Belmont

#107 Belmont: 2010-11 Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 19:37:52 -0700

Overall Rank: #107

Conference Rank: #1 Atlantic Sun Conference

2009-10: 19-12, 14-6

2009-10 postseason: none

Coach: Rick Byrd (488-273 at Belmont, 580-328 overall)

The 2009-2010 campaign was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Belmont. This was a team that lost four starters and had more questions than answers heading into the campaign. They ended up on top of the Atlantic Sun conference standings along with three others. The postseason eluded them, but the Bruins and Coach Rick Byrd proved that they are perennial powers in the A-Sun and they will not be going anywhere any time soon.

Key Losses: F Keaton Belcher

Key Newcomers:

With such a young team last year, the newcomers will not be asked to do much. However, that may not keep redshirt freshman Blake Jenkins off the court. Jenkins is a superb athlete and, at 6-7, has the size to play at the four spot and help replace Belcher. While Belcher was a nice three-point shooting big man, Jenkins’ athleticism will add another dynamic to the offense no matter where he plays. Chad Lang will spend some time learning behind the starters, but he has all the tools to develop into a fine interior player sooner or later. On the perimeter J.J. Mann will battle for playing time. His sharpshooting should find him a regular spot in the rotation off the bench for now.

Backcourt:

However, it will be difficult for any new perimeter player to find playing time on this team. Drew Hanlen had one of the best assist-to-turnover ratios in the nation last year and he only started eight games. Yet, the junior was playing his best basketball late in the year and he can do a lot more scoring than his 6.8 points per game indicate. But Hanlen should be relegated to the bench again thanks to Kerron Johnson. The 6-1 sophomore did a great job running the show and a year of experience in the system will do him wonders. The go-to-scorer for the Bruins should again be Ian Clark. The reigning conference Freshman of the Year started his collegiate career with a bang, averaging 14.9 points and connecting on 2.4 three-pointers per game. Jordan Campbell should emerge as the leader of the team. The savvy senior is a great defender and his offensive game is always improving, most notably his outside shooting. Jonny Rice should play a bigger role this year if he can stay healthy and Adam Barnes is not a bad player to have coming in off the bench either.

Frontcourt:

The loss of Keaton Belcher means the Bruins will have to shake up the frontcourt a little bit. That could mean a smaller starting lineup, but Coach Byrd has plenty of talented big men to play when necessary. Mick Hedgepeth is the best of the bunch. The 6-9, 235 pound junior averaged 11.6 points and a team high 6.5 rebounds last year and is expected to be just as productive this time around. The other big body who is a proven contributor is Scott Saunders. Saunders averaged 7.8 points and 4.2 rebounds last year despite averaging just 14.4 minutes per game. Saunders would certainly be the center on this team with Hedgepeth moving to the power forward spot if he could stay out of foul trouble. However, as impressive as his points per minute numbers are, his fouls per minute ratio is equally impressive, but in a bad way.

Who to Watch:

Saunders’ knack for fouls will likely keep him out of the starting lineup for the most part. That leaves senior Jon House as the probable starter at power forward. House has been around the block a few times and contributed on some great Belmont teams. He is not much of a scorer, but he is extremely tough and a vital player on this team even if the stat sheet says otherwise. House should be in the starting lineup one way or another, but Jenkins or sophomore Brandon Baker could eat up some minutes at the four spot as well. Baker had some inconsistent outings during his freshman campaign, but he certainly can make an impact off the bench.

