Jacksonville St

Jon Teitel's Coaching Greats: Jacksonville State's Bill Jones

Jon Teitel — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:17:22 -0400

In the most recent installment in his "Coaching Greats" interview series CHN writer Jon Teitel spoke with former Jacksonville State head coach Bill Jones. In 24 seasons at the school Jones won 449 games and a Division II national title, and was good enough in slow-pitch softball as a pitcher to become a Hall of Famer in that sport as well.

Jon Teitel: You played basketball at Marshall County High School for legendary coach Tom Richey. What made Richey such a great coach, and what was the most important thing you ever learned from him?

Bill Jones: His lessons lasted my entire career and continue today. He was a disciplinarian but taught us how important every single player on the team was (even the last guy on the bench). He showed us that you have to work hard to get what you want.

JT: You were an All-Conference basketball player at Jacksonville State, averaging around 18 points per game while helping to lead your school to two straight conference titles. How good a player were you back then, and what is the secret to being a good scorer?

BJ: I reflect back to the people who would ask Pete Maravich about his fancy moves on the court. Pete said that he threw 3,000 behind-the-back passes each day before trying one out in a game. I was the stereotypical gym rat who would shoot baskets outside until my parents made me come inside. Coach Richey also helped me with my shooting form. My parents' encouragement and my own aggressiveness also helped a lot.

JT: You set a school record by making 31 straight free throws. What is the secret to being a great free throw shooter?

BJ: It should not be that hard. It is the only time during the game when someone does not have a hand in your face. The key is to relax and have a system in place to block out everything around you (be it three dribbles, a deep breath, etc.). I have a multi-step system: toe placement, ball elevation, etc. Positive reinforcement also helps. Success is built around repetition.

JT: After college you signed a contract to play baseball for the Pirates but only spent one year with the organization before retiring. Which sport did you enjoy more, and which sport were you better at?

BJ: Growing up I enjoyed baseball more due to the weather, the nuances of coaching signals, positioning myself on the mound, etc. I had several games where I played a different position in every inning, which taught me about everyone's different roles on the field. I still love baseball today, and follow the Braves and Cubs religiously. I fell into the basketball coaching ranks by accident but I love it as well.

JT: You had a 28-17 record in two years as head coach at North Alabama before being replaced by Bill L. Jones in 1974. Why did you take the job at Jacksonville State, and was it weird to be replaced by a guy who was also named Bill Jones?!

BJ: I accused the president of replacing me with Coach Jones solely in order to keep the stationery the same! It was hard to leave but I left the new coach with a pretty good team. Since I had played at Jacksonville State it was an easy decision to make, and the school president was very inspiring.

JT: You overcame a five-point deficit with two minutes left to get a one-point win over South Dakota State to win the Division II national title in 1985. How were you able to come from behind, and what did it mean to you to win the title?

BJ: It was an enjoyable, productive season. We had to come from behind several times that year because our league featured a lot of good teams. Our players just believed that we could come back. We were playing a triangle-and-2 defense, and Pat Williams came off the bench to play some great defense.

JT: After losing your season opener to Belmont Abbey by one that year you proceeded to win 31 straight games en route to being named national Coach of the Year. What did you tell your team after the loss, and what did it mean to you to win such an outstanding individual honor?

BJ: I was in the pits after the loss but we had good chemistry. I was not an easy guy to play for. I made about five of our cheerleaders cry just for making noise during one of our practices! I was talking to another coach after the loss who helped teach me about playing a delay-type of game, and he told me that he thought we were going to win the title.

I learned early on not to take anything for granted so I worked my fanny off to make sure we were prepared for every game. I had several rules (be on time, curfew, study hall for some players, etc.), but we went that entire year without having any distractions. It was a combination of athletic players who threw themselves into the fire.

JT: In 1993 you were inducted into the American Softball Association Hall of Fame. How did you get into softball, and where does that rank among your career highlights?

BJ: I love softball but it was strange how I got into it. My friend Vandy Cobb invited me several times to play on his slow-pitch team and I finally relented because he was going to forfeit a tourney game without me. The first pitch I saw looked like a watermelon...and I popped it straight up into the air! I continued to play for the next 25 years and made five times more friends than I did in basketball.

I was inducted as a pitcher because I could put a lot of arc on the ball. In 1977 we finished third in the world. We played one game that lasted over three hours, but the people in charge wanted us to finish our games in 55 minutes.

JT: In 1998 you retired as the all-time winningest coach in school history. What made you such a great coach, and do you think anyone will ever break your record?

