Furman

Jon Teitel's "Coaching Greats": Jacksonville and Furman's Joe Williams

Jon Teitel — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 10:46:12 -0800

In the latest installment in his "Coaching Greats" interview series CHN writer spent some time with Joe Williams, who put together impressive runs at both Jacksonville and Furman. During his time at JU Williams led the Dolphins to an NCAA title game appearance, coaching Artis Gilmore and Rex Morgan on that 1970 team. Williams also led Furman to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances during his tenure there.

Jon Teitel: According to my interview of Artis Gilmore, you had no training rules and scribbled scouting reports on the backs of envelopes. Is that true, and do you think it was easier for you relate to your Jacksonville players because you were such a young man yourself?

Joe Williams: My only two training rules were the attend class (or explain why you did not attend) and play hard when you stepped on the court (whether it was a preseason drill or an NCAA tourney game).

JT: In 1970 your team at JU became the first to ever average 100+PPG for an entire season, despite no shot clock or three-point line. How was your team able to score so many points, and what kind of offense did you run?

JW: We ran a controlled break. Broadcaster Ed Jucker once said on the air in a specific game that he had not seen us take a bad shot yet. Rex Morgan had averaged almost 30 PPG the previous year and then we added Artis who averaged about 20 RPG, so the only way to make sure everyone would have good stats was for the point guard to quickly push the ball up the court with two guys out on the wing. We had a rule that unless you had a wide-open 2-on-1 situation, you had to wait for Artis to come down the floor so he could have a chance to rebound!

1970 NCAA Tournament

JT: Your basketball program had such a small budget that you had to "pass the hat" among the boosters to raise enough money to pay for the team's hotel rooms. How big of a disadvantage was the size of your program, and do you feel like your run in the tourney helped save the program?

JW: We played in Dayton that year and it was snowing pretty hard. We got a restaurant recommendation that turned out to be a little more expensive than we thought, so a booster helped pay for the meal. When I first got to JU I had to teach five classes and I had a $250 recruiting budget. As we got better we started to sell more season tickets and got money from the booster club to increase our budget.

JT: You beat Western Kentucky (led by Jim McDaniels with 29 points) in your school's first-ever game on national TV after walking into the gym and seeing a "Jacksonville Who?" sign. Did you feel that your team was getting no respect at all, and how big a deal was it to get the first tournament win in school history?

JW: It was a big sign that everyone could see. Western Kentucky had a great team and built an early lead before setting up a press against us. We had a lot of good ball-handlers so we just kept dribbling around them and getting some easy shots. After that game nobody pressed us anymore (not even UCLA!), which was a compliment to our team.

JT: You had a one-point win over Iowa (led by Fred Brown with 27 points) when Pembrook Burrows tipped in a last-second miss by Vaughn Wedeking for the win (and later wrote a song about the game). Did you think that your team was going to hang on after Artis Gilmore fouled out, and where does Burrows' tip-in rank among the best fantastic finishes that you have ever seen?

JW: I heard that there were some people in Iowa who broke their TV sets after that shot! Iowa had a great team: anytime you can make it that far you have to be a little lucky. We had to slow down the pace of the game and control the tempo because they kept scoring and scoring.

JT: You had a six-point win over Coach Adolph Rupp's top-ranked Kentucky team (led by Dan Issel with 28 points and 10 rebounds before he fouled out with 10 minutes left). Did the momentum completely turn once Issel fouled out, and what did you learn from walking around the day before in a brown suit?

JW: I only had one really nice suit, but I got the brown suit because Coach Rupp had a brown suit. My birthday is in February and the boosters picked out some clothes for me to wear and presented them to me during a TV interview.

JT: You had an eight-point win over St. Bonaventure (who played without star center Bob Lanier, who injured his knee in an earlier tourney game against Villanova). Do you think you would have won that game if Lanier was healthy, and how far did you think that your team was going to go?

JW: We just really enjoyed playing and our team had a lot of charisma. We played in Hawaii earlier that year and the entire team ended up getting Hawaiian shirts and puka shell necklaces. When the players walked into the gym for their game dressed up in their new attire, the home crowd gave us a huge ovation. Everywhere we went to eat people complimented us on how good our team was. The key to discipline is not about screaming and hollering, but whether a player does something that you ask him to do.

