something special. But that is the target that Forbes is setting.
The Bucs lose their top 4 guards (POY Desonta Bradford, Jalan McCloud, Devontavius Payne and Jermaine Long). Jr G Jason Williams (10 min, 2.8 ppg) transfers as did Sr Kanayo Obi-Rapu (10 min, 3.4 ppg) after summer practice. They lose 2 of their top 4 front court players in Peter Jurkin and David Burrell. With most teams you’d expect a disastrous drop – but the Bucs return some key quality young players in rising
sophomores 6-10 240 Mladen Armus and
6-4 200 Bo Hodges (their second best player by year’s end and SoCon Freshman of the Year) and get two talented redshirts eligible in
6-0 165 So Appy State transfer Patrick Good and
6-7 225 JUCO Jr Jeromy Rodriguez. Forbes emphasizes that those four are the core of the team. And Steve Forbes as usual landed seven stellar signees to go with them, including
6-1 185 2 time JUCO All-American and 15th ranked JUCO in the country Isaiah 'Pun' Tisdale with 17.4 points a game, although 3's are only .316, 4.5 assists and 4.6 rebounds and
3 star freshman 6-2 185 Carlos Curtis. Most of the better teams in the SoCon also suffered big losses (Furman, Mercer, Samford) excepting only Wofford and to a certain extent UNCG.
Armus and Hodges are both hard workers who showed remarkable progress from the beginning of their freshman season to the end. Both were promoted to starter in the SoCon tournament after a season of coming off the bench. Each averaged over 25 minutes a game in the tournament. Mladen doesn’t have the length or shot blocking that Jurkin had and doesn’t alter the shots of everybody in the lane like Peter did. But he is a better physical defender against bigs who attack him directly. He doesn’t have Peter’s outside touch, but he is getting just rock solid around the basket and was better finishing through contact. We haven’t had a freshman big man who compares to him since Brad Nuckles was a freshman 15 years ago –
Brad N: 15.5 minutes, 5.6 ppg on .485 FG%, 4.3 rebounds, 1.1 blocks
Armus: 18.1 minutes, 6.3 ppg on .627 FG%, 5.5 rebounds, 0.5 blocks
As he gains strength and experience, the sky is the limit. His
pictures https://twitter.com/ForbesETSUhoops/stat...19072?s=19 and Forbes comments have him already gaining weight and muscle in the months since season's end.
Bo Hodges was nominally a guard, but did a lot of playing inside and had an offensive game going right to the rim. Out of conference he averaged 17.8 minutes, but when the tournament rolled around he was promoted to starter and averaged 26.7 minutes a game. On the season he was 21.2 minutes, 9.0 ppg on .512 FG% and 3.5 rebounds. At 6-4 his game could really open up if he could get a 3 that was good enough to force opponents to defend it, and a pullup jumper so that when he drove toward the rim they had to worry about him stopping and popping. As it is he’s the most hardworking enthusiastic freshman since A.J.. You worry about his ability to maintain his take-no-prisoners style of play without injury. There were big stretches of the season where he was too beat up to practice. But come tournament time, both his minutes and his level of play were up - not the signs of a player breaking down.
Most similar freshman to Hodges? Ben Rhoda.
6-4 Ben: 22.5 minutes, 8.6 ppg on .515, .176 from 3, 3.0 rebounds
6-4 Bo : 21.8 minutes, 9.0 ppg on .512, .240 from 3, 3.5 rebounds
Rhoda was a smart, tough player, but Bo has got athleticism that Rhoda could only dream about – a much bigger upside.
In the front court with Mladen there is
6-7 225 Jeromy Rodriguez, rated the #2 player on the squad behind SoCon POY Desonta Bradford, before missing the season to injury. He should provide a heckofa 1-2 punch with Mladen.
6-8 190 D’Andre Bernard is rail thin but athletic and very active. He can put the ball on the floor and can play on the perimeter forcing big defenders to come out of their comfort zone to defend him.
6-8 230 Sr James Harrison has the body and some good skills, but just hasn’t shown the intensity or energy that you need to succeed inside. Hopefully he’ll benefit from the “2nd year JUCO” effect and pick up his game. We could really use about 15 strong minutes from him. And finally there is a real wild card in late signee
7-0 195 JUCO Jr Octavion Corley who is long and an enthusiastic shot blocker who can really run the floor and rebound. He's very thin, but watch the highlights and try not to smile.
At guard, the Bucs struggled from 3 last year, putting pressure on their defense. But incoming
6-2 185 freshman Carlos Curtis (3 star recruit),
6-4 185 JUCO junior Tray Boyd (.447 with 106 makes from 3 and effortless range to the logo and beyond)
honorable mention JUCO All-America 6-3 200 JR Kevon Tucker (108 makes on .433 from 3) and even
6-8 190 JUCO junior D’Andre Bernard to a lesser extent, can all bury it from 3. They are not just ‘catch and shoot’ types. They can put the ball on the floor and create their own perimeter shots. Curtis could be the best all around freshman guard ETSU has had since former Louisville recruit Courtney Pigram wound up with the Bucs. Curtis attracted national attention by holding his own in 2 matchups against Kentucky recruit Tyler Herro, then led the Wisconsin-Michigan All-Star game with 34 points, stacking up awfully well against high major commits. And highly sought after (13 other offers)
6-2 155 freshman PG Daivien Williamson can shoot, too, averaging 23 points his senior year and scoring 27 in the North Carolina 1A championship game, leading Winston-Salem Prep to the championship and nabbing the MVP for himself. Add in
6-0 165 So Appy State transfer Patrick Good (.410 from 3 as a D1 freshman averaging 1.9 makes per game) who Forbes calls part of the core of the team, along with Hodges, Armus and Rodriguez. Forbes estimates that he is adding 448 made 3's to the roster. By any measure it looks like 3 point shooting should improve for the Bucs.
2 time JUCO All-American Guard 6-1 185 Isaiah 'Pun' Tisdale may not be a great 3 point shooter (.316), but he seems to do most everything else well with 17.4 points, 4.5 assists to 1.6 t.o.'s, 1.1 steals and 4.6 rebounds and has a reputation for big performances in big games, twice leading his #5 Vincennes team deep into the JUCO tournament.
A late May signing brings in
honorable mention JUCO All-American Jr Guard 6-3 200 Kevon Tucker. A former Wofford freshman, Tucker brings some stellar stats with 19.5 ppg on 43.3% from 3 with 108 makes (10th among JUCO's), and a striking 5.3 rebounds. His shooting motion is unusual, but effective. Tucker came out of high school in Dacula, GA with 14 offers including Murray St., Houston, UNCW, MTSU, Northeastern and W&M. He arrived at Wofford with a couple of other sought after freshmen guards in Nathan Hoover and Donavan Love. Starting senior Eric Garcia and shooting phenom Fletcher Magee were already established, as was senior Jaylen Allen. Tucker couldn't crack the lineup, seeing action in only 15 games and averaging 5.3 minutes. So he transferred to the JUCO ranks and prospered there. Perhaps those JUCO rebounds indicate that the Bucs expect him to be a swing man.