BJ: I am sure that someone will break my record. I broke the record that was set by my own coach, who was great himself. We obviously had some really good players so recruiting was a big element, but nobody outworked us. I would talk to the bus drivers and janitors; they were the people who knew everything and give me an honest answer. I tried to recruit hungry players who would listen to me and fit into our system. If I had anything, it was the ability to lead people and get a feel for how they would fit in with my philosophy and spirit of competition.

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

BJ: I would love for people to appreciate our fast-paced game. We were tenacious on defense even when we were scoring 100+ PPG. I hope people remember the excitement of a slam-packed gym with hundreds of people standing outside who could not get inside. We had great fans, ball girls, and a totally exhilarating experience: we played hard and wanted to win.

Jones is also on Jon's list of best coaches in OVC history.

Austin Peay: Dave Loos (1990-present) 363-310, 3 NCAA tourneys, 5 conference titles, 5-time conference COY
Eastern Illinois: Rick Samuels (1981-2005) 344-349, 2 NCAA tourneys
Eastern Kentucky: Paul McBrayer (1946-1962) 219-144, 2 NCAA tourneys, 3 conference titles
Jacksonville State: Bill Jones (1974-1998) 449-210, 1 D-2 national title, 3-time conference COY, 1-time national COY
Morehead State: Bobby Laughlin (1953-1965) 166-119, 3 NCAA tourneys, 4 conference titles
Murray State: Steve Newton (1985-1991) 116-65, 3 NCAA tourneys, 4 conference titles, 2-time conference COY
SIU-Edwardsville: Larry Graham (1984-1992) 147-84
SE Missouri State: Ron Shumate (1981-1997) 306-171, 7 conference titles, 2-time national COY
Tennessee State: John McLendon (1954-1959) 149-20, 5 conference titles, 3 NAIA titles
Tennessee Tech: John Oldham (1955-1964) 118-83, 2 NCAA tourneys, 3 conference titles, 1-time conference COY
Tennessee-Martin: Bret Campbell (1999-2009) 125-168, 1 conference title, 1-time conference COY

Afternoon Upsets in the Big South: Wednesday's Quick Hitters

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 02:14:03 -0500

The biggest development on Wednesday night were the wins picked up by Cincinnati, Colorado State and USF, as all three strengthened their arguments for an NCAA tournament bid.

1. Two of the top three seeds in the Big South saw their seasons come to an end in the quarterfinals.
The beginning of an almost nonstop afternoon basketball got underway on Wednesday, and from an upset standpoint the Big South certainly didn't disappoint. But if you're a fan of either Coastal Carolina or Campbell it wasn't a good day, as both saw their seasons come to an end (unless selected for a postseason tournament) despite entering the conference tournament as the two and three seeds. CCU ran into a VMI team that got hot from three, knocking down 14 of their 28 attempts from beyond the arc on the way to an 85-68 victory. Starters Keith Gabriel (20 points) and Stan Okoye (15) played well, but the 17-point outing from Jordan Weethee (5-6 3PT) off the bench was just as important. CCU didn't help themselves by turning the ball over 16 times either.

As for Campbell turnovers were a problem for them as well in their 71-55 loss to six-seeded Winthrop. The Camels turned the ball over 16 times to just eight for the Eagles, who are looking to rid themselves of the bad taste left in their mouths following a disappointing regular season. Campbell also couldn't slow down Reggie Middleton, who scored a game-high 25 points (5-10 3PT) and dished out four assists to lead the way for Winthrop. Darren White led Campbell with 15 points but no other Campbell player reached double figures, and when combined with the turnovers that proved to be too much to overcome. On the other side of the bracket top seed UNC Asheville and four-seed Charleston Southern advanced, and the key for UNCA at this point is to remain focused on the task at hand instead of worrying about how the bottom half of the bracket opened up. Do that and Eddie Biedenbach's team could make a return trip to the Big Dance.

2. Miami follows up their big win over Florida State with...a loss at NC State.
What the Hurricanes have done over the last four days is exactly why concrete verdicts shouldn't be rendered in regards to the tournament prospects of teams based on one game. On Sunday Jim Larranaga's team looked very good as they beat Florida State with Reggie Johnson out of the lineup. But with Johnson back the Hurricanes were unable to build on the positive momentum as they fell to the Wolfpack 77-73. And if not for their 22 offensive rebounds the margin of defeat could have been even larger for Miami, who shot just 35.6% from the field while NC State made half of their field goal attempts.

C.J. Leslie led four NC State players in double figures with 21 points while also grabbing 11 boards as the Pack snapped their four-game losing streak. Rion Brown led the Hurricanes with 15 points off the bench but with Kenny Kadji and Durand Scott shooting a combined 6-for-24 from the field Miami couldn't counter NC State scoring 43 second-half points. With a home game against Boston College being the regular season finale, it's likely that Miami will need to make some noise in the ACC tournament to further state their case.