Final Projection:

Last year was the rest of the conference’s chance to knock off Belmont. There should not be any four way ties this year as Belmont is the clear favorite to win the conference title and once again reach the NCAA Tournament. This may not be a team that will win a game once they get there, but they always make things interesting for some unlucky opponent in the first round.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Kerron Johnson, Sophomore, Guard, 6.1 ppg

Ian Clark, Sophomore, Guard, 14.9 ppg

Jordan Campbell, Senior, Guard, 6.5 ppg

Jon House, Senior, Forward, 5.8 ppg

Mick Hedgepeth, Junior, Forward, 11.6 ppg

Next Top 144 Teams
108		109		110		111		..All

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

OVC Tournament Preview & Predictions

Evan Dorey — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 19:44:02 -0800

This is one in a series of my conference tournament previews, in which I run down all the teams involved, giving a brief statistical review and picking out some of the key players, and presenting the log5 projections, using in-conference offensive and defensive efficiency. The basic log5 methodology comes from Bill James, and this is an area Ken Pomeroy has looked at in the past as well. I claim nothing new in the application, but obviously with slightly different methodologies, these numbers may differ from others you find. I don’t claim to be an expert on any particular conference, and I’m sure there are some mis-characterizations on some players I’ve seen sparingly at best, so please add your thoughts in the comments. Anyway, with no further ado, the preview follows below:

Ohio Valley

The OVC Tournament features the top 8 teams out of a 10 team league, with the quarterfinals being hosted at the home courts of the top 4 seeds, and the two later rounds hosted at the Sommet Center in Nashville.

OVC Tournament Odds

#	Team	SF	F	W
1	Tennessee Martin	90.91%	58.86%	30.81%
2	Austin Peay	80.67%	25.43%	10.06%
3	Murray St.	93.43%	69.19%	42.55%
4	Morehead St.	73.48%	30.09%	12.17%
5	Eastern Kentucky	26.52%	8.67%	2.81%
6	Tennessee St.	6.57%	1.87%	0.35%
7	Eastern Illinois	19.33%	3.50%	0.82%
8	Tennessee Tech	9.09%	2.37%	0.45%

It’s interesting to see that the #1 seeds and league champions aren’t the favorites, a title that belongs to #3 Murray St. The first four teams were separated by just two games in the standings, but the efficiency stats tell us that Martin and Murray St. are in a separate class.

#1 – Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks (21-8, 14-4) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.114

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

Tennessee-Martin has had an excellent season, claiming its first OVC regular season title, powered by a ten-game winning streak early in the conference schedule. The Skyhawks aren’t spectacular in any area, but do a lot of things well, and don’t make a lot of mistakes. Their main weakness is long-distance shooting, where they sit last in the OVC, but they make up for it by shooting 74% at the free throw line and earning a lot of extra possessions on the glass and by avoiding turnovers. Martin also defends well, managing to dominate the turnover margin by forcing a lot.

Players to watch:

6-2 SR Lester Hudson, 26.6 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.4 SPG, 50.8 eFG% - The only player more important to his team than Hudson is some Curry guy that you might have heard about once or twice. Like Curry, Hudson’s shooting percentages aren’t that impressive on their own, but when you consider how many shots he takes, you really get a sense of how valuable he is. He also is a key player in lot of other areas, leading the Skyhawks in rebounding and steals, and putting up a very good assist rate.

6-1 JR Delrico Lane, 5.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 4.9 APG, 2.3 SPG, 51.5 eFG% - Lane doesn’t score much, but let’s face it, there’s not a lot of shots available once Hudson and second-best scorer Marquis Weddle get their share. Lane has done a good job getting the ball to Hudson, leading the OVC in assists, and like Hudson has an excellent steal rate.

#2 – Austin Peay Governors (17-12, 13-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.053

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (1^st Round)

The Governors face the strange situation of being lucky, as their record is somewhat better than their efficiency margin would suggest, but also unlucky, as a couple of losses in overtime are the only thing separating them from a conference title. Still, it’s telling that this is the #4 favorite by the log5 method, and to see them suffer an ‘upset’ wouldn’t be a big surprise. Austin Peay is the best pure shooting team in the conference, well over 50% from inside and at 39% from behind the arc, and the second best OVC offense overall. For all their ability to make shots, though, stopping opponents from doing the same has been difficult, especially from long distance, where they put up the conference’s worst defensive mark. The Governors are the only team of the top 4 seeds to give up more than a point-per possession, and their defensive woes will probably be their downfall.

Players to watch:

6-5 SR Drake Reed, 22.4 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 59.0 eFG% - In a lot of other conferences in the nation, Reed’s numbers would be good enough to make him a clear top scorer and the favorite for player of the year, but with Hudson taking the spotlight, Reed has to settle for being the OVC’s #2 scorer. Reed doesn’t take as large a proportion of his team’s shots as Hudson does, but he’s much more efficient, nearly 60% from inside the arc and a 40% outside shooter. He’s also in the top 5 in the conference in rebounding and rarely turns the ball over.

6-3 JR Wes Channels, 16.8 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.2 SPG, 51.1 eFG% - Channels takes a similar proportion of the Governors’ shots as Reed, but is much more dependent on the three-pointer, and isn’t quite as good a percentage shooter. Still, he’s a good scoring guard who leads the team in assists, and combines with Reed to form a deadly inside-outside duo.

#3 – Murray St. Racers (17-12, 13-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.129

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2006 (1^st Round)

Murray St. may be the third seed, but don’t be surprised to see it run off with a 14^th NCAA tourney appearance, the best of any OVC team. The worst of the Racers’ five losses came by 6 points, meaning that their efficiency margin is the highest in the league. This is mostly due to a defense that is clearly the best in the OVC; opponents make few threes and turn the ball over a lot, a clear sign of how good the Racers are on the perimeter. They aren’t great at making threes themselves, but tend to focus on scoring from two, where they are efficient enough to have a decent offense overall. The Racers’ style probably contributes to why they’ve had so many close losses; their defensive, slow-paced game makes it a lot more difficult to get a big margin against weaker teams.

Players to watch:

6-2 SO Isaac Miles, 10.3 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 3.8 APG, 48.2 eFG% - The team’s second leading scorer is entering the tournament on a roll, having scored in double digits in each of the last five games, and has done this despite taking a lot of bad shots from behind the arc, where he hits less than 30%. He’s a good scorer from two who gets a lot of chances at the line, and while he puts up a lot of assists, he also has occasional bouts of major turnover trouble.

6-4 JR Danero Thomas, 11.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 47.1 eFG% - Thomas isn’t a great offensive player, but leads the Racers in scoring, and is a decent shooter, though like Miles he struggles from behind the arc. His best performance comes on the defensive end, where he’s the team’s best shot-blocker and one of the conference leaders in steals.

#4 – Morehead St. Eagles (16-15, 12-6) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.066

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1984 (1^st Round)

The last of the teams that open the season at home, Morehead seemed to be destined for a tough year when they started 0-6, but had turned it around by the time conference play began, though they should be concerned after closing the season on a four-game losing streak. The Eagles are similar to Murray St., depending on inside play on the offensive end, but doing their best work defensively, but they aren’t as effective at either end as the Racers. Morehead isn’t too strong from the field, but is a good offensive rebounding team that does a great job getting to the line, and making shots once there. Defensively, the Eagles best play also comes inside, as they hold opponents to a conference-best 44.5% from two, and are good rebounders and shot-blockers.

Players to watch:

6-8 SO Kenneth Faried, 13.5 PPG, 12.6 RPG, 2.1 SPG, 2.0 BPG, 56.4 eFG% - Faried is probably the conference’s best big man, fourth nationally in rebounding and the only Valley player averaging more than nine boards a game. He’s a 56% shooter from the field who also sits in the top 3 of the conference rankings in steals and blocks. The only real weakness in his game is his free throw shooting, where he’s worse than from the field, but he looks like he’ll be a great player in the conference in the years to come.

6-5 SR Leon Buchanan, 15.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 53.5 eFG% - Buchanan is a great interior partner for Faried, a decent rebounder who shoots a good percentage, and unlike the sophomore, does a really great job at the free throw line. He’s an 81% shooter who makes a lot of appearances, and the points he gets there are enough to make him the team’s leading scorer.

#5 – Eastern Kentucky Colonels (18-12, 10-8) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.036

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2007 (1^st Round)

Eastern Kentucky are an ideal example of how a team’s tempo can confuse those who don’t take it into account. The Colonels are easily the slowest team in the OVC, and a look at their point-per-game numbers would lead you to suggest that they are merely average offensively. In reality, the Colonels tend to be involved in the conference’s most offensively efficient games, boasting the OVC’s best offense, and the worst defense of the teams qualifying for the tournament. The Colonels are an offensive dream, putting up a 55.7 eFG% in conference, and one of the nation’s best marks in the category of the whole season, and having the OVC’s lowest turnover rate. Their problems come inside, where they don’t get much of their offense (the second-most three-dependent team in the country), and are terrible on the glass. Opponents shred EKU’s defense seemingly at will, shooting 54%, and even the ability to force a lot of turnovers doesn’t help much.

Players to watch:

6-4 SR Mike Rose, 20.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 59.2 eFG% - The third 20 PPG player in the conference, Rose is the deadliest three-point shooter on a team that thrives behind the arc. Shooting 49% from long-distance is the kind of percentage we expect from an occasional shooter, not someone who puts up more than 200 attempts a season. He’s one of the team’s better rebounders and a solid defender, but his value is all in that shot.

6-7 SO Justin Stommes, 10.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 59.4 eFG% - Behind Rose, there are a group of other strong shooters, though none with the frequency, or the success, of the Colonels’ leading scorer. Stommes is the best of the bunch, and he provides a great alternative option from outside.

#6 – Tennessee St. Tigers (12-17, 9-9) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.048

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1994 (1^st Round)

The Tigers made a lot of headlines, and got a lot of criticism, for firing Cy Alexander mid-season, but it worked out pretty well, as they went 6-1, including six straight wins entering the tournament, to manage a .500 finish in the conference. Tennessee St.’s defense is almost as bad as EKU’s, one of the worst in the tournament, but unlike the Colonels, TSU’s offense isn’t good enough to bail it out. Tennessee St. is focused on attacking the inside, and does it decently, but struggles with turnovers and free throws. The Tigers should watch their opponents to find a better example of inside play, as they allow 52% of attempts from inside, and don’t do much on the defensive glass either. They actually have the poorest odds of any team in the tournament, and a #6 seed probably flatters them somewhat.

Players to watch:

6-7 SO Darius Cox, 10.8 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.9 BPG, 54.3 eFG% - Cox is just fourth on the team in scoring, but is the most efficient offensive option when Tennessee St. has the ball, shooting over 50% from the field. He’s also an excellent rebounder, and a good shot-blocker.

6-8 SR Jerrell Houston, 14.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 51.4 eFG% - Houston is another good interior player, with similar numbers to Cox, but with a larger role in the offense, and a much bigger problem with turnovers.

#7 – Eastern Illinois Panthers (12-17, 8-10) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.019

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2001 (1^st Round)

After talking about a couple of teams that struggle on the defensive end, Eastern Illinois are a bit of change of pace, decent defenders but the worst offensive team in the conference. A bright note for the Panthers’ offense is that they make a decent percentage of both threes and free throws; unfortunately, they don’t get to the line much, and take a large majority of their shots from inside the arc. Defensively, EIU is a solid team, especially inside, where it holds opponents to just 46% shooting. However, their offensive woes are too great to overcome, and they enter the tournament on a real low, losing their last six conference games.

Players to watch:

6-1 SO Tyler Laser, 11.6 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.0 SPG, 56.5 eFG% - Laser isn’t a go-to scorer, but is the kind of pure shooter who can be really effective as a secondary option. He hits over 40% from behind the arc, and is 6^th nationally in free throw percentage, 50-of-52 on the season. He’s a good distributor of the ball and can also score from inside the arc, the kind of player who could really break out if he can handle a bigger role in future seasons.

