Greensboro

Southern Conference Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:38:50 -0500

HTML clipboard

Conference Rank: 17th

10 year average: 19th

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: North Carolina

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:45:49 -0400

HTML clipboard

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.

NORTH CAROLINA

NORTH CAROLINA - In the past four years, UNC has won 3 ACC regular season titles, 2 conference tournaments, advanced to 2 Final Fours, and won a National Championship. Not bad.

DUKE - In most other states, Duke would be the run away top program.. but UNC happens to be in the middle of a nice run. Still, the Blue Devils have reached the Sweet Sixteen in 8 of the last 11 years.

DAVIDSON - Bob McKillop's teams have long dominated the Southern Conference. The Wildcats have finished 1st or 2nd in the conference in 12 of 13 seasons, including at least 10 league wins in those 12 years. But last year, the program reached another level by advancing to the Elite Eight.

WAKE FOREST - For obvious reasons, the past few seasons have been disappointing for the Wake community. But most fans are expecting a return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005, and perhaps the Deacons' first Sweet Sixteen trip since 2004.

NORTH CAROLINA STATE - For whatever reasons, NC State was never satisfied with Herb Sendek even though he took over a program struggling under Les Robinson, and led them to five straight NCAA Tournaments from 2002 to 2006. Sidney Lowe will most likely end his 3rd season without a Tournament bid, though next year's recruiting haul is impressive.

6. CHARLOTTE - From 1995 to 2005, the 49ers made the Big Dance in 8 of 11 seasons. In the last three years since joining the A10, there's just been a pair of NIT selections. This year's team should once again be in the postseason mix.

7. UNC WILMINGTON - Ever since Jerry Wainright took over in 1995, UNCW has been one of the most consistent teams in the CAA. From 2000 to 2006, UNCW made 4 NCAA Tournaments. Third year coach Benny Moss will have to probably wait until at least 2010 for his first postseason trip.

8. APPALACHIAN STATE - Houston Fancher's 8 year tenure at App State has been solid, but he's still looking for that elusive NCAA Tournament appearance. In 2007, the Mountaineers did make the NIT after finishing the regular season with an RPI of 65.

9. UNC ASHEVILLE - Coming off one of the program's better seasons (19 D1 wins, and a conference finals trip), the Bulldogs should struggle once again in 2009. UNCA did make the Tourney in 2003, coming out of nowhere to win the Big South after a sub-par regular season.

10. UNC GREENSBORO - The Spartans knocked off Georgia Tech early last year on their way to a solid 19-win season. It was their best campaign since 2002, when they reached the NIT a year after losing to Stanford in the Big Dance.

11. HIGH POINT - Considering the program is barely a decade old at the D1 level, High Point's limited success is actually impressive. In both 06 & 07, the Panthers were a Top 200 RPI team, something that very few programs in the state can claim. 2009 should be the 4th season in a row with a finish of .500 or better in the Big South.

12. GARDNER-WEBB - The Bulldogs join the Big South this year, after less than a decade in the A-Sun. Except for a disappointing 2007 campaign, the program has actually been respectable recently.

13. ELON - 2006 was arguably the high-water mark in Elon history. The Phoenix shocked Clemson, and finished 10-4 in the Southern Conference. Last year, despite a mediocre regular season, Elon surprised many by reaching the conference title game.

14. EAST CAROLINA - While ECU has had some success on the football field, the hardcourt is another story. In the last two years, the Pirates have won just 12 D1 games and even lost to an NAIA squad last December.

15. WESTERN CAROLINA - In the last decade, WCU hasn't finished above .500 in the Southern Conference, and their top RPI finish is 230th.

16. CAMPBELL - The Camels lone NCAA Tournament came in 1992. The next one might be years away.. Campbell hasn't even reached .500 in the Atlantic Sun since 2000. There is at least some hope for respectability in 2009 thanks to star Jonathan Rodriguez.

17. NORTH CAROLINA A&T - From 03 to 06, A&T was one of the worst teams in the country. The team has at least been competitive in the MEAC the past two years, but its still the MEAC..