JT: Gilmore shot 9-29 from the field before fouling out in a title game loss to Coach John Wooden's UCLA team (led by Sidney Wicks with 17 points and 18 rebounds, who blocked four of Gilmore's shots despite being six inches shorter). Did you consider your run in the tourney to be a success (due to making it to the title game) or a failure (due to getting so close but not winning it all)?

JW: We were very proud of our team: I told the players not to say anything negative because we played hard and lost to a great team, so there was nothing for them to be ashamed of. That was one of the first years that almost all of the games were televised. Every time we came back from another tourney win, the entire route from the airport to campus was full of fans who were excited about our team. A Louisville newspaper even wrote about how nice it was to see a losing team not blame anyone else for the loss.

JT: After that game you left JU to become coach at Furman. Why did you make the switch, and did you have any regrets?

JW: I had previously been an assistant coach at Furman, and it is a beautiful part of the country. They offered me a tremendous financial offer to come and build a program, and JU did not really do anything to try and keep me there. At the end of every season you have to assess what you want to do.

JT: What are your memories of the 1973 NCAA Tournament (you were down by 18 with 10 minutes to go against Syracuse, and fought all the way back before losing by one)?

JW: That was a great game: we actually had the lead late. Syracuse pressed us and one of our players was called for traveling, but today the refs let that call go all the time. Syracuse went on to the Final Four, so they were a good team.

JT: What are your memories of the 1974 NCAA Tournament (upset South Carolina before losing to Pitt)?

JW: We had an outstanding player named Clyde Mayes, but South Carolina had a great club featuring Alex English. Clyde just took over the game in the second half. We had a slight lead against Pitt late in the game but they had a four-point play that gave them the momentum, and Billy Knight was pretty tough.

JT: In 1978 you left Furman to go to Florida State, where you joined a short list of coaches who have taken three different teams to the tourney and had a winning record at each school. How were you able to have so much success at so many different schools?

JW: The key is to have good players and a sound system. If they play hard and get good grades, then you will probably win. Coach Wooden (who was nice to everyone) once told me that even though people like to talk about who the best coaches are, the coach with the best players is usually the one who wins. He also said that the way to tell if you have a good defense is not how many points you allow, but how big your scoring margin is.

JT: You are on an even shorter list of men who are the best coaches in the history of two different schools (Furman and Jacksonville). Did you enjoy one job more than another, and do you think that is a good litmus test for seeing just how good a coach someone is?

JW: I enjoyed both jobs even though they were different kinds of programs. They are both in big cities, so I got help from both communities in building up the programs. I told people that since our school is called Jacksonville University we were representing the entire city. When you play in a big downtown arena it helps the chamber of commerce and local business get behind you. The players also enjoyed playing in a big arena. You can find unique things at each school to "sell" people on it. One of the reasons that I was successful at Furman was because of all the success I had at JU. Back in the day you could go see high school players a lot to aid in the recruiting process, but the NCAA now limits such things, which gives a big advantage to big schools. Butler is a great example of a school with a great tradition that has a big arena that is tied in with a large city.

JT: Your son Blake was recently named an assistant coach at Furman. Did you inspire him to go into coaching, and do you think it will be easier or harder for him to coach at Furman after all of your prior success there?

JW: Both of my sons were captains of their high school and college teams. Blake loved basketball and worked really hard on drills to become better. Blake played on some great summer league teams in high school. One of his teammates was Amare Stoudemire! When you have the passion like he and I do it is not considered "hard work", just "time-consuming". I think that my success at Furman will make it easier for Blake. I was invited back there to speak recently and everyone is still excited about the basketball program. Head coach Jeff Jackson is a fine young guy and he is excited about Blake being there.

JT: When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most?

JW: When I was coaching I had some really fine players who graduated. At Furman every single freshman we had ended up graduating, and Artis was the first person in his family who graduated. All of my players were good students/positive kids.

Coach Williams is on Jon's list of best coaches in both Atlantic Sun and SoCon history.

