Southern Conference First Round Preview

Southern Conference First Round Preview
		Preview by Paul Oren The 2003-2004 Southern Conference Tournament gets underway Wednesday in North Charleston, South Carolina. It is the 83rd edition of this post-season tournament, and it represents the longest running conference tournament in the nation. Entering the tournament, there has been a lot of talk from the league coaches whether or not utilizing a conference tournament to decide it’s NCAA Tournament representative is the right thing to do. In the wake of their loss to Charleston, regular season conference champion ETSU has exhausted any chance they would have had to get an NCAA At-Large bid if they do not win the SoCon tournament. A 26-6 team not making the NCAA Tournament is a real possibility. “As a league you want to have your best representative win,” said UTC head coach Jeff Lebo. “I’ve always been a proponent that the regular season has to mean something, more than just seeding.” Seeding is one of the main issues in this tournament, but perhaps a bigger issue is having a first-round bye. Something that not only league champion ETSU has, but Chattanooga, Georgia Southern, and Davidson do as well. While ETSU defeated all three of those teams (UTC twice), all four get the same reward for finishing high in the standings and the only difference is who they are scheduled to play in the second round, which may not be a reward for any of the teams with a bye. “There are no bottom teams in this conference,” remarks UNC Greensboro head coach Fran McCaffery. “I think that’s what will make this tournament interesting, is that there are no bad teams, and anybody can beat anybody and that’s what’s going to happen over these next four days and that’s what makes it exciting. Lebo adds “I’m almost a propend that if there is a regular season winner and a different winner in the conference tournament, then they play each other to decide who goes to the NCAA.” While getting to the Big Dance is the ultimate goal for all 12 SoCon head coaches, it’s time to sit back, grab your brackets, and start filling out the dance cards, because March Madness is underway. No. 4S Furman vs. No. 5N Western Carolina The first game of the 2003-2004 SoCon Tournament features some of the best young talent in the conference. Furman placed three players on the All-Freshman team including Freshman of the Year Quan Prowell. Prowell came off the bench to score 12 points and grab 6 rebounds in a 72-63 victory at Western on February 16th. Part of the key to the Paladins success was the ability to shut down playmaker and big-time scorer Kevin Martin. Martin finished with just 12 points and the Catamounts only shot 26.5&No. 37; in the first half. All-Conference player Maleye Ndoye led Furman with 19 points, including four from beyond the arc. The winner gets the unenviable task of taking on regular season champs, East Tennessee State. No. 3N Elon vs. No. 6S The Citadel What looked like a walk in the park a week ago for Elon has now turned into a sort of creepy nightmare. The Citadel have won two games in a row and are playing their best basketball of the season, keeping tight composure in the second half, instead of collapsing down the stretch. The Phoenix also have the question of health as Montell Watson, who scored a career-high 23 points in the triple OT victory over UNC Greensboro, has a sprained ankle that is keeping his status up in the air. Matt Nowlin, runner-up for Conference Freshman of the Year led all scorers with 20 points in the meeting between the two schools earlier this season. The Phoenix defense kept every starter for the Bulldogs in single digits. Only Dante Terry scored 10 points for the Citadel. Davidson meets the winner of the Phoenix and the Bulldogs. No. 4N UNC Greensboro vs. No. 5S Wofford Wofford has been playing like a demoralized team, having lost 10 of their last 12, including a game to The Citadel. Across the line, the Spartans from UNC Greensboro had won 5 of their last 7 before dropping a triple overtime contest to Elon. Jay Joseph looks to close out his record-setting career in style in the 2003-2004 SoCon tournament. He is complimented by Ronnie Burrell who scored 24 points against the Terriers in an 85-80 victory in early February. Howard Wilkerson led all players with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Wilkerson is the key to the Terriers attack, and a strong Spartans defense would provide fits for the Wofford offense. Georgia Southern awaits the victor of this contest. No. 3S College of Charleston vs. No. 6N Appalachian State The Cougars had a much-needed victory over ETSU last Saturday, but they also needed a Davidson loss to get a first round bye, an amenity that Charleston had grown quite used to in the conference tournament. Unfortunately for Tom Herrion’s bunch, the Wildcats were victorious and now they get the bye. What they find waiting for them is a hungry Appalachian State team that nearly defeated Charleston at John Kresse Arena earlier this season. Had it no been for a 13-6 Cougar run over the last four and a half minutes, the Mountaineers would’ve had the game. Charleston only shot 28&No. 37; in the first half, a number they nearly doubled in the second half en route to their comeback. If Charleston can get by the pesky Mountaineers, then they get a shot at Tennessee-Chattanooga.

Southern Conference Notebook

Southern Conference Notebook

by Paul Oren

It’s all about the seed…

Saturday marks the final day of regular season play in the Southern Conference, and it also represents the final chance for teams to get the best seed possible in the upcoming conference tournament. The 12-team tournament will start on March 3rd in Charleston and conclude with the ESPN-televised championship game at 2:00 Eastern on March 6th. The winner of the tournament will get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Heading into the final day, six teams have clinched spots. ETSU (15-0) and Chattanooga (9-6) are 1 and 2 in the North side and both will receive first-round byes. The remaining four seeds in the North are open. In the South, Georgia Southern (11-4) has won all tiebreakers and has clinched first place and a bye. The final three spots are also solidified with Furman (8-7) at 4, Wofford (4-11) and The Citadel (1-14) close out spots 5 and 6.

The biggest seed up for grabs is the Number 2 seed in the South where the College of Charleston (10-5) and Davidson (10-5) will aim for the first-round bye. Charleston has a much tougher task, as they will host Conference Champion ETSU (ESPN2 – 2:00est). The Buccaneers have not lost a conference game all season and are coming off of an impressive victory over Chattanooga. The Cougars will be featured on ESPN2 for the second Saturday in as many weeks having played in the ESPN Bracket Buster last weekend. Not only does Charleston need to win against the best team in the league, they also need Davidson to lose at home against Furman. The Wildcats were 10-point winners against Furman earlier this season. If Davidson wins, they will secure the second seed and first-round bye because they hold the tiebreaker over Charleston (based on split against Georgia Southern).

In the North, the final four spots are open and one game will determine two of the seeds. Elon (6-9) hosts UNC Greensboro (7-8) with the winner getting the three seed and the loser getting the fourth. The Spartans beat Elon 67-53 in their first meeting of the season. The fifth and sixth seeds will be determined by the outcome of the Western Carolina (5-10) and Appalachian State (4-11) contest. The Mountaineers will hold the tiebreaker over Western Carolina if they win and are tied in the standings. If Elon were to lose and Western Carolina was to win, they would both be 6-10, but because the Catamounts lost both games to Chattanooga, Elon would win the tiebreaker.

Here is the final breakdown:

North Division
1) ETSU
2) Chattanooga
3) UNC Greensboro/Elon Winner
4) UNC Greensboro/Elon Loser
5) Western Carolina/ASU Winner
6) Western Carolina/Loser

South Division
1) Georgia Southern
2) Charleston/Davidson
3) Charleston/Davidson
4) Furman

5) Wofford
6) The Citadel

Southern Conference Notebook

Southern Conference Notebook

by Paul Oren

Bracket Buster

Two SoCon teams were featured in the made-for-TV ESPN Bracket Buster on Saturday. Created with the idea of giving Mid-Majors a chance to beef up their RPI and an opportunity to play on national television, this year’s installment provided plenty of intrigue for East Tennessee State and College of Charleston.

ETSU (23-4, 14-0) traveled out West to play the struggling Fresno State. The Bulldogs were 10-9 when the Bracket Buster match-ups were announced on February 2nd, but have since lost four of their last six. The Bucs started the game out on 10-0 run and had a lead of 43-28 with 16:55 remaining, seemingly coasting to victory, but a 21-6 Bulldog run tied the game at 49 with a little under nine minutes left in the game. ETSU kept their composure and never let Fresno gain the lead, including during the waning moments of the game when the Bucs missed the front end of two separate one and ones, only to grab the offensive rebounds. Sophomore Tim Smith finally put the game away with two free throws with 7 seconds remaining to win it 66-62. Smith had a game-high 26 points. Zakee Wadood (13 points/11 rebounds) and Jerald Fields (13 points/13 rebounds) both added double doubles.

Charleston (18-7, 10-4) was featured on ESPN 2 at Western Michigan in their part of the Bracket Buster. The Broncos brought in a 16-game home-winning streak that has lasted over a year, and the Cougars nearly ended it. Western led for most of the second half, with it’s biggest lead being 11, but the Cougars came back to take the lead at 69-67 with 2:15 left. After running clock, Thomas Mobley hit a free throw to make it 72-70. After a near steal by Charleston that turned into a jump ball, possession went back to Western and Anthony Kann hit a shot at the buzzer from near the free-throw line to send the game in overtime. In the extra session, the Broncos fed off the crowd’s momentum and the play of Reggie Berry, who scored half of his 10 points in overtime. Charleston had a shot to tie the game at 81, but Marcus Johnson missed a baseline three-pointer and Ben Reed hit two more free throws to give the Broncos an 83-78 victory.

Every game counts

Following Georgia Southern’s victory last week over SoCon foe, College of Charleston, Eagles coach Jeff Price was guardedly optimistic about what the victory meant.

“Our win at Charleston means nothing if we lose one of these next ones.”

Coach Price and the Eagles now face that reality after a tough 80-79 loss to UNC Greensboro (9-15, 6-8) Saturday night in Statesboro. Ronnie Burrell continued his hot play for the Spartans with 27 points and 9 rebounds. Burrell has led the team in scoring and rebounding in three out of the last four games and was a perfect 10 of 10 from the charity stripe while the team shot 82% from the line. Georgia Southern (19-6, 10-4) was led by Frank Bennett’s 23 points. The Eagles had a chance to win the game after a three-pointer by Jean Francois and a steal by Terry Williams; however they were unable to get off a shot attempt.

Player of the Week:

Maleye Ndoye – Furman 6-10 Senior (Dakar, Senegal)

Ndoye led Furman in scoring in all three of their victories that give the Paladins a chance to move up into third place in the South Division. In the game against Wofford, Ndoye scored 2 of his game-high 25 points when he hit the game-winning 17-foot basket. On the week, he averaged 21.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists a game.

Freshman of the Week:

Matt Nowlin – Elon 6-4 freshman (Roanoke, VA)

The sure-shooting Nowlin helped Elon break a two-game losing streak with his game-high 20 points, including 6 three-pointers when the Phoenix knocked off Western Carolina 68-53. Nowlin was recruited for his shooting, and he has not disappointed, attempting 205 three-pointers this season. In earlier games this week, Nowlin scored in double figures both times, averaging 14.6 points and 3 rebounds a game.

Team-By-Team Capsules

North Division

East Tennessee State (23-4, 14-0)

The Bucs have won all 15 games they’ve played in the 2004 calendar year, including the SoCon clinching victory over The Citadel on Feb. 16 73-51. ETSU’s last defeat came December 30th at the hands of American in the Rainbow Classic. The Bucs have a tough stretch to end out their regular season, hosting 2nd place Chattanooga on the 24th, before traveling to Charleston to play the Cougars in a nationally televised game (ESPN2) on the 28th.

Tennessee-Chattanooga (16-9, 9-5)

The Mocs face a test before the conference tournament when they travel to SoCon Regular Season Champion, ETSU. In the first meeting, Chattanooga had the Buccaneers on the ropes with a 17-point lead, but ETSU came back and with a late steal, preserved the victory. Ashley Champion led all scorers with 22 points. The Mocs clinched the second seed and a first round bye in the North with their 74-49 victory over Appalachian State. It marks the eighth time in the last nine years that UTC has been the first or second seed in the North Division.

Elon (10-16, 6-8)

Elon took a big step towards post-season success with a 68-53 victory over Western Carolina on Saturday. Matt Nowlin led the way with 20 points and a strong defensive effort held Kevin Martin, the nation’s leading scorer, to 12 points. The Phoenix control their own destiny to finish third in the North in which they would draw The Citadel in the first round of the SoCon tournament. The Bulldogs have yet to win a conference game this season. It will not be easy for the Phoenix as they travel to Statesboro to play South Division leader, Georgia Southern, before they end the regular season at home against UNC-Greensboro in what has the potential to have huge seeding implications.

UNC Greensboro (9-15, 6-8)

The Spartans recovered from their upset loss to Appalachian State to knock off South Division leader Georgia Southern 80-79. Ronnie Burrell averaged 28 points and 10.5 rebounds per game last week. Senior Jay Joseph is 10 points away from breaking the career scoring mark that is held by former teammate James Maye (1998-2003).

Western Carolina (12-13, 5-9)

The Catamounts had a rough week with losses to both Furman (72-63) and Elon (68-53). Part of the reason is that junior Kevin Martin was held to 12 points in both losses, his lowest outcome of the season since a 10-point effort against Charleston. He has scored in double figures every game this season. Martin was named to the Second Team of the All-District 5, voted on by members of the National Association of Basketball coaches. Along with Martin, nine players from the ACC were selected to the 10-player team that is now eligible to be an NABC Division 1 All-American that is voted on at the conclusion of the season.

Appalachian State (9-18, 4-10)

The Mountaineers ended an 8-game losing streak last week when they knocked off UNC Greensboro 82-60. Chris McFarland led the way with 20 points and the defense held Jay Joseph to only 2 baskets. McFarland and company was unable to capitalize on any momentum by falling by 25 to Chattanooga. The Mountaineers close out the season against Davidson and Western Carolina. The game against the Catamounts could determine whether or not Appalachian State can get out of last place.

South Division

Georgia Southern (19-6, 10-4)

While they dropped an 80-79 contest to UNC Greensboro that could’ve put some distance between the Eagles and Charleston, there is still a good chance for Georgia Southern to clinch the South Division. The reason? Charleston has to play ETSU, and the Eagles already have. The Eagles will honor four seniors in their final home game Monday night against Elon, and then close out the regular season against The Citadel on Saturday. A slip-up, and Georgia Southern could fall as far as third in the conference, and more importantly, relinquish a shot at a first round bye.

College of Charleston (18-7, 10-4)

Charleston will find out if a trip out of conference will cost them this week when they finish their regular season against Furman on Wednesday and a huge home game against ETSU on Saturday. It will be the Cougars second Saturday on ESPN2 in as many weeks. Charleston needs to win out and have some help in order to clinch their sixth South Division title in a row. They have won their division every year that they have been in the SoCon.

Davidson (14-11, 9-5)

The Wildcats have a huge week in front of them. Armed with a chance to win the South Division if a few things go their way, they travel to Appalachian State for a Wednesday game and then host Furman in the regular season finale on Saturday. It will be perhaps the biggest SoCon game Davidson has played since they beat Furman in the 2002 Tournament Championship game.