18. WINSTON-SALEM STATE - The Rams improved in their 2nd season at the top level, winning an impressive 11 D1 games. The team should be good enough in 2009 to perhaps knock off their first Top 200 team.

19. NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL - The Eagles transition to D1 started slowly with a 4-26 record last year.

Last: New York - Next: Ohio

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

Interview: UNC Greensboro Coach Mike Dement

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 20:18:21 -0500

With four starters returning, including potential Southern Conference Player of the Year Kyle Hines, expectations are high in Greensboro. The Spartans are expected by many to be the best team in the North half of the league, but they'll have to surpass national darling Davidson to reach the NCAA Tournament. Third year head coach Mike Dement is the man who will try and lead UNCG back to the dance:

CHN) Based on what you saw last year, what's the biggest improvement your team needs to get to the next level?

Mike Dement) We improved defensively and with our rebounding last season and that will be another emphasis this year in order for us to get better. I think probably the biggest area that we can improve in and should become better at would be becoming more consistent in our perimeter shooting. Some of the freshmen shot the ball well at times last season, particularly as the year went on, and helped us win some games. But, in the SoCon Tournament, we shot poorly like we had in the early part of the season. Those shooters are back as sophomores and we have a couple of freshmen who shoot the ball well, too. Hopefully, we will be better from the perimeter, which in turn opens up the inside for Kyle Hines. Perimeter shooting makes it more difficult for teams to double and triple-team Kyle.

CHN) Are you settled with your starting lineup? Expect any particular battles for the open spots?

MD) We have a number of guys who started at times for us last year and with that experience should be in there again. Kyle Hines, Ben Stywall and Dwayne Johnson will see a lot of time on the floor. We should see Kevin Oleksiak – now a senior - and sophomores Mikko Koivisto and Kendall Toney competing for starting positions. Sophomore Pete Brown is back with some minutes under his belt. We would like to be able to use Ben Stywall some at his natural position of small forward / 3-man, but that might depend on how some other people come along. As always, a couple of freshmen will have to step up and give us some minutes off the bench.

CHN) It might be hard to pick out one, but who is the most talented player you've ever coached?

MD) Kyle Hines has to be in that list and very high. I was fortunate enough to have coached Jeryl Sasser (a first round pick of the Orlando Magic) and Quinton Ross (with the LA Clippers) during my time at SMU. They were very good at their positions, but Kyle is right there with them with how talented he is and how hard he plays. It is exceptional how much he gets done against any level of competition. Proof of that comes in his 50-game double-figure scoring streak that he starts this season with – the longest in the nation. Night after night he performs. That streak includes out of conference games against the ACC. Duke and NC State are in there twice each. In more than half of that streak, I think he has extended before halftime. He is a special player that will have a shot at the next level .

CHN) Talk about one or two guys that stand out as being underrated contributors to your team's success?

MD) From our returning group, that has to be Dwayne Johnson, our point guard. He is a guard that doesn't score much for us, but we can't do well without him on the floor. He sets the tone for us defensively out front and really runs our team. We are always asking him to look to score for us. However, in every game we won last season, he seemed to hit a big jump shot or free throws at a key moment of the game.

CHN) What do you think will be the hardest game on this year's schedule?

MD) I think it is another tough schedule for us this year - so take your pick. Davidson is getting some votes - and rightfully so - for the Pre-season Top 25. Kent State comes here in December after a great year last year. We play at Fordham to take our seniors Hines, Oleksiak and Johnson back close to home and Fordham has everyone back. We play two ACC teams in Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech and have Missouri State on their home court during their tournament. The entire Southern Conference, I think, will be stronger because it will be more balanced than last season, although Davidson clearly looks to be strong.

CHN) Realistically, what should the fans and media expect from your team this year?

MD) Hopefully, it will be a great year. We played well at times last year and found some ways to win on the road, which we hadn’t done the year before. That was a big step for us.

Hines is a special player with a shot to get to 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds this season. That is something that less than 100 players in college basketball history have ever achieved. With this being his last year, we hope he stays healthy and enjoys a great season as a senior.

As a team, I think it remains to be seen if we can compete with the top teams from last season in Davidson, Appalachian State and College of Charleston. We played with them at times and stole one from Appalachian State at home, but we have to get better in a lot of areas to become more consistent, and beat those guys on a regular basis.

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2007-08 Preview & Awards | More Interviews | Discuss the Preview

2007-08 UNC Greensboro Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 10:55:14 -0400

UNC Greensboro Spartans

Overall Rank: #91

Conference Rank: #2 Southern

2006-07: 16-14, 12-6, 2^nd North

2006-07 postseason: none

The one thing lacking at UNC Greensboro is size. Kyle Hines at 6-6 and Ben Stywall at 6-5 started most of the games up front last year and will again this season. Hines is the superstar of the Southern Conference that nobody has ever heard of. As a junior, he averaged 20.9 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 1.4 steals and those numbers should get even better for his senior campaign. Stywall had a great freshman season. He will not do a lot of scoring, but is a tough rebounder. Matt Akinosho and Pete Brown have a little more height and will provide the depth in the frontcourt.

Who’s Out:

The 6-11 Bart Tooms earned a few starts when the Spartans needed some more height on the floor, but still averaged less than ten minutes per contest. Ricky Hickman was the second leading scorer on the team with 14.3 points per game during his senior campaign. While the scoring will definitely be missed, Hickman had some turnover issues and had a horrendous shooting year from behind the arc. Shooting 27.8 percent from long range is alright, but not for a shooting guard who took nearly six attempts a game from three point land. Everson Simmons is transferring and little used perimeter players Gregory Vlazny and Donald Moore have run out of eligibility.

Who’s In:

A little depth up front will be helpful for the 2007-2008 campaign, but rebuilding the frontline for the future is more important. With Sam Mason, DeAngelo Jackson and Darrius Sellers, the Spartans handled both. At 6-10, Mason will immediately provide a big body under the basket and has enough quickness to run the floor. Jackson’s athleticism and Sellers’ rebounding ability will get them playing time sooner or later. Shooting guard Landon Clement is a prolific scorer and Daniel Oliver is not a bad scorer either. However, Oliver’s point guard skills are what will find him some playing time in an experienced backcourt.

Who to Watch:

The Spartans have a trio of part-time starters on the wing and a great senior point guard in Dwayne Johnson. Johnson will not do much scoring, but will always do a solid job controlling tempo and finding his teammates. Senior Kevin Oleksiak has started a majority of the games over the last two seasons and is a decent scorer, but he may be relegated to the bench if a couple sophomores can continue to improve. Mikko Koivisto and Kendall Toney had good freshmen campaigns and are already the best shooters on the team. Koivisto and Toney might be best suited as sharpshooters off the bench, but once they gain enough strength and confidence to drive to the rim, they will be big time scorers.

Final Projection:

After going 12-6 in conference last year, UNC Greensboro is ready to make another run in the SoCon. Hines is the key to this team and as long as he does not start looking ahead to his post collegiate career and take too many outside shots, the team will be among the conference elite. A little work on the charity stripe for Hinds, who got to the line nearly eight times a game last year, would be helpful as well. The Spartans have a great senior inside-outside combination, but are still a relatively young team. The leaders were the leaders last year, so playing that role should not be an issue for Johnson and Hinds. If the sophomores develop as much as they should after a year in the program, the Spartans will be a force to contend with. With the emergence of Davidson as a top 25 caliber team, the Southern Conference will spend a little more time than usual in the national spotlight and it is a great opportunity for the entire conference and the Spartans to make their mark on the national scene. As long as Davidson does as well as expected, the entire conference RPI will be on the rise.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Dwayne Johnson, Senior, Guard, 4.1 points per game

Kendall Toney, Sophomore, Guard, 6.1 points per game

Mikko Koivisto, Sophomore, Guard, 8.1 points per game

Ben Stywal, Sophomore, Forward, 5.8 points per game

Kyle Hines, Senior, Forward, 20.9 points per game

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

Daily Dribble: 1/09

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 11:59:46 -0500

Since I missed Monday's Dribble.. I decided I'll do something a little special and discuss all 29 games on the schedule. Okay, its not really special, and its not really any longer than usual.. but I felt like mixing things up. Here's Monday's recap.. in order of the games starting times and not importance: Surprising William & Mary won again, beating Georgia State 57-43. At 10-4, the Tribe have already hit the double-digit mark for the first time since the 02-03 season. Also in CAA play, Delaware's horrible season continued as the Hens fell to 2-13 and 0-2 in league play. Delaware lost to Towson (7-7), who bounced back from two tough overtime losses in conference games. Freshman Jeremy Goode had 19 points and 9 assists to lead Mt St Mary's to a 91-80 win over Sacred Heart. Both the 19 and the 9 were career highs for the point guard out of Charlotte, NC. After going 1-10 in non-conference play, the Mount is suddenly 3-1 in NEC games. Juco transfer Robert Hines scored 23, a season-best in leading SFNY over LIU. The Terriers have won a shocking 3 of 4 after starting the season 0-12. Western Carolina beat a struggling Chattanooga squad 79-70 in Southern Conference action. UTC is 0-5 in league play. Also in SoCo play, another Hines, Kyle continued his CHN Top 100 worthy season by scoring 24 points and pulling down 9 boards in leading UNCG to a win over Elon. Hines is averaging 21 and 10 on the season. Finally Coastal Carolina improved to 8-6, beating UNCA despite an off game from All-Name member Jack Leasure (just 5 points on 2-10 shooting), while Georgia Southern beat lowly Wofford. Drexel, who is slowly gaining respect amongst Top 25 voters, beat James Madison to improved to 4-0 in the CAA. Drexel, Hofstra, and VCU all remain perfect in the Colonial. Hofstra did so by beating Old Dominion 70-58 (and VCU beat Northeastern 64-44). The Pride have no interior game so Loren Stokes has become their rebounding force.. pulling down 12 in the win and averaging 10 rpg over their last 3 wins. It took 2 OTs for Hofstra to beat UNCW last week.. a team that is now 0-4 in CAA play after getting demolished by George Mason. The Seahawks had an amazingly low 2 field goals in the first half, scoring 10 points. Manhattan, who opened the season with a pathetic loss to 1st-time D1 squad NJIT, has bounced back to a 6-8 overall record and 3-1 in the MAAC. The 3-1 record is deceiving, because 2 of the 3 MAAC wins were over 3-13 Fairfield. SWAC favorite Jackson State lost their first league game, 73-62 to Southern. This is a bad loss for the Tigers, who were at home against a 3-13 team. The Tigers loss allowed Texas Southern and MVSU to move into a tie for first place at 3-0 in league play. MVSU beat Alabama St behind 20 points from Standford Speech.. perhaps the best name not included in our Top 30 Names in college basketball. Also in the SWAC, UAPB broke a 6-game losing streak by beating Alabama A&M 52-45. More importantly, it was their 1st win all year against a D1 team. Finally, Grambling State beat Alcorn State and I have nothing meaningful to say about that. Rashad West scored 33 in leading Hampton to a 76-74 win over MEAC contender Florida A&M. Delaware St passed FAMU in the conference standings by beating Morgan State 58-51. Meanwhile NC A&T beat Hampton, behind a solid 17 point-10 rebound effort from Jason Wills. Wills, a junior, has been one of the MEAC's most consistent performers. He's averaging 14 and 7 boards, and has scored in double-digits in 12 of 13 games. Also, Norfolk St beat Bethune-Cookman and South Carolina State overtook UMAS in another mostly useless MEAC games. In the Big South, Winthrop improved to 12-4, beating Charleston Southern, despite barely dropping out of the CHN Top 50. In the lone Ohio Valley game, Murray State improved to 7-9 by beating SEMO. The Racers are 5-3 in OVC play, and 1 more loss will put them behind last year's great 17-3 conference record. Villanova escaped with a 56-52 win at Georgetown.. one of the few games with name teams on Monday. Georgetown had won 7 straight and was regaining lost respect.. but the loss was a major setback. Roy Hibbert was held to a season low 2 points. For Nova, the win snaps a two-game losing streak heading into a big road contest at Syracuse. If the Big 12 is your thing, Texas Tech improved to 12-4 by beating Kansas State in Manhattan. For the Wildcats, its their 3rd loss in a row, but just their 1st all season at home. More importantly, Kansas State will be without Bill Walker for the rest of the season after it was determined he had a ruptured ACL. State played their best ball with Walker, beating USC and then New Mexico.. but his loss is a huge blow to their slim tournament chances. Out west, #15 Nevada dealt with a first-half ankle injury to Nick Fazekas by putting away Boise State 90-86. Marcelus Kemp led the way with 27 points as the Wolfpack ran off 9-straight points down the stretch to pull away. In the loss, Coby Karl added 22 points, 8 boards, and 5 assists. The 6-4 Karl is a potential NBA 2nd rounder. Finally, Gonzaga easily blew by Pepperdine 69-52. After falling to 9-6, WCC play has proven to be the perfect remedy for the Zags who are now 11-6. Sean Mallon continued the greatest two week period of his career with 17 and 10 boards, coming off a career-high 23 against LMU. - Dribble is as Dribble does - .. The remaining 9 games, including Nova-G'Town, will be up in a bit -