ATLANTIC SUN
Belmont: Rick Byrd (1986-present) 518-278, 4 NCAA tourneys, 4 conference titles, 1-time national COY, 2-time conference COY
East Tennessee State: Murry Bartow (2003-present) 162-98, 3 NCAA tourneys, 2 conference titles, 1-time conference COY
Florida Gulf Coast: Dave Balza (2001-2011) 153-121, 1 NCAA tourney
Jacksonville: Joe Williams (1964-1970) 92-61, 1 NCAA tourney
Kennesaw State: Tony Ingle (2000-2011) 178-165, 1 D-2 national title, 1-time national COY, 1-time conference COY
Lipscomb: Don Meyer (1975-1999) 663-181, 1 NAIA title, 2-time national COY
Mercer: Bill Bibb (1974-1989) 222-194, 2 NCAA tourneys, 2-time conference COY
North Florida: Matt Kilcullen (1999-2009) 98-186
South Carolina Upstate: Eddie Payne (2002-present) 120-146, 2 NCAA tourneys, 1 conference title, 1-time conference COY
Stetson: Glenn Wilkes (1957-1993) 552-435

SOUTHERN
Appalachian State: Buzz Peterson (1996-2000, 2009-2010) 103-52, 1 NCAA tourney, 4 conference titles, 2-time conference COY
Charleston: John Kresse (1979-2002) 560-143, 4 NCAA tourneys, 9 conference titles, 4-time conference COY
Chattanooga: Mack McCarthy (1985-1997) 243-122, 5 NCAA tourneys, 8 conference titles, 3-time conference COY
Citadel: Les Robinson (1974-1985) 132-162, 2-time conference COY
Davidson: Bob McKillop (1989-present) 401-263, 5 NCAA tourneys, 10 conference titles, 1-time national COY, 6-time conference COY
Elon: Bill Miller (1959-1979) 329-224, 2 conference titles
Furman: Joe Williams (1970-1978) 142-87, 5 NCAA tourneys, 3 conference titles, 1-time conference COY
Georgia Southern: Frank Kerns (1981-1995) 244-132, 3 NCAA tourneys, 4 conference titles, 4-time conference COY
UNC Greensboro: Fran McCaffery (1999-2005) 90-87, 1 NCAA tourney, 1 conference title
Samford: Jimmy Tillette (1997-present) 218-200, 2 NCAA tourneys, 1 conference title, 1-time conference COY
Western Carolina: Steve Cottrell (1977-1987) 145-133, 1-time conference COY
Wofford: Mike Young (2002-present) 137-139, 2 NCAA tourneys, 2 conference titles

College Hoops Monday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 11:04:04 -0800

While many cite the way in which Villanova (21-6, 9-5) shot the three in their 83-72 win at the Carrier Dome last month, it may have been the foul line that did in Syracuse (22-6, 9-6) on that Saturday afternoon. Jay Wright's team hit 11 of 24 from deep but the Orange were nearly as good, making 10 on 26 attempts. That's where the foul line, and Villanova's ability to get there, made the difference as they knocked down 22 of 24 to Syracuse's 8-for-12 performance. So Villanova dispelled one belief in attacking the Syracuse zone (you can't be too willing to fire away from deep) while using another (attacking the gaps) to take home the victory.

The rematch at Wells Fargo Arena has a lot riding on it with both teams caught in the middle of a serious scrum for a single bye (at least) in next month's Big East Tournament, and the winner takes a step in that direction tonight. Corey Stokes, who has missed the last three games due to turf toe, scored 16 points in the first meeting and will be back but given the unpredictable nature of the injury it remains to be seen how effective he can be. That means guards Corey Fisher (16.3 ppg, 4.96 apg) and Maalik Wayns (13.4 ppg, 4.6 apg) will need to play as well as they did in the first meeting, combining for 37 points and nine assists.

Fisher is coming off of a 34-point performance in the Wildcats' overtime win at DePaul and has reached double figures in seven straight games, and Wayns added 17 points on Saturday. There's also sophomore Dominic Cheek who can provide some perimeter scoring, although he played just eight minutes in the first game and freshman James Bell has earned more playing time in Stokes' absence. But inside play will also play a role in the outcome, with Antonio Pena and Mouphtaou Yarou both averaging more than seven rebounds per game. Syracuse out-rebounded Villanova 34-29 in the first contest but given the Wildcats' proficiency from both the foul and three-point lines there wasn't much of an impact.