6-3 JR Romain Martin, 15.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 53.5 eFG% - Martin is the other guy on the Panthers who can make threes, and while his percentage isn’t as high as Laser’s, he takes a lot more shots, and is much more important in the offense. Most of his value depends on his shooting, he doesn’t really contribute much in the other statistical areas.

#8 – Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (12-17, 6-12) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.034

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1963 (1^st Round)

Tennessee Tech is the OVC’s fastest paced team, but its high speed hasn’t equalled highly effective offensive possessions, especially from two-point range, where you’d expect such a team to score in transition. Instead, the Golden Eagles are best when they put up threes, over 38% from behind the arc. This doesn’t happen nearly enough, though, with poor rebounding, turnovers, and a fairly two-point-heavy offense combining to limit the Eagles’ long distance-scoring. Defensively, Tennessee Tech force a lot of turnovers, but are terrible defensive rebounders and commit a lot of fouls.

Players to watch:

6-9 SR Daniel Northern, 12.4 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 2.5 BPG, 49.4 eFG% - Northern is an excellent big-man in almost every area except field goal percentage, and it’s only his 49% from the field that holds him back. He’s the second-best rebounder in the OVC, and leads the conference in shot-blocking. He gets to the line a lot, and while his 65% from the stripe isn’t great, it’s not too bad, and shows a clear improvement from previous seasons.

6-2 JR Frank Davis, 10.1 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 59.2 eFG% - If you’re looking for a great example of how a player who isn’t the offensive focus can really thrive, Davis may be a perfect. He doesn’t take a lot of shots, but his contribution on the stat sheet will be basically limited to whatever he manages to score. He’s a 43% three-point shooter, and has taken more attempts from behind the arc than the Eagles’ next two most prolific shooters combined. He doesn’t turn the ball over much, but he’s not the kind of player who will do much beside shoot when he does get it.

My statistical all-OVC team:

Tennessee Martin SR G Lester Hudson, 26.6 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.4 SPG, 50.8 eFG%

Eastern Kentucky SR G Mike Rose, 20.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 59.2 eFG%

Austin Peay SR F Drake Reed, 22.4 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 59.0 eFG%

Morehead St. SR F Leon Buchanan, 15.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 53.5 eFG%6-8,

Morehead St. SO F/C Kenneth Faried, 13.5 PPG, 12.6 RPG, 2.1 SPG, 2.0 BPG, 56.4 eFG%

College Basketball: 20 Random Thoughts & Observations

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:42:14 -0800

A rare Sunday morning version of the ever popular 20 Random Thoughts & Observations by CollegeHoops.net editor Shawn Siegel.

1 - Villanova's failed attempt to score from close range at the buzzer had to remind you of Charles Smith's Epic Fail with the Knicks. (1993 Playoffs, Knicks vs Bulls, Game 5. Still hilarious.)

2 - Kansas has yet to come close to winning on the road (0-2), but luckily their Big 12 road schedule begins with Colorado, Iowa State, and Nebraska.. a good chance for Bill Self's young squad to gain some confidence before their true road test (OU, Baylor, etc).

3 - Blake Griffin's line sounds good enough at face value: 29 & 15. But consider his 29 points were 48% of the Sooners total, and his 15 boards were 40% of their total as well. Talk about carrying a team.

4 - How did Duke and FSU only manage 33 points combined in the first half? Were they both facing the Ravens defense?

5 - Its been a forgone conclusion that Jerry Wainwright will not be DePaul's coach to begin next year. If you need more proof (and believe me, you don't) then how bout a 22 point home loss to South Florida. Ouch!

6 - If you didn't notice, 2 triple-OT games on the same day is impressive. Both URI/SJU and Cal/Washington played some bonus basketball. I've been slow to give Cal much credit.. but 15-2 is 15-2

7 - Statistically, UTM standout Lester Hudson hasn't improved that much from last year.. but now that OVC play has started, look out for some monster stat lines. How about these numbers from last night: 30 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists.. and 8 steals.

8 - Fred Hill brought in some big time names to Rutgers this yeas, but apparently it hasn't helped. The Knights are already 0-4 in league play.. and fans have already turned their attention to the recruiting trail.