Preseason Mid-Major All-Americans

CHN — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 13:44:15 -0500

Just what is a mid-major? Who knows. But for simplicity, our Mid-Major All-American teams includes the best players who are not in one of the six mid-major conferences. These players don't get the recognition as some other stars, but they can play with anybody in the country.

Who do you think is the best Mid-Major player? Vote in our poll.

Collegehoops.net Mid-Major Player of the Year

Nick Fazekas - F, Nevada, Sr - 21.8 PPG, 10.4 RPG

First Team Mid-Major All-American

Rodney Stuckey - G, Eastern Washington, So - 24.2 PPG, 4.1 APG

Nate Funk - G, Creighton, Sr - 17.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG

Brandon Heath - G, San Diego St, Sr - 18.4 PPG, 3.5 APG

Morris Almond - F, Rice, Sr - 21.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG

Nick Fazekas - F, Nevada, Sr - 21.8 PPG, 10.4 RPG

Second Team Mid-Major All-American

Blake Schilb - G, Loyola Chicago, Sr - 19.1 PPG, 3.9 APG

Loren Stokes - G, Creighton, Sr - 17.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG

Stanley Burrell - G, Xavier, Jr - 14.4 PPG, 3.3 APG

Bryant Dunston - F, Fordham, Jr 16.1 PPG, 7.6 RPG

Jason Smith - C, Colorado St, Jr - 16.2 PPG, 7.3 RPG

Third Team Mid-Major All-American

Jared Jordan - G, Marist, Jr - 16.1 PPG, 8.5 APG

Ibrahim Jaaber - G, Penn - 18.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG

Courtney Lee - G/F, Western Kentucky, Jr - 17.4 PPG, 6.8 RPG

Caleb Green - F, Oral Roberts, Sr - 20.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG

Chris McNaughton - C, Bucknell, Sr - 12.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG

Fourth Team Mid-Major All-American

Coby Karl - G, Boise St, Sr - 17.2 PPG, 4.0 APG

Blake Ahearn - G, Missouri St, Sr - 16.2 PPG, 2.5 APG

Jamar Wilson - G, Albany, Sr - 17.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG

Kyle Hines - F, UNC Greensboro, F - 19.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG

Ian Vouyoukas - F/C, Saint Louis, Sr - 13.9 PPG, 7.4 PPG

Also: See where these players rank in the CHN Top 100 List