Rick Jackson leads the Big East in rebounding, averaging 11.2 rebounds in addition to 13 points per game. Kris Joseph (15.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and Baye Moussa Keita (4.2 rpg, 1.4 bpg) alsp provide help on the glass and freshman C.J. Fair has proven himself to be Jim Boeheim's most prepared rookie in regards to having an impact at this level. But overall Syracuse isn't a dominant rebounding team with a margin of plus-4.2, and the Wildcats have been slightly better for the season with a margin of plus-6.4. Syracuse did however grab 16 offensive rebounds in the first meeting, and to allow that kind of production is like playing with fire.

That means in addition to Pena and Yarou, Isaiah Armwood and everyone else on the floor will need to do their job boxing out on long shots from the likes of Joseph, Scoop Jardine and Brandon Triche. Triche has played good basketball for much of the last month, although he did make just three of fifteen shots from the field on Saturday (the sophomore got to the foul line however, resulting in a 17-point output). Triche is averaging 17.3 points per game over his last four outings, beginning to consistently take advantage of Jardine being the primary ball-handler to make things happen.

The winner in Philadelphia will do two things: control the boards and get to the foul line, a trait that proved more important than many anticipated at the Carrier Dome. Also of note on Monday is Oklahoma State's trip to Kansas, with the Cowboys in need of wins especially after letting one slip away at home to Texas A&M on Saturday. One face they won't see on the floor at Allen Fieldhouse is that of Tyshawn Taylor, who's been suspended for a violation of team rules. Losing the junior cuts down on Kansas' perimeter depth but with the Morris twins inside and Josh Selby in addition to some experienced guards will have few people weeping for them.

And in the Southern Conference Furman takes on Chattanooga, which may be a bit more important than many think. For all the talk about Charleston and rightfully so, Chattanooga hosts the SoCon Tournament and tonight provides a good opportunity for Omar Wattad and company to prove themselves against one of the best teams in the conference (they host Wofford on Wednesday).

Top 25
9:00 PM Oklahoma State at (2) Kansas (ESPN)
7:00 PM (20) Syracuse at (14) Villanova (ESPN)

NCAA Division I Games
1:00 PM UCF at UTEP
7:00 PM Samford at Charleston
7:00 PM Furman at Chattanooga
7:00 PM Western Carolina at UNC Greensboro
7:00 PM Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Prairie View A&M (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Kent State at Western Michigan
7:45 PM Stetson at Florida Gulf Coast
8:00 PM Delaware State at Coppin State
8:00 PM North Carolina A&T at North Carolina Central
8:00 PM St. Thomas (TX) at New Orleans
8:00 PM Norfolk State at South Carolina State
8:00 PM Valparaiso at Green Bay
8:30 PM Bethune-Cookman at Howard
8:30 PM Florida A&M at Hampton
9:00 PM Alabama State at Alcorn State
9:00 PM Maryland-Eastern Shore at Morgan State (ESPNU)
9:00 PM Alabama A&M at Southern University
9:00 PM Mississippi Valley State at Texas Southern
9:05 PM North Dakota at Northern Colorado

Poll: Who Will Win the Southern Conference?

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:07:38 -0700

Southern Conference Tournament: Preview

Evan Dorey — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:07:39 -0800

This is one in a series of conference tournament previews, in which I run down all the teams involved, give a brief statistical review and present 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:

Southern Conference

The SoCon Tournament is in Chattanooga, TN, and uses a divisional system, with the top 4 teams getting first round byes.

#	Team	QF	SF	F	W
N1	Chattanooga	100.00%	65.87%	29.27%	5.08%
S1	Davidson	100.00%	94.62%	85.70%	74.62%
N2	Western Carolina	100.00%	35.38%	2.77%	0.82%
S2	The Citadel	100.00%	72.60%	47.43%	11.19%
N3	Samford	87.80%	26.70%	12.18%	1.64%
S3	College of Charleston	88.06%	61.74%	9.30%	4.57%
N4	Appalachian St.	77.37%	4.94%	2.07%	0.68%
S4	Wofford	76.38%	30.16%	10.46%	1.34%
N5	Elon	23.62%	3.97%	0.58%	0.03%
S5	Georgia Southern	22.63%	0.44%	0.08%	0.01%
N6	NC Greensboro	11.94%	2.88%	0.09%	0.01%
S6	Furman	12.20%	0.70%	0.08%	0.00%

Between Davidson, Charleston and The Citadel, the South division should dominate the tournament, with the hosts Chattanooga a having a decent shot to make the final, but not looking good against the dominant favorites.