On June 2 the Bucs signed
7-0 195 JUCO JR Octavion Corley out of Casper (WY) CC. Sophomore year JUCO stats show him posting 9.8 ppg on 62% FG% with no 3's, 4.5 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in only 13.3 minutes per game over 20 games until a late season severe concussion ended his year.
http://njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2017-18/div...corleyxseq
He had offers from Washington State, Pacific (this is pay back for Damon Stoudamire snatching one from us), Louisiana Monroe, Portland State and Texas Rio Grande Valley with New Mexico making a late rush for him.
http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/octavion-corley
Highlights show a long kid who looks every bit of 7 feet and bigger than his listed 195, who runs the floor extremely well, can score nicely on short to medium range, has some good basic basket moves, including going to his left (he's a righty) with a drop step and seal and really enthusiastically blocks shots. The competition is not strong in these highlights, but it's hard for a Bucs fan not to grin when they see the talent on display here.
https://youtu.be/wpvqF5-LFMQ
His abilities as a rim protector and transition player make him a perfect fit for the Forbes style.
http://trib.com/sports/college/casper-co...ssion=true
A possible difference maker against big teams like UNCG.
Obi-Rapu's August transfer opened up a place for the 8/15 signing of
7-0 220 Jr Tr Lucas N'Guessan from Oklahoma State and the Netherlands. He'll have to sit out a year, but brings 2 years of Big 12 experience, averaging 9.2 minutes, 1.9 ppg, 1.8 rebs, 0.5 blks.
You’ve got to rate UNCG higher for now. But this is yet another Buc team with lots of unknowns, but huge upside. The Bucs have an improving center in Armus, a very promising power forward in Rodriguez and a proven young wing in Hodges, backed up by 7-0 Corley, 6-8 Bernard and 6-8 Harrison. It should be an improved front court. And it will need to be with the Spartans fielding a front court of 6-10 Dickey and 6-8 Kyrin Galloway joined by 6-9 250 Wichita State transfer Eric Hamilton and 6-9 268 4* Freshman Mohammed Abdulsalam. There's a flock of young guards led by Patrick Good, Pun Tisdale, Carlos Curtis and Tray Boyd. And a Coach with proven ability to take a group of new players and create a team. Not all of Forbes swings are home runs, but enough of them are for extra bases that the odds are heavily in favor of another strong year for the Bucs. Enjoy this era while it’s here, fans.
Newcomers with
Highlights:
#5 3* Fr G 6-2 185 Carlos Curtis (wow): Don't miss the various highlight reels for Carlos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU9XFjAoe0U He got national attention doing pretty well in battles with Kentucky recruit Tyler Herro and then scored 34 to lead the Wisconsin/Michigan All Star game against a slew of high major signees. Energy and athleticism are A.J. Meriweather/Bo Hodges level. Shooting, ballhandling and overall freshman year skills are even better. Sr Hs 22 ppg, 10 reb, 9 asst, 3 stl!!
#4 Fr G 6-2 155 Daivien Williamson:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56gTpJj6ZoQ 2nd team NC allstate
https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/high...10049.html ; 13 other offers including Wofford (so you know he can shoot), UNCG, Georgia Southern, UNC Wilmington, Coastal Carolina, and App State
#15 2 time JUCO All-American (1st team as Soph, Honorable Mention as Frosh), 15th ranked JUCO, 6-1 175 Isaiah 'Pun' Tisdale: tournament game from March 10, 2017 (1 year old video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtFrLs1Nb0M JUCO Soph stats: 17 ppg, .316 3's (43 makes) 4.5 assists, 1.7 t.o.'s, 1.1 steals, 4.6 rebounds leading #5 JUCO team Vincennes
#1 JUCO JR 6-4 185 Tray Boyd, from last year, look at the effortless range from this guy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cYHXSIohuI JUCO soph stats: 14.8 ppg, .447 3’s (106 makes!), 2.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists
#2 JUCO JR 6-8 190 D'Andre Bernard:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsB7WYCSmv8 JUCO soph stats: 9.6 ppg, .317 3’s (13-47), 6.0 rebounds
#13 JUCO JR 7-0 195 JR Octavion Corley again, must see highlight:
https://youtu.be/wpvqF5-LFMQ JUCO soph stats: 13.3 minutes, 9.8 points on 62%, no 3's attempted, 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 blocks
#21 6-3 200 JUCO JR Kevon Tucker, Honorable Mention JUCO All-American, highlights from first half of last season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if2ujHAT7gY JUCO soph stats: 19.5 ppg, .443 threes (108 makes), 5.3 rebounds 1.8 assists
OSU Tr Jr 7-0 220 Lucas N'Guessan eligible next year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff9Niwb3AFc 9.2 min, 1.9 ppg, 1.8 reb, 0.5 blocks
Guards:
#3 6-4 200 So Bo Hodges, 21.2 minutes, 9.0 ppg, .512 FG%, .240 from 3 (6-25), .663 FT%
[TRANS after summer practice] 6-3 195 Sr Kanayo Obi-Rapu, 10.0 minutes, 3.4 ppg, .328 from 3 (21-64), 1.2 reb
#10 6-0 165 So-Tr Patrick Good; Appy State freshman stats: 22.6 minutes, 7.0 ppg, .410 from 3 (55-134) (1.9 makes), 2.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 t.o.’s
Remember, these aren't JUCO or high school stats, but D1 Sun Belt conference stats for Patrick Good
Front Court:
#33 6-10 240 So Mladen Armus, 18.1 minutes, 6.3 ppg, .627 FG%, no 3's, .616 FT, 5.5 rebounds, 1.6 t.o.'s, 0.5 blocks
#11 6-7 225 Rs-Jr Jeromy Rodriguez, Sophomore JUCO stats: 14.7 ppg on .602 FG%, no 3’s, 9.7 rebounds
#20 6-8 230 Sr James Harrison got in 15 games; 5.3 minutes, 1.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg
3 Wofford: 21-13; 11-7 (163rd KenPom)
Mike Young did another solid coaching job last year, developing walk on material like
5-11 180 Freshman Storm Murphy who had no other D1 offers into an all conference point guard, and promoting overlooked
6-5 215 Trevor Stumpe a rising Junior and Derrick Brooks into productive starters. When he made those moves he kicked the Terriers into a whole other gear. When their shooting was on they could even bring down big game like UNC on the road.
Young returns everybody of value except the replaceable Derrick Brooks. Seldom used Dishon Lowery also transferred. It’s a pity that Young has decided to go the ‘easy’ transfer route, importing transfer
6-9 225 So Chevez Goodwin from Charleston to improve the front court instead of building the team ‘the right way’. Young has made snide comments about others for doing exactly the same thing. In late May Wofford announced the signing of 4 other freshmen, including 2 interesting forwards:
6-7 185 Fr Isaiah Bigelow, NC all-state, a former Charlotte commit with offers from UNF, UNCW, Radford, Charlotte, NC A&T, Norfolk St and Chattanooga. Also
6-6 215 Fr Messiah Jones from Simeon High, Chicago, 2nd team IL all-state, a former Drake commit with offers including Murray, Evansville, Chicago St, Milwaukee, Towson, Drake, Northern Ill, Fla Atl, and McNeese. Also two walk ons:
6-4 190 G Drew Cottrell and
6-6 205 F Alex Michael. They join incoming freshman
6-0 160 Fr G Ryan Larson of St. Paul MN with offers from Northern Iowa and Presbyterian, who reminds me a bit of Storm Murphy.