9 - Gonzaga wasn't good enough to beat Porland State at home, but at least they knocked off Portland last night. Take that Rose City!

10 - Sure, UK beat Vandy in their SEC opener.. but 8 shots for Patrick Patterson? Can someone explain to me while he's still not getting the ball. I don't get it.

11 - UNLV, riding high on an 8 game winning streak fell back down to Earth with a 7 point loss at TCU.. which makes you wonder, when did TCU get any good? The Horned Frogs are 11-5, and coming off wins over UNLV and Texas Tech. This is a program that hasn't even finished at .500 the past 3 years. The emergence of JUCO big man Zvonko Buljan has been a major boost to a team that needed a solid inside presence. He's averaging about 17 & 9 over his last 3 games.

12 - Speaking of coming back to Earth, chalk down another loss for Boston College.. the #1 hit wonders.

13 - It's looking possible that the only team that might push Memphis in the CUSA race is Tulsa and not UAB as expected.

14 - Belmont's become a familiar face in the NCAA Tournament, and the Bears are once again beating up on ASun foes. They beat North Florida by 34, Stetson by 25, and now Campbell by 33.

15 - After being humbled in Maui, Oklahoma State is on a good run and is now up to 15th in the RPI. Still, their upcoming road trip to Baylor will prove if their recent form was just a matter of some home cooking.

16 - I mentioned this a couple weeks ago, that when Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount, it might be the worst WCC battle of all time. The Waves won by a point, and the 2 WCC doormats now have a combined 3 D1 wins on the year.

17 - Good job NJIT losing by 23 points to Columbia yesterday. And I'm not even being sarcastic. It was one of the Highlanders best road efforts of the season.

18 - Dayton's loss at UMASS on Saturday signified that the Flyers aren't ready to make a push for an at-large tourney bid. The A10 might have to settle for just 2 teams in the Dance.

19 - Utah State continues to be a highly efficient squad (3rd in KenPom's stats.) The Aggies once again hit over 50% of their shots in a win against NMSU, led by 7 of 10 from Gary Wilkinson who has amazingly shot over 50% in all but one game this season.

20 - I'll bet you think you can beat Indiana point guard Daniel Moore one on one.

OVC Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:40:15 -0800

Conference Rank: 26th

10 year average: 22nd

Conference Page

All-OVC Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Marquis Weddle	UTM	So
G	Lester Hudson	UTM	Sr
G	Mike Rose	EKU	Sr
F	Daniel Northern	Tenn. Tech	Sr
F	Drake Reed	Austin Peay	Sr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
Mid-Major All-Americans Lester Hudson		Points: Lester Hudson 25.7 Rebounds: Daniel Northern 9.3 Assists: DeAndre Bray (JSU) 6.3

Ohio Valley Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

106	Murray State*	OVC	1	NCAA
162	Tennessee Martin	OVC	2
184	Austin Peay**	OVC	3
204	Tennessee St	OVC	4
215	Morehead State	OVC	5
286	Eastern Kentucky	OVC	6
304	SE Missouri St	OVC	7
322	Jacksonville St	OVC	8
328	Tennessee Tech	OVC	9
340	Eastern Illinois	OVC	10

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the OVC?

Other OVC Content

Conference Media Poll

Other

Top Shooting Guards: Lester Hudson

Rise & Fall: OVC

Cheerleader of the Day: Belmont

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:39:57 -0700

Cheerleader of the Day

Thanks to our friends over at Icon Sports Media, we have access to thousands of great college & NBA basketball photos to use on the site. Each day, along with our Picture of the Day, we'll be featuring a Cheerleader of the Day. After a brief mid-summer run of NBA dancers, we're back with college girls..

Belmont

- Check out past Cheerleaders of the Day!

- Also check out the Picture of the Day!

2007-08 Belmont Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 07:39:58 -0700

Belmont Bruins

Overall Rank: #111

Conference Rank: #1 A-Sun

2006-07: 23-10, 14-4, 2^nd

2006-07 postseason: NCAA

Belmont’s two year supremacy in the Atlantic Sun may be over, yet here we again with the Bruins atop another preseason poll. Without the services of big men Boomer Herndon and Andrew Preston it is understandable that many think it is time for Belmont to take a slide. The key will be how well Keaton Belcher and Matthew Dotson can take over the production of the departing big men. There is no doubt that Dotson can score, but he is mismatch at the four, not a post player. The 6-8 junior will battle in the paint a little bit, but is by no means the imposing center that Herndon and Preston were.

Who’s Out:

Playing just 16.5 and 18.1 minutes, Herndon and Preston were practically one center, one big dominating center. The 6-10 duo combined for 19.5 points and 10.1 rebounds…and over five fouls per game. Obviously their absence is extremely detrimental to the frontcourt, but as long as somebody can become somewhat of a scoring threat in the paint, the perimeter group should still be effective. But that perimeter group will be without Josh Goodwin. The 6-3 guard was not as productive during his senior campaign as he was earlier in his career, but the sharpshooter will still be missed.

Who’s In:

This group of newcomers does not quite solve any of the frontcourt problems, but the depth everywhere else will get a boost. The sharpshooting Jon Rice might make the biggest impact this year. The Bruins could use another sharpshooter and Rice will do at least that. The 6-0 Naperville, Illinois native will work hard on both ends of the floor and could develop into a big time scorer before his days in Nashville are over. Redshirt wing Jordan Campbell and Alex Renfoe, a transfer from Trevecca Nazarene University, will add some depth to the backcourt. Renfoe is extremely quick and has the skills to score and run the point and will make a big impact this year. Forward Jon House will not take over for Herndon and Preston. In fact, the 6-6 Canadian plays more like a guard than a forward. His international experience is a big plus and the transition to Division I basketball should be an easy one.

Who to Watch:

Justin Hare, Andy Wicke and Henry Harris are a small but talented group on the perimeter. With Wicke replacing Goodwin, the trio even loses an inch, which may cause some problems on the defense end. Hare is the best scorer on the team, coming off a season in which he averaged 14.3 points per game. Wicke is the best long range shooter and after spending most of last season providing a spark off the bench, the 6-2 junior will need to remain productive as a starter. Harris is not a prolific scorer, or even a great playmaker, but he is a smart player and an excellent defender. Shane Dansby was vital roleplayer averaging 5.0 points and 4.4 rebounds during his first season at Belmont after spending a year at Murray State. With a year of playing under his belt, the 6-4 junior is likely to spend more time on the floor and provide the much needed size and rebounding out of the backcourt.

Final Projection:

The obvious problem for Coach Rick Byrd in his 22^nd season with the Bruins is the absence of frontcourt size. Will Peeples is only 6-6, but has the potential to be in the mix up front. The junior was not as productive last year as he was before he sat out the 2005-2006 season with an injury, but Belmont fans are hoping he can regain his earlier form. Mike Dejworek only played in nine games as a freshman, but is a versatile big man who will get every opportunity to earn the starting position up front. All in all, the Bruins know how to win. And this is the A-Sun we are talking about; many teams have won before without a couple dominating centers on the floor. Teams like East Tennessee State, Jacksonville and Mercer will give the Bruins all they can handle and it promises to be a close race, but Belmont’s experience on the court and on the sidelines give them an edge.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Henry Harris, Junior, Guard, 5.7 points per game

Andy Wicke, Junior, Guard, 9.4 points per game

Justin Hare, Senior, Guard, 14.3 points per game

Matthew Dotson, Junior, Forward, 7.0 points per game

Mike Dejworek, Sophomore, Center, 1.0 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2007-08 Preview | Discuss the Preview

2006-07 Preview: Team's #131-144

Joel Welser — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 14:02:05 -0700

Capsules of teams ranked 131st to 144th in CHN's 144 Teams in 144 Days college preview.