North #1 – Chattanooga Mocs (15-16, 11-9) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.028

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2005 (1^st Round)

The Mocs may be North Division champions, but that’s more about the strength of the South than a ringing endorsement of their play, as Chattanooga has just barely been better than a .500 team. They put up a lot of threes, but make a fairly poor percentage, and are excellent at getting to the free throw line, where they shoot just 65%, adding up to a lot of wasted chances. Chattanooga has struggled to stop the three-point shot, allowing opponents to hit 38% of attempts, and their defensive style means more than 45% of opponents’ shots come from behind the arc, more than any other team in the country. It doesn’t take much statistics knowledge to realize how damaging that is. The saving grace for the Mocs’ defense is that they force turnovers and do well on the defensive glass, but they are still only an average team at best.

Players to watch:

5-11 SR Stephen McDowell, 18.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 58.9 eFG% - McDowell is the conference’s top scorer not named Curry, powered by his 42% three-point shooting on nearly 300 attempts. He doesn’t tend to do much else besides score, but when you’re this good a scorer, that’s more than enough.

6-7 SR Nicchaeus Doaks, 14.3 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 53.6 eFG% - Doaks leads the conference in rebounds, and is a 57% shooter from inside the arc. He’s excellent at getting to the free throw line, but shoots just 63% there.

South #1 – Davidson Wildcats (25-6, 18-2) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.232

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (Elite Eight)

While the Wildcats’ hopes for an NCAA at-large bid basically disappeared with a two-week period that saw them drop three games, including both their conference losses, they are still heavy favorites to win the conference tournament, and clearly the SoCon’s dominant team. While the Davidson offense gets a lot of focus because of Stephen Curry, the team’s major asset is its defense, the best in the conference by a wide, wide margin. It holds opponents under 40% from the field, and forces a lot of turnovers, in the top 25 in the nation in both areas. If it has a defensive weakness, it’s a tendency to commit a few too many fouls. Offensively, the Wildcats’ shooting percentages aren’t particularly good, but their turnover rate is one of the country’s lowest.

Players to watch:

6-3 JR Stephen Curry, 28.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 5.8 APG, 2.6 SPG, 55.1 eFG% - You might have heard of this Curry fellow, as he only happens to be the nation’s leading scorer. He also leads the conference in both assists and steals, and is among the national elite in both of those categories. The amazing thing about Curry is how he manages to stay so efficient when he gets so many possessions; a lot of players have shot as well as he has, percentage-wise, but only Curry can maintain that level over nearly 40% of his team’s shots. He may not get enough credit as a ball distributor, as he has a great assist rate with very few turnovers.

6-8 SR Andrew Lovedale, 12.5 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.5 BPG, 51.4 eFG% - Lovedale is a quality defensive player, and important to Davidson’s strong play at that end of the floor; he leads the team in rebounding and shot-blocks, and is an important influence inside. He’s not a huge scorer, but he doesn’t need to be: he takes his chances pretty well when he gets them.

North #2 – Western Carolina Catamounts (16-14, 11-9) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.012

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1996 (1^st Round)

I promise to stop harping on it, but it’s a little unfair to the South division that the North #2 is has actually been outscored in conference play, yet still earns a first round bye. The Catamounts have allowed the highest opponent FG% in the conference, including 53% on two-point attempts, and commit more than 21 fouls a game, but actually have a league average defense. This is due to good rebounding and the best rate of forcing turnovers in the SoCon. Western Carolina is also an average shooting team, but thanks to its ability on the offensive glass, gets a lot of second-chance opportunities.

Players to watch:

6-4 FR Harouna Mutombo, 14.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.9 SPG, 51.3 eFG% - A talented freshman out of Pickering HS, not too far from where I call home, Mutombo has led the Catamounts in rebounding and scoring, and has put up a very good shooting percentage, well over 50% from two-point range.

6-2 JR Brigham Waginger, 8.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.4 APG, 2.5 SPG, 50.2 eFG% - Waginger isn’t much of a scorer, but shoots the ball pretty well, with most of his attempts coming from three, and has one of the nation’s best steal rates.

South #2 – The Citadel Bulldogs (20-11, 15-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.094

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

While much of the talk about the SoCon has focused solely on Davidson, one of the great stories in college basketball this season managed to gain some well-deserved attention when the Citadel beat Davidson in mid-February. This was the highlight of a run that saw the Bulldogs go 11-1 over the last month or so of the season, and the first time that the team had reached 20 wins in thirty years. If any team has a chance of stopping the Curry show from making a stop at the NCAA tournament, this looks like it. The Citadel has depended on a dynamite defense, the only non-Davidson unit to hold opponents below a point per possession on the year. It managed this with tough perimeter defending, allowing just 39% on opponent three-point attempts, and good defensive rebounding. The Citadel’s offense is only at the league average, but it’s a solid shooting team that doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, good enough to carry them through a defensively deficient league.

Players to watch:

6-8 SR Demetrius Nelson, 16.1 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 59.3 eFG% - The team’s leader in both points and rebounds, Nelson has been one of the best players in the conference this year, hitting nearly 60% of his shots and getting to the free-throw line quite often, where he makes 76% of attempts.

6-1 SO Cameron Wells, 15.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.4 SPG, 49.0 eFG% - Wells is nowhere as efficient a player as Nelson, but he’s a good scorer who leads the team in assists and steals.

North #3 – Samford Bulldogs (14-15, 9-11) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.024

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2000 (1^st Round)

Samford’s overall record is a little misleading, they’ve been an .500 team in efficiency margin, though they don’t have the wins to show for it. The Bulldogs run one of the country’s slowest offenses, and take 50% of their field goal attempts from behind the arc. This has helped their inside play somewhat, as they are among the best two-point shooting teams in the country, but they’ve struggled with offensive rebounding and turnovers. Samford is also poor at defensive rebounding, and is vulnerable to opponents inside, but forces a lot of turnovers, rarely fouls and gets teams it plays to shoot a lot of threes.

Players to watch:

6-4 JR Trey Montgomery, 11.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, 57.3 eFG% - Montgomery is a do-everything player who leads the team in four separate categories, including rebounds and assists. A lot of this is due to the fact that Samford has tended to spread out its possessions and playing time, as his rates aren’t great, but he plays a lot. He’s a good shooter who scores mostly inside, and has a good complimentary long-distance shot.

6-4 FR Josh Davis, 10.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 61.9 eFG% - Davis is a three-point specialist, and he does an awfully good job of it, hitting 40% of his attempts and leading the conference in eFG%. He’s averaged 15 points a game in his last eight contests.

South #3 – College of Charleston Cougars (23-7, 15-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.067

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1999 (1^st Round)

The Cougars are the fourth favorite for the tournament title, and twice fought Davidson down to the final possession, including causing the Wildcats’ first conference loss in early February. They feature the conference’s best offense, hitting shots well inside and outside, and rarely giving up the ball. Charleston’s defense has only been average, and its weak spot has been rebounding, as opponents have managed to get back a lot of their own misses. With the Cougars forcing few turnovers, this has meant a lot of chances for opposing teams to score.

Players to watch:

6-1 SO Andrew Goudelock, 16.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 56.3 eFG% - Goudelock is the conference’s best free throw shooter at 89%, and is also pretty good from behind the arc, where he earns a lot of points.

6-8 SR Dustin Scott, 9.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 1.4 BPG, 55.5 eFG% - Scott’s best contributions come on the defensive end, where he leads the Cougars in both steals and blocks. He’s a very good percentage shooter, but doesn’t take a lot of shots, and he’s faced a lot of foul trouble in recent games, fouling out in 4 of his last 8.

North #4 – Appalachian St. Mountaineers (12-17, 9-11) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.002

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2000 (1^st Round)

The Mountaineers just barely finished with a positive efficiency margin, and featured a pretty solid conference offense. They are the best pure shooters in the SoCon, leading the league in free throw and three-point percentage, and get back a lot of the shots they do miss. They need to maximize these chances, as they generally lose out in the turnover battle by a wide margin, the worst in the conference in both forcing and committing them. The problem that Appalachian St. has had is that its opponents make a lot of shots, and while it is as good on the defensive glass as the offensive glass, it doesn’t force enough misses to really take advantage.