The strength of the team is the mad shooting from 3 at guard from
Fletcher Magee (.439 with 148 makes from all angles and distances - that's
first in D1 in 3's made and 15th in 3pt%
https://www.ncaa.com/stats/basketball-me...vidual/144 ),
Nathan Hoover (.405 with 70 makes),
Trevor Stumpe (.427 with 47 makes) and
Storm Murphy (.383 with 41 makes). As a team they were .413 from 3 (5th in D1
https://www.ncaa.com/stats/basketball-me...t/team/152 ) with 10.5 makes (13th in D1
https://www.ncaa.com/stats/basketball-me...team/153). Essentially all of that shooting returns this year. They are almost certainly the best 3 point shooting team in D1 going into the season, in a game where the 3 ball is increasingly important.
The downside: defense was weak (44.9 FG% defense, 231st in D1) and rebounding mediocre (+0.3 margin, 184th in D1).
In the front court, everything depends on whether they can get a healthy year from
6-8 250 Senior Cam Jackson who gives them scoring (12.0 ppg on .601 FG%), rebounding (5.9) and physical rim protecting defense with 1.3 blocks and 1.9 steals. He seemed beat up by the end of last year, but was still head and shoulders above the Terrier’s other front court players.
6-11 260 Sr Matt Pegram posts reasonable stats (5.3 points, 3.1 rebounds) considering that he only gets 14.9 minutes but is fairly pedestrian.
6-8 230 So Keve Aluma got more minutes as the year went along, pretty much matching Pegram in minutes and rebounds overall (14.9 and 3.1 rpg for Matt to 13.3 and 3.4 for Keve). Keve and/or
6-9 225 So-Tr Chevez Goodwin who has really muscled up might take more of Pegram’s time this year.
Late May decommits
6-6 215 Fr forward Messiah Jones (Drake) from Chicago's Simeon HS, home of Derrick Rose and Jabari Parker, and
6-7 185 Fr forward Isaiah Bigelow (Charlotte) give Wofford a dimension of length and athleticism that they did not have at small forward. And create an intriguing matchup with rival UNCG who are losing 6-6 Marvin Smith. It will be interesting to see how quickly they adjust to D1 ball and Mike Young's system. Can they make an impact their freshman year?
Adding these guys and Goodwin makes this perhaps the deepest and most athletic team that Mike Young has ever had.
The Terriers match up well with UNCG, handling the half-strength press better than ETSU with sharp quick passing and 3 point bombing, and have fought some classic battles with an edge in defense and rebounding to the Spartans (one of the best defensive and rebounding teams in D1) and an edge in offense to the Terriers (probably the best 3 point shooting team in D1). UNCG is ranked 10th best Mid-Major and Wofford 25th in the June 5 power rankings of SB Nation. I wouldn’t miss those games this year.
Guards:
#3 6-4 200 Sr Fletcher Magee, 33.6 minutes, 22.1 ppg, .439 from 3 (148 makes), .907 FT%, 2.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.7 t.o.'s, 1 steal
#10 6-4 185 Jr Nathan Hoover, 27.1 minutes, 11.0 ppg, .405 from 3 (2.2 makes), 2.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 t.o.'s, 0.6 steals
#15 6-5 215 Jr Trevor Stumpe, 26.7 minutes, 10.8 ppg, .427 from 3 (1.7 makes), 4.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists
#5 5-11 180 So Storm Murphy, 27.4 minutes, 6.3 ppg, .383 from 3 (1.3 makes), 2.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.7 turnovers
#31 6-1 190 Jr Donavan Theme-Love, 12.3 minutes, 1.9 ppg, 1.9 assists, 1.0 t.o.'s, 0.7 steals
#21 6-2 185 So Tray Hollowell, 9.2 minutes, 3.2 ppg, .362 from 3 (21-58), 0.9 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 1.0 t.o.'s
Front Court:
#33 6-8 250 Rs-Sr. Cameron Jackson, 23.2 minutes, 12.0 ppg on .601 FG%, 0-3 three's, 5.9 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 1.7 steals
#50 6-11 260 Sr. Matthew Pegram, 14.9 minutes, 5.3 ppg on .445 FG% (6-15 .400 from 3), 3.1 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.9 t.o.'s
#24 6-9 230 So Keve Aluma, 13.3 minutes, 2.5 ppg on .566 FG% (0-0 from 3), 3.4 rebounds
#1 6-9 225 So Tr Chevez Goodwin freshman stats: 9.8 minutes, 2.3 ppg on .515 FG%, no 3’s, .379 FT%, 2.9 rebounds
#2 6-9 210 So Michael Manning: saw action in only 12 games, avg. 4.4 minutes, 0.5 ppg, 0.8 rebounds
Newcomers
#11 6-0 175 Fr Ryan Larson; only other D1 offers Presbyterian and Northern Iowa
#4 6-7 185 Fr Isaiah Bigelow, Greensboro NC, NC all-state; Offers from UNF, UNCW, Radford, Charlotte, NC A&T, Norfolk St, Chatt; brief highlight for Bigelow:
https://www.hudl.com/video/3/6788268/5a6...0e6468a9a0
#25 6-6 215 Fr Messiah Jones, Simeon High, Chicago, 2nd team IL all-state; Offers from Murray St., Evansville, Chicago St., Milwaukee, Towson, Drake, Northern Ill, Fla Atl, McNeese
Highlights for Jones:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3kD2liBl_Q
4 Furman: 23-10; 13-5 (95th KenPom)
Last year was the big chance for a Furman team loaded with quality seniors (Sibley, Fowler, Davis and Beans). They got more love than any other SoCon team in the Preseason polls despite their thin front court and the loss of Coach Niko Medved ( 1st in Blue Ribbon, 1st in SI and 1st in SoCon Media; but 3rd in Coaches and 4th in KenPom). Now those seniors have graduated.
Furman loses half their points with their 3 best guards Devin Sibley, Daniel Fowler and John Davis III. Also 6-7 Geoff Beans. Little used backup guard Jon Jean is transferring.
They do have some good returnees at guard with
6-5 212 Sr Andrew Brown who plays physical and shoots well,
5-11 203 Jr Jordon Lyons and
5-11 170 So Alex Hunter.
6-5 194 Rs-So Tre Clark is a guy who has not yet lived up to predictions. But a key recruit
6-2 194 Freshman point guard Andrew Taylor who got 11 midmajor offers including Belmont, Davidson and Winthrop, has apparently withdrawn from school, even though he had good summer workouts with the team.
In the front court
6-8 215 Sr Matt Rafferty is a legit all conference player and did not seem bothered at all by his old back injuries, but I am not convinced that
6-7 Rs-So Clay Mounce or
6-8 Rs-Jr Jalen Williams are much more than 10 minutes a game role players.
6-8 190 Rs-Fr Noah Gurley is thin, but long and athletic and could provide much needed help here.
6-7 206 Freshman Forward Jalen Slawson got 9 midmajor offers including ETSU, Winthrop and Army.