Furman (15-10, 7-7)

The Paladins took a big step up forward last week by beating Western Carolina and The Citadel. If they can get by a tough Charleston team on Wednesday, Furman has a finale against Davidson that could push them up to third place. Furman dropped a 5-point decision to Charleston earlier this season, a game in which they battled back after falling behind 21-2.

Wofford (8-17, 4-10)

Wofford has clinched the 5th seed in the South and will open the SoCon tournament against the 4th seed in the North, which will not be determined till the final day of the regular season. Howard Wilkerson recorded his 7th double double in the Terriers only game of the week, a 73-63 point loss to Davidson.

The Citadel (4-20, 0-14) – The Bulldogs have lost 13 games in a row and are looking to avoid going winless in conference, only two years removed from finishing 17-12 overall. The final week of the regular season features traveling to Wofford and a finale with Georgia Southern in Charleston. The Bulldogs will honor two seniors (Max Mombollett, Erick Wilson) on Saturday night.

Southern Conference Notebook

Southern Conference Notebook

by Paul Oren

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

For the coaches of any mid-major college basketball team, those words ring true, especially in the late days of February. Unlike the ACC or SEC, most mid-major conferences such as the SoCon only get one bid to the NCAA Tournament, and regardless of the regular season, that automatic bid is given to the Conference Tournament champion. So much like a marathon, most of the conference race is based on pacing and positioning, where the next game always becomes the most important game.

Georgia Southern (19-5, 10-3) won a very important game on Wednesday night, defeating College of Charleston (18-6, 10-4) 82-76 to take over first place in the South division. Terry Williams led the way with 25 points including 5 three-pointers. Even with the win, Coach Jeff Price understands he cannot get caught up in celebrating a victory.

“(Wednesday) night’s game didn’t win the conference for us, or lose it for Charleston. We have our work cut out for us. Our win at Charleston means nothing if we lose one of these next ones.”

The Eagles suffered a scare during the game when leading scorer Elton Nesbitt had to leave the game with a sprained ankle. Jean Francois stepped up in Nesbitt’s absence with a season-high 16 points and Chad Fleming added a career-high 14 points. Nesbitt, a 77% free throw shooter, returned in the closing seconds and hit four free throws to clinch the victory. Charleston had a balanced offense with Tony Mitchell having a team-high 15 points and 7 rebounds.

“It was a very excellent college basketball game,” stated Charleston head coach Tom Herrion. “We contributed greatly to the loss with 20 turnovers, some of them were very costly.”

Georgia Southern now prepares for it’s next biggest game of the year when they host the UNC Greensboro Spartans (8-15, 5-8) Saturday night. The Eagles have a chance to distance themselves from Charleston and Davidson and move closer to clinching a very important first-round bye in the conference tournament, something that all coaches have their eye on as they prepare for their games.

“Seeds are very important,” said Herrion. “The bye is a big ingredient, we can’t let opportunities slip out of our hands.”

The next opportunity for Charleston is a big one. They along with SoCon conference champion East Tennessee State (20-4, 14-0) will participate in the ESPN Bracket Buster this Saturday. Charleston travels to Western Michigan (ESPN2 – 4:30 EST) and ETSU will play at Fresno State (ESPN Fullcourt – 3:00 EST).

The Bracket Buster is a series of games between Mid-Major schools in hopes of raising their collective RPI’s, in order to gain a better seed in the NCAA Tournament. Last season, Southern Illinois used a thrilling victory over UWM in the Bracket Buster to catapult them to an At-Large bid when they stumbled in their conference tournament. This season there seems to be a shortage of Mid-Major teams that could warrant an At-Large bid, and the general consensus is that while ETSU is 20-4, and a perfect 14-0 in conference, a slip-up in the conference tournament could prevent them from going to the Big Dance.

The main problem is RPI. According to CollegeRPI.com, as of February 19, the Buccaneers are ranked 83rd in the country, while Fresno State are only ranked 103rd. The match-up looked good for ETSU on February 2nd, when the pairings were announced, but since then Fresno State has lost three of it’s last 5. Charleston on the other hand is 117th in RPI, while their opponent, Western Michigan, is 59th. The Broncos are looking at Charleston the same way ETSU is viewing Fresno State. Charleston looked like a good match-up for Western, but now they have lost three of their last five.

The final verdict on the Bracket Buster for the SoCon is that while neither ETSU or Charleston are going to get an At-Large bid, a victory in their respective game would increase their chances of getting a better seed in the tournament. Again, the general consensus is that ETSU would get a 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament at this point. Of course, they’d have to win the conference tournament, something that is surely not a given with some of the other teams in the conference.

“Top to bottom, there are no easy outs,” remarks Davidson head coach Bob McKillop. “This conference traditionally has teams that can shoot threes, create mismatches, that causes great parity in the league.”

Davidson (14-11, 9-5) is a team that has a very real shot of doing well in the conference tournament, especially if things fall their way and they can sneak up into the number 2 seed in the South, something they worked towards Wednesday night with a 73-63 victory over Wofford.

“I don’t have enough energy to forecast what could happen,” McKillop stated. “If I start focusing on that, it will take away from getting this team prepared for the next game. We just have to concentrate on what we can control.”

The Wildcats have two remaining conference games against Furman (14-10, 6-7) and Appalachian State (9-17, 4-9), both winnable games. While Charleston, the team they are trying to catch still has to play Conference champion ETSU in the regular season finale on February 28th (2:00 EST – ESPN2).

Brendan Winters scored 19 points to lead the Wildcats over Wofford (8-17, 4-10) in the 10-point victory. A key to the game was a decided rebounding advantage for Davidson (46-31.) Four players have 6 or more rebounds including Conor Grace who led all players with 14. Winters has continued to be the spark for the Wildcats.

“Winters is very consistent, and that’s impressive,” said McKillop. “He gets it done with the three-pointer, the free throws, he rebounds and plays good defense, this isn’t just a guy who shoots jump shots.”

Rounding out the rest of Saturday’s upcoming games,

• Chattanooga (15-9, 8-5) looks to clinch the second seed in the North, and with it a first-round bye when they travel to Appalachian State. The Mountaineers upset the Mocs in their first meeting of the season 94-77.

• Western Carolina (12-12, 5-8) and Elon (9-16, 5-8) will battle for positioning in the North. The Catamounts feature Kevin Martin, who is leading the nation in scoring at 26.4 points a game. Martin scored 42 points against the Phoenix in an 81-72 Western victory.

• Furman has a chance to get back to .500 in the conference when they take on The Citadel at home. The Citadel (4-20, 0-13) are looking for their first conference win, and they have already clinched the 6 seed in the south. The Paladins are in 4th right now, but could move up or down one spot in either direction.

As the regular season wraps around the bend, every game meaning more and more, with the finish line in sight, the marathon is slowly turning into a sprint. It will culminate during four days in March.

Southern Conference Notebook

Southern Conference Notebook

by Robby Trail

The Southern Conference continues to struggle in non-conference play, going 5-6 in such games this week with teams losing several games they should have won. This week is a big one for the conference with non-conference match-ups against teams such as Vanderbilt, Alabama, Missouri, Arkansas, Ohio State, Tennessee, and Georgetown. The week will provide many chances for the conference to gain respect.

In conference play, Elon travels to Chattanooga which will be the Phoenix’s first conference game since joining the conference. Chattanooga, who made the conference tournament final last year, will look to show that they intend to contend with ETSU for the North Division championship. Elon will look to show they can compete with the teams in their new and more competitive conference.

North Division

ETSU Buccaneers (5-2, 1-0)

Last Week: Lost to Clemson 100-86 (OT)
This Week: Wednesday against Tennessee Tech, Saturday against Virginia Wise

Despite leading by six points with just over a minute to go, ETSU could not pull the upset over Clemson as the Tigers rallied to force overtime and then dominated the overtime period. However, forward Zakee Wadood, who scored, 24 points and had a school record 10 steals, appears to be back on track after struggling early in the season.

This week the Bucs should pick up two non-conference wins to add to their confidence leading into the conference season.

Western Carolina Catamounts (3-3, 1-0)

Last Week: Defeated Wofford 93-79
This Week: Wednesday against Averett, Monday against Arkansas

The Catamounts picked up a huge confidence booster with their conference opening win against Wofford. Kevin Martin, now the nation’s leading scorer, scored 33 points in the win.

Wednesday’s game against Averett will provide the Catamounts with more conference going into their game with Arkansas on Monday.

Appalachian State Mountaineers (4-5, 1-0)

Last Week: Lost to UNC-Charlotte 85-64
This Week: Thursday against Southern Methodist, Saturday against Tennessee Tech, Monday against Vanderbilt

In what could have been a breakthrough win for the Mountaineers, Appalachian State played horribly Saturday in Charlotte. They must rebound quickly as they play three tough non-conference road games this week. Will the real Appalachian State please stand up?

Chattanooga Mocs (5-2)

Last Week: Lost to Liberty 85-69, Defeated King College 96-49
This Week: Tuesday against Alabama, Saturday against Elon, Monday against Tennessee Tech

The Mocs got a wake up call as they we never really in the game against Liberty. Five Chattanooga players scored in double figures, including Ashley Champion who led all scorers with 24 points as the Mocs rebounded in their 96-49 win against King College.

Chattanooga has their final tune up before the conference season begins Saturday with a Tuesday trip to Tuscaloosa to take on SEC school Alabama.

UNC-Greensboro Spartans (5-3)

Last Week: Lost to High Point 72-65
This Week: Thursday against Coastal Carolina, Sunday against Missouri

The Spartans lost a non-conference game they should have won against High point in what seems to be an ongoing plague that has been affecting all SoCon schools. Thursday’s game against Coastal Carolina is UNCG’s last test before traveling to Missouri and Maryland in the next five days.

Elon Phoenix (3-4)

Last Week: Lost to Georgetown 91-70
This Week: Wednesday against Mercer, Saturday against Chattanooga

There were more positive signs for the Phoenix in the loss against Georgetown. Elon played well in the first half despite being without two starters due to illness. Mercer will give the Phoenix a good test before their showdown in Chattanooga Saturday. Elon will come to Chattanooga looking to gain some respect within the division.

South Division

Charleston Cougars (5-1, 1-0)

Last Week: Defeated Newberry 72-47
This Week: Thursday against Canisius, Saturday against UNC-Wilmington

Charleston had no problems disposing of Newberry College. Forward Thomas Mobley tied a career-high with 21 points and guard Robert Swain scored a career-high 17 points. The Cougars should win Thursday against Canisius before traveling to Wilmington.

Furman Paladins (4-3, 0-1)

Last Week: Defeated UNC-Asheville 60-56
This Week: Wednesday against Ohio State, Saturday against High Point

Furman trailed by 13 points in the second half but rallied late in the game for the four-point win against UNC-Asheville. Four of the five starters scored in double figures for the Paladins. The road will get much tougher Wednesday as Furman travels to Ohio State before hosting High Point on Sunday.

Georgia Southern Eagles (3-2, 0-1)

Last Week: Defeated Wagner 79-58
This Week: Wednesday against Southern Mississippi, Saturday against Tennessee Temple

The Eagles scored one of the few big non-conference victories for the conference with their blowout of Wagner. Now Georgia Southern must set their sights on two more winnable non-conference games against Southern Miss and Tennessee Temple.

Wofford Terriers (3-4, 0-1)

Last Week: Lost Western Carolina 93-79
This Week: Wednesday against Florida A&M, Saturday against Vanderbilt

Wofford had a big set back in their conference loss against Western Carolina. Guard Adrien Boarders led the Terriers with 18 points in the loss. Wofford must rebound with two non-conference games this week against Florida A&M and Vanderbilt.

Davidson Wildcats (3-5, 0-1)

Last Week: Lost to UNC-Charlotte 76-65, Defeated Haverford 79-62
This Week: Friday against Clarkson, Sunday against Seton Hall

After being out hustled in their loss to Charlotte, the Wildcats avoided a near embarrassing loss to Haverford with a second half rally. Davidson will have a chance to get their season jumpstarted with a good showing Sunday against Seton Hall.

The Citadel Bulldogs (2-5, 0-1)

Last Week: no games
This Week: Wednesday against Tennessee, Friday against Chowan College, Sunday against Georgetown

After five days off, the Bulldogs now must get back to work in a hurry if they want to end their three game losing streak. With non-conference games against Tennessee and Georgetown within five days of each other, The Citadel will have no room for error if they want to pick up wins.

Southern Conference Notebook

Southern Conference Notebook

by Robby Trail

Southern Conference teams must start winning non-conference games if they want to gain any respect. Last week as a conference, the teams went 7-7 in non-conference games. This isn’t bad by itself for a mid-major conference, but when you realize that most of those 14 games, with the exception of a few, were against teams that should have been defeated relatively easily, then you can see the problem. In fact, most of these games were against small private colleges with a few NAIA schools thrown in.

However, there are a few bright spots. Kevin Martin continues his brilliant play and may be on his way to All-American consideration. Appalachian State is the biggest surprise of the conference and is now 4-4 overall with two strong non-conference wins on their resume. And, Elon has won three straight after losing their first three games.

North Division

Appalachian State Mountaineers (4-4, 1-0)

Last week: Defeated George Washington 80-77, Defeated Piedmont College 92-36
This week: Saturday against UNC-Charlotte

After a 1-4 start, the Mountaineers have won three straight to get back to .500. Forward Chris McFarland scored 28 points in the rematch with George Washington and 11 against Piedmont and is now the leading scorer for Appalachian State, averaging 12.5 points per game. Guard Noah Brown continues to average double figures for the Mountaineers, putting up just over 10 points per game.

Chattanooga Mocs (4-1)

Last week: No games
This Week: Thursday against Liberty, Saturday against King College

The Mocs, who have won four straight games, will play Liberty Thursday night in their first game in 10 days. The Mocs have two tests, Liberty and King College, before they travel to Alabama on Tuesday.

ETSU Buccaneers (5-1, 1-0)

Last Week: Defeated UNC-Asheville 78-56, Defeated Georgia Southern 91-85
This week: Monday against Clemson

The real Zakee Wadood finally showed up in the Bucs conference opening 91-85 win over Georgia Southern. Wadood, the consensus pre-season conference player of the year, scored a career-high 30 points and grabbed 12 boards to pace ETSU to the victory. For his performance over the course of last week (26.5 ppg and 10 rpg), Wadood was named SoCon player of the week.

UNC-Greensboro Spartans (5-2, 1-0)

Last Week: Defeated Furman 73-65, Lost to American 65-45, Defeated Campbell 79-61
This Week: Saturday against High Point

In their conference-opening win against Furman, forward Ronnie Burrell led the Spartans with 15 points and seven boards. UNCG as a team had 10 steals and forced 14 Furman turnovers in the game. On the season, guard Jay Joseph leads the team in scoring with 17.3 points per game.

Western Carolina Catamounts (2-3)

Last Week: Lost to High Point 66-64, Defeated UNC-Asheville 81-70
This Week: Monday against Wofford

I know I’ve said a lot about forward Kevin Martin, but he continues to be the story for the Catamounts. In their first five games, Martin is averaging a cool 27 points per game while grabbing 5.4 rebounds per game as well. He has shot 49 percent from the field and 46 percent from beyond the arc on the season. Last season, Martin was constantly in foul trouble, but he has matured since then and has committed only 10 fouls thus far.

Elon Phoenix (3-3)

Last week: Defeated Methodist 83-67, Defeated American 85-82
This week: Saturday against Georgetown

After starting the season 0-3, Elon has picked it up and has now won three straight games. Forward Jackson Atoyebi, the only player averaging double figures, continues to lead the Phoenix in scoring with 14.5 points a game. Elon will need to carry all of their momentum into Washington, D.C. if they want to upset Georgetown Saturday.

South Division

Charleston Cougars (4-1, 1-0)

Last Week: Defeated Coastal Carolina 73-72
This Week: Sunday against Newberry

Charleston avoided a near shocker with a one-point win at Coastal Carolina on Saturday. Forward Thomas Mobley took a charge with six-tenths of a second left that wiped away what would have been the game winning basket for Coastal. The Cougars have four players, guard Stanley Jackson, center Mike Benton, guard Tony Mitchell, and Mobley, averaging double figures in scoring in their first five games.

Georgia Southern Eagles (2-2, 0-1)

Last Week: Lost to Charleston 91-85
This Week: Monday against Wagner

Guard Terry Williams led the Eagles with 18 points in their six-point conference opening loss to Charleston. Forwards Sean Olivier and Frank Bennett as well as guard Elton Nesbitt scored in double figures for the Eagles. Nesbitt continues to lead Georgia Southern in scoring with 17.2 points per game.

Wofford Terriers (2-3)

Last Week: Lost to Texas #9 Texas 103-72
This Week: Saturday against Charleston Southern, Monday against Western Carolina

Wofford turned the ball over 28 times in their 30-point loss at Texas. They made several runs last in the first half and early in the second half, but could never keep the ball on the offensive end consistently. Guard Adrien Boarders leads the team in scoring with 13.8 points per game.

Furman Paladins (3-3, 0-1)

Last week: Lost to UNC-Greensboro 73-65, Defeated Northern Iowa 64-55
This week: Sunday against UNC-Asheville

Forward Maleye Ndoye continues to lead the Paladins in scoring with 17.5 points per game. Also averaging double figures for Furman are forward Quan Prowell and guard Eric Webb.

The Citadel Bulldogs (2-5, 0-1)

Last week: Lost to South Carolina 70-40, Lost to Emmanuel College 71-66 (OT), Lost to South Carolina State 65-51
This Week: no games

It was not a good week to be a Bulldog. After being trounced by SEC school South Carolina, The Citadel was beaten in overtime by NAIA school Emmanuel before losing handily to South Carolina State. And, if the Bulldogs need more bad news, Tennessee is waiting for them for a Dec. 17 showdown in Knoxville.

Davidson Wildcats (2-4, 0-1)

Last week: Defeated Hampton 83-70, Lost to Georgetown 71-53
This week: Thursday against UNC-Charlotte, Saturday against Haverford

Turnovers continue to be the achilles heel of the Wildcats. They committed 26 turnovers in their loss against Georgetown and are averaging nearly 22 turnovers per game. When you take that into consideration, it’s easy to see why Davidson is a disappointing 2-4 on the season.

Southern Conference Notebook

Southern Conference Notebook

by Robby Trail

Charleston made a statement Monday night with a 75-69 win over Davidson, roaring back after Davidson held an 11-point lead at halftime and a six-point lead with just over 3 minutes remaining. These two teams were picked to finish one-two in the conference’s South Division and Charleston now takes over the role as favorite to win that division. Davidson is the conference’s biggest disappointment this season with their 1-3 start.

In other conference action, Appalachian State, who struggled to a 1-3 record in early season non-conference play, had a 15-point lead at the break and never looked back as they cruised to a 62-52 win at The Citadel. The Mountaineers finally got into an offensive rhythm and appear poised to challenge the likes of Chattanooga and ETSU in the North Division.

There are several conference games slated for this week which will tell us where four teams stand compared to the rest of the conference. ETSU hosts Georgia Southern on Saturday and the Bucs will try to prove they are still the class of the conference. UNC-Greensboro hosts Furman on Monday in what will be a pivotal game for two teams that have shown some good signs so far this season.

North Division

Appalachian State Mountaineers (2-4, 1-0)

Last Week: Defeated LaSalle 59-48, Lost to George Washington 76-62, Lost to St Francis 68-63, Defeated The Citadel 72-62
This Week: Wednesday against George Washington (not a typo), Monday against Piedmont College

After struggling last week with three straight non-conference losses, the Mountaineers defeated The Citadel Monday night in their conference opener. Guard Noah Brown led Appalachian State, tying his career high with 25 points.

Appalachian State has struggled offensively in their first six games and only have one player, guard Noah Brown with 11 points per game, averaging double digits in scoring. The Mountaineers struggles on offense can partly be attributed to the fact that they are averaging nearly 15 turnovers per game.

Chattanooga Mocs (4-1)

Last Week: Defeated Oral Roberts 71-69, Defeated Tennessee Wesleyan 124-58, Defeated Emmanuel College 125-78, Defeated Tennessee State 93-86
This Week: No games (next 12/11 against Liberty)

The Mocs found the road much tougher after their season-opening loss to Kansas with four easy wins last week. The Mocs have six players who averaged double-digits in scoring in their first four games. Ashley Champion has led those scorers with 20 points per game. Champion has also led the team in rebounds with seven boards per game.

Chattanooga does not play again until next Thursday when they travel to Liberty, but they do have a Dec. 16 date looming at Alabama, which will be a true test for the Mocs. Their conference season does not begin until Dec. 20 against Elon.

ETSU Buccaneers (3-1)

Last Week: Defeated Mars Hill 100-75, Defeated UNC-Wilmington 67-62
This Week: Wednesday against UNC-Wilmington, Saturday against Georgia Southern

Coming off two non-conference wins last week, the Bucs have will play UNC-Wilmington in their last test before their first conference game against Georgia Southern on Saturday.

After struggling in the team’s first two match ups, forward Zakee Wadood picked it up last week and is now averaging 11 points and nine rebounds a game in the young season. Forward A.J. Jackson leads the Bucs with just over 16 points a game, and Ben Rhoda and Tim Smith are also averaging double digits in scoring with 14 and 13 points per game respectively. Smith, who struggled early in the season with an ankle injury and sat out the Mars Hill game, returned against UNC-Wilmington to score 12 points.

UNC-Greensboro Spartans (2-1)

Last Week: Defeated Campbell 78-66, Defeated Greensboro College 69-41
This Week: Wednesday against Furman, Saturday against American

Guard Jay Joseph has paced the Spartans, averaging 21 points a game, nearly one-third of the team’s offense. Joseph has had a hot hand, shooting 47 percent from the field and 43 percent from beyond the arc. Also averaging double digits for UNCG is forward Ronnie Burrell, with 12 point per game, and guard Ronnie Taylor with 10 points per game. Burrell also leads the team in rebounding with eight boards a game.

Western Carolina Catamounts (1-2)

Last Week: Lost to Virginia Tech 61-59, Defeated Milligan College 91-55
This Week: Tuesday against High Point, Saturday against UNC-Asheville

Rumor had it at the beginning of the season that Western Carolina had a legitimate All-American candidate in guard Kevin Martin. I quickly dismissed these rumors as hype, but Martin, who has averaged 30 points per game in the Catamounts first three games, may not be an All-American candidate, but he has emerged as the early front-runner for conference player of the year. Martin is shooting 51 percent from the field and a torrid 44 percent from beyond the arc.

However, Martin has not gotten much help from the rest of his team. His teammates are averaging a combined 42 points a game. Turnovers have also hurt the Catamounts as they are averaging almost 19 turnovers a game.

Elon Phoenix (1-3)

Last Week: Defeated Bluefield 85-52
This Week: Tuesday against Methodist College, Thursday against American College

Elon got a much needed win on Tuesday when they blew out Bluefield. This week will be another week that the Phoenix can add to their confidence as they play two games they should easily win.

Forward Jackson Atoyebi leads Elon in scoring, with 15 points per game, and rebounding, with six boards per game.

Much of the Phoenix’s problem in their slow start has been their shooting. As a team, they have only shot 38 percent from the field and a dismal 29 percent from beyond the arc. But, Elon did shoot 44 percent in their win against Bluefield so better performances could be on the horizon.

South Division

Charleston Cougars (3-1, 1-0)

Last Week: Defeated Central Florida 72-63, Defeated Davidson 75-69
This Week: Saturday against Coastal Carolina

Freshman guard Dontaye Draper scored a career-high 17 points for the Cougars in the conference-opening win against Davidson. This game marked the first of two key match ups between the two teams expected to compete for the South Division regular season title.

Guard Stanley Jackson is averaging 16 points per game for the Cougars, and forward Thomas Mobley is also in double digits with 10 points per game.

Georgia Southern Eagles (2-1)

Last Week: Lost to UAB 94-73, Defeated Savannah State 86-66, Defeated Mercer 88-78
This Week: Saturday against ETSU

Guard Elton Nesbitt has been shooting lights out for the Eagles, shooting 60 percent from the field and averaging 20 points a game. Nesbitt has also been shooting the three-ball well, averaging 54 percent from beyond the arc.

The Eagles have had no trouble getting to the charity stripe this season as they have averaged 30 attempts from the line per game, including a school record 39 attempts against Savannah State.

Wofford Terriers (2-2)

Last Week: Defeated Emmanuel College 88-42, Lost to Clemson 84-77, Defeated Toccoa Falls 102-42
This Week: Thursday against #16 Texas

The backcourt has been the biggest bright spot for the Terriers thus far. Guards Adrien Borders, averaging 14 points and three assists per game, and Justin Stephens, averaging 13 points and four assists per game, have played well despite Wofford’s 1-2 record.

The Terriers have been in a lot of foul trouble in their first three games. They committed 74 fouls, almost 25 fouls per game, while their opponents have committed only 43.

Furman Paladins (2-2)

Last Week: Defeated Southern Wesleyan 77-53, Defeated Greensboro College 74-49, Lost to Minnesota 91-84 (OT)
This Week: Wednesday against UNC-Greensboro, Saturday against Northern Iowa

Furman almost pulled a huge upset Sunday at Minnesota. The Paladins had 78-76 lead with just 34 seconds left and had two chances to win the game with the score tied at 78, but could not pull out the win.

Forward Maleye Ndoye had led the Paladins by averaging 22 points per game, including 32 points against Minnesota that matched his career high. Ndoye is also tied for the team lead in rebounding with six boards per game. The Paladins will look to bounce back from the loss to Minnesota in their conference opener against UNCG on Wednesday.

The Citadel Bulldogs (2-2, 0-1)

Last Week: Defeated Washington & Lee 62-44, Lost to Central Florida 74-60, Lost to Appalachian State 72-62
This Week: Wednesday against South Carolina, Saturday against Emmanuel

The Citadel opened their conference season with a 72-62 loss at home to Appalachian State. Forward Max Mombollet put up a double-double in the loss, scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 boards.

Guard Dante Terry has been the go to guy for the Bulldogs so far this season, averaging 16 points per game. Mombollet has been big on the boards for The Citadel, averaging eight rebounds per game.

Davidson Wildcats (1-3, 0-1)

Last Week: Lost to #8 North Carolina 91-69, Lost to Rhode Island 108-78, Lost to Charleston 75-69
This Week: Wednesday against Hampton, Saturday against Georgetown

Davidson had a 67-61 lead on Charleston with only 3:22 remaining, but could not withstand a late Charleston rally in their conference opener.

Forward Brendan Winters had led the Wildcats in scoring with 16 points per game in Davidson’s first three games. Guard Matt McKillop and forward Ian Johnson have also averaged double figures with 13 points per game each.

Southern Conference Notebook

Southern Conference Notebook

by Robby Trail

The biggest story in the SoCon this week was how close several teams were to making a big story in the conference. Several teams came oh so close to making national waves and gaining the conference needed recognition.

Chattanooga led No. 5 Kansas by double digits in the first half, but all hopes of an upset ended with a late second half run by the Jayhawks. UNC-Greensboro had a late run in the second half fall short as they lost to Indiana by seven points. Western Carolina, thanks to an incredible performance by Kevin Martin, only trailed Georgia by four points with 44 seconds remaining, but could not pull off the upset. ETSU only trailed Texas Tech by five at half time, but a scoring drought to begin the second half ended their bid for an upset. Finally, Elon was so close to an upset in their 42-point loss at Wake Forest.

North Division

ETSU Buccaneers (1-1)

Last week: Defeated Houston 65-51, Lost to Texas Tech 64-53
This week: Tuesday against Mars Hill, Saturday against UNC-Wilmington

Shooting guard Ben Rhoda scored 19 points to lead the Buccaneers in the 65-51 win against Houston. Point guard Tim Smith added 13 and forward Zakee Wadood had nine points to go with his team-leading four assists. ETSU withstood a second half run in which Houston outscored the Buccaneers 13-3 to hold on for the win.

Smith led the Buccaneers with 14 points to go with his three assists in the 64-53 loss at Texas Tech. Guard James Anthony added 13 points off the bench in the losing effort. The Bucs only trailed by five at the half, but did not get their first field goal of the second half until the 14:42 mark. ETSU twice got the margin down to nine in the last ten minutes, but could pull no closer.

Chattanooga Mocs (0-1)

Last week: Lost to No. 5 Kansas 90-76
This week: Monday against Oral Roberts, Wednesday against Tennessee Wesleyan, Saturday against Emmanuel College

Forward Jason Rogan led the Mocs with 22 points and eight rebounds in the 90-76 loss at Kansas. Forward Ashley Champion put in 20 and grabbed five rebounds in the loss. The Mocs led 24-14 with 9:32 to go in the first half, but Kansas finished the half on a 28-6 run to lead 42-30 at the break. A minute into the second half the Mocs closed the Jayhawk led down to nine, but that was the last time the lead would be less than ten. Chattanooga turned the ball over 23 times, 19 of those coming in the first half.

Appalachian State Mountaineers (0-2)

Last week: Lost to Monmouth 69-65, Lost to Boston College 92-67
This week: TBA at Paradise Jam on Monday, Friday at George Washington in Red Auerbach Tournament, Saturday TBA in Red Auerback Tournament

Freshman D.J. Thompson scored a game-high 14 points in the 69-65 loss to Monmouth. Appy State trailed by as much as 12 in the second half, but a late run cut the lead to six with just 30 seconds left. Noah Brown added a jump shot as time expired, but that was as close at the Mountaineers would get.

Sophomore Derek Thomas scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the 92-67 loss to Boston College. The Mountaineers trailed by only 11 at the break, but Boston College put up 52 second half points to run away with the win.

UNC-Greensboro Spartans (0-1)

Last week: Lost to Indiana 71-64
This week: Tuesday against Campbell, Saturday against Greensboro College

Guard Jay Joseph scored 20 points in the 71-64 loss at Indiana. Ronnie Burrell added 11 points for the Spartans. The Spartans trailed by five at the half, but never could score consistently enough to take over the game in the second half. Indiana shot 30 free throws in the game, compared to the only 15 attempts the Spartans had from the charity stripe.

Western Carolina Catamounts (0-1)

Last week: Lost to Georgia 78-67
This week: Tuesday against Virginia Tech, Saturday against Milligan College

Guard Kevin Martin had an amazing 44 points, including seven three-pointers, in the losing effort against Georgia. Thirty-five of Martin’s points came in the Catamounts second half charge. Guard Corey Muirhead added seven points and three rebounds for the Catamounts.

The Catamounts trailed by 18 points at halftime, mainly due to 26 percent shooting and 16 first half turnovers, but cut the deficit to four points with 44 seconds left. The Bulldogs were flawless from the line in the last minute to hold on for an 11-point win.

Elon Phoenix (0-3)

Last week: Lost to Idaho 84-60, Lost to Gardner-Webb 68-65, Lost to No. 19 Wake Forest 97-55
This week: Thursday against Bluefield College

The Phoenix started their season with a bang with three straight loses. Freshman Matt Nowlin led Elon with 13 points in the loss against Idaho. Starters (for the Elon fans out there) Jackson Atoyebi and Rasmi Gamble had 11 and 10 points respectively. The Phoenix only shot 33 percent from the field in the first half and were never really in the game.

The Phoenix had three double-digit scorers, Montell Watson, Scottie Rice and Atoyebi, in the three-point loss against Gardner-Webb. The Phoenix trailed 49-38 with 12:26 to play in the game, but cut the lead to one with 30 seconds remaining. A Gardner-Webb lay up extended the lead to three. Chris Chalko missed a three pointer at the buzzer that would have tied the game. Atoyebi led the Phoenix with 11 points and eight rebounds in the 97-55 loss at Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons jumped out to a 16-2 advantage to begin the game and never looked back.

South Division

Davidson Wildcats (1-0)

Last week: Lost to Texas Tech 89-58
This week: Monday against North Carolina, Saturday against Rhode Island

Guard Matt McKillop led the Wildcats with 18 points in the 89-58 loss to Texas Tech in the first round of the preseason NIT. Brendan Winters added 8 points and seven rebounds, and Ian Johnson had eight points off the bench.

Fourteen first half turnovers for Davidson helped Texas Tech build a 43-25 lead at halftime. The Wildcats missed all eight of their first half three-point attempts, but they did manage to hit seven three’s in the second half. However, defensively, Davidson was unable to stop Texas Tech, who poured it on late to win by 31.

Charleston Cougars (1-1)

Last week: Lost Auburn 66-62, Defeated Charleston Southern 83-66
This week: Wednesday against Central Florida

Charleston had their chance to pull the upset over Auburn. With 14 seconds to go and Auburn up 64-62, Tony Mitchell had his jump shot blocked by Auburn’s Kyle Davis. The Tigers got the rebound and hit two free throws to put the game out of reach. Guard Stanley Jackson led the Cougars with 17 points and Marcus Johnson added 13. In the end, size was the difference as Charleston was out rebounded 40-28 by Auburn.

Jackson again led the Cougars in the win 83-66 against Charleston Southern, scoring 20 points and grabbing a career-high eight rebounds. Charleston shot a torrid 50 percent from the field in the game, but were once again out rebounded 37-32 in the game.

Georgia Southern Eagles (1-0)

Last week: Defeated North Georgia 94-55
This week: Monday against UAB, Friday against Savannah State

Guard Elton Nesbitt led the Eagles with 18 points in the 94-55 win over North Georgia. Forward Jean Francois added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Eagles.

Georgia Southern shot 50 percent from the field in the game and managed to hold North Georgia to only 23 percent shooting. The game was tight throughout the first half, but a late run gave the Eagles a 13-point lead at the break. Georgia Southern outscored North Georgia by 26 points in the second half for the 29-point win.

Wofford Terriers (0-1)

Last week: Lost to Tennessee 81-70
This week: Monday against Emmanuel College, Saturday against Clemson

Tyler Berg and Sam Daniels had 11 points each in the 81-70 loss to Tennessee. Tennessee led by six at the break, but a 12-2 run in the second half gave the Terriers a 43-41 lead. The game was back and forth for the next ten minutes, but Tennessee went on a late run to take an eight-point lead with 4 minutes to go. Wofford could not cut the lead below four in the last four minutes, and Tennessee made their free throws down the stretch to ice the win.

Furman Paladins (0-1)

Last week: Lost to James Madison 78-72
This week: Monday against Southern Wesleyan, Wednesday Against Greensboro College, Sunday against Minnesota

Forward Maleye Ndoye had a career-high 32 points in the 78-72 loss to James Madison. Bobby Bostain added 11 points for the Paladins. James Madison had a huge lead for much of the first half, but Ndoye scored the last seven points of the first half to get the Paladins with 12 at the break.

In the second half, Furman quickly cut the lead to less than ten, but had trouble striking when it had the chance. The Paladins cut the lead to three with two minutes to go, but that was as close as they would get.

The Citadel Bulldogs (1-0)

Last week: Defeated Webber International 79-75
This week: Tuesday against Washington & Lee, Friday against Central Florida

Guard Chris Terry had a career-high 33 points, shooting 10 of 20 from field and making six of nine three-point attempts, to lead the Bulldogs in their four-point win over Webber International. Erick Wilson and Joseph Thompson scored 11 points each.

Webber led by 11 points at the break and led for most of the second half. Terry then scored four straight points to give The Citadel a one-point lead with 23 seconds remaining. The Bulldogs sunk a pair of free throws to ice the win.

Southern Conference Preview

Southern Conference Preview

by Robby Trail

After a conference tournament last season that featured neither number one seeded team making it to the championship game, the Southern Conference returns this year with many of the usual suspects picked to do well in the conference.

The biggest development of the off-season was a realignment of divisions within the conference. Chattanooga moves to the North Division, switching divisions with Davidson, who will now play in the South Division. This could break up the conferences two best rivalries between Chattanooga and Charleston and Davidson and ETSU, making it where these schools only play each other once.

Elon enters the Southern Conference this season from the Big South Conference, taking the place of VMI, who was “asked” to leave the conference due to the cancellation of its football program.

In the North Division, ETSU, last season’s conference tournament champion, returns all five starters and is the favorite to win the division. In the South Division, Davidson despite losing their two leading scorers is my favorite to win the division. Davidson does return three of five starters. Charleston, who held a slight edge in preseason media and coaches’ poll, is the other team that many people believe will contend for the division title.

All SoCon Team
Zakee Wadood, ETSU
Thomas Mobley, Charleston
Tim Smith, ETSU
Ashley Champion, Chattanooga
Frank Bennett, Georgia Southern

MVP: Zakee Wadood, ETSU

How can you not award a guy MVP who last season was top five in the conference in six different statistical categories? Not to mention he was the conference tournament MVP. Wadood is by far the best player in SoCon and he will be big part of why ETSU will repeat as conference champions this year.

Most Improved Player in the Conference:

Look for Chattanooga’s Mike Matthews to make drastic improvements this season. Matthews showed flashes of brilliance last season using his rare quickness to take just about anyone off the dribble, but was turnover prone, which limited his playing time. If Matthews can limit his turnovers, he will be near the top of the conference in scoring and assists.

North Division:

1. ETSU Buccaneers

(20-11, 10-5 2nd in North Division)

It is easy to see why the Bucs are the favorites to win the North as they return all five starters including Zakee Wadood (14.7 ppg, 8.1 rpg), Jerald Fields (12.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg), James Anthony (6.1 ppg, 5.4 apg), Tim Smith (15.3 ppg), and Ben Rhoda (8.6 ppg). New head coach Murray Burtow will pick up right where Ed DeChellis left off and lead ETSU to another conference title. The Bucs play two tough non-conference games, including a trip to Texas Tech and a trip to Clemson.

2. Chattanooga Mocs

(21-9, 11-5 2nd in South Division)

Chattanooga moves to the weaker North Division of the conference, which should help the Mocs record their second straight 20-win season. The Mocs two leading scorers, Ashley Champion (15.4 ppg) and Jason Rogan (13.9 ppg), both return this season. Point guard Ray Trowell (10.8 ppg, 6 apg) also returns for the Mocs. Head coach Jeff Lebo opted not to take any of the big name jobs he was offered in the off-season and I’m sure the Mocs are very grateful for this. The Mocs have tough non-conference dates at Kansas on Nov. 21 and Alabama on Dec. 16, but the biggest two games of year will be Feb. 9 and Feb. 24 against ETSU, which will decide the winner of the North Division.

3. Appalachian State Mountaineers

(19-10, 11-5 3rd in North Division)

Appy State only returns one starter, Chris McFarland (11.3 ppg), to a team that finished in a three-way tie in the North Division last season. The Mountaineers will struggle early in the season, but will benefit from a lack of depth in the North Division and will be able to surmise a 3rd place finish in the Division. They open their season at the University of Virgin Islands Paradise Jam with games against Monmouth and Boston College. The Mountaineers also will travel to Nashville on Dec. 22 for a game against Vanderbilt.

4. UNC-Greensboro Spartans

(7-22, 3-13 6th in North Division)

The Spartans return three starters, Jay Joseph (14.6 ppg), Ray Bristow (9 ppg), and Josh Gross (7.6 ppg), to a team that finished dead last in their division last season. The Spartans overall experience should lead them to a slight improvement this year, and if they get a win against Appy State, finishing third in this division is not out of the question. The Spartans play the toughest schedule in the conference, opening their season on Nov. 21 at Indiana, and traveling to Maryland, Missouri, and Villanova during the non-conference season.

5. Western Carolina Catamounts

(9-19, 6-10 4th in North Division)

The Catamounts returns four starters, Kevin Martin (22.8 ppg), Rans Brempong (7.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg), Alex Osipovitch (6.9 ppg), and Emre Aster (6.6 ppg), to a team that struggled early in the season but ran off seven straight wins at one point after Christmas last year. The Catamounts are still two or three years away from contending in the conference, but they have shown improvement over the last two seasons. They have big non-conference games at Georgia, Virginia Tech, and Arkansas.

6. Elon Phoenix

(12-15, 6-6 6th in Big South)

You make a conference change that is equivalent to switching divisions in football, make a coaching change, and return no starters. What more could you want? Welcome to the SoCon Elon. Hope you enjoy your stay more than others think you will. And, to top it all off, the Phoenix has non-conference dates at Wake Forest, Georgetown, Xavier, and Cincinatti. Good luck boys because ten wins would be a miracle from this bunch.

South Division:

1. Davidson Wildcats

(17-10, 11-5 1st in North Division)

After being upset by VMI in the second round of the conference tournament last season, the Wildcats will come back this season hungry for more. Davidson returns three starters, Brendan Winters (12.4 ppg), Conor Winters (9.7 ppg, 8.6 rpg), and Matt McKillop (8.2 ppg), and will, contrary to popular opinion, overtake Charleston in this division. Davidson opens the season against Texas Tech in the preseason NIT before traveling to North Carolina, so we will quickly get to see how good this team is. Later in the non-conference season, the Wildcats travel to Seton Hall and Duke.

2. College of Charleston Cougars

(25-8, 12-2 1st in South Division)

The Cougars return three starters, Thomas Mobley (13.8 ppg), Tony Mitchell (9.7 ppg), Mike Benton (9.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg), to a team that was shocked in the semi-finals of the conference tournament last season. Charleston is perennially overrated and has a tendency to choke in the big games. They will choke again this year, maybe twice against Davidson, and this will cost them the division title. The Cougars have a relatively easy non-conference schedule with the highlight being a game at Auburn.

3. Georgia Southern Eagles

(16-13, 8-8 3rd in South Division)

The Eagles return four starters, Frank Bennett (14.7 ppg, 7.9 rpg), Jean Francois (11.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg), Terry Williams (8.8 ppg), and Courtney Joseph (4.1 ppg), and will be pesky enough to Davidson and Charleston to play a part in who wins the division. Georgia Southern has a non-existent non-conference schedule difficulty-wise, with the toughest game being at UAB on Nov. 24.

4. Wofford Terriers

(14-15, 8-8 4th in South Division)

The Terriers return three starters, Adrien Border (8.8 ppg), Sam Daniel (7.8 ppg), and Grant Sterley (5.2 ppg), but lose their two leading scorers. The have had Davidson’s number the last four years, going 3-1 in their four meetings during the regular season. Wofford has a horrendous non-conference schedule traveling to Tennessee, Clemson, Vanderbilt, Dayton, and Minnesota. These games will more than help them get ready for the conference season, and their two match ups with Davidson and Charleston.

5. Furman Paladins

(14-17, 8-8 5th in South Division)

The Paladins do not have a lot to be optimistic about going into this season. Their two returning starters, Tony Carter (5.2 ppg) and Maleye Ndoye (5 ppg), only scored 10 points a game between them last season. Plus, Georgia Southern and Wofford will both be improved this year, which doesn’t leave a lot of hope for the Paladins when it comes to improving in the conference standings. Maybe Furman can upset Ohio State or Minnesota during its non-conference season to make the program actually worth existing.

6. The Citadel Bulldogs

(8-20, 3-13 6th in South Division)

Circle February 9 on your calendar because it’s the night that the Bulldogs travel to Elon. No, don’t really circle the game on your calendar but realize that this may be the only game that Elon or The Citadel wins in conference this season. On the bright side, the Bulldogs do return their leading scoring Max Mombollet (12 ppg, 6.1 rpg) along with Kevin Hammack (7.5 ppg). The Bulldogs travel to Georgetown and South Carolina during their non-conference season.

As always the Southern Conference will be full of surprises as no team (besides Charleston) ever does as well or as bad as predicted at the beginning of the season. But, I will leave you with a few guarantees. First, Elon will not win the conference. In fact, they will not win more than four conference games, if that many. Second, the SoCon will have at least three teams have 20-win seasons, but, as always, only the conference tourney champion will get into the Big Dance. Furthermore, only one, maybe two of the other 20-win schools will get into the NIT. For the ultimate shafting example, see Chattanooga and last season. Finally, it will rain all week the week of March 3 when I am in Charleston for the conference championship wishing I were on the beach and not in my hotel room watching the rain.

SoCon Offseason Update

SoCon Offseason News Update

by Robby Trail

Appalachian State

Coaching Changes: Mountaineers head coach Houston Fancher hired Daryl Robinson as an assistant. Robinson previously coached high school ball at Lee Road High School in Raleigh for ten seasons, taking Lee to the state playoffs nine of those ten seasons.

College of Charleston

Georgetown Transfer: The College of Charleston has announced that former Georgetown point guard Drew Hall has transferred to the Cougars. Hall, who averaged 3.5 points, 2 boards and 3 assists last season, will have to sit out a year under NCAA transfer rules. He will have two years of eligibility remaining when he starts play again for the 2004-05 season. Last week Hall was denied admission to Gonzaga for failing to meet academic requirements.

New Coordinator of Basketball Operations: Cougars head coach Tom Herrion has named Chad O’Donnell the team’s new coordinator of basketball operations. O’Donnell served in a similar capacity at Robert Morris last season.

Chattanooga

Trading Divisions: The Chattanooga will play in the North Division in the conference this year, trading division with Davidson. The trade will cause the Chattanooga to play rival East Tennessee State, who beat the Chattanooga in the SoCon Conference Final game last season.

New Floor in McKenzie Arena: Near the end of August, the Chattanooga Athletic Department unveiled a new basketball floor in McKenzie Arena. The old floor, which was several years old, was replaced with a new one due to player and referee complaints of difficult footing conditions last season.

JUCO Transfer: Chris Brown, a 6′ 7” forward from Polk Community College, transferred to Chattanooga from the Winter Haven, FL school. Brown averaged 16.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game and led Polk in blocked shots and steals.

Coaching Changes: Assistant Tracy Garrick resigned his coaching position to take a job in private business. Garrick came to Chattanooga with head coach Jeff Lebo before the 2002 season.

Non-Conference Schedule: Chattanooga will open season at Kansas on Nov. 21, beginning a difficult non-conference schedule for the Chattanooga. The Chattanooga will also travel to Alabama and South Carolina in non-conference play.

The Citadel

Non-Conference Schedule: The Citadel will play South Carolina and Georgetown in its’ non-conference schedule this season. This marks the first time that the Citadel has played a Big East school in seven seasons with the last meeting being with Connecticut in 1996.

Coaching Changes: Citadel head coach Pat Dennis hired Miles Wilson as an assistant for the 2003 season. Wilson was an assistant at Randolph-Macon Community College last season. Wilson will work with developing the Citadel’s post players.

Davidson

Coaching Changes: Davidson head coach Bob McKillop hired Ali Ton to an assistant coach opening. Ton played at Davidson in the late 90′s and had been playing professionally in Turkey before being hired by McKillop. Matt Matheny was also promoted to associate head coach. Matheny has been an assistant at Davidson for 11 seasons.

Non-Conference Schedule: Davidson will open their season at Texas Tech as part of the preseason NIT tournament. They will also play Seton Hall, Georgetown, and Duke in nationally televised games.

East Tennessee State

New Head Coach: Murray Bartow was named head coach after Ed DeChellis took the vacant job at Penn State after leading ETSU to the conference championship last season. Bartow spent the last seven seasons as head coach at UAB.

Conference Contract Extension: The Southern Conference granted ETSU a two-year extension before the basketball team will have to find a new conference home. ETSU will be forced out of the Southern Conference after canceling its football program effective after the 2003 football season.

Coaching Changes: ETSU head coach Murry Bartow hired Micheal Boyd to fill an assistant coaching vacancy. Boyd coached as an assistant at Penn State for the past seven seasons. Boyd will take over the responsibility of recruiting for ETSU.

Elon

Switching Conferences: Elon moves to the Southern Conference from the Big South Conference this season, switching conference with VMI. Both schools were founding members in each of their respective conferences.

First Game Homecoming for New Head Coach: Ernie Nestor, a long-time assistant at Wake Forest, was named head coach. Nestor takes over for Mark Simons, who resigned shortly after last season. Nestor named Mike Preston and Jim Fitzpatrick to fill assistant coaching vacancies. Preston and Fitzpatrick were both head coaches for high schools in Virginia. Elon will open the season with Wake Forest, which will be a homecoming of sorts for Nestor.

Furman

Non-conference Schedule: Furman will travel to Big Ten schools Ohio State and Minnesota during its non-conference schedule.

Coaching Changes: Head coach Larry Davis hired former Ohio State assistant Mike Shedd to fill an assistant coaching vacancy. Shedd worked with the women’s basketball program at Ohio State as the video and summer camp coordinator.

Georgia Southern:

Non-conference Schedule: GSU has the easiest non-conference schedule of the Southern Conference schools. Their most difficult test of the non-conference season will be a trip to UAB on November 24.

Coaching Changes: Head Coach Jeff Price named Chad Dollar to an assistant coaching vacancy. Dollar was associate head coach at Eastern Kentucky last season, where he coached for the past two seasons.

JUCO Transfer: Second-team JUCO All-American Chad Fleming signed with Georgia Southern. Fleming, a 6′ 6” guard from Johnson County Community College in Kansas, led his team with 15.3 points per game last season.

UNC-Greensboro

Coaching Changes: Greensboro head coach Fran McCaffrey filled two assistant coaching vacancies by hiring Mitch Buonaguro & Adam Chaskin. Buonaguro spent the past seven seasons as an assistant at Cleveland State. Chaskin was a volunteer assistant at Greensboro last season after spending the previous two seasons at as an assistant at North Carolina A&T.

Non-conference Schedule: Greensboro has, perhaps, the conference’s toughest non-conference schedule. They open the season at Indiana on Nov. 21. Greensboro also travels to Missouri, Maryland, and Villanova during the non-conference season.

Western Carolina

Coaching Changes: Head coach Steve Shurina named Matt Allen to fill an assistant coaching vanancy. Allen spent the last season as an assistant at Dartmouth and was Dartmouth’s recruiting coordinator.

Non-conference Schedule: Western Carolina will open its season on Nov. 21 at Georgia. They will travel to Arkansas on Dec. 22 for another tough non-conference game.

Wofford

Coaching Changes: Head Coach Mike Young hired Brooks Lee to fill an assistant coaching vacancy. Lee is only one year out of college after graduating from Campbell University in 2002 where he averaged 9.7 points and 4.3 assists as the team’s point guard.

Non-conference Schedule: Wofford’s non-conference schedule rivals Greensboro’s in toughness. They open at Tennessee on Nov. 21. Other tough match-ups include Clemson, Vanderbilt, Dayton, and Minnesota.

Southern Conference Finals

Southern Conference Finals

by Mike Baller

The 2003 Southern Conference Championship belongs to The Bucs of East
Tennessee State University who receive an automatic bid the NCAA tournament.
They held off Chattanooga 97-90 in front of 4,100 fans and a national
television audience at the North Charleston Coliseum on Saturday night.

ETSU was led by freshman Tim Smith who finished with 25 points and the
tournament’s Most Outstanding Player honor. The Bucs held 48-40 advantage at
the end of a fast-paced first half. They built a 13 point cushion early in
the second period only to see Chattanooga make an emotional run tying the
game at 59 with 14:53 remaining. The Mocs were screaming and high-fiving
after forcing multiple turnovers that created easy lay-ups during the spurt.

The game was tied for a second and final time at 66 with 10:19 to go. Junior
forward Zakee Wadood nailed a three just 14 seconds later that put the Buc’s
in the lead for good. Chattanooga did get within three points again with .25
seconds remaining, but ETSU was a rock solid 8-8 from the free throw line
down the stretch to preserve the win.

“I’ve been in a lot of games like this where if you can just get into the
lead, you want to see how the other team will react. We just couldn’t quite
get over the hump,” said Chattanooga first year head coach Jeff Lebo.

One major reason the Mocs couldn’t grab a lead was the play of ETSU ‘s Smith
who played the entire 40 minutes. “Tim Smith hit big shots the entire game,
he plays like a senior. He was the difference in the game,” said Lebo. He is
not a senior, but he is 21 years old and his age provides leadership and a
lot of maturity. Throughout the game Chattanooga fans chanted “Lit-tle
BowWow, Lit-tle BowWow” when Smith had the ball.

“It didn’t bother me, it inspired me,” said a smiling 5’9″ Smith.

The Bucs of ETSU are a talented team, they finished the regular season 20-10.
They defeated tournament favorite College of Charleston 64-55 in the semis on
Friday. They have good leadership in juniors Wadood and Center Jerald Fields.
They also have two other impressive freshman along with Smith: guard Ben
Rhoda who had 10 points in 27 minutes, and big man Brad Nuckles who had 16
points and 10 rebounds in the game.

When asked what seed they would receive in the NCAA tournament and who he
thought they might play, a giddy Ed DeChellis, head coach of ETSU, responded
“All I’m thinkin’ about right now is a steak and cigar!”

Southern Conference Quarterfinals

Southern Conference Quarterfinals

by Mike Baller

Everything is going as planned in the Southern Conference
Tournament . . . almost. It’s No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the top half of the bracket and the No. 2
seed is into the semis in the lower bracket. The one unforeseeable disruption
the seeders did not account for is the run being made those pesky Keydets of
the Virginia Military Institute.

Georgia Southern vs. Charleston

In the first quarterfinal game of the day, the College of Charleston
(24-6, 13-3) defeated Georgia Southern 67-53 in front of an essentially home
crowd at the North Charleston Coliseum. The Cougars came out icy shooting
just 19.2% from the field in the first half and falling behind early in the
game. Charleston grinded their way through the opening half led by junior
forward Thomas Mobley who finished with a team high 15 points. It was a 27-22
Charleston lead at the half.

The Cougars put the Eagles away in the second half thanks in part to an
18-7 run in which five C of C players scored from the field. Center Mike
Benton recorded an 11/10 double double along with three blocked
shots. Senior shooting guard Troy Wheless, the SoCon player of the year as
voted by the coaches, left the game in the first half with a twisted knee. He
returned to score 11 points including a 7-7 effort from the freebie stripe.

It was a disappointing finish for the Eagles, who end the season
16-14, 8-9. Senior guard Julius Jenkins poured in 20 points in his final
appearance for Georgia Southern. “I was devastated this was my last game.
Somebody has to win and somebody has to lose… we didn’t get it done
today,” said the SoCon star following the loss.

East Tennessee State vs. Wofford

The second game of the afternoon saw the Buccaneers of ETSU oust Wofford
Terriers 80-75. This game was close throughout, tied 33-33 at half and just
a two point advantage for the Bucs with 21 seconds remaining. ETSU was led by
forward Jerald Fields and guard Tim Smith who had 19 and 23 points
respectively.

“Jerald and Timmy stepped up big for us todayand gave us a strong
inside-outside presence. The three-pointers that Timmy hit late in the game
were huge,” said Head Coach Ed DeChellis at the press conference after the
game.

Senior guard Lee Nixon finished with 13 points for the Terriers in a
homecoming final game of sorts. “It really worked out to come home and play
in front of my mom and dad. It’s a tough loss, and we don’t like to lose. It
hurts right now,” said Nixon.

VMI vs. Davidson

The midseason departure of sophomore phenom Jason Conley, who transferred
to Missouri, may have been a blessing in disguise for the VMI Keydets. Prior
to the exit of Conley, VMI was a team of average players relative to SoCon
standards – save junior forward Radee Skipworth – utilizing a game plan
intensely focused on a single player (Conley), considered one of the best in
the country. It must have been difficult for the role players to have any
real sense of worth when their sole purpose is basically to contribute to the
success of one star player.

After watching their double digit lead in the second half dwindle to 2
points with under four minutes to play, the group of Keydets showed they
could make valuable individual contributions to help hold off the No. 1 Seed in
the North Division and earn a 66-60 victory over Davidson. Junior guards
Richard Little and Ben Rand knocked down clutch free throws late to help
sustain the victory. The large individual contribution came from Skipworth
who finished with 36 points in the upset. Less than a week ago the Wildcats
crushed VMI by 35 points 84-39.

Appalachian State vs. UT-Chattanooga

The last quarterfinal was an even match-up on paper going into the
game, Appalachian State (19-9, 11-5) and Chattanooga (19-8, 11-5). On the court,
however, it was a different story. Three Moc guards posted 20+ point
performances from Tim Parker 21, Ray Trowell 22, and Jason Rogan 25. Final score: Chattanooga 98, Appalachian State 67

Southern Conference First Round

Southern Conference First Round

by Michael Ermitage

No. 4N Western Carolina vs. No. 5S Georgia Southern
The 2003 Mountain Dew Southern Conference Basketball Championships kicked off with Georgia Southern holding off Western Carolina, 89-81. Julius Jenkins scored a team-high 20 points Wednesday to lead Georgia Southern in the first round.

The Eagles (16-12), the fifth-seed from the SoCon South Division, advance to the quarterfinals to play the College of Charleston, the South’s No. 1 seed, Thursday at noon. The Catamounts, the fourth seed from the North, finish the season at 9-19.

Jenkins, who scored 13 points in the first half, was held to seven in the second half. All seven of his second-half points came with less than 2:25 remaining in the game.

An L.T. Lockett three-pointer with 53 seconds left enabled the Catamounts to slice GSU’s lead to 82-75. The Eagles made five of six free throws from that point to hold off the Cats for the win.

No. 3S Wofford vs. No. 6N UNC-Greensboro
Wofford’s Tyler Berg drained two free throws with 3.8 seconds remaining to help the Terriers seal its 77-73 first round victory Wednesday.

Wofford (14-14), the third-seed from the SoCon South Division, advances to the quarterfinals to play East Tennessee State, the North’s No. 2 seed, Thursday at about 2:30 p.m. It is Wofford’s first trip to the quarterfinals in three years. The Spartans, the sixth seed from the North, finish the season at 7-22.

Consecutive turnovers with under 20 seconds to play resulted in a foul on the Spartans and sent Wofford’s Lee Nixon to the free throw line with 13 seconds remaining. With Wofford leading 75-73, Nixon missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity. UNCG’s James Maye rebounded the ball, and Ray Bristow’s short jumper with five seconds left was off the mark, effectively ending the game.

No. 4S Furman vs. No. 5N VMI
Thanks to Ben Rand and Radee Skipworth, who combined to score 43 of VMI’s 62 points, the VMI Kedets won their first SoCon tournament game in five years. The team upset Furman, 62-56, in the first round Wednesday.

The Keydets (9-19), the fifth-seed from the SoCon North Division, advance to the quarterfinals to play defending champion Davidson, the North’s No. 1 seed, Thursday at 6 p.m. The Paladins, the fourth seed from the South, finish the season at 14-17. They entered the Tournament winners of five straight games.

Rand, who tied his season high with five three-pointers and was 5-of-6 from long range, gave VMI the lead for good, snapping a 27-27 halftime tie with a triple 29 seconds into the second half.

N. 3N Appalachian State vs. No. 6S The Citadel
Shawn Hall scored 20 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer Wednesday, to lead Appalachian State to a 73-63 victory over The Citadel in the first round.

The Mountaineers (19-9), the third-seed from the SoCon North Division, advance to the quarterfinals to play Chattanooga, the South’s No. 2 seed, Thursday at about 8:30 p.m. ASU was eliminated in the first round last season. The Bulldogs, the sixth seed from the South, finish the season at 8-20.

Five of Hall’s six field goals were three-pointers. His final one of the game snapped a 60-60 tie and gave the Mountaineers a 63-60 edge with 2:36 remaining in the game. ASU held the Bulldogs to one basket and a free throw the rest of the way, and the Mountaineers made 7-of-8 free throws in the final 49 seconds to hold on for the win.

Southern Conference Notebook

Southern Conference Notebook

by David Smotherman

Early Season Surprises Abound in the SoCon

With college basketball knee deep in the middle of the “OOC” – that’s the out of conference schedule to the uninitiated – it is time to take a look at the surprises of the SoCon.

Some of the surprises have been pleasant while others have been a bit disappointing. On the pleasant side of the ball we have Davidson, Charleston, and Chattanooga. All three schools shared in their respective division titles last season and the Wildcats played Ohio State to the wire in the NCAA’s. Davidson lost five players who ended up signing pro-contracts in Europe, Chattanooga lost four of five starters and an under-achieving head coach, and Charleston returned a good nucleus, but also had the question mark of a new coach with a vastly different style of play.

Well, surprise, surprise. Halfway through the OOC the Wildcats, Mocs, and Cougars are a combined 18-3, with the three losses all coming on the road. Davidson lost a competitive game at Duke, Chattanooga lost at C-USA member Alabama-Birmingham, and Charleston lost at Central Florida.

On the more disappointing side of the ball you have the play of the four pre-season picks to finish first or second in the North and South division.

In the North, East Tennessee State and UNC-Greensboro have fallen below pre-season expectations. While both schools have played most of their games against top-tier competition, few would have thought the Bucs and Spartans would be a combined 6-8 at this point of the season. This being said, both schools have the depth and talent to win the division crown and East Tennessee is still the favorite to win the North.

In the South, pre-season favorites Georgia Southern and Furman have also fallen below expectations. With a combined record of 9-9, the Eagles and Paladins only have four wins against D-1 competition and Furman is already a game behind in the South division after a 17-point loss to Chattanooga. Both schools were picked due in large part to their depth of returning starters. If either squad is to compete for the South division title, these experienced players must step-up to the level of 2001-02 when the Eagles shared the division title and Furman made the SoCon tournament finals before losing a close game to Davidson.

Also notable: The Wofford Terriers, who have play the toughest OOC in the SoCon, have shown very well in all of their road losses. After opening the season with an 18-point loss at Auburn, the Terriers have played close games at Clemson (79-72), West Virginia (79-69), and South Carolina (70-59). Wofford also claimed a win at Virginia Tech (79-77). With remaining road contests at North Carolina State and Virginia, Wofford should have played enough “money” games to fund the program for the next couple of years. Playing well in hostile environments will also help greatly in the SoCon portion of the schedule. Wofford could be a surprise in the South division.

Weekly Recap

Chattanooga moved up two notches in the power rankings, and both College of Charleston and UNC Greensboro suffered the biggest drops.

1. Chattanooga (6-1)
The Mocs dispatched NAIA member Milligan College 107-57 on Saturday and took the early SoCon South division lead on Monday with a 17-point victory over Furman 66-49.

Next up: Dec. 18th vs. Kent State (5-0) and Dec. 21st vs. Samford (4-4)

2. Davidson (5-1)
The ‘Cats staged a great second-half comeback to defeat a good St. Bonaventure team at home 77-72.

Next Up: Dec. 21st vs. Washington and Jefferson

3. Wofford (3-4)
The Terriers continue to play well against major conference competition on the road. This week saw Wofford play West Virginia close before losing 79-69 and leading at South Carolina in the 2nd half before ultimately losing by 11 points, 70-59.

Next Up: Dec. 21st vs. King College

4. Appalachian State (3-2)
The Mountaineers waste little time in dispatching Greensboro College 80-47.

Next Up: Dec. 22nd at Georgia (4-3)

5. College of Charleston (7-1)
That big bulls-eye on the ‘Cougs back finally caught up with them at Central Florida, with the Golden Knights handing Charleston their first loss on the season 82-64. However, the ‘Cougs were able to rebound quickly with a close 66-64 win at Stetson.

Next Up: Dec. 20th vs. American (3-3) and Dec. 23th vs. UNC-Wilmington (3-3)

6. East Tennessee State (3-3)
The Bucs were able to take out some of their early season frustrations in a 36-point win over Virginia-Wise, 106-70.

Next Up: Dec. 20th vs. Coastal Carolina (3-3)

7. Furman (4-6)
The Paladins made short work of Methodist College (83-29) on Saturday and earned the school’s 1,000th win in the 90-year history of the program. In their SoCon opener at Chattanooga, the Paladins suffered a 17-point loss, 66-49.

Next Up: Dec. 19th vs. Sewanee and Dec. 22nd at Louisville (4-1)

8. UNC-Greensboro (3-5)
The Spartans were thumped at Syracuse 92-65 and lost a close home decision to Elon 58-57.

Next Up: Dec. 19th at Delaware (2-3)

9. Virginia Military (4-3)
The Keydets, lose an OOC rematch at Liberty 77-69, before whipping Eastern Mennonite (not to be confused with Western Mennonite) 100-57.

Next Up: Dec. 20th vs. Mary Washington

10. The Citadel (3-3)
The Bulldogs were off for exam week. Their last game coming on Dec. 9th with a 95-55 win over Oglethorpe.

Next Up: Dec. 18th vs. Southwestern and Dec. 21st vs. South Carolina State (1-4)

11. Georgia Southern (5-3)
The Eagles earned an exam week victory over Spring Hill, 66-41.

Next Up: Dec. 21st vs. Wagner (2-3)

12. Western Carolina (3-3)
The Catamounts struggled early before taking a 15-point win versus North Greenville. The road gets decidedly steep this week.

Next Up: Dec. 18th at West Virginia (5-1), Dec. 20th at Marshall (4-1), and Dec. 23rd at Tennessee (3-1)

Southern Notebook

Southern Conference Notebook

by David Smotherman

SoCon off to a strong start

The schools of the Southern Conference have gotten off to a great start in the 2002-03 basketball season, proving that last years finish in the upper echelon of the mid-major conferences was quickly becoming the rule, not the exception.

While the conference as a whole has had a few lop-sided “money game” set-backs, the play of the SoCon in general has been no less than inspired. Shining brightest of the bunch as to be the play of College of Charleston.

Charleston headed off to the wilds of Alaska with new head coach Tom Herrion. An overall change in team philosophy and playing style after the retirement of long-time legend John Kresse had many CofC fans wondering what to expect from the first-time head coach and former Virginia assistant. It didn’t take long to find out.

In the opening game of the Great Alaska Shootout, the ‘Cougs got out of the gate quickly and surprised Mountain West contender Wyoming 81-72. Charleston then proceeded to knock off Big 12 power Oklahoma State 66-58, setting up a nationally televised GASO title game versus Villanova.

Charleston got off to another quick start against Villanova, who had upset 10th ranked Michigan State to make the finals, eventually leading 22-7 mid-way through the first half. ‘Nova responded with an 11-3 run and the half ended with the score 29-22 in favor of Charleston.

Villanova continued their run into the second half and took a 37-35 lead with 13 minutes remaining. It would be their only lead. While the ‘Cougs could not pull away, they managed to keep a slim lead until ‘Nova’s Derrick Snowden tied the game with 42 seconds remaining. With the game on the line and the clock running down, Charleston guard A.J. Harris responded with a driving lay-up that clinched the title. It was Harris’ only points of the game.

While Charleston’s play has garnered the most national attention, the ‘Cougs are not alone in the SoCon when it comes to playing strong in the out of conference schedule…

Team Capsules and Rankings

1. College of Charleston (6-0)
The ‘Cougs avoids a post-Alaska slump with a 91-59 thumping of non-D1 SC-Aiken.
Next Up: Dec. 12th at Central Florida (4-2) and Dec. 15th at Stetson (0-4)

2. Davidson (4-1)
The ‘Cats made some noise of their own by playing very well against Duke at Cameron. The Blue Devil’s lead was only six with a few minutes remaining. Davidson also looked impressive in a convincing 75-56 win over Charlotte.
Next Up: Dec. 10th vs. St. Bonaventure (2-4)

3. Chattanooga (4-1)
The Mocs could be considered the biggest surprise of the conference. For a team with a new head coach and returning no true starters from last season, Jeff Lebo and company have already managed 3 road wins (equaling last year’s road total for the entire season). Starting with a double-dip in Birmingham which saw the Mocs win at Samford (68-66) and lose at UAB (92-81), Chattanooga spent the next weekend on a swing through Illinois, managing to sweep Missouri Valley members Bradley and Illinois State. The Mocs are the first team to pull that feat since Tubby Smith’s Tulsa team in 1992.
Next up: Dec. 14th vs. Milligan (TN) College and Dec. 16th vs. Furman (3-5)

4. Appalachian State (2-2)
Long suffering Mountaineer fans got their best early season win in years by pulling off an upset of Charlotte 103-100 in triple overtime. App State has also endured tough road games against South Carolina (71-56) and 10th ranked Marquette (101-78).
Next Up: Dec. 10th vs. Greensboro (NC) College

5. UNC-Greensboro (3-3)
The Spartans started the season off with a home win in the Pre-Season NIT over Wagner (84-65) and have also posted good home wins over American (80-79 OT) and Middle Tennessee (70-58). Unfortunately, the road has been less kind, albeit against top-shelf competition. Greensboro followed their opening round win in the NIT with a 105-66 loss at then 2nd ranked Kansas and also had a serious set-back at 4th ranked Alabama (89-61). The men of “G” bounced back with a much better effort at West Virginia, actually leading at the half, before an eventual 64-54 loss.
Next Up: Dec. 10th at Syracuse (3-1) and Dec. 15th vs. Elon (3-1)

6. Wofford (3-2)
The Terriers have what could be considered the worst schedule in D-1. In part because they play NO D-1 teams at home and in part because they play nothing but major conference schools on the road. It is a no win situation either way. However, Wofford has managed to beat Big East member Virginia Tech (79-77) on the road and played well at Clemson before losing 79-72. The only glaring loss was an 81-63 set-back at Auburn. The “money game” road continues this week…
Next Up: Dec. 14th at West Virginia (4-1) and Dec. 16th at South Carolina (4-2)

7. Furman (3-5)
The Paladins, a pre-season contender for the South Division title, have struggled so far this season. They opened with a 1-point win over Alabama State in the Guardians Classic, but since have only managed a win over IUPUI (70-62) and a non-D1 St. Mary’s (MD). Most of the road losses have been to pretty impressive squads, including set-backs at Creighton (82-57), on a neutral court to 15th ranked Notre Dame (75-50, and at Memphis (72-55).
Next Up: Dec. 13th at Methodist and Dec. 16th at Chattanooga (4-1)

8. East Tennessee State (2-3)
There is a little grumbling going on in Johnson City when high pre-season expectations have collided with a 2-3 start. While relatively close losses at South Carolina (71-66) and Vanderbilt (86-75) are acceptable, what really gets under the skin of Buc fans is the seemingly lethargic effort in a 21-point loss at UNC-Wilmington (78-57). Not to worry, the Bucs are still a favorite to win the North Division and looked much better in a decisive home win against Big South favorite UNC-Asheville (87-69).
Next Up: Dec. 14th vs. Virginia-Wise

9. Virginia Military (3-2)
The Keydets have played relatively well in home games against Liberty (68-54) and St. Francis (PA) (76-59), and also played well in a road loss at Virginia Tech (71-66). But the “Runnin Roo’s” looked out-manned in a humbling defeat at Tennessee (88-56). Looks like VMI will probably only go as far as Jason Conley can carry them which can win games against weaker opponents, but not against the better schools of the SoCon.
Next Up: Dec. 10th at Liberty (3-2) and Dec. 14th vs. East Mennonite

10. The Citadel (3-3)
The young Bulldogs were expected to struggle this season and unfortunately, they have not disappointed. Road losses at Navy (57-51) and a shellacking at the hand of Maryland (97-49) were expected, but a 12-point loss at home to Charleston-Southern (68-56) was a surprise. However, the Citadel did bounce back with a solid win over Big South contender High Point (82-67).
Next Up: No games this week

11. Georgia Southern (4-3)
Things are not looking very good for the team picked to win the South Division title. While the overall record doesn’t appear to be too bad, the high-flying Eagles have feasted on a lot of bottom rung and non D-1 schools and have been clipped by better teams. After starting the season with two wins in Maine, the Eagles were dominated in a 36-point loss at Vanderbilt (96-60), lost by 8 at Mercer (70-62) and by 14 at home to the Air Force Academy (70-56). Their only D-1 wins have come against Maine and Savannah State whose combined record is a dismal 2-11.
Next Up: Dec. 16th vs. Spring Hill

12. Western Carolina (2-3)
The good news for the Catamounts is that at 324 in the RPI (out of 327), there is nowhere to go but up. Western is living proof that a one-man team, aka Kevin Martin, can’t win against D-1 competition, even if Martin is 4th in the nation in scoring. The Catamounts only wins have been against non D-1 schools. The three losses have been to Big South members Coastal Carolina (77-72), UNC-Asheville (77-72), and Liberty (66-63).
Next Up: Dec. 12th vs. North Greenville

Southern Conference Preview

Southern Conference Preview

by David Smotherman

After a banner year in 2001-02 that saw the Southern Conference finish the season ranked in the RPI’s top 15, the teams of the SoCon are out to prove that last year’s strong overall effort was not a fluke. The road is always rugged for a Mid-Major conference and the SoCon is no exception. Member institutions will take on 34 major college teams (with only one game on a home court). This composite schedule includes 12 SEC and 7 ACC schools.

While playing David and Goliath can be fun in the out of conference portion of the schedule, the real season begins the first week in January when the road to Big Dance starts with a nationally televised (ESPN 2) game between North division favorites East Tennessee State and UNC-Greensboro and ends on March 8th with the finals of the Southern Conference Tournament at the North Charleston Coliseum.

Listed below is our predicted order of finish for each division and a snapshot of each team.

North Division

1. East Tennessee State
Head Coach: Ed DeChellis (85-82, 6 years at ETSU)

ETSU is the consensus pick to win the North division and the early favorite to win the tournament title in March. The Bucs return three full-time and two part-time starters from last year’s team. Will this be the year that Ed DeChellis wins the “big one” and makes it through to the NCAA’s?

The past: SoCon Player of the Year Dimeco Childress (17.5 ppg/4.0 rpg)
The present: Pre-season SoCon selections Zakee Wadood (14.5 ppg/9.2 rpg) and Jerald Fields (13.5 ppg/7.2 rpg)
The future: SoCon Pre-season Newcomer of the Year Brad Nuckles (F 6’9″ 245 Fr)

Out of conference highlights: at South Carolina (Nov 24th), at Vanderbilt (Dec 4th) and at Virginia (Dec 17th)
Best chance for a quality “W”: Vanderbilt
Big Game: ETSU vs. UNCG (Jan 4th). Showdown to be televised nationally on ESPN 2

2. UNC-Greensboro
Head Coach: Fran McCaffery (54-36, 3 years at UNCG)

UNCG is realistically the only other North team to be able to make a run at ETSU for the division title. Spartans coach Fran McCaffery knows how to win close games and I wouldn’t be too surprised to see a UNCG-ETSU final in Charleston. At worst, UNCG has a great shot to return to the post-season NIT.

The past: All-SoCon performers Courtney Eldridge (12.6 ppg/3.8 apg) and David Schuck (13.4 ppg/6.7 rpg)
The present: Pre-season SoCon selection James Maye (13.8 ppg/5.9 rpg)
The Future: Ray Bristow (G 6’0″ 190 Fr)

Out of conference highlights: at Alabama (Dec 3rd), at West Virginia (Dec7th), and at Syracuse (Dec 10th), Not to mention getting to host a pre-season NIT game against Wagner, with a possible 2nd round game with Kansas.
Best chance for a quality “W”: West Virginia
Big Game: ETSU vs. UNCG (Jan 4th)

3. Davidson
Head Coach: Bob McKillop (205-171, 13 years at Davidson)

You know you are rebuilding when five of your players from last year’s NCAA team are now playing professionally in Europe. But Bob McKillop has always been able to get more out of his players than any other coach in the league. A return to title contention is probably a year away, but this is not a team you would ever want to take lightly.

The past: All-SoCon performer Chris Pearson (11.7 ppg/8.4 rpg), plus Martin Ides (9.7 ppg/5.7 rpg), Michael Bree (10.0 ppg/4.2 apg), and Emeka Erege (13.6 ppg/6.6 rpg)
The present: Pre-season SoCon selection Wayne Bernard (10.8 ppg/3.4 rpg) and Peter Anderer (10.8 ppg/1.9 rpg)
The Future: Ian Johnson (F 6’9″ 210 Fr) and Matt McKillop (F 6’2″ 185 Fr)

Out of conference highlights: at Duke (Nov 25th ESPN 2), Charlotte (Dec 7th), at Arizona, at North Carolina (Jan 8th Jefferson Pilot)
Best chance for a quality “W”: Charlotte (although they did beat UNC last year…)
Big Game: at Duke. The game might not be close, but you get to tell your kids someday that you played at Cameron.

4. Virginia Military
Head Coach: Bart Bellairs (91-131, 8 years at VMI)

Recruiting is always going to be tough at military school and while Jason Conley is legitimately a Top 10 player nationally, his supporting cast can only take him so far. Unfortunately, that cast probably won’t be able to even get them into the top half of the North division. It will truly be sad to see VMI leave for the Big South after over 75 years in the SoCon.

The past: Daron Pressley (8.2 ppg/3.4 rpg)
The present: SoCon Pre-season Player of the Year Jason Conley (29.3 ppg/8.0 rpg) and Radee Skipworth (14.9 ppg/4.9 rpg)
The Future: Tadas Mankevicius (C 6’9″ 220 Fr)

Out of conference highlights: at Tennessee (Nov 25th), at Virginia Tech (Dec 5th), at Georgetown (Dec 31st)
Best chance for a quality “W”: Virginia Tech (VMI lost at Tech by a point last season)
Big Game: VMI vs. UNCG (Feb 23rd). VMI’s last home game in the Southern Conference.

5. Appalachian State
Head Coach: Houston Fancher (21-38, 2 years at ASU)

If there is anyone on the hot seat in the SoCon, it is Mountainer coach Houston Fancher. Tapped to take over the program after the departure of Buzz Peterson, expectations and tragedy have left the team tumbling and the fans grumbling. With ASU’s football team not having the year that most fans expected, look for them to be in no mood for a third season of mediocrity on the hardwood. While Fancher may have actually begun to right the ship, it may be too little too late.

The past: Donald Payne (9.0 ppg/5.6 rpg) and Jonathon Butler (8.6 ppg/3.1 apg)
The present: Nate Carson (7.9 ppg/4.8 rpg) and Josh Shehan (7.8 ppg/5.9 rpg)
The Future: Nathan Cranford (G 6’2″ 190 Fr)

Out of conference highlights: Charlotte (Nov 25th), at South Carolina (Nov 30th), at Georgia (Dec 22nd)
Best chance for a quality “W”: Charlotte
Big Game: Charlotte. A big home game against a quality opponent could set the tone for the season.

6. Western Carolina
Head Coach: Steve Shurina (18-41, 2 years at WCU)

Steve Shurina is beginning his third year as coach of the Catamounts and still has a lot of work in front of him. He continues the building process with a very young team (one senior and three juniors). Kevin Martin spent most of the season in the top 10 in the country in scoring as a freshman, which would have been phenomenal for the SoCon any other year. But he practical ended up as a footnote when the “other” freshman, VMI’s Jason Conley, led the nation in scoring. Western could be a surprise team this year and end up much higher than most have predicted.

The past: Cory Largent (13.8 ppg/4.9 rpg)
The present: Pre-season SoCon selection Kevin Martin (22.1 ppg/4.8 rpg)
The Future: David Berghoefer (C 6’10″ 220 Fr)

Out of conference highlights: at West Virginia (Dec 18th), at Tenneessee (Dec 23rd CSS-TV), at DePaul (Dec 31st)
Best chance for a quality “W”: West Virginia
Big Game: Either game vs. VMI (aka the Martin/Conley show). Two North division contests featuring two of the best scorers in the nation.

South Division

1. Georgia Southern
Head Coach: Jeff Price (47-39, 3 years at GSU)

When GSU was picked to fight for the South Division title last season, everyone laughed. The race would surely come down to Chattanooga and College of Charleston. While ultimately, all three ended up sharing the division crown, GSU was the team that not only beat the Mocs in Chattanooga, but also swept the season series with the ‘Cougs to clinch the #1 seed in the tournament. Chattanooga and Charleston both have something in common again this year too, both have new head coaches. Price has never had a losing season at GSU, so who’s to say that the Eagles can’t win it again this year?

The past: All-SoCon performer Sean Peterson (16.9 ppg/6.6 apg) and Kashien Latham (14.8 ppg/9.2 rpg)
The present: Pre-season SoCon selection Julius Jenkins (14.8 ppg/4.3 rpg) and Frank Bennett (9.4 ppg/6.3 rpg)
The Future: Nick Berry (F 6’8″ 235 Jr transfer)

Out of conference highlights: at Vanderbilt (Nov 26th), Air Force Academy (Dec 8th)
Best chance for a quality “W”: Air Force Academy
Big Game: Spring Hill College (Dec 16th). Ok, this sounds like I am making fun, but how can it not be a “big game” when it takes place during Christmas Break and will be played just south of Cancun, Mexico?

2. Furman
Head Coach: Larry Davis (62-84, 5 years at Furman)

By making it to the finals against Davidson, Furman was definitely the surprise of the SoCon tournament. This season, the Paladins have two SoCon pre-season selections and return three quality starters to a squad that should challenge for the South division title.

The past: Anthony Thomas (G/F 6’4″ 14.5 ppg/2.8 rpg)
The present: Pre-season SoCon selections Guilherme Da Luz (G 6’3″11.7 ppg/6.6 apg), Karim Souchu (F 6’6″ 14.8 ppg/5.3 rpg)
The Future: Jason Patterson (G/F 6’4″ 195 Fr)

Out of conference highlights: Guardians Classic (opponents TBA), at Georgia State (Dec 4th), at Memphis (Dec 7th), at Louisville (Dec 22nd)
Best chance for a quality “W”: at Georgia State
Big Game: Furman vs. Georgia Southern (Feb 11th). Late season home game could determine the South division championship

3. College of Charleston
Head Coach: Tom Herrion (1st year at CofC)

After GSU and Furman, the South is really a toss up with three new coaches in the division. ‘Coug fans, along with the rest of the conference, are still a bit in the dark in wondering what the team will be like without long-time (we must say legendary) head coach John Kresse. However, the word is that Tom Herrion will play so much more of an up-tempo style the ‘Cougs now have to score 98 points before the fans get free crab legs. The College is used to being picked first every pre-season (and winning at least a share of the title every year), but this year many are holding judgment until we see what Herrion can do in his first head coaching assignment. History says they will be in thick of it ’til the end.

The past: All-Socon performer Jeff Bolton (18.2 ppg/4.5 rpg)
The present: Troy Wheless (9.3 ppg/3.5 rpg)
The Future: Zeke Johnson (F 6’6″ Jr transfer)

Out of conference highlights: Great Alaska Shootout (opponents TBA), UNC-Wilmington (Dec 23rd), at Vanderbilt (Jan 2nd CSS)
Best chance for a quality “W”: UNC-Wilmington
Big Game: CofC vs. GSU (Mar 1st CSS). The regular season finale versus the team that swept them last season, the ‘Cougs will be out for revenge.

4. Chattanooga
Head Coach: Jeff Lebo (1st year at UTC)

The second new coach in the South division, and arguably the biggest off-season move in the SoCon, was former UNC All-American Jeff Lebo leaving a 27-win Tennessee Tech squad to try and resurrect a struggling Chattanooga program that has not returned to the NCAA tournament since their Sweet 16 run in 1997. Lebo has his work cut out for him. The Mocs lost four starters from last year’s tri-championship team and their lone returner (Nick Benson) will be ineligible until the 2nd semester. Lebo will have his young team ready to play, but a return to title contention could be a two to three year project.

The past: Neil Ashby (11.6 ppg/5.6 rpg), Clyde McCully (10.4 ppg/3.5 apg) Toot Young (12.3 ppg/4.3 apg)
The present: Nick Benson (10.0 ppg/7.1 rpg)
The Future: Juco All-American Jason Rogan (G 6’2″ 215 Jr transfer)

Out of conference highlights: at UAB (Nov 24th), Kent State (Dec 18th), at Cincinnati (Jan 2nd)
Best chance for a quality “W”: Kent State
Big Game: Chattanooga vs. ETSU (Feb 1st). With Lebo being a former ETSU assistant and the Bucs being the team to beat, watch for ETSU/UTC to re-emerge as one of the best rivalries in the SoCon.

5. Wofford
Head Coach: Mike Young (1st year at Wofford)

Wofford always seems to be the team that flies under the radar. Maybe it is because it is one of the smallest enrollments in all of Division 1. Most college pre-season magazines didn’t even know that the Terriers have a new coach. 16-year head coach Richard Johnson has been promoted to Athletic Director and long-time (13 years) head assistant Mike Young has taken over the helm. Look at it this way, no one expected much from them in football either, but they will finish no worse than 2nd in the SoCon in that sport, so who knows what will happen on the hardwood. The Terriers return their top three scorers and could be the surprise team in the South division. BTW-Who made this schedule? The Terriers easily play the toughest out of conference road schedule (see below), but they also have the worst home schedule, playing only four games and they are all against Non D-1 schools.

The past: Kenny Hastie (6.4 ppg/7.7 rpg)
The present: Pre-season SoCon selection Mike Lenzly (14.4 ppg/6.8 rpg/30.6 apg), Lee Nixon (13.2 ppg/2.9 rpg), Justin Stephens (12.4 ppg/3.4 rpg)
The Future: Tyler Berg (F 6’9″ 225 Fr)

Out of conference highlights: at Auburn (Nov 22nd), at Clemson (Nov 24th), at Virginia Tech (Dec 2nd), at West Virginia (Dec 14th), at South Carolina (Dec 16th), at NC State (Dec 29th), at Virginia (Jan 2nd)
Best chance for a quality “W”: at Virginia Tech
Big Game: Wofford vs. Furman (Feb 22nd Fox SNS). While not quite as close as UNC/Duke, Furman and Wofford are just down the road from each other and this game is for private school bragging rights in the Upstate.

6. The Citadel
Head Coach: Pat Dennis (122-154, 10 years at The Citadel)

Just like with VMI, military school life can be a tough sell for coaches, but Pat Dennis has done as well as any coach in the Citadel’s history. Team discipline and a never give up attitude is the hallmark of a Bulldog team. Unfortunately the talent base is a little thin after losing three starters from last years 17-12 squad. However, on a game-by-game basis, they have the ability to upset anyone in the conference.

The past: Travis Cantrell (16.6 ppg/2.9 rpg), Cliff Washburn (10.1 ppg/6.7rpg)
The present: Michael Joseph (12.1 ppg/5.6 rpg)
The Future: Kevin Hammack (G 6’1″ 175 Fr)

Out of conference highlights: at Navy (Nov 25th), at Maryland (Nov 27th), at South Carolina (Jan 2nd)
Best chance for a quality “W”: at Navy
Big Game: Either game vs. College of Charleston. These two teams are only a couple of miles away from each other, both being in downtown Charleston.

All-SoCon First Team
Jason Conley, VMI
Kevin Martin, WCU
Mike Lenzly, Wofford
Zakee Wadood, ETSU
Guilherme Da Luz, Furman

All-SoCon Second Team
Julius Jenkins, GSU
Wayne Bernard, Davidson
Karim Souchu, Furman
Jerald Fields, ETSU
James Maye, UNCG

Pre-Season Player of the Year: Jason Conley, VMI

Newcomer of the Year: Brad Nuckles, ESTU

Coach of the Year: Ed DeChellis, ETSU

SoCon Recap

Southern Conference Recap

by David Smotherman

Since we last danced “the Charleston”

A lot has happened since a rainy night in Charleston when the Davidson Wildcats outlasted an upset-minded Furman Paladin squad 62-57 in the finals of the Southern Conference championships.

The SoCon placed two teams in post-season tournaments and both represented the conference well. Although they did not make it to the SoCon finals, University of North Carolina – Greensboro’s record and strength of schedule were strong enough for the Spartans to be selected to the NIT, drawing a first round game against the University of Memphis.

In the game, played in front of a near capacity crowd at the Pyramid in Memphis, a combination of speed and home court advantage were just too much to overcome for the Spartans. UNCG managed to keep the score under double digits at the half (37-29), but the Tigers came out in the second and slow pulled away, ultimately leading by as many as 26. Senior David Schuck led the Spartans with 15 points. The game was UNCG’s first ever NIT appearance in its 11 year D-1 history, the Spartans participated in the NCAA’s in 1996 and 2001, and also marked the first time in school history that the Spartans have participated in back-to-back postseason play. Memphis continued through the NIT field and went on to defeat South Carolina 72-62 to win the NIT Championship at Madison Square Garden.

In NCAA tournament action, Davidson earned a 13 seed in their 7th NCAA tournament and a game against Big Ten Champion Ohio State at “The Pit” in Albuquerque.

Davidson, sporting a 3-2 record lifetime against Ohio State, entered the game knowing that the upset was possible and proved the point by taking the lead 3-1/2 minutes into the game, and holding it until Brian Brown made the last shot before the half, giving Ohio State a 33-32 halftime lead. The second half was a continuation of the first with neither team being able to sustain a large run. Peter Anderer’s 3 pointer with 35 seconds left pulled Davidson to within one point, but Ohio State was able to make their free throws in the closing seconds and secured the 69-64 win. Senior center Martin Ides led the ‘Cats with 20 points. Ohio State was then upset in the second round by Missouri.

SoCon Players in the Pros

The Southern Conference had a banner year in placing in placing 11 seniors in the professional leagues of Europe and the USA.

Chattanooga -Toot Young (Europe), Neil Ashby (Allocated to the NBDL)
Charleston – Jeff Bolton (Allocated to the NBDL)
Davidson – Emeka Erege, Chris Pearson, Michael Bree, Fernando Tonella, and Martin Ides (Europe)
Georgia Southern – Sean Peterson (USBL, Allocated to the NBDL) Kashien Latham (USBL)
Greensboro – David Schuck (Europe)

New faces pace the boards

While two head coaching changes were expected during the off-season, one came as a shock to not only the SoCon, but to the entire East Coast.

Richard Johnson at Wofford was a given. It was announced at the beginning of the 2001-02 season that it was to be his last as head coach of the Terriers before taking the position of Athletic Director at the college. It was also a relatively sure bet that Chattanooga coach Henry Dickerson would not be retained after the Mocs first round loss in the SoCon tournament.

What came as the real shocker was that long-time College of Charleston coach John Kresse, a legend on the East Coast, had decided to retire from basketball. Kresse, who became the Cougars’ head coach in March of 1979, retired with a record of 560 wins and 143 losses, along with the second highest winning percentage among active coaches (.797). He led ‘Cougs to the nation’s second best winning percentage over the past nine seasons (.821, 220-48). His teams won at least 21 games the past nine years, and 18 times in 23 years overall.

As for the new coaches, Wofford replaced Johnson with 13-year Terrier assistant coach Mike Young. It is his first head coaching assignment. Young is a 1986 graduate of Emory & Henry College, where he was a four-year letterman in basketball.

CofC searched extensively and decided on University of Virginia assistant Tom Herrion. It is also Herrion’s first head coaching position. He was previously the assistant coach at Merrimack College, Providence and Virginia. Herrion served eight seasons as a UVA assistant to coach Pete Gillen. Herrion also spent four seasons as an assistant coach on Gillen’s staff at Providence College. At his alma mater, Merrimack, he helped coach the school to two NCAA D-2 championships.

And in what was probably the biggest news of the spring, Chattanooga hired former ACC star point guard Jeff Lebo, and his entire staff, away from Tennessee Tech. Lebo was an assistant at ETSU under Alan LeForce, and at Vanderbilt and South Carolina under Eddie Fogler before taking over as head coach at Tech. In four years with the Golden Eagles, Lebo transformed a 10-win team into back-to-back OVC regular season champions, culminating in a 27 win season and an Elite 8 run in the 2002 NIT before losing a close game to the eventual champions in Memphis.
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Other SoCon news from the summer

Elon has been chosen to replace VMI when the Keydets leave for the Big South Conference at the end of the 2002-03 season.

The Southern Conference offices have moved from its long-time home in Asheville (NC) to Spartanburg (SC).

And finally, Davidson and Chattanooga will switch division in the 2002-03 season. The North division will be Appalachian State, Chattanooga, East Tennessee, Elon, UNC-Greensboro, and Western Carolina and the South division will be Charleston, Davidson, Furman, Georgia Southern, The Citadel, and Wofford.

Southern Notebook

Southern Notebook

Top ‘Cats
Although Davidson was upset at home by Western Carolina on January 26th, the Wildcats have still won seven of their last eight games after being throttled by Duke in Charlotte back in early January. The ‘Cats latest win came at the hands of Wofford on January 30th. Davidson turned back the Terriers 72-61 after a furious second-half rally. The Wildcats’ (14-6, 7-2) success can attributed to the play of big man Emeka Erege, who is averaging 13.6 points per game, and Michael Bree, whose scoring average (11.3 points per game) is preceded only by his leadership ability.

The Wildcats’ are atop the North division with the second place UNCG Spartans breathing down their necks. Davidson has a favorable seven game stretch remaining with games against conference bottom feeders VMI and Appalachian State, whom they play twice. However, the ‘Cats also have one more tilt with UNCG and a showdown with the South Division leading College of Charleston Cougars.

Power of the Sword
UNCG may be the second best team in the SoCo North, but on January 29th they proved they may the second-best team in the entire conference, beating South division leaders College of Charleston. It’s a win that has the Spartans feeling pretty good about themselves.

“In the past three years they’ve pretty much been the giant in the Southern Conference,” UNCG senior point guard Courtney Eldridge said. “Finally, we slayed the giant tonight.”

And slayed they did. The Spartans played defense as if they were boa constrictors, squeezing the life out of C of C, forcing the Cougars into shooting 33.9 percent from the field. The Cougars (76th in the RPI) are the highest ranked RPI team the Spartans have ever beaten since the mathematical ratings formula came into existence back during the 1993-94 season. It’s the Spartans second win after a heart-wrenching one-point loss to Davidson on January 30th. UNCG could be peaking at the right time with tourney time right around the corner.

Giant Killers
Western Carolina may barely be over .500 (11-9, 5-4) and in third place in the SoCo North, but the Catamounts have wins over the top two teams in the conference. The first came against UNCG back in early January. That win was keyed by the Catamounts’ stifling defense. The Catamounts latest victims are the Davidson Wildcats. Western defeated Davidson 70-67 in an overtime thriller at Davidson on January 26th. The win snapped the Wildcats 12-game home winning streak at Belk Arena, which was the 15th such longest streak in college basketball. It was also the Catamounts first overtime win of the season in three tries.

WCU guard Kevin Martin sent the game into overtime after hitting a 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left in regulation. The victory left Western Carolina head coach Steve Shurina in shock.

“I still do not know how we won the game,” said Shurina. “This is the first time we did not have our good stuff and still won.”

WCU has a chance at another upset when the Catamounts travel to Greensboro to play UNCG on February 2nd. And if WCU wins that game, it might not even be considered an upset as they would be tied with UNCG for second place in the division.

Clutch Keydet
Like I said in my Southern Conference Preview, keep an eye on Jason Conley. Don’t look now (and I know most of the country hasn’t anyway), but the VMI freshman is leading the country in scoring with a 29.0 point per game average. In fact, in 19 of the Keydets’ 20 games, Conley has been the leading scorer. So why has the freshman been so successful?
First of all, he plays on a lousy team. When everyone else is garbage, the best player can’t help but get a good share of touches throughout a game. But with that being said, Conley is immensely talented as well.

The redshirt freshman is shooting at a close to 50 percent clip and has a free throw shooting percentage of 85 percent. If Conley holds on to his national scoring lead, he will be the first ever freshman to do so. As the season draws to a close for VMI (7-13, 2-7), Conley continues to be the team’s lone bright spot. And oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Conley also leads the team in rebounding too. Look for more on Conley in future Hoopville articles.

Meltdown
College of Charleston fought hard in 63-52 loss to UNCG on January 29th. Too bad for C of C, most of the fighting was among fellow Cougar players. In short, John Kresse’s team nearly imploded. Down 12 points in the second half, the Cougars failed to convert on yet another offensive possession and forward Leighton Bowie and guard Tony Mitchell decided to have a profanity laced discussion about it. The “talk” resulted in several Cougar players having to hold Bowie back from charging at Mitchell.

The loss to UNCG sent the C of C into a first place tie with The Citadel, Georgia Southern and Chattanooga. Although the Cougars have the best overall record (15-5) in the conference, they have struggled in conference play (5-4) losing four of nine games. Conference struggles do not bode well for C of C, who have a history of finishing with high win totals only to flop in conference play and miss the NCAA tournament. The team’s latest debacle wont help matters either.

Hats off
While there is not anything too special to say about any of these teams at this time, I would like to congratulate The Citadel, Georgia Southern and Chattanooga for being tied for first place in the SoCo South this late in the year. If they keep it up, any of these could be a dark horse come conference tourney time.

Upcoming Game to Watch:
Western Carolina at UNCG. The upstart Catamounts can climb into a second place tie with UNCG in the North division with a win.

Southern Preview

2001-02 Southern Conference Preview

by Jon Gonzalez

All roads to the North Charleston Coliseum (site of this years SoCo Tournament) and the Southern Conference championship will once again run through the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The defending conference champion Spartans enjoy the luxury of having four returning starters, including sharp shooting senior point guard Courtney Eldridge. Hot on UNCG’s heels in the SoCo North Division will be a trio of North Carolina schools: Davidson, Appalachian State and Western Carolina. All three schools struggled last season, but have experience on their side and look to be much improved. Defending division champion East Tennessee State could also be a factor, while VMI’s main objective will be escaping the conference cellar.

As far as the South Division goes, the College of Charleston will once again be the team to beat. John Kresse’s team has never finished lower than first in the division and with four returning starters, history may well indeed repeat itself. Giving close chase to the Cougars will be Chattanooga, who was only seconds away from reaching the NCAA Tournament last season. Furman and Georgia Southern will sneak up on people in 2001-02 and could wind up being serious conference contenders. The Citadel is another team that schools cannot afford to overlook. Wofford is rebuilding and a double-digit number in the win column would be nothing short of an accomplishment.

North Division

1. UNC Greensboro: As Courtney Eldridge goes, so go the Spartans. The little big man (he stands 5-10) was pivotal in the success of the conference champion Spartans last season averaging 14.6 points per game, and looks to pace UNCG again this year. Besides Eldridge, the Spartans are powered by the return of four starters. However, the biggest return for UNCG could be that of head coach Fran McCaffery. McCaffery was courted by several schools after guiding UNCG to the NCAA Tournament in 2000-01, but opted to stay in Greensboro.

Although he only averaged an anemic 1.7 points per game last season, 7-2 sophomore center Nathan Popp could be key to the Spartans staying atop the Southern Conference. If he plays up to his potential, UNCG should control the paint in every game they play. Not to be outdone is 6-7 forward Ronnie Burrell, who has the tools to be the best freshman in the league.

2. Davidson: Don’t look now, but head coach Bob McKillop’s Wildcats are back with all their starters and a strong supporting cast. Senior guard Michael Bree, junior guard Peter Anderer and sophomore guard Nick Booker, who started 23 games last season, are the main components of a bench that will help win many games for the Wildcats in 2001-02.

But while the backups are good, let us not forget about what starts things off for Davidson. Starting guards Wayne Bernard and Fernando Tonella work well together and 6-9 junior forward Chris Pearson left many opponents with a feeling of rejection last season with 51 blocks. The cornerstone of the frontcourt is 7-2 senior center Martin Ides, who is due for a breakout season. The Czech Republic native worked hard in the off-season to improve his game and has something to prove.

3. Appalachian State: What a difference two seasons can make. Back in 2000, the Buzz Peterson led Mountaineers were celebrating an NCAA Tournament berth. A year later, first-year head coach Houston Fancher suffered through an 11-20 season. Now Fancher and ASU are back with five starters, including junior stud Josh Shehan. The 6-9 center averaged 11.3 points per game last year and showed significant improvement during the off-season.

A cast of transfers will also help the Mountaineers try to get back to the NCAAs. Juniors Shawn Hall, Graham Bunn, Nate Carson and Ahmad Smith all have prior college playing experience and could see significant playing time. Add in the incoming freshman and you have a team where playing time will be at a premium. With so many able bodies at his disposal, Fancher could look to employ more of an up-tempo game in 2001-02.

4. Western Carolina: After winning only six games last season, the Catamounts have nowhere to go but up. Luckily for them, ascension got a little easier when JuCo star Lamont Speaks decided to transfer to Western Carolina. Speaks is big (6-9, 285) and he will immediately improve Western’s horrid rebounding margin, which was last in the league last season. Joining Speaks in the paint will be 6-7 sophomore Rans Brempong, who registered 93 blocks in 2000-01. Brempong, a native of Ontario, Canada, played in the 2001 World University Games over the summer as a member of the Canadian national team.

If Western Carolina can control the paint, and veteran backcourt aces Casey Rogers and Kori Hatcher can control tempo, fans in Cullowhee, NC could have a lot to smile about. The addition of Division II transfer Kelvin Wylie, who shot 65 percent from the field two seasons ago at Gardner-Webb, will also help. Wylie practiced with the team last season, but was ineligible to play due to NCAA transfer rules.

5. East Tennessee State: The defending division winners will undoubtedly be hurt by the loss of forwards Adrian Meeks and Renaldo Johnson to graduation. The team is left with a trifecta of veteran guards that will have to carry the Buccaneers on their backs. Dimeco Childress, Cliff Decoster and Ryan Lawson will carry the bulk of ETSