Charleston Southern

Wednesday's Conference Tournament Primer

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 01:27:24 -0800

Four more conferences join in on the tournament fun on Wednesday while the Big South moves on to the quarterfinal round, meaning that more teams will see their season come to an end. The top two seeds in the Atlantic Sun, regular season champion Belmont and host school Mercer, begin their journey in Macon and both teams will be prohibitive favorites to advance. Rick Byrd's Bruins enter tournament play on an 11-game win streak and they won both regular season meetings with 8-seed Jacksonville by double digits.

However both of those meetings came in January and the Dolphins won three straight before falling to North Florida in their regular season finale. In the second meeting, an 85-71 Belmont win, the Bruins shot 5-for-9 from three and scored 46 points after going into the half tied at 39. Guard Kerron Johnson, one of three Bruins named First Team All-Atlantic Sun, scored 21 points in the win and three other Belmont players reached double figures. Belmont's balance, which comes as a result of their deep rotation, makes them a tough matchup for many teams on the defensive end of the floor.

Aloys Cabell and Russell Powell led the way for the Dolphins in that contest, scoring a combined 37 points but as the game wore on it was apparent that Jacksonville didn't have the number of weapons needed to keep up with Belmont. Therein lies the problem for the Dolphins, whose opponents have shot 47% from the field this season. Add in big men Scott Saunders and Mick Hedgepeth and it's easy to see that JU will have a hard time slowing Belmont down unless multiple Bruins have off nights.

Bob Hoffman's Bears won nine straight games entering their stretch run but dropped three of their final four games, but maybe getting to host the conference tournament can turn things around. Mercer takes on Lipscomb, a team they swept with the most recent meeting being a 63-54 victory on the 23rd. Mercer limited the Bison to 33.3% shooting from the field and 38.6% from two, but the Bears had better improve their rebounding if they're to avoid an upset. Lipscomb grabbed 17 offensive rebounds but luckily for Mercer the Bison were unable to take advantage.

Jake Gollon and Langston Hall struggled in that contest but Bud Thomas stepped up to score 15 points and Daniel Coursey added 12. Lipscomb freshman Malcolm Smith was named to the All-Freshman Team and rightfully so, as he ranks second on the team in scoring despite starting just eight games this season. Others need to step up with Smith essentially being the man with jordan Burgason no longer with the team. The winners of these games have Thursday off, a built-in perk for the higher-seeded teams provided they take care of business.

Atlantic Sun (quarterfinals)
#1 Belmont vs. #8 Jacksonville, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN3)
#2 Mercer vs. #7 Lipscomb, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN3)

Big South (quarterfinals)
#2 Coastal Carolina vs. #7 Radford, 12:00 p.m. (Big South Network)
#3 Campbell vs. #6 Winthrop, 2:00 p.m. (Big South Network)
#1 UNC Asheville vs. #8 High Point, 6:00 p.m. (Big South Network)
#4 Charleston Southern vs. #5 Liberty, 8:00 p.m. (Big South Network)

One would expect the top three seeds, led by regular season champ UNC Asheville, to take care of business and move on to the semifinals with all three having swept their opponents in the regular season. If there's one matchup of those three to keep an eye on its Winthrop/Campbell, with the Camels winning by just three points in the meeting at Winthrop. And despite the two games separating them in the standings that 4/5 battle could go right down to the wire as Charleston Southern and Liberty split their two meetings. Antwan Burrus' three-pointer in the final seconds of the second meeting gave the Flames a 75-74 win on February 9th.

Ohio Valley (first round)
#5 Southeast Missouri vs. #8 Eastern Kentucky, 6:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
#6 Austin Peay vs. #7 Jacksonville State, 8:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)

Murray State's clearly the favorite to win the OVC crown but they won't play until Friday, so the question is whether or not one of the four teams playing on Thursday has the ability to make it to that point. Southeast Missouri State would be the most likely choice given their 9-7 conference record, but the Redhawks limp into the tournament on a four-game losing streak. Dave Loos' Austin Peay squad could be the better choice as they boast four players averaging double figures (TyShawn Edmondson leads the way at 12.5 ppg), and the Governors have won three in a row entering their game against Jacksonville State.

Patriot League (quarterfinals)
#8 Navy at #1 Bucknell, 7:00 p.m.
#5 Lafayette at #4 Holy Cross, 7:00 p.m.
#7 Colgate at #2 Lehigh, 7:00 p.m.
#6 Army at #3 American, 7:30 p.m.

The question in the Patriot League on Wednesday night is whether or not any of the visitors have the ability to knock off one of the top three teams. Navy? Highly unlikely as the Midshipmen went 0-14 in league play, something no team has accomplished since Army did so in 2002-03. Colgate? The Raiders' lone conference wins came at the expense of Navy, and outside of NJIT they haven't beaten a team other than the Mids since mid-December (Dartmouth). Army would be the best choice given the presence of Ella Ellis, but they lost both meetings with American by double digits (by 12 at home and by 24 at AU). Lafayette and Holy Cross split their season series so that would be the game that should garner the most attention. If one of the top three should lose it would be a huge surprise.

WCC (first round)
#8 Portland vs. #9 Santa Clara, 9:00 p.m.

Simple storyline here: Kerry Keating's Broncos have seen a year that was supposed to be promising unravel right before their eyes, beginning with Marc Trasolini's torn ACL during a summer trip to Canada. Kevin Foster's been suspended for the remainder of the season and the play of Evan Rocquemore notwithstanding it's easy to see why Santa Clara went winless in WCC play. Portland doesn't arrive in Las Vegas scalding hot themselves, as the Pilots have lost 12 of their last 13 games. Winner gets San Francisco on Thursday night.

Thursday Recap: Vanderbilt Wins Eighth Straight Game

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:38:18 -0800

Remember the concerns late in non-conference play that Vanderbilt was destined to be one of the country's biggest busts? Don't look now but Kevin Stallings' Commodores won their eighth straight game on Thursday night, beating Alabama 69-59 in Tuscaloosa to remain tied atop the SEC with Kentucky (4-0). Alabama shot 26.5% from the field in the first half and trailed 26-19 at the half, and a 17-4 run over a five-minute stretch pushed the Vanderbilt lead out to 23 points at 58-35 with 8:12 remaining.

John Jenkins scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the way for Vanderbilt, which is looking like the SEC title contender that many expected to see at the beginning of the season, and Jeffery Taylor added 17 and six boards. One reason for the turnaround was the return of center Festus Ezeli, who accounted for 12 points and ten rebounds as he outplayed Alabama's JaMychal Green (six points, eight rebounds in 31 minutes of action). Ezeli's presence, despite the fact that he's not a great shot-blocker by any stretch of the imagination, gives the other Vandy defenders a safety blanket that wasn't there when he was out of the lineup.

"Our guys are very physical in there. It's nice to have big strong bodies to throw out there," said Stallings of his frontcourt's play against Green. "I thought our front court play offensively, actually more so defensively, was the key of the game for us. Our bigs really stepped up and played well."

Vanderbilt's big men played well against the high-flying Tony Mitchell as well, as he missed all eight of his field goal attempts and failed to score a single point. Trevor Releford scored 14 points to lead Alabama but without their big men being able to get going offensively and a 48-35 deficit on the glass, it was going to be tough for Anthony Grant's team to grab the victory.

If there is a concern for Vandy to come out of the win it would have to be the turnovers, as they had difficulty dealing with the Alabama pressure late in the second half (17 turnovers for the game). Get that cleaned up and the Commodores can definitely make good on the promise many believed them to have before the season began.

"Well in the middle 30 minutes of the game it was very effective," remarked Stallings about his team's ball-handling. "The first five and last five it was not very effective at all. That's ok though. That's the second time we've had a game close like that. When you have it that far out of reach, I guess that's a good thing."

Other Notable Happenings

1. A starting lineup change lights two fires as Duke beats Wake Forest.
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski made the decision before the Blue Devils' game against Wake Forest to replace freshman guard Austin Rivers in the starting lineup with junior sharpshooter Andre Dawkins. And whatever the reasoning was for the move, be it for motivation or the fact that Rivers wasn't playing his best, the move worked out best for the Blue Devils in their 91-73 victory. Dawkins came out of the gates hot and finished with a team-high 21 points (7-12 3PT) while Rivers added 20 points in his most efficient offensive performance in ACC play.

Add in another 20 from Ryan Kelly and Duke simply had too much for the young Demon Deacons, but it's just as important to figure out what this means for Duke as they look to win an ACC title and a national title as well. Rivers is a phenomenal talent, but if he's not making things happen while being efficient the other weapons can suffer. Florida State will provide a stiffer test on Saturday, so it will be interesting to see if Duke can build on this against an outstanding defense.

2. North Carolina gets back on track but Strickland goes down with a knee injury.
After getting their heads handed to them in Tallahassee on Saturday, North Carolina needed to bounce back with a win at Virginia Tech but with the game being in Blacksburg that was going to be a tough task. It certainly worked out that way in the first half, as the Hokies were hot from the perimeter and took a 39-34 lead into the half. What really needed to be seen was not an emphatic UNC victory but rather the Tar Heels showing the ability to respond to getting popped in the mouth, and Roy Williams' team did just that in their 82-68 win. Harrison Barnes scored a game-high 27 points, scoring nine of those points during an 18-0 second half run that essentially put the game away.

Forwards John Henson (16 points, 16 rebounds) and Tyler Zeller (14 points, 11 rebounds) both posted double-doubles for North Carolina as well. But the victory wasn't without concern as shooting guard Dexter Strickland went down with a knee injury in the second half (still no report on the severity of the injury). If Carolina were to lose Strickland for an extended period of time they would be without their best perimeter defender, and it's difficult to point out who would be best capable of assuming that responsibility. Hopefully it isn't a serious injury, because this would be a big loss for North Carolina if it were..

3. Penn State knocks off Illinois in Happy Valley.
Said it before and will say it again: a lot can be learned about teams in watching how they deal with prosperity, just as a lot can be learned in watching how teams deal with adversity. That was the case for Illinois on the heels of their win over Ohio State nine days prior to their game at Penn State, and apparently that was too much time in between games for Bruce Weber's team as they fell 54-52. Tim Frazier's floater with 8.3 seconds remaining proved to be the difference but the Fighting Illini didn't help themselves by turning the ball over 14 times or shooting 34.4% from the field either.

Brandon Paul, who lit up the Buckeyes for 43 points, hit the game-tying three with 39.3 seconds to go and finished with 20 points while Meyers Leonard added 15. But the other three starters, most notably D.J. Richardson (2-for-11, six points), accounted for just ten points combined and the Illini spent way too much time on the perimeter. Twenty-two of their 49 field goal attempts were three-pointers, and Illinois scored 40.4% of their points from deep compared to 38.5% from two. Illinois is at their best when they can get things going inside of the arc, with either Leonard or Paul, Richardson and Joseph Bertrand being able to get opportunities at the rim or in the mid-range game. Penn State deserves some credit for this, but Illinois needs to be more assertive in getting the best looks for themselves if they're to remain a contender in the Big Ten.

Quick Hitters

1. While they still have seven conference games left to play, it may be time to pencil in Davidson as the Southern Conference's regular season champ. Bob McKillop's Wildcats were too much for Charleston, out-rebounding the Cougars 44-31 in the 87-69 win. Jake Cohen (29 points, 14 rebounds) led the way and De'Mon Brooks scored 15 points in 17 foul-plagued minutes. No other team in the SoCon has fewer than three league losses.

2. A big development in the Pac-12 was the play of California walk-on Robert Thurman in the Golden Bears' 69-66 win at Washington. Thurman scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench and Allen Crabbe accounted for 16 and ten rebounds. If Thurman can be a solid contributor with Richard Solomon finished for the year, Mike Montgomery's team could have enough inside to still win the conference.

3. In a matchup of 5-1 teams it was Wagner who came out on top, beating St. Francis (NY) 73-61 in Brooklyn to remain a game behind LIU Brooklyn in the NEC. Tyler Murray scored 19 points while Kenneth Ortiz and Jonathon Williams scored 11 apiece for the Seahawks, who at 15-3 are off to their best start in school history. That sets up a huge meeting with the first-place Blackbirds on Saturday afternoon.

4. Charleston Southern landed an important blow in the Big South race as they beat first-place UNC Asheville 93-88 in Asheville. Arion Harper led the Buccaneers with a career-high 28 points, Saah Nimley added 20 and Kelvin Martin was all over the box score with 17 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals (seventh double-double of the year).

5. For all the talk about the inconsistent (when they weren't completely healthy) nature of Loyola Marymount, fact is they're two close home defeats to Gonzaga and BYU away from being in first place in the WCC. Anthony Ireland scored 27 points in addition to five assists and five steals for the Lions, who avenged that seven-point loss to BYU with an 82-68 win in Provo.

6. One team in the Horizon League that isn't receiving much press as a contender for the league crown is Valparaiso. Bryce Drew's Crusaders moved to 6-2 in league play with a 68-49 win at Loyola (IL) on Thursday night, limiting the Ramblers to 22 first-half points. Jay Harris led the way with 18 points and five assists off the bench and three starters reached double figures. One thing that needs improvement: free throw shooting, as the Crusaders shot 3-for-8 from the charity stripe.

7. North Carolina wasn't the only team to wake up on Friday hoping for good news on the injury front. NC State was without forward C.J. Williams the final nine minutes of their 76-62 win over Boston College due to a shoulder injury, and if he's out for an extended period of time Mark Gottfried will have some shuffling to do with his rotation. That would be a tough blow for a team that's improved a great deal since last season.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Jake Cohen (Davidson)
29 points and 14 rebounds in the Wildcats' 87-69 win over College of Charleston.

2. G Faisal Aden (Washington State)
33 points and five rebounds in the Cougars' 81-69 win over Stanford.

3. G Charlie Westbrook (South Dakota)
32 points, six rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks in the Coyotes' 88-78 win over IUPUI.

Jon Teitel's Coaches Interview Series: Charleston Southern's Gary Edwards

Jon Teitel — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 20:22:43 -0700

In the latest installment in his coaching greats interview series CHN writer spent some time with former Charleston Southern head coach Gary Edwards. Edwards led the Buccaneers for nine seasons, winning 115 games and two conference Coach of the Year awards during his tenure, and is currently the head coach at Francs Marion University in Florence, South Carolina. His career record currently stands at 444-313 in 26 seasons as a head coach.

Jon Teitel: You graduated magna cum laude from Virginia Wesleyan in 1979 where you were named an academic All-American, and you later got your master's degree from Old Dominion. What importance do you place on academics, and how has your own intelligence made you a better coach?
Gary Edwards: I have always tried to incorporate athletics and academics into a total educational experience, and have tried to instill that belief in my players. At Charleston Southern we graduated all of our players. Division II is a different animal because you are dealing with more transfers and at-risk recruits. I do not know how intelligent I am, but I have always tried to keep things pretty simple in my approach to the game. Some coaches try to complicate things, but what we do is not brain surgery!

JT: From 1979-1982 you coached at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. Which player there impressed you the most?
GE: To be honest, coaching in the PIT was a great experience, but I do not remember all the players. I do remember Eric Burks (one of my guys at Charleston Southern) making the All-PIT team in later years.

JT: In the spring of 1995 you had a one-point upset win over UNC Greensboro in the Big South title game thanks to a bucket by Burks at the buzzer. Where does Burks' shot rank among the best you have ever seen?
GE: That shot was very memorable because it signified how much he had grown as a player and person during his time at Charleston Southern. I write a weekly newspaper column and one of my best was, "Give it (the ball) up and the ball will come back to you." Eric was double-teamed on that last play and passed the ball to a teammate. The "old" Eric would have never done that, but the "new" Eric trusted his teammate...who missed the potential game-winning shot. However, the ball was batted around and landed in Eric's hands just in time for him to shovel in the winning basket as time expired. It was a wonderful moment for our team, as UNC Greensboro had beaten us one week earlier by 30 points, but it was an even better life lesson. I tell the story to young people all the time: give up the ball, give of yourself...and it will come back to you.

JT: In the fall of 1995 you went into UNLV with a 1-6 Charleston Southern team and left with an eight-point upset win over the Runnin' Rebels. How were you able to pull off the upset, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterwards?
GE: The UNLV game was very interesting. Prior to the game UNLV retired the jerseys of Stacey Augmon and Larry Johnson, and it was the 1st time that "Tark" had been back in the arena since resigning. Fireworks were going off and our guys just stood there in awe taking it all in, but once the game started we played with poise and confidence. Although it was a very memorable win, it was also very bittersweet because UNLV was coached by Bill Bayno (my former assistant and longtime friend), so I felt bad for him.

JT: You spent a decade as head coach at Division II Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where you went 206-88. How were you able to have so much success there, and why did you decide to leave?
GE: A lot of people questioned why I would leave Charleston Southern (a Division I member of the Big South) for IUP (a D-II school), but very simply, the IUP job was a better job. Frank Cignetti was the Athletic Director and football coach at IUP at the time, and he just did a great job of making that entire athletic program 1st-class. We had more resources to work with, I got a significant raise in salary, and it was a place where you could win year in and year out. Indiana, PA is a great place, and I really enjoyed my time there. The culture began to change when IUP hired a new president: when he made a major issue out of what could have been a very minor one, I knew it was time to head back down South.

JT: What are your memories of the 2002 Division II Tournament (your team made it all the way to the Final Four before losing to eventual champion Metropolitan State)?
GE: My memories in Evansville include our PG Wes Layton, who had a phenomenal game against Northwest Missouri St. in the first round. He was from out that way and his entire family was there to see him. He had 27 points and we were all so happy for him. My other lasting memory is how Metro St. beat us in the semifinals and how impressed I was with their defense. I think then-Metro (and current St. John's assistant) coach Mike Dunlap is one of the best coaches in the game today. I remember going out to Denver to spend time with him and learn his defense, and we in turn have used that defense with great success throughout the years.

JT: You are 7-4 in Division II Tournament games and 8-1 when playing for a conference or regional championship. How are you able to get the most out of your players when it matters the most, and does your coaching style change at all from the regular season to the post-season?
GE: I think that my teams have done well in "big games" because we do not put too much pressure on ourselves to win. We prepare very hard, and then we have faith that everything will turn out the way it is supposed to turn out.

JT: In 2007 the NCAA placed IUP on probation after an investigation revealed that you committed major rules violations during your time there. Do you feel like you did anything wrong and how has the probation affected your life (if at all)?
GE: The NCAA placed IUP on probation but gave them no other significant penalties. Much of the problem was with the swimming program. I used bad judgment in trying to help several players gain in-state residency status so their scholarships would not cost our scholarship budget as much, and I allowed two players to get a book for their summer school class without adding an addendum to their summer school scholarship paperwork. I was personally never put on probation by the NCAA and the entire situation could have been handled differently by the IUP administration, but everything worked out for the best.

JT: You are currently the coach at Francis Marion. How do you like the gig and where do you hope to end up in the future?
GE: Francis Marion is a wonderful school, and I am working with an outstanding/loyal/supportive administration. I am committed to building this program so that we can compete successfully on a national level, and that challenge is something I am enjoying very much.

JT: When people look back on your career how do you want to be remembered the most?
GE: I hope that people (including my former players) will look at me as more than a basketball coach. I am a basketball coach, yes, but I am also a father, a husband, a son, and a friend. I write a little bit, I sold some hot dogs from a cart this summer. I just hope I am remembered as a guy who tried his best at everything and won more games than he lost.

Edwards is also on Jon's list of best coaches in Big South history.

Charleston Southern: Gary Edwards (1987-1996) 115-139, two-time conference Coach of the Year
Coastal Carolina: Russ Bergman (1985-1994) 149-112, two NCAA Tournament appearances, four conference titles, three-time conference Coach of the Year
Gardner-Webb: Rick Scruggs (2002-2010) 87-122, one conference title, one-time conference Coach of the Year
High Point: Bart Lundy (2003-2009) 96-87
Liberty: Jeff Meyer (1988-1997) 134-127, one NCAA Tournament appearance, one conference title
UNC Asheville: Eddie Biedenbach (1996-present) 181-202, 1 NCAA Tournament appearance, four conference titles, three-time conference Coach of the Year
Presbyterian: Gregg Nibert (1989-present) 349-274, two conference titles, two-time conference Coach of the Year
Radford: Ron Bradley (1991-2002) 192-125, one NCAA Tournament appearance, three conference titles, one-time conference Coach of the Year
VMI: Charlie Schmaus (1976-1982) 75-90, one NCAA Tournament appearance, one conference title, one-time conference Coach of the Year
Winthrop: Gregg Marshall (1998-2007) 194-83, seven NCAA Tournament appearances, six conference titles, four-time conference Coach of the Year

Jon Teitel's Interview Series: Charleston Southern Great Ben Hinson

Jon Teitel — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 16:16:05 -0700

CHN writer Jon Teitel has yet another installment in his player interview series, this time talking with Charleston Southern great Ben Hinson. Originally an NC State signee, Hinson ended up at Charleston Southern where he went on to become the best player in school history.

Jon Teitel: Your family has a very impressive athletic lineage. Your sister Priscilla also went to Charleston Southern and led her team in scoring, while your cousin Roy Hinson was an 8-year NBA veteran. Was it a coincidence that you had such an athletic family, or do you credit at least some of your success to genetics?

Ben Hinson: I think some of it is genetics and some of it is hard work.

JT: Why did you choose to attend Charleston Southern?

BH: I was recruited by several ACC and Big Ten schools and signed a partial scholarship to play at NC State under Coach Jim Valvano, but after they won the 1983 NCAA title, I got pushed to the backburner by some other recruits. I was in limbo because most other schools had already signed all of their recruits, but one of my coaches told me about this school down in Charleston, and I decided to give it a shot.

JT: In 1986 you were an All-American. Did you feel like you were one of the best players in the country?

BH: At the level we were playing at, I felt like I was one of the best. Once we finally started getting some recognition, I felt like I was 1 of the top 20-30 players in the country.

JT: In 1986 and 1987 you won back-to-back conference tourney MVP awards. How were you able to play your best when it mattered the most?

BH: We were playing very well as a team. The Big South was just starting out back then. Some teams were coming from Division II, but we had already established a powerhouse in Charleston, so we were favored during those two years. We played well down the stretch, and only lost two conference games in each of those two years.

JT: In 1987 you were named conference Player of the Year. What did it mean to you to win such an outstanding individual honor?

BH: I actually thought that I should have won it back-to-back, but it was hard to get in the limelight on such a solid team.

JT: You graduated as the all-time leading scorer in school history. Did you realize at the time how prolific a player you were?

BH: Not really; my friends used to joke with me about how I was able to score so many points without a three-point line, which only came into existence during my senior year. I played against some teams that had experimental three-point lines, and since I was a long-distance shooter, I think I could have easily scored 2,500 PTS if I had played with a three-point line for all four years.

JT: You played one season with Golden State. Do you have a favorite memory from your brief NBA career?

BH: Back then the draft was several rounds; I was drafted in the seventh round, and I thought it was great. I had scouts coming to watch me starting in my junior year. It was Coach George Karl's 2nd year at Golden State, but Chris Mullin and Sleepy Floyd were already there and I had seen them on TV all the time. It was really overwhelming for me: it very exciting just to be traveling with them.

JT: You played two years with Rochester in the CBA. What did you learn from the experience, and how did it compare to the NBA?

BH: I blew out my knee over the summer, and the CBA was just starting that fall, so that is why I ended up there. It was like night and day; the salary went way down (sometimes we did not get paid at all), and it was not fun to travel in the snow. Just as I was finally getting healthy, Golden State picked up Mitchell Wiggins to play guard, so I figured I was done. It was not fun in the CBA, so I walked away from pro basketball.

JT: You currently serve as a volunteer assistant coach at Wingate University. How do you like the job, and what do you hope to end up doing in the future?

BH: I played in some summer leagues in Charlotte just to stay in shape, and I ran into Wingate's then-coach Jeff Reynolds. We got to talking, and he asked me to come out and help give some pointers to the players, and I love working with kids. My day job is as a quality manager with a company where I have been for over a decade, so I am not really hunting for a coaching job, but I may think about it if something serious comes up.

JT: When people look back on your career, what do you want them to remember the most?

BH: I want them to remember hat I was a great athlete, a great student of the game, loved working with people, and would help people in any way possible to improve their lives and succeed.

BIG SOUTH'S FANTASY BEST

Charleston Southern: Ben Hinson (1987): 2,295 PTS (#1), 45.7 3PT% (#2), All-American, conference POY

Coastal Carolina: Tony Dunkin (1993): 2,151 PTS (#1), 721 REB (#4), 52.1 FG% (#4), All-American, 4-time conference POY

Gardner-Webb: George Adams (1972): 2,404 PTS (#1), 1,113 REB (#1), 60.3 FG% (#1)

High Point: Arizona Reid (2008): 2,069 PTS (#1), 1,013 REB (#1), 2-time All-American, 2-time conference POY

Liberty: Karl Hess (1980): 2,373 PTS (#1), 648 AST (#1), 89.8 FT% (#1)

NC Asheville: Josh Pittman (1998): 1,549 PTS (#4), 175 STL (#2), 2-time conference POY

Radford: Doug Day (1993): 2,027 PTS (#1), 401 3PM (#1)

Virginia Military: Reggie Williams (2008): 2,556 PTS (#1), 820 REB (#4), 196 3PM (#4)

Winthrop: Charles Brunson (1982): 1,850 PTS (#1), 913 REB (#1), 61.3 FG% (#2), 2-time All-American

Big South Tournament Preview: Radford the Favorite

Evan Dorey — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:46:12 -0800

This is the first in a series of conference tournament previews I’ll be doing for CollegeHoops.net, in which I run down all the teams involved, giving a breif 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. Anyway, with no further ado, the preview follows below:

Big South

The Big South 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, the semifinals at the regular season champion, Radford, and the final held at the highest remaining seed. Presbyterian is ineligible for the conference tournament.

Tournament Odds

#	Team	SF	F	W
1	Radford	95.02%	82.91%	67.71%
2	Virginia Military Inst	84.48%	42.44%	12.06%
3	Liberty	74.55%	41.85%	12.56%
4	NC Asheville	74.07%	12.51%	4.08%
5	Winthrop	25.93%	3.24%	0.82%
6	Gardner Webb	25.45%	11.64%	2.18%
7	Coastal Carolina	15.52%	4.07%	0.43%
8	High Point	4.98%	1.33%	0.15%

Radford are hosting every game they play, so should be clear favorites to win. VMI and Liberty are close for the second spot, and should contest a good semifinal if both survive. There’s just an 8% chance of somebody outside the top 3 grabbing the bid, with most of that belonging to Asheville.

#1 – Radford Highlanders (18-11, 15-3) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.112

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1998 (1^st Round)

The Highlanders feature the Big South’s best defense, holding their opponents under 40% from the field, and doing an excellent job both inside and outside. They also do well on the defensive glass, and rarely foul, so the fact they force very few turnovers doesn’t hurt them. Offensively, Radford rarely takes threes, and has a lot of problems with turnovers, but lead the league on the glass and in getting to the free throw line.

Players to watch:

6-11 JR Arstiom Parakhouski, 16.0 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 1.2 BPG, 54.7 eFG% - The Belarusian big man leads the team in both scoring and rebounding, and is one of only two players in the conference to average a double-double. He’s a solid shot blocker as well, but his shooting percentage isn’t that great for a big guy.

6-8 JR Joey Lynch-Flohr, 13.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 52.7 eFG% - Another quality scoring forward, he’s not as good a rebounder as Parakhouski, but shoots a similar percentage and is a solid second option.

#2 – Virginia Military Institute Keydets (22-7, 13-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.045

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1977 (Sweet 16)

VMI started the season 11-2 in conference, and after beating Kentucky in the non-conference, looked like they might be on course for the league title, but things fell apart a bit down the stretch, and the Keydets find themselves in second spot. This is easily the nation’s fastest paced team, the only one averaging more than 80 possessions a game, and it takes more than 50% of its shots from behind the arc. The Keydets hold on to the ball exceptionally well despite their speed of play, and shoot a good percentage inside and outside. The problem is on the other end, as their fast pace forces a lot of turnovers, but also results in the third-worst two-point defense, and the second-worst defensive rebounding in the nation.

Players to watch:

6-4 SR Chavis Holmes, 22.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG,3.2 SPG, 61.5 eFG% - The first of the Holmes twins is the nation’s second ranked player in steals, and while his big average numbers are mostly a result of the team’s fast pace, he’s a very good percentage player as well, and the conference’s best three-point shooter.

6-4 SR Travis Holmes, 19.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.3 APG, 3.3 SPG, 54.4 eFG% - They may be identical twins, but Travis’ game features better ball movement and somewhat weaker shooting

#3 – Liberty Flames (21-10, 12-6) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.052

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2004 (1^st Round)

Like VMI, Liberty shoot a huge percentage of their shots from behind the arc, nearly 50%, but they make a higher percentage from inside. The conference’s second best offense also depends on good free throw shooting and avoiding turnovers to make up for poor offensive rebounding. The Flames struggle on the defensive interior, allowing a high percentage of shots and getting few defensive rebounds. One notable thing they do well is avoid fouling; only a handful of teams in the country send opponents to the line less often than Liberty.

Players to watch:

6-5 SR Anthony Smith, 17.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 59.0 eFG% - Smith doesn’t start, but is the second leading scorer and leading rebounder for the Flames. He’s just 6-5, but shoots over 60% from inside the arc, while being a nice outside shooter as well.

6-3 FR Seth Curry, 20.7 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 51.1 eFG% - He’s no Stephen Curry, at least not yet, but he’s still a pretty remarkable player in his own right, the only freshman in the nation averaging over 20 PPG. Seth doesn’t have a long way to go to reach the same level as his brother, just needing to increase his two-point percentage.

#4 – NC Asheville Bulldogs (14-15, 10-8) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.011

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2003 (1^st Round)

Asheville seemed like it was doomed to the bottom half after starting the conference season 5-6, but put together a solid record since then to earn a home game in the tournament. The Bulldogs have a good offense, making a nice percentage of shots from inside and outside. They struggle with defence, though, with only VMI worse out of the tournament teams. The Bulldogs have real troubles inside, where they are weak on the glass and allow conference opponents to shoot nearly 50%.

Players to watch:

6-4 SO John Williams, 13.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.4 BPG, 56.3 eFG% - Williams is the team’s most efficient scorer; he does all of his work inside, and is an excellent shot-blocker, quite impressive for a 6-4 player, even in a smaller league like the Big South.

6-6 SR Reid Augst, 15.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 50.7 eFG% - Augst is the team’s leading scorer, but struggles from behind the arc, where he shoots below 30%. Like Williams, his offensive play is best inside the arc.

#5 – Winthrop Eagles (11-18, 9-9) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.023

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

Winthrop have represented the Big South in each of the last four NCAA tournaments, but its chances are very thin after a tough season. A strong finish will give Eagle fans some hope, but this is still a work in progress. Their problem is offense, as Winthrop is simply abysmal at making shots. They shoot just 41% overall, and rarely make threes or get to the free throw line. The reason that they’ve managed to stay nearly at .500 is defense; the Eagles are the second best defenders in the conference tournament. They are the Big South’s best shot-blockers and typically get opponents to shoot a lot of threes, where they are good defenders as well.

Players to watch:

6-2 FR Andre Jones, 8.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 42.8 eFG% - Jones is the team’s third leading scorer, but has been an inefficient player, especially with two-point shots, where he is well below 40%. He’s Winthrop’s best long-distance shooting option, but at 36%, that’s a bit of a back-handed compliment.

6-7 SO Charles Corbin, 9.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 47.2 eFG% - Corbin’s numbers are modest, but he’s the team’s top scorer and rebounder. He was slowed somewhat with injuries in mid-February, but has had some big games, including a double-double against Radford. If he can find some form, the Eagles can cause opponents a lot of trouble.

#6 – Gardner Webb Bulldogs (13-16, 9-9) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.013

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

Gardner Webb looked good at 7-5, but losing four straight conference games cost it a first round home game. The Bulldogs are a deserved mid-table team, boasting both a middle-of-the-road offense and defense. They depend a lot on outside play, making 35% of threes and rarely turning the ball over, while forcing a fair number of turnovers themselves and allowing over 50% of opponents’ attempts from inside the arc.

Players to watch:

6-3 SR Aaron Linn, 14.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.9 SPG, 48.7 eFG% - Linn leads the team in scoring, and just barely makes enough shots to stay reasonably efficient. He’s a better threat from inside than outside, and is also the team leader in steals.

6-0 JR Grayson Flittner, 14.6 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 4.0 APG, 49.1 eFG% - Flittner was the Bulldogs’ leading scorer when he suffered a knee injury, and while he returned earlier in the month, he has struggled since, just 10-for-his-last-43 from the field.

#7 – Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (11-19, 5-13) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.049

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1993 (1^st Round)

Coastal Carolina are pretty much mediocre across the board, and it adds up to a mediocre season. The Chanticleers are good offensive rebounders, but their shooting is inconsistent, and they tend to give up a lot of steals. Defensively, they have trouble stopping the long distance-shot, and are below average in most other areas. When they do win, it’s usually because they’ve made a lot of shots, especially from two, where they are occasionally quite dangerous.

Players to watch:

6-5 JR Joseph Harris, 15.5 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 57.3 eFG% - I can’t pretend to be an expert on the conference, but Joseph Harris has to be a factor in the Big South player of the year race with his numbers. One of only two Big South players to average a double-double, Harris leads the conference in rebounds, and leads his team in points, steals and blocks as well. He’s a high-percentage inside shooter who gets to the free-throw line a lot, and will be a handful for any opponent.

6-5 SO Anthony Breeze, 10.3 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 56.2 eFG% - Another strong interior scorer, Breeze is second on the team in points, but would be a lot closer if his free throw shooting wasn’t an abysmal 52%. Interestingly, he doesn’t start, and is just 6^th on the team in minutes, but from an outside perspective I really couldn’t tell you why, he’s the Chanticleers most efficient non-Harris player.

#8 – High Point Panthers (9-20, 4-14) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.083

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

With Presbyterian ineligible, a 9^th place finish was enough for a young High Point team to sneak in as the #8 seed, despite an fairly poor record. The Panthers have struggled to score all season, committing a lot of turnovers and making less than 42% of field goal attempts, including under 30% from behind the arc. One bright spot on both sides of the ball is rebounding, where High Point is very good. Their defense is decent, good at forcing turnovers and reasonable defending shots, but unlike another weak offensive team, Winthrop, it’s nothing special, and can’t make up for the lack of scoring.

Players to watch:

6-11 JR Cruz Daniels, 7.9 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 2.7 BPG, 63.0 eFG% - Daniels isn’t a key player in the offense, only reaching double digits on a few occasions, but does just about everything else you could ask of a big man. He’s an excellent rebounder, with his relatively low minutes somewhat masking excellent rebounding rates, and the conference’s best shot-blocker. When he does attempt to score, he’s high percentage, over 60% from the field, but he doesn’t get to the free throw line much for a big guy.

6-2 FR Nick Barbour, 14.4 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 48.6 eFG% - The team’s leading scorer, Barbour is High Point’s only legitimate three-point threat, and he hits just enough to make up for a weak performance inside the arc.

My statistical all-Big South team:

VMI G SR Chavis Holmes, 22.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG,3.2 SPG, 61.5 eFG%

Liberty G SR Anthony Smith, 17.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 59.0 eFG%

Liberty G FR Seth Curry, 20.7 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 51.1 eFG%

Coastal Carolina F JR Joseph Harris, 15.5 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 57.3 eFG%

VMI F SR Travis Holmes, 19.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.3 APG, 3.3 SPG, 54.4 eFG%

Big South Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:06:28 -0800

Conference Rank: 29th

Conference Page

All-BIG SOUTH Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Amir Johnson	Radford	Jr
G	Chavis Holmes	VMI	Sr
G	Anthony Smith	Liberty	Sr
F	Charles Corbin	Winthrop	So
F	Omar Carter	Charleston So.	So
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
none		Points: Chavis Holmes 18.3 Rebounds: Kenny George 7.0 (injured) Assists: Amir Johnson 5.5

BIG SOUTH Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

104	UNC Asheville*	Big South	1	NCAA
139	Winthrop**	Big South	2
164	Gardner-Webb	Big South	3
209	High Point	Big South	4
232	Radford	Big South	5
252	Liberty	Big South	6
276	Coastal Carolina	Big South	7
295	Charleston So	Big South	8
330	VMI	Big South	9
343	Presbyterian	Big South	10

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Note: A lot has changed for UNCA since this preview was written months ago, and they would almost certainly not be our #1 pick at this time.

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Big South?

Other BIG SOUTH Content

Conference Media Poll

Big South Poll: Winthrop the Favorite

Other

Rise & Fall: Big South

State of '08: South Carolina

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:11:18 -0700

Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

SOUTH CAROLINA

CLEMSON - Amazingly Clemson made the NCAA Tournament for just the first time in a decade, losing to Villanova in the opening round. The Tigers were an NIT team the previous three seasons, but have still trumped Winthrop in RPI in 6 of 8 seasons.

WINTHROP - The Eagles simply own the Big South right now. In Greg Marshall's ten-yea reign, Winthrop has made an amazing 8 NCAA Tournaments, and a 9th is possible in '09. In '07, Winthrop also knocked off Notre Dame in the tourney's First Round.

SOUTH CAROLINA - In Dave Odom's 7-year tenure, the Gamecocks were invited to one NCAA Tournament and 2 NITs. Former WKU Coach Darrin Horn was brought in to make the program more competitive in the SEC. Not since 1998 has USC finished over .500 in conference play.

CHARLESTON - For a long-time in the 90's up until a few years ago, Charleston was one of the top mid-major programs in the country. Ever since John Kresse retired, the Cougars have lost a little bit of their lustre and last year was the first time they finally finished below .500 in the Southern Conference.

SOUTH CAROLINA STATE - This is has long been one of the premier programs in the MEAC.. which isn't saying much because it is the MEAC. Since their last conference title in 2003, there has been some slippage however. Last year's 9-9 conference record was their worst in a decade, and RPIs of 290 & 284 in the past two years are anything but impressive.

6. FURMAN - In the previous six seasons, Furman was consistently a .500 team in the Southern Conference. But last year the bottom fell out and the Paladins struggled to a horrible 6-14 conference record, and an even worse 7-23 overall record. However, the team was young and most onlookers expect serious improvement in Jeff Jackson's third season.

7. COASTAL CAROLINA - In 2006, the Chanticleers were just a basket away from advancing to the Big Dance. This was an an aberration for a program that otherwise has been a middling to poor Big South team over the last 10 years.

8. WOFFORD - The Terriers have had similar overall success to Coastal Carolina above, hovering around winning 40 to 50% of their conference games on a yearly basis. Last season the team shocked Purdue on the road, and played Alabama very close as well.

9. CHARLESTON SOUTHERN - Other than two years of mediocrity in '05 & '06, this has been one of the worst programs in the country for quite some time. The Bucs have only won 10 D1 games the last 2 seasons, with an average RPI of 328th

10. THE CITADEL - Avoid being in last solely because there were two D1-newcomers in South Carolina last year. The Bulldogs haven't won 10 games since 2002, which was also the last season they finished above 290 in the RPI. Brutal stuff.

11. SOUTH CAROLINA UPSTATE - The Spartans beat six D1 teams in its initial season, including a decent Gardner-Webb squad. Upstate also has an advantage over Presbyterian due to their affiliation with the Atlantic Sun conference.

12. PRESBYTERIAN - Not much to say here. In the program's first full D1 season, the team went 2-25 (against D1 teams) with wins over Radford and Army.

Last: Pennsylvania - Next: Tennessee

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

Turnarounds: 31 Teams to Watch For in 08-09: Part One

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 12 May 2008 08:57:20 -0700

With the off-season now upon us and the spring signing period well under way, this is a good opportunity to attempt to forecast some of the teams who could make the jump next season. Is there a team out there like this past season’s Drake Bulldogs, who went from ninth place to a dominating run through the Missouri Valley? Or how about Arizona State, a team that went from dead last in the Pac-10 to fifth place and could have the makings of a conference title run this season? With one pick for each conference, here are 31 teams you should keep an eye on next season.

America East: Maine

2007-08 Record: 7-23 (3-13)

With their top three scorers from last season all returning (as tri-captains no less), I think the Black Bears have a chance to make a move up the America East standings. Mark Socoby, mid-season transfer Kaimondre Owes and Junior Bernal will lead the way for head coach Ted Woodward next season, giving Maine a three-pronged attack on the perimeter. Their ascension up the standings will depend on what they can get from the frontcourt, most notably Phil Tchekane Bofia and Sean McNally. I’d say a move to the middle of the pack at least from Maine, but a title? Maybe a little premature on that, but you never know.

ACC: Wake Forest

2007-08 Record: 17-13 (7-9)

Not like this pick is a surprise, but the combination of a highly-touted recruiting class led by Al-Farouq Aminu and returnees such as Ish Smith, James Johnson and Chas McFarland could mean a top-four finish in the ACC for Dino Gaudio’s Demon Deacons. They weren’t too far off this season either, with five of their nine league losses being by seven points or less. And given the muddled picture that was the middle of the ACC standings last season, snatching a first-round bye in the 2009 ACC Tournament certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Atlantic Sun: Campbell

2007-08 Record: 10-20 (5-11)

Even with two of their top four scorers out of eligibility (Reggie Bishop and Jake Wohlfeil), the Camels have a good shot at improving their 5-11 league record. Only provisional members USC Upstate and North Florida were below them in the standings (Upstate actually had five wins as well), and Florida Gulf Coast had one more conference win. But they do return forward Jonathan Rodriguez, who averaged twenty points per game on his way to snatching up Mid-Major All-America honors from CollegeHoops.net and CollegeInsider.com. And with the solid recruiting class being brought in by head coach Robbie Laing, Campbell should have the tools necessary to make a move in the A-Sun.

Atlantic 10: George Washington

2007-08 Record: 9-17 (5-11)

I don’t think there’s any way the Colonials can be as bad as they were in 2007-08. From an Atlantic 10 Tournament title to not even reaching the conference tournament, GW couldn’t continue the momentum. Even with three players gone (Maureece Rice to graduation; Cheyenne Moore and Miles Beatty were dismissed on Wednesday by head coach Karl Hobbs) from last year’s team, the Colonials could make a move up the standings with many of the teams ahead of them going through roster turnover as well. Whether or not they get to the middle of the A-10 pecking order will depend on who becomes their go-to guy on the offensive end of the floor. But they should be a balanced group, which may work out just as well for the Colonials.

Big East: Providence

2007-08 Record: 15-16 (6-12)

Another season of underachievement led to the departure of longtime head coach Tim Welsh, who was replaced by National Coach of the Year Keno Davis last month. Just as important a development for the Friars may be the return of guard Sharaud Curry, who was a medical redshirt last season. As seen with Drake last season, Coach Davis puts a high value on perimeter players who can shoot the ball from the perimeter. Guard Dwain Williams has received permission to talk to other schools, but even with his loss the Friars should be well-stocked on the outside with the likes of Curry, Weyenmi Efejuku, Brian McKenzie and Jeff Xavier.

And don’t forget about jack-of-all-trades Geoff McDermott and pivot Randall Hanke. The hype for this team won’t reach what it was a couple seasons ago, when a team featuring Ryan Gomes thought to be a player in the Big East didn’t even reach .500, but they will be good. The question is just how far they can go in a loaded Big East.

Big Sky: Eastern Washington

2007-08 Record: 11-19 (6-10)

Last season was indeed a tough one for the Eagle program. Head coach Kirk Earlywine didn’t get the job until late June, and under his command was a nine-man roster featuring six players with no previous Division I playing experience. While they didn’t qualify for the Big Sky Tournament in 2007-08, six of their ten conference losses were by five points or less. Granted, replacing an all-conference player like Kellen Williams will have an effect, the four transfers who sat out last season along with the returning experience should make for a better season in Cheney, Washington.

Big South: Charleston Southern

2007-08 Record: 10-20 (4-10)

With the return of rising sophomores Omar Carter (Big South Freshman of the Year) and Jamarco Warren (member of the Big South’s All-Freshman Team), the Buccaneers should be a good bet to improve their last place finish of a year ago. Guard Chris Moore has graduated, but he’s the only loss of note for head coach Barclay Radebaugh, who has also signed a solid recruiting class. Guard Jaden Isler (Clovis, NM) could fit right into the guard slot left open by Moore’s departure, and the other three commits are no slouches either. Competing for the conference title may be a year away, but some of the teams who finished ahead of them in the standings last season have taken on some key losses due to graduation.

Big Ten: Illinois

2007-08 Record: 16-19 (5-13)

Once Eric Gordon decided to head to Indiana instead of Illinois, things went downhill for Bruce Weber’s Fighting Illini. With the cornerstone of last year’s recruiting class gone, Illinois scuffled on the offensive end of the floor, but the fight was still there as this group was a mere forty minutes away from an NCAA Tournament berth. Shaun Pruitt and Brian Randle are both out of eligibility, but every other key contributor from last season is slated to return, along with three newcomers. Stan Simpson was a standout performer at Chicago Simeon, and Coach Weber also received a commitment from Top-20 junior college talent Dominique Keller. After the first semester, Kentucky transfer Alex Legion will also be eligible. I don’t see this team losing thirteen conference games again this season.

Part Two tomorrow: Big 12, CUSA, Horizon, etc