Highlights of newcomers:
OFF THE ROSTER
6-2 194 Fr point guard Andrew Taylor Corbin, KY
https://youtu.be/01m718BrEo4 11 midmajor offers: Belmont, Davidson, Wright State, UT Arlington, Winthrop, App State, Stetson, Vermont, Presbyterian
6-7 206 Fr forward Jalen Slawson Summerville SC, Pinewood Prep
https://youtu.be/v6ZzMY3KMCE 9 midmajor offers – ETSU, Winthrop, Army, App State, Jacksonville, Stetson, Charleston Southern, Coppin, New Orleans
6-3 187 Fr PG Michael Bothwell, Cleveland Heights OH, Cornerstone Christian Academy;
https://youtu.be/XxqzlcdjtC0 1 offer, Charleston Southern
6-0 167 Fr G Jaylon Pugh, Cartersville GA, no other offers
In his first year at the helm Coach Bob Richey was steady with a stocked team, but couldn’t quite live up to high preseason polls. Now we’ll really see what he can do in recruiting and rebuilding a team. Keys will be the development of freshman and sophomore guards (Taylor [already gone], Hunter and Bothwell) and whether Slawson and Gurley can make an impact at forward, or Williams and Mounce step it up. With the 3 best guards gone, there will be more pressure for production from an unproven front court.
Guards:
#5 6-5 212 Sr Andrew Brown, 24.6 minutes, 8.6 ppg, .433 from 3 (61-141), 3.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.0 t.o.'s, 1.1 steals
#23 5-11 203 Jr Jordan Lyons, 18.1 minutes, 8.3 ppg, .324 from 3 (58-179), 1.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.6 t.o.'s
#10 5-11 170 So Alex Hunter, 14.0 minutes, 3.2 ppg, .373 from 3 (19-51), 3.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.6 t.o.'s
6-5 194 Rs-So Tre Clark, redshirted last year, Fr stats: 7.5 minutes, 1.2 points on .250 FG% with 0 3’s, .409 FT%, 1.3 rebounds, 0.7 assists
Front Court:
#32 6-8 215 Sr Matt Rafferty, 26.3 minutes, 11.2 ppg, .598 FG%, .333 from 3 (13-39), 7.2 rebounds
6-8 190 Rs-Fr Noah Gurley; offers from Tampa and Charleston Southern; redshirt last year
#45 6-7 200 Rs-So Clay Mounce, 12.8 minutes, 5.0 ppg on .208 from 3 (5 makes all year), 2.9 rebounds
#2 6-8 240 Rs-Jr Jalen Williams, 9.5 minutes, 2.7 ppg, 0 three's, 3.6 rebounds
5 The Citadel: 11-21; 5-13 (315th KenPom)
The Citadel suffered a big blow early last year when Freshman of the Year Preston Parks quit after 6 games. But they picked themselves up and finally looked like they were turning the corner, knocking off some of the best teams in the SoCon (ETSU, Wofford & Furman) in the latter part of the season, as Dugger Baucom had assembled a team of his players, playing his way.
But no sooner had the season ended than they faced another blow with Frankie Johnson, their tough little floor leader, announcing that he was leaving. And former 3 star recruit
6-0 180 So Tariq Simmons, who might have helped make up for Frankie Johnson’s loss, announced his transfer in May, as did promising
6-8 190 So Robert Johnson. At the same time
6-6 196 Jr G Lejandro Allende with 17.8 minutes, 3.9 points and 3.0 rebound disappeared from the roster.
This is a problem that the Citadel has frequently faced over its history as the tough military academy discipline makes life at other places look a lot easier and more fun for star athletes. (See Pat Conroy’s terrific book “My Losing Season” about his senior season as a starting point guard at the Citadel) Their most successful athletes are also the most sought after and the most tempted to bolt. Baucom's challenge is to keep bringing in young talent to replace those who decide to leave. This year he adds
graduate transfers 6-4 Jr G Connor Kern and 6-1 Sr G Lew Stallworth, eligible to play now.
Duggar Baucom now has a team that is completely his from freshmen to seniors that have been with him for four years. And he's got a good balance of 3 talented Seniors, 2 Juniors, and a bunch of promising sophomores and freshmen.
The 4 key guys are the seniors and Junior Kaelon Harris.
6-7 205 Sr Zane Nazdawi is a fine all around player who has to take on a 4 or a 5 every game that has got an advantage in muscle, height, length and athleticism. But not often in skill or basketball smarts. Zane averages 15.5 points on .407 from 3 with 5 rebounds.
6-1 150 Sr Matt Frierson averages 13.5 points on .363 from 3 with 114 makes.
5-11 170 Sr. Quayson Williams averages 7.1 points and 2.9 rebounds in only 15 minutes. Add in
6-4 225 Junior Kaelon Harris and you have a tough physical matchup going to the hoop for most SoCon guards. That's a pretty fair experience core for the Bulldogs.
They've got a group of 6-5 and 6-6 sophomores behind them with athleticism and promise:
6-6 220 So Hayden Brown, 13.4 minutes and 5.2 points; 6-5 205 So Alex Reed, 14.3 minutes and 5.5 points; and 6-6 180 So Kaiden Rice, 9.7 minutes and 5.7 points.
Note that Baucom's system of running players in and out has given all of these young guys some useful experience, around 10 to 15 minutes or more. Note also that he's got a lot of fairly athletic 6-5 to 6-6 guys to put on other SoCon team's 6-1 and 6-2 guards. This is real.
I don't think that last season was a 'one off'. They weren't upsetting the top teams in the SoCon with smoke and mirrors. They are putting some decent physical talent on the floor. If they can avoid any more big losses in personnel, they might be ready to take a step up. On a given night they could beat anyone in the SoCon last year. I thought that they'd break even in conference this year and might slide past Mercer and finish in the top 5. But the loss of Simmons, Johnson and Allende at the end of May makes that less likely.
Guards:
#3 6-1 150 Sr Matt Frierson, 28.3 minutes, 13.5 ppg, 114-314 .363, 2.6 rebounds
#23 6-4 225 Jr Kaelon Harris, 22.8 minutes, 9.9 ppg, 30-89 .337, 5.2 rebounds
#2 5-11 170 Sr Quayson Williams, 15.9 minutes, 7.1 ppg, 45-140 .321, 2.9 rebounds
TRANS 6-0 180 So Tariq Simmons, 15.2 minutes, 7.2 ppg, 27-92 .293, 2.1 rebounds
TRANS 6-8 190 So Rob Johnson, 27.0 minutes, 6.3 ppg, 23-72 .319, 3.3 rebounds
OFF ROSTER 6-6 196 Jr Lejandro Allende, 17.8 minutes, 3.9 ppg, 11-32 .344, 3.0 rebounds,
Front Court:
#35 6-7 205 Sr Zane Najdawi, 25.2 minutes, 15.5 ppg, 44-108 .407, 5.0 rebounds,
#33 6-6 220 So Hayden Brown, 13.4 minutes, 5.2 ppg, 12-43 .279, 5.2 rebounds,
#25 6-5 205 So Alex Reed, 14.3 minutes, 5.5 ppg, 32-95 .337, 2.4 rebounds
#11 6-6 180 So Kaiden Rice, 9.7 minutes, 5.7 ppg, 32-102 .314, 1.4 rebounds
#32 6-5 205 So Derek Webster, 8.0 minutes, 2.0 ppg, 1-2 three's, 1.8 rebounds
Newcomers:
6-1 187 RS-Sr G Lewis Stallworth, Graduate transfer from Texas-Rio Grande Valley, UTEP; 19.4 min, 5.7 ppg, 2.9 reb
6-4 196 RS-Jr G Connor Kern, Graduate transfer from Arkansas State; 16.4 min, 3.7 ppg, 1.4 reb
5-9 160 Fr G Jerry ‘Gene’ Higgins, offers Army, Winthrop, Bethune Cookman
6-9 230 Fr F Dimitri Georgiadis, offers VMI, Binghamton, Coppin State
6 Mercer: 19-15; 11-7 (154th KenPom)
Loaded with 6 seniors, 5 of them starters, Mercer was rated at or near the top of the SoCon in most preseason lists. (1st in Coaches Poll, 2nd in SI, 1st in KenPom, 3rd in Blue Ribbon, 6th in Media Poll). And Mercer looked promising through the first few games of the season. But the Bears hopes crumbled after the loss of R’ian Holland to injury.