Players to watch:

6-1 JR Kellen Brand, 15.0 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 57.7 eFG% - Brand is one of a pair of quality long-distance threats, shooting over 40% from behind the arc, but his contributions in the other parts of the boxscore are fairly limited.

6-10 SO Issac Butts, 8.7 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 58.9 eFG% - Butts doesn’t have a huge role in the offense, but he’s pretty much what you want out of a big guy, a high percentage scorer who dominates the boards. He hasn’t played that much in recent weeks, but has had some big games, including 12-and-10 against Chattanooga.

South #4 – Wofford Terriers (16-13, 12-8) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.019

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

Wofford is the last of the teams in the top 8 of the conference; after it, there is a large drop-off to the teams in the league basement. It’s had a pretty good offensive showing, making a fair number of its threes, avoiding turnovers, and doing well on the offensive glass. The Terriers’ problem has been defensive, especially from behind the arc, where opponents have shot 39%.

Players to watch:

6-6 SO Noah Dahlman, 17.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 61.1 eFG% - Dahlman is one of the SoCon’s most efficient players, as he does a lot of things really well, an over 60% shooter who is an excellent offensive rebounder and has committed just 37 turnovers all season.

6-2 JR Junior Salters, 15.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 54.4 eFG% - Salters is a good three-point shooter who has seen his scoring numbers drop over the month of February, and will need to find some form if Wofford is to make any noise in the tourney.

North #5 – Elon Phoenix (10-19, 7-13) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.083

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

All of the teams from here and below have averaged less than a point-per-possession offensively, and all are underdogs in their opening round games. Elon is the best of these teams, as it has an above-average defense, holding opponents to a fairly low percentage from behind the arc and forcing a lot of turnovers. The Phoenix have needed this defense to be good, as they’ve had the conference’s second worst offense, shooting just 43% from the field and not being able to get their misses back very often, resulting in a lot of one-and-done possessions.

Players to watch:

6-8 SR Ola Atoyebi, 14.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 57.3 eFG% - Atoyebi leads the Phoenix in both points and rebounds, and is an is an excellent shooter who takes a large role in the offense.

6-5 SR Brett James, 13.1 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 1.5 BPG, 46.4 eFG% - James is an impressive defensive player, leading the team in both blocks and steals, but his relatively poor shooting, including just 30% on three-pointers, holds back his offensive game.

South #5 – Georgia Southern Eagles (8-21, 5-15) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.108

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1992 (1^st Round)

Georgia Southern seemed to be going pretty well when it was 5-4 in conference in the final week of January, but totally lost its way from then on, losing 11 straight games to finish just one game out of a tie for last place. The Eagles have fallen this far because of their conference-worst defense, which has been one of the country’s worst in several areas, allowing opponents to shoot 38% on threes and 52% on twos, and getting very few defensive rebounds. Their offense has been better, but still not particularly good, below average in pretty much every statistical category.

Players to watch:

5-10 FR Ben Drayton, 11.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 57.0 eFG% - Drayton has been an excellent three-point shooter, over 50% from behind the arc, and while he hasn’t taken a huge number of them, he’s made enough to raise his efficiency. Drayton’s scoring average is somewhat dampened by his start, in which he played little; in the last month he’s averaged more than 17 points a game.

6-2 JR Antonio Hanson, 11.9 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 53.2 eFG% - Hanson hasn’t shot as good a percentage as Drayson, but he’s taken more threes than anyone else on the team, and made nearly 40% of them. His only real contribution is with his shot, so when he can’t get it to fall, he’s pretty much invisible statistically.

North #6 – NC Greensboro Spartans (5-24, 4-16) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.114

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

Only Georgia Southern has defended worse than the Spartans in the SoCon this year, despite the fact that Greensboro has been better than average at defending shots. The problem for Greensboro has been limiting the number of chances its opponents get; it rarely gets opponents to turn the ball over, and picks up relatively few of its opponents’ misses. The Spartans have also struggled on the offensive side of the ball, sitting second to last in the conference in shooting on both three-pointers and two-pointers.

Players to watch:

6-5 JR Ben Stywall, 11.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 52.5 eFG% - Stywall is one of the SoCon’s better rebounders, and is pretty efficient on the offensive end, shooting 52% from the field and getting to the free throw line a lot. His 59% shooting at the stripe is a drop-off from previous seasons and an area he needs to improve.

6-4 JR Mikko Koivisto, 12.5 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 2.4 APG, 50.5 eFG% - The Vantaa, Finland native is the only major three-point shooting threat on the Spartans, and the team’s leading scorer, though he tends to be inconsistent.

South #6 – Furman Paladins (6-23, 4-16) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.146

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1980 (1^st Round)

Furman is the weakest team in the Southern Conference, with two of its six wins on the season coming against non-D1 opponents. It is the conference’s worst shooting team, barely managing to crack 40% from the field, and is one of the SoCon’s worst teams at committing turnovers. Defensively, they’ve been pretty weak inside, and while they’ve done a decent job of forcing turnovers, they just haven’t been good enough to cover for their offensive woes.

Players to watch:

6-2 SO Jordan Miller, 13.7 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 42.0 eFG% - Miller takes a lot of the Paladins’ shots, and is the team’s leading scorer, but his percentages are weak, especially his sub-40% two-point shooting.

6-5 SO Bryson Barnes, 8.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 48.5 eFG% - Barnes has only started 10 games, but leads the team in both rebounding and shot-blocks, and is a decent inside scorer. He’s increased his role in recent games, averaging 12 points in his last six games.

My statistical all-Southern team:

Davidson JR G Stephen Curry, 28.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 5.8 APG, 2.6 SPG, 55.1 eFG%

Chattanooga SR G Stephen McDowell, 18.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 58.9 eFG%

The Citadel SO G Cameron Wells, 15.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.4 SPG, 49.0 eFG%

Wofford SO F Noah Dahlman, 17.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 61.1 eFG%

The Citadel SR F/C Demetrius Nelson, 16.1 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 59.3 eFG%

SoCo Awards: Curry Player of the Year & More

Press Release — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:19:54 -0800

2008-09 All-Conference
Kellen Brand, Appalachian State
Stephen Curry, Davidson
Noah Dahlman, Wofford
Nicchaeus Doaks, Chattanooga
Andrew Goudelock, College of Charleston
Andrew Lovedale, Davidson
Stephen McDowell, Chattanooga
Harouna Mutombo, Western Carolina
Demetrius Nelson, The Citadel
Cameron Wells, The Citadel

All-Freshman Team
John Brown, The Citadel
Ben Drayton III, Georgia Southern
Damian Eargle, UNC Greensboro
Harouna Mutombo, Western Carolina
Brad Loesing, Wofford

Freshman of the Year
Harouna Mutombo, Western Carolina

Defensive Player of the Year
Max Paulhus Gosselin, Davidson

Player of the Year
Stephen Curry, Davidson

Coach of the Year
Ed Conroy, The Citadel

- The league’s men’s basketball coaches voted on the All-Conference and All-Freshmen teams.

Southern Conference Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:38:50 -0800

Conference Rank: 17th

10 year average: 19th

Southern Conference Page

All-Southern Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Stephen Curry	Davidson	Jr
G	Donald Sims	Appalachian St	So
G	Tony White	Charleston	Jr
F	Nicchaeus Doaks	Chattanooga	Sr
F	Jermaine Johnson	Charleston	Sr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
CHN All-Americans Stephen Curry Mid-Major All-Americans Stephen Curry* *Mid-Major POY		Points: Stephen Curry 25.1 Rebounds: Jermaine Johnson 8.5 Assists: Cameron Wells (Citadel) 3.8

Southern Conference Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

40	Davidson	Southern	1	NCAA
116	Appalachian St	Southern	2
141	Charleston	Southern	3
169	Chattanooga	Southern	4
205	Georgia Southern	Southern	5
216	UNC Greensboro	Southern	6
239	Furman	Southern	7
269	Elon	Southern	8
278	Wofford	Southern	9
292	Samford	Southern	10
293	Western Carolina	Southern	11
324	Citadel	Southern	12

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the SoCo? (soon)

Other Southern Content

Conference Media/Coaches Poll

Other

Rise & Fall: Patriot

Top SG's: Stephen Curry

Top Non-BCS Players: Stephen Curry

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)