3. It was also a bad night for bubble teams in the Atlantic 10 as both Dayton and Saint Joseph's fell.
One day after Xavier fell hard at Saint Louis two more teams suffered defeats that could have the A-10 sliding toward being a two-bid league. Phil Martelli's Hawks were unable to build on their win over Temple in Olean as they fell to St. Bonaventure 98-93 in double overtime. Andrew Nicholson, who is a candidate for A-10 Player of the Year, scored 32 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the Bonnies to a win that locked up a first-round bye in next week's conference tournament. The Hawks got themselves in trouble by getting out-rebounded 49-30, with the Bonnies grabbing 20 offensive rebounds.

As for the Flyers, their loss was even more damaging as they fell 82-71 at Richmond. Darien Brothers led the Spiders with 30 points and Kendall Anthony added 20 off the bench as Richmond dropped Dayton into a three-way tie for sixth. Chris Johnson scored 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Dayton, who was outscored 19-9 at the charity stripe. Richmond held the edge in bench points (29-15) thanks in large part to Anthony, and they were also able to score 21 second-chance points to just 13 for the Flyers. A win over George Washington won't do much for Dayton's profile and Saint Joseph's regular season is done, meaning that both are looking at the prospect of likely needing the automatic bid to go dancing.

Quick Hitters

1. The top two seeds took the floor in the Atlantic Sun quarters, and while Mercer had to work a bit harder than anticipated both the Bears and Belmont advanced. Jake Gollon led Mercer to their 61-53 win over Lipscomb with 19 points and eight rebounds, and as a team the Bears made up for committing twice as many turnovers (16) as Lipscomb by making nine three-pointers. Belmont beat Jacksonville 76-62 behind Kerron Johnson's 19 points, five rebounds and five assists.

2. Three of the four quarterfinals in the Patriot League went according to seed on Wednesday. The lone exception: Lafayette's 84-76 win at Holy Cross in the 4/5 game. Rob Delaney (25 points) and Jim Mower (18) combined to score 43 points for the Leopards, who will visit top-seed Bucknell in the semifinals on Saturday.

3. Mitchell Watt scored 22 points and grabbed six rebounds to Buffalo to a 74-70 win at Akron in a key MAC battle. The win moves the Bulls to within a game of the Zips for first place in the MAC East with one game remaining, and just as importantly they're a game up on Ohio in the race for second place.

4. Sheldon McClellan scored 24 points and J'Covan Brown 22 as Texas avoided what would have been a rough loss to have on their resume, as they beat Oklahoma 72-64 in Austin. The Longhorns end the regular season with a trip to Kansas, and an upset in Lawrence would undoubtedly punch their ticket.

5. Brian Williams scored all 18 of his points in the second half, and his three-pointer with 33 seconds remaining gave Jacksonville State the lead for good in their 75-70 win over Austin Peay in an OVC first round matchup. In the other OVC tournament game Southeast Missouri State beat Eastern Kentucky 75-65.

6. A rough run through WCC play mercifully came to an end for Santa Clara in Las Vegas as they fell 74-70 to Portland in the first round of the WCC tournament. Losing Marc Trasolini on the preseason trip to Canada with a torn ACL was hard enough to deal with, but once Kerry Keating had to suspend Kevin Foster the Broncos seemed destined for a winless league campaign.

7. Northwestern had a golden opportunity to pick up a signature win, but Jared Sullinger's bucket in the final seconds gave Ohio State the 75-73 win in Evanston. Drew Crawford and John Shurna combined to lead the Wildcats with 45 points but that wasn't enough as the Buckeyes had four players put up double figures. The Northwestern storyline is going to be one of the interesting stories to keep an eye on in Indianapolis next week.

College Hoops Weekend Recap: Alabama Wins Puerto Rico Tipoff

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 22:41:53 -0500

In-season tournaments can be tricky to analyze when the dust settles. Sometimes the winning team can build on the experience and move on to bigger and better things, with last year's Connecticut team (Maui Invitational champs) being a prime example. Others, like Minnesota (last year's Puerto Rico Tip-Off champs) can temporarily hide flaws that get exposed later in the season. Essentially these early season results should be taken with a grain of salt, because while we see flashes of teams in reality it's a small sample size.

But in the case of Anthony Grant's Alabama Crimson Tide, what they showed off in San Juan was the ability to overpower opponents with one of the more talented frontcourts in the country along with a perimeter rotation that's rounding into form. Trevor Releford led the team with 20 points and five rebounds in Alabama's 65-56 win over Purdue, but just as important was the play on the defensive end of the floor.

As a team Purdue shot just 35% from the field, and while Robbie Hummel scored 17 points the fifth-year senior needed fifteen shots (making five) to do so. JaMychal Green and Tony Mitchell, who nearly tore the rim down on multiple occasions this weekend, made life tough around the rim for all three opponents faced and will continue to do so as the season wears on. To compare Purdue's offensive numbers over their three games in Puerto Rico would display the difference in the level of defenders.

Here are Purdue's offensive efficiency and effective field goal percentage numbers in their three Puerto Rico Tip-Off games (courtesy of statsheet.com):

Iona: 113.8, 52.6%
Temple: 121.4, 52.7%
Alabama: 90.3, 39.5%

To say the least, things were a lot more difficult for Matt Painter's team offensively against the Crimson Tide. Offense can come and go by the game, but defense is something that is largely controlled by effort. Alabama used that to their advantage on Sunday night, and there really isn't a reason in their control as to why they can't continue to do so. While many will fawn over Kentucky, respect Florida and consider Vanderbilt with their offensive weapons, don't ignore Alabama in the SEC.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Xavier and Temple are the favorites in the Atlantic 10, but Saint Louis could be the league's third NCAA Tournament option.
While this game was expected to be a homecoming for the injured Scott Suggs and a return to his first head coaching job for Lorenzo Romar, it was also a dangerous one for the Washington Huskies. And it became more than dangerous from the start as Rick Majerus' Saint Louis Billikens sprinted out of the gates to 50 first half points, ultimately winning 77-64 in a game that wasn't as close as the final margin would indicate.

Brian Conklin scored 25 points and Kwamain Mitchell added 18 as the Billikens shot 53% from the field, and SLU led by as many as 29 in the second half. Washington may have won the rebounding battle 40-26 but that had more to do with the fact that they shot just 42% from the field, and their effective field goal percentage was nearly eight percentage points below their average. People within the conference have been high on the Billikens, and on Sunday the nation saw exactly why.

2. Weak non-conference schedules don't leave much room for error, a lesson Cincinnati learned on Saturday.
The key for the Bearcats now is to make sure their loss to Presbyterian doesn't rear its ugly head on Selection Sunday, but given the caliber of Mick Cronin's team they should be alright. The bigger concern is what happened in the second half of that game, which ended on a 24-7 run by the Blue Hose. Khalid Mutakabbir scored 25 points to lead the victors while the vanquished Bearcats seemed to forget the fact that in Yancy Gates they have one of the top interior players in the Big East.

Gates attempted just three shots in the second half, and the fact that UC finished the game with just a two-point edge in points in the paint (26-24) is inexcusable. Presbyterian deserves all the credit for mounting a rally capped by Mutakabbir's three with 8.6 seconds remaining, but this could have been avoided had the Cincinnati guards remembered where the team's bread is buttered. Look for the Bearcats to apply these lessons as they work towards a December 10th date with city rival Xavier.

3. Drew Crawford and John Shurna help lead Northwestern to the Charleston Classic title.
Just as it was noted earlier it's tough to forecast what teams are definitely going to do based on in-season tournament performance, but this was a good weekend for the Northwestern Wildcats. Drew Crawford scored 27 points and John Shurna 19 as the Wildcats beat Seton Hall 80-73 in the title game on Sunday night to win the Charleston Classic. But don't bother asking anyone associated with the program if this can be turned into the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance because it's far to early for that.

The Wildcats executed well on offense all weekend, and defensively their 1-3-1 trapping zone made a difference. Seton Hall did a better job than either LSU or Tulsa at attacking it, but down the stretch Crawford, Shurna and the rest of the squad did enough to regain the lead with 2:28 remaining. How many games the Wildcats win remains to be seen, but at the very least Bill Carmody's team will be a tough out in the Big Ten.

4. Creighton blasts Iowa in a neutral site meeting in Des Moines.
Many knew that the Creighton Bluejays were one of the better teams in a BCS non-AQ conference before the season began. But if there were any fans in need of evidence in favor of this, check out the Bluejays' 82-59 win over Iowa, led by Doug McDermott's 25 points and nine rebounds and Gregory Echenique's 15 points and nine rebounds. Avery Dingman scored 14 points off the bench in a game that turned late in the first half. The Bluejays led by as many as 19 points in the first half before an Iowa three just before the half cut the lead to 45-29.

But there wasn't much that Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery could game plan during the break: Creighton was that much better. Iowa shot 36.2% from the field and was out-rebounded 43-27, and forward Melsahn Basabe (two points, three rebounds) practically disappeared when his team needed an outstanding performance. But the credit should go to Creighton, who seems to have an answer at just about any position on the floor.

5. Ever think that you'd see a game in which Oregon State scored 100 points?
The two semifinal games of the Ticket City Legends Classic didn't feature much in the way of defense, but the surprise of the night was the 100 points put up by Oregon State in their 100-95 overtime win over Texas. Jared Cunningham led the way with 37 points and nine rebounds, 20 of his points coming at the foul line, and Oregon State took advantage of their furious rally late in regulation with 19 points in the extra session. Ultimately the difference was turnover margin, with the young Longhorns turning the ball over 23 times to Oregon State's 15.

The win earned Oregon State a matchup with Vanderbilt on Monday night in the title game, and given the way in which the Beavers have played on offense (no fewer than 82 points in any of their four games to date) it isn't far-fetched to think that they could do the same against the Commodores. With Oregon losing Jabari Brown (head coach Dana Altman did leave the door open to a return) does Oregon State become the trendy sleeper in the Pac-12? Maybe so.

Quick Hitters

1. Someone decided that Clemson was a 13-point favorite over College of Charleston on Saturday night, and this proved to be incorrect as the Cougars won 72-69. And while Adjehi Baru has a ways to go offensively, his weakside block late to preserve the win showed his value on the defensive end of the floor right now.

2. One day after scoring 19 points in Kentucky's blowout win over Penn State, freshman forward Kyle Wiltjer scored three points and grabbed five rebounds in 11 minutes in their 62-52 win over Old Dominion. Why? The physicality of the game. It remains to be seen if John Calipari is confident enough in Wiltjer's rebounding and defense to call on him in a game of this style at this point in the year, but Wiltjer will be needed as the season wears on.

3. There aren't too many names to be called on a list of the nation's top point guards before reaching Iona senior Scott Machado. Machado established a Puerto Rico Tip-Off record for assists in the tournament with 41 in three games (six turnovers), and he dished out 15 in the Gaels' 89-63 win over Maryland on Sunday. Machado's ability to set the table for Iona's many scorers is one big reason why they're the preseason favorite in the MAAC.

4. Louisville may have provided the most impressive result of the weekend as they beat Butler 69-53 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Point guard Peyton Siva (ankle) didn't play but the Cardinals got the job done by limiting the Bulldogs to 39% shooting. Kyle Kuric and Chris Smith combined to score 32 for Louisville.

5. On the night that news came out that UCLA forward Reeves Nelson missed the team's flight to Hawaii, UNLV forward (and UCLA transfer Mike Moser) continued his personal demolition of the Rebels' non-conference slate. Moser finished with 23 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and five steals in UNLV's 92-55 win over Morgan State.

Seven Notable Performances

1. F Mike Moser (UNLV)
23 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and five steals in UNLV's 92-55 win over Morgan State.

2. G Shabazz Napier (Connecticut)
22 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds (9th triple-double in school history) in the Huskies' 87-70 win over Coppin State.

3. F Tarvin Gaines (Jacksonville State)
30 points and 11 rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench in the Gamecocks' 78-65 win over Alabama State.

4. F Herb Pope (Seton Hall)
32 points and nine rebounds in the Pirates' 80-73 loss to Northwestern.

5. G Jared Cunningham (Oregon State)
37 points, nine rebounds and three assists in the Beavers' 100-95 overtime win over Texas.

6. G C.J. McCollum (Lehigh)
32 points (10-16 FG), five rebounds, three assists and two steals in the Mountain Hawks' 90-80 win at Liberty.

7. G Scott Machado (Iona)
15 points, 15 assists, four rebounds, three steals and no turnovers in the Gaels' 89-63 win over Maryland.

OVC Tournament Preview & Predictions

Evan Dorey — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:43:38 -0500

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

Ohio Valley

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

OVC Tournament Odds

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

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

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

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

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

Players to watch:

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

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

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

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

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

Players to watch:

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

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

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

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

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

Players to watch:

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

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

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

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

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

Players to watch:

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

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

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

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

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

Players to watch:

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

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

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

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

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

Players to watch:

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

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

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

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

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

Players to watch:

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

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

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

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

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

Players to watch:

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

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

My statistical all-OVC team:

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

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

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

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

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

OVC Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:39:52 -0500

Conference Rank: 26th

10 year average: 22nd

Conference Page

All-OVC Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

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

Ohio Valley Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

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

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

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Top Shooting Guards: Lester Hudson

Rise & Fall: OVC