Now all those seniors have graduated and they have huge losses in both the back court and the front court.
At guard, their top 3 scorers, Holland, Jordan Strawberry and Demetre Rivers, depart, as does guard Rashad Lewis. Smooth
Soph PG 6-4 Marcus Cohen eased his way past
Senior 6-4 Jaylan Stowe in the rotation. He can penetrate but is not a strong shooter.
6-3 Junior Ross Cummings went from walk-on material to a solid scoring threat and a decent all around player. But N.B. Mercer fans: a kid who only averages 8.7 ppg, 1.6 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 0.3 steals has NOT earned the nickname “Mamba”!!!! That’s just embarrassing, for both the fans and the kid. He has progressed from a walk on type to a .432 three point shooter who scored 20 to 23 points in a game 4 times. But he's no Kobe Bryant.
Jaylan Stowe has never made good on his promise and has only 1 more chance his senior year. Coming back from a year lost to injury,
6-5 Rs-Jr Ethan Stair started the season strong but still could not stay healthy and was eclipsed by Cummings and Cohen. He did not play the last 11 conference games or any tournament game. He's valuable if healthy.
Late May brought in
6-1 180 JUCO Jr PG Djordje Dimitrijevic 13.1 ppg on 50% from 3 (63 makes), 3.1 assists, 2.8 rebounds
http://njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2017-18/div...ijevic4qwk He adds a lot more shooting than Marcus Cohen, and more assists than Cummings.
4 freshmen guards come in including: another Eagle's Landing signee
6-3 170 Brandon Thomas, 2nd team 5A (of 7) GA All-Stater with 5 offers including FGCU and Lipscomb;
6-0 181 D.J. Peavy of Houston TX, 9 offers including Wofford; and
6-3 180 Daniel Love of Orlando FL with 2 offers.
But the big needs are in the front court where only bit player
6-7 195 Sr Cory Kilby returns with 15.1 minutes, 4.0 ppg and 2.3 rebounds. They lose their 2 best players, 6-6 225 Stephon Jelks and 6-9 255 Desmond Ringer to graduation, also 6-5 200 rising Senior Ryan Johnson to transfer. In June both little used
6-10 220 So. Mason Green, (trans to Georgia Highlands JC), and
6-10 260 walk on Rs-So Mac Brydon disappeared from the roster. Unused walkon,
6-10 220 So Victor Baffuto of Brazil is unlikely to be of help. Their big hope is
6-10 255 Freshman with a 7-0 plus wingspan Fardaws Aimaq with only 3 other offers. He seems solid fundamentally, but something of a project who did not play against decent competition in his native Canada. He looks big but a little plodding, and none of his opponents on the highlights have size, muscle or athleticism. It won't be that way in D1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ad8fWyp1p0
June additions
6-6 190 FR Patrick Urey of Chattanooga (1 other offer, Lehigh) and
6-11 220 FR Breck Cuddy, a skinny project with no other D1 offers, pop up without any announcement. Cuddy is unlikely to help. The only other addition
6-7 170 FR SF Luke Hamilton, will have to muscle up. Despite already having 17 players listed on the roster, I bet that Bob Hoffman will be beating the bushes for bigs until the fall deadline.
A May 15 signee is
6-10 250 Junior Transfer from WVU Maciej ("MAH-chay") Bender. They seem to count on him being eligible this year, I'm not sure how. A high major recruit (WVU, ASU, Georgia and Ole Miss) out of the Mountain Mission school, he was projected as your basic Eastern European 'stretch 4' with ball handling and range on the perimeter. But he just didn't show much in 2 years at WVU making only 1 three in 2 years of limited action. If he improves the way that Desmond Ringer did for Hoffman after transferring from South Carolina, he could still be a valuable addition for Mercer... next year. Bob Hoffman was committed enough to the Polish Maciej to hire a Polish assistant coach, Paul Mrozik, his former high school coach, announced a couple of weeks before Maciej signing.
http://mercerbears.com/news/2018/5/7/mer...coach.aspx
This looks like a challenging season for Bob Hoffman. There are gaps at guard, but between Dimitrijevic and the freshmen there is some potential to fill them. But Freshman Aimaq must produce, or Bender become eligible, or the front court looks weak. An improving Citadel team could pass them.
Newcomers with
Highlights
Note: Almost all signees have magically grown 1-3 inches on inking with Mercer. Bender is now 7-0 although he was 6-10 at WVU!
6-10 (6-11) 255 Fr C Fardaws Aimaq Vancouver, BC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ad8fWyp1p0 Offers from San Francisco, Radford, Pepperdine
6-1 (6-2) 180 JUCO Jr G Djordje Dimitrijevic Grdelica, Serbia;
http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/dorde-dimitrijevic Verbal Commits lists 1 other offer, American U.; 13.1 ppg on 50% from 3 (63 makes), 3.1 assists, 2.8 rebounds
http://njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2017-18/div...ijevic4qwk
6-0 (6-3) 181 Fr PG D.J. Peavy Houston TX
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBWelHGg2cY 9 offers from Wofford, Boston University, Binghamton, SMU, Incarnate Word
6-2 (6-4) 170 Fr G Brandon Thomas Eagle's Landing, McDonough GA, 2nd team 5A (of 7) All-State, offers from FGCU, Charleston Southern, Lipscomb, Army, Kenesaw
6-7 (6-8) 170 Fr SF Luke Hamilton Austin TX offers from New Hampshire and Hofstra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO-ZHmKnjfw
6-2 (6-3) 180 Fr PG Daniel Love Orlando FL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9OzDKyyZYM offers from Boston University and Southeast Missouri State
6-3 178 Fr SG C.J. Williamson; no other offers
6-11 (7-0) 220 Fr Breck Cuddy, Vestavia Hills AL, only 1 D2 offer (Shorter)
http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/breck-cuddy
6-6 190 Fr Patrick Urey, also a soccer star at The Baylor School, Chattanooga TN, 1 other offer, Lehigh
http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/patrick-urey
6-10 (7-0) 250 Jr-TR Maciej Bender How is he eligible this year?
http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/maciej-bender Other offers from ASU, Georgia and Ole Miss. WVU stats:
Frosh: 23 games; 6.4 minutes, 1.6 points, .342 FG%, 1-6 .167 from 3, 9-16 563 FT%; 1.3 rebounds
Soph: 35 games; 9.1 minutes, 1.2 points, .462 FG%, 0-3 from 3; 6-15 .400 FT%; 1.9 rebounds
Guards:
#14 6-5 205 Rs-Jr Ethan Stair, 20 games, 17.7 minutes, 5.9 ppg, .375 from 3 (0.6 makes), 2.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.5 t.o.'s, 0.8 steals
#20 6-3 185 Jr Ross Cummings, 28 games, 17.5 minutes, 8.7 ppg, .432 from 3 (2.0 makes), 1.6 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.3 steals
#3 6-4 190 So Marcus Cohen, 14.3 minutes, 5.0 ppg, 1-4 from 3, 1.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 t.o.'s, 0.8 steals
#2 6-4 200 Sr Jaylan Stowe, 13.0 minutes, 3.0 ppg, 1-9 from 3, 2.9 rebounds. 0.5 assist, 0.8 t.o.'s, 0.6 steals
Front Court:
#1 6-7 195 Sr Cory Kilby, 15.1 minutes, 4.0 ppg, .377 from 3 (0.7 makes), 2.3 rebounds
6-10 220 Rs-So WO C Victor Baffuto; no other offers; did not play last year
7 Chattanooga: 10-23; 3-15 (304th KenPom)
Rebuilding the Mocs from the Matt McCall Melt Down is not a one year job. Almost all of last year's team is now gone, to graduation (Joshua Phillips), to turning pro (Makinde London), but mostly to transfer (Dixon [SMU], Chatman [Dayton], Foreman [Stony Brook], Lewis [Appy State] Bryant). Only 1 player returns having seen action in more than a handful of games for the Mocs:
6-1 190 Rs-So David Jean-Baptiste with 27.0 minutes, 6.3 ppg, 35-114 .307 from 3 (1.0 makes) and 2.1 rebounds. But some good talent is coming in, including solid D1 transfers
6-1 215 Jerry Johnson from Fairfield averaging 28 minutes and 11 points a game, and
6-8 240 Ramon Villa from Arizona State who averaged 12.3 minutes and who will be eligible after the first semester. There are also some highly sought after freshmen, including
the most offered in the SoCon 6-6 230 Fr F Kevin Easley rated 3-4 stars with 26 offers including
VCU (did Will Wade play a role in sending Easley this way?), Purdue, Indiana, Cincinnati, Temple and Nebraska. Last year in retrospect was a 'get your feet on the ground and adjust year' for Coach Paris. This year is the one seeing even more radical change in personnel.
At guard, 6-1 215 Fairfield transfer Jerry Johnson, looks perhaps superior to the guards they are losing, and rising 6-1 190 Rs-Soph David Jean-Baptiste was nipping at their heels last year. Freshmen guard
6-0 160 PG Maurice Commander led the Illinois team with 29 points in the Illinois-Indiana All Star game.
5-10 160 Fr PG Donovan Toatley is said to be explosively athletic.
6-4 195 JUCO Jonathan Scott Otero JS stats show 12.0 ppg, 44.4% from 3 with 59 makes, 5.3 rebounds per game
http://njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2017-18/div...nscottc7qh There is promise in that group. So by conference time the guard situation might be pretty good.
In the front court, the now departed Makinde London was the the kind of player (talented physically, but questionable heart) that you might be better off without. Paris is bringing in
the most sought after newcomer in the SoCon in 6-6 230 Fr Forward Kevin Easley, the number 6 rated player in Indiana with 26 offers. Not the quickest or most athletic guy, but uses his size to score really well. Also arriving are the above mentioned
6-8 240 So TR Ramon Villa an Arizona State transfer who will be eligible after the first semester,
UAB transfer and project 7-0 217 Sr Thomas Smallwood of Bordeaux, France, eligible as a graduate,
6-7 205 Fr F Keigan Kerby and late May signee
6-7 195 JUCO Jr Roderick Johnson, Jr from Highland IL 5.9 points, 6.1 rebounds
http://njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2017-18/div...sonjro37q.
6-10 200 Rs-Fr Justin Brown was slated to start at the post last year but missed the season to injury.
6-6 190 Rs-Fr Duane Moss was getting 20 minutes a game (4.9 ppg, 8-14 from 3, 2.9 reb)until injury after game 7 cost him the season. Brown is back and healthy. Moss is still hurt and out for the year.
Faced with a demoralized and depleted squad, Paris seemed like a 'basketball whisperer' crouching or even lying by the bench, talking softly to the players at the end of another tough game. He still suffered through a rough season and lost more players to transfer. Despite the soft spoken approach, any disciple of Bo Ryan is sure to be plenty tough. And the players coming in are promising.
This is a year of radical change for the Mocs. The hope is that by conference time all the new pieces will be gelling into a team that is more competitive than last year's 3-15. It is more likely to take yet another year before Moc fans see the kind of team they want.
Newcomers with
Highlights:
6-6 230 Fr F Kevin Easley: https://youtu.be/-CYsfgqsF-c 26 offers, include VCU, Purdue, Indiana, Cincinnati, Temple and Nebraska
6-8 240 So Ramon Villa: https://youtu.be/Lmdo8wgSo4E
6-0 160 Fr Maurice Commander: http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/maurice-commander UC Davis, Stetson, Wofford, Murray St, Navy, Evansville, YSU, Milwaukee
5-10 160 Donavann Toatley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFHYRNs7gK8 4 offers, Richmond, Jacksonville State, Robert Morris and Wagner
6-7 205 Keigan Kerby; 4 mid to low major offers, American, GW, New Hampshire and Bryant
6-4 195 JUCO Jr Jonathan Scott, Otero JS stats 12.0 ppg, 44.4% from 3 with 59 makes, 5.3 rebounds per game
http://njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2017-18/div...nscottc7qh
6-7 195 JUCO Jr Roderick Johnson, Jr from Highland IL JUCO stats 5.9 points, 6.1 rebounds
http://njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2017-18/div...nsonjro37q
7-0 217 UAB GR transfer and project Sr Thomas Smallwood of Bordeaux, France; Junior stats: 11 games, 7.5 minutes, 1.2 ppg, 1.3 rebounds
SITTING OUT Tr from South Alabama 6-3 200 ERS-Fr A.J. Caldwell, rated 3* by ESPN, 2* by rivals, offered by Virginia Tech
SITTING OUT Tr from Maryland, 6-2 180 So G Alex Tostado
Guards:
6-1 215 Jr-Tr G Jerry Johnson, sat out last year. Fairfield Soph stats: 28.7 minutes, 11.4 ppg, .337 from 3 (2.3 makes) 3.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 turnovers
#3 6-1 190 Rs-So David Jean-Baptiste, 27.0 minutes, 6.3 ppg, 35-114 .307 from 3 (1.0 makes) 2.1 rebounds
TRANS to DAYTON 6-1 172 So Rodney Chatman, 32.3 minutes, 13.3 ppg, 43-127 .339 from 3 (1.4 makes), 4.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 3.0 t.o.'s, 1.2 steals
TRANS to STONY BROOK 6-1 185 So Makale Foreman, 35.2 minutes, 10.2 ppg, 76-199 .382 from 3 (2.4 makes), 2.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 t.o.'s
TRANS to SMU 6-4 185 Nat Dixon
Front Court:
6-8 240 So Tr (Arizona St) Ramon Villa, eligible after 1st semester, ASU frosh stats; 33 games, 12.3 minutes, 2.6 points, .647 FG%, 0 three’s, .636 FT%, 2.0 reb
6-10 205 Rs-Fr F Justin Brown, projected to start but missed year to injury
OUT FOR THE SEASON 6-6 185 Rs-Fr Duane Moss
GOING PRO 6-11 220 Jr Makinde London, 28.1 minutes, 13.3 ppg, .394 FG%, .390 from 3 (1.9 makes), 7.8 reb, 1.9 assists, 3.0 t.o.'s, 0.8 blocks, 1.1 steal
TRANS to APPY STATE 6-6 215 Fr James Lewis, Jr., 25.9 minutes, 7.3 ppg, 0 from 3, 5.4 reb, 2.1 t.o.'s
8 Samford: 10-22; 6-12 (298th KenPom)
Following on the Matt McCall debacle at Chattanooga, Samford has given us another example of how quickly things can go south for a program. Samford started the season rated in the top tier of the SoCon by most (2nd in the Coaches Poll, 2nd in the Media Poll, 2nd in Blue Ribbon, 3rd in KenPom, 4th in SI). But injury to the SoCon’s leading rebounder 6-9 Wyatt Walker and mononucleosis to Guard Chris Cunningham started things in a downward spiral. By the end of the season with seniors Denzel-Dyson, Chris Cunningham (trans to Louisville as a graduate), Alex Thompson, Eric Adams and Alex Peters graduating, the stampede for the exits started with Walker (NC State), Coleman (Arizona) and Tristan Chambers (UA-Huntsville) transferring. Only 3 guys return: 5-10 Josh Sharkey with 24 minutes, 6-7 Stefan Lakic with 15.3 minutes and 6-2 Kevion Nolan with 12.8 minutes. NOBODY ELSE, except 2 redshirt freshmen walkons. That is very little to build on. Padgett lost almost as many players as Chattanooga.
Clearly, Scott Padgett remains plagued by the problem that bedeviled his predecessor and boss, Bennie Seltzer. They can get quality players to Samford, but they can’t keep them there.
However, Padgett may have saved his season by bringing in a pretty impressive crew.
Ready to play after sitting out a year are two transfers:
6-5 187 Alabama transfer Brandon Austin and
7-0 USF transfer from Marbella, Spain, Senior Ruben Guerrero with 3.4 ppg and 5.1 rebounds in 23 minutes. Also arriving are 6 freshmen
https://samfordsports.com/news/2018/6/14...class.aspx Several of those have real promise:
6-3 180 shooting guard Steve Fitzgerald a great high school shooter rated 4 stars by ESPN, athletic rangy
6-3 180 Deandre Thomas offered by Steve Forbes, and
6-7 200 Robert Allen called by Padgett an "atypical" type for Samford: a tough "junkyard dog".
In late May, the Bulldogs landed powerful
6-8 235 rising Junior transfer Jalen Dupree from Murray State (5.7 ppg. 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks), who will have to sit out a year. But ready to go this year is
6-3 180 JUCO Jr guard Myron Gordon (highlights at
http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/myron-gordon). Gordon was a tremendous scorer at Harcum with 23.1 ppg, 50.4% FG%, but .363 from 3 with only 37 makes, 3.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.9 t.o.'s
http://njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2017-18/div...gordonm07m
There are some pretty impressive pieces here (especially, Gordon, Fitzgerald, Thomas, Allen and Guerrero) with some real upside that could be molded into a solid team, given time to gel. There's no doubt that Padgett can recruit some good looking players to Samford. The big question is, even if they pan out, how long can Padgett keep them at Samford?
Padgett may be the number one SoCon coach on the hot seat this year.
Newcomers with
Highlights
6-3 180 Fr SG Steve Fitzgerald: https://youtu.be/X2dcUo5F1Jk rated 4* by ESPN, 8 offers include VCU, ODU, EKU, Ball State, Stetson, Tennessee Tech, SE Missouri St
6-3 180 Fr G Deandre Thomas: https://youtu.be/07xwVc5k5ig 13 offers include ETSU, W&M, ODU, Elon, Towson, JMU, Norfolk St, Charleston, Wagner
6-7 200 Fr F Robert Allen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5UHEeuXWJk Padgett calls him a tough 'junkyard dog'; Ragin’ Cajuns, UNH, Elon, Robert Morris, Lehigh, Stetson, FGCU
6-6 210 Fr F Stanley Henderson, Jr, Jonesboro, GA http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/sta...nderson-jr verbal commits list no other offers
6-3 180 JUCO Jr guard Myron Gordon http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/myron-gordon JUCO stats at Harcum: 23.1 ppg, 50.4% FG%, but .363 from 3 with only 37 makes, 3.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.9 t.o.'s
http://njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2017-18/div...gordonm07m
6-8 225 Fr F Logan Dye, 1 other offer, North Alabama
Sitting out this year: 6-8 235 Jr-TR from Murray St, Jalen Dupree, 17.5 minutes, 5.7 points, 4.4 rebounds
Guards:
#3 5-10 170 Jr Josh Sharkey, 24.3 minutes, 7.3 ppg, .111 from 3 (1-9), 2.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 3.2 t.o.'s, 1.5 steals
#1 6-2 170 So Kevion Nolan, 12.8 minutes, 3.2 ppg, .345 from 3 (1.0 makes), 1.0 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.3 t.o.'s, 0.7 steals
TRANS to ARIZONA 5-10 180 Justin Coleman
TRANS to LOUISVILLE 6-2 190 Chris Cunningham
TRANS to UA-Huntsville 6-2 185 Tristan Chambers
Front Court:
#15 6-7 220 Jr Stefan Lakic, 15.3 minutes, 6.7 ppg, .462 from 3 (1.0 makes), 2.3 rebounds
6-5 187 Jr Tr Brandon Austin at Alabama only averaged 8.9 minutes and 1.5 ppg as freshman, then injured his back and missed almost the entire sophomore season.
7-0 235 Sr TR Ruben Guerrero, USF stats; a 3 year regular averaging 23.6 minutes, 3.39 ppg on .508 FG%, 0 3’s, 5.1 rebounds 1.3 blocks. Stats were very similar all 3 years.
TRANS to NC STATE 6-9 240 Sr Wyatt Walker
9 Western Carolina: 13-19; 8-10 (302nd KenPom)
Coach Larry Hunter died from a stroke only 2 months after retiring.
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2018/5/4...asses-away http://www.catamountsports.com/genrel/050418aaa.html
When Larry Hunter retired, Mark Prosser, son of Skip Prosser and a protégé of Mike Young, moved in. He ought to bring energy and experience. Everybody seems to agree that he's a good catch for Western.
The Cats also lose Deriece Parks, Devin Peterson, Haboubacar Moutombo, Ashley Williams, Devonte Fuller and Charlendez Brooks, mostly guards. They have got big gaps to fill there. But it is easier to find 6-1 guys with some basketball skills than 6-8 guys. Which means that the biggest loss is 6-7 workhorse Mike Amius going pro. Offense is the worst in the SoCon with .411 shooting and .333 from 3 averaging 7.1 makes. Rebounding is -2.8. They did average 8 steals and a slightly positive +0.5 turnover margin. It’s amazing that they were 8-10 in the SoCon with the stats as bad as they were. Hunter did have his usual scrappy, try to win ugly with lesser talent approach.
6-1 170 So Matt Halvorsen is a decent shooting guard, but weak in most other aspects of the game. Other returning guards have shown little so far (
6-0 175 So Desmond Johnson, 6-3 180 So Marcus Thomas, 6-6 215 Jr Maurice Smith), although there is always hope that the underclassmen might improve. None of the incoming guards announced so far were sought after recruits (
6-2 Fr Josh Cottrell, 6-3 Fr Kameron Gibson, 6-4 170 Fr Douglas Elks). They have one (1) other D1 offer between them. Guard looks like a real problem area.
6-1 175 Jr transfer from NKU, Mason Faulkner, a former 3* recruit will probably have to sit out a year.
The front court loses stud
hoss JUCO Sr 6-7 210 Mike Amius who is going pro. They add what may be the second coming of R.J. White,
6-7 285 JUCO Jr C Carlos Dotson who has the bulk, nimble feet and strong below the rim game that White had. At College of Central Florida he scored 13.3 ppg (no 3's) and grabbed 7.8 rebounds. He had lots of mid major to low major offers topped by Iona, Radford, New Hampshire and Gardner Webb. Can he replace Amius? They beat UNCG, Manhattan and JMU among 9 other D1 teams to promising
6-6 200 Fr D.J. Myers from Hargrave. Dotson, Myers and
6-7 205 Lyonnaise Sr swing man Marc Gosselin give them some decent talent up front. Sledd, Steger and Olcay played very little.
Larry Hunter made a long Hall of Fame career out of recruiting less sought after players and building scrappy, over achieving teams. Despite the recent chaos on their teams, both Chattanooga and Samford have brought in more talent for their squads. Mark Prosser's got the pedigree but unless he develops a real connection with Hunter's overachievers, I think that both Chattanooga and Samford should pass them by year's end. The only thing that gives me pause is that Scott Padgett failed to use the talent that Samford had last year, and the departure of players from both schools indicates that things might still be toxic. At least we’ll still have the fabulous Blue Thunder drum line to entertain us.
Highlights:
6-7 285 JUCO Jr Carlos Dotson https://youtu.be/WK5APaWCtCI with some 16 midmajor offers including Iona, Radford, USCU, New Hampshire, Gardner-Webb; JUCO stats: 13.3 ppg, no 3's, 7.8 rebounds
6-6 200 F Fr D.J. Myers, Hargrave Military, with 9 offers including UNCG, Manhattan and JMU; highlights at
http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/d-j-myers
6-3 Fr Kameron Gibson, only other offers Maryland Eastern Shore and Ashland
6-2 Fr G Josh Cottrell; no other offers
6-4 170 Rs-Fr SG Douglas Elks TR from D3 Roanoke College
6-1 165 Jr-Tr Mason Faulkner from NKU a former 3 star recruit
will likely have to sit out a year, 17.1 minutes, 5.8 points on .356 from 3 with 32 makes, 1.8 rebounds
Guards:
#2 6-1 170 So Matt Halvorsen, 22.3 minutes, 8.5 ppg, .337 from 3 (1.8 makes), 1.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 t.o.'s
#1 6-0 175 So Desmond Johnson, 15.7 minutes, 4.0 ppg, 9-29 .310 from 3, 2.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists
#21 6-3 180 So Marcus Thomas, 11.5 minutes, 5.6 ppg, 12-36 .333 from 3, 1.9 rebounds
#0 6-6 215 Jr Maurice Smith, 9.5 minutes, 2.0 ppg, 5-13 .385 from 3, 2.8 rebounds
#3 5-11 165 Jr Jason McMillan, 13 games, 3.0 minutes, 0.7 points
Front Court:
GONE PRO EARLY #23 6-7 210 Sr Mike Amius, 23.1 minutes, 12.7 ppg, 0 three's, 5.6 rebounds, 2.8 t.o.'s, 0.9 blocks, 1.2 steals
#12 6-7 205 Sr Marc Gosselin, 27.2 minutes, 8.8 ppg, 27-73 .370 from 3 (0.9 makes), 6.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals
#33 6-5 205 Jr Onno Steger, 9.1 minutes, 2.1 ppg, .294 from3 (0.3 makes), 0.9 rebounds
#44 6-8 220 Jr Adam Sledd, 6.8 minutes, 1.9 ppg, 0 three's, 1.2 rebounds
#35 6-8 225 Jr Yalim Olcay, 17 games, 3.2 minutes, 0.7 ppg, no 3’s
10 VMI: 9-21; 4-14 (331st KenPom)
Sr Armani Branch, Sr Fred Iruafemi and Jr Keith Smith are gone. But there may be some reason to hope for the Keydets. Dan Earl has brought in some real athletes like Bubba Parham, Vereen and Ratliffe and now has his own crew ready to play his way. From freshmen to seniors this is his team and his responsibility.
Guard:
#23 5-11 155 So Bubba Parham, 29.8 minutes, 14.6 ppg, 58-175 .331 from 3 (1.9 makes), 3.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.7 t.o.'s
#0 6-4 190 Sr Austin Vereen, 27.1 minutes, 10.4 ppg, 60-175 .343 from 3 (2.0 makes), 4.7 rebounds
#11 6-0 188 So Jordan Ratliffe, 17.4 minutes, 7.3 ppg, 23-85 .271 from 3 (0.8 makes), 2.4 rebounds, 1.8 t.o.'s, 0.8 steals
#2 6-4 200 Jr Garrett Gilkeson, 22.9 minutes, 5.6 ppg, 18-70 .257 from 3 (0.6 makes), 4.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 t.o.'s, 1.2 steals
#5 6-4 160 So Greg Parham, 11.7 minutes, 3.1 ppg, 9-44 .205 from 3 (0.3 makes), 1.1 rebounds
#31 6-3 170 So Sarju Patel, 10.9 minutes, 2.7 ppg, 17-45 .378 from 3 (0.6 makes), 1.2 rebounds
#12 6-0 163 So Ta’Vonne Bond 7 games, 2.0 minutes, 0.4 ppg
Front Court:
#25 6-10 245 Jr Tyler Creammer, 19.7 minutes, 7.1 ppg, 0 three's, 5.4 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 1.3 t.o.'s
#24 6-8 210 Jr Will Miller, 12.8 minutes, 2.8 ppg, 7-23 .304 from 3 (0.3 makes), 1.5 rebounds
#4 6-6 205 Sr Fred Iruafemi, 15.6 minutes, 2.4 ppg, 0 three's, 3.7 rebounds
#15 6-5 181 So Myles Lewis, 9.5 minutes, 3.5 ppg, 2-9 .222 from 3, 1.8 rebounds
#3 6-8 180 So Tragen Fahl, 6 games, 2.2 minutes, 0.7 ppg
Newcomers:
6-0 160 Fr Rafael Jenkins
6-7 205 Fr Connor Arnold
6-8 230 Fr Jake Stephens
/
The SoCon at the end of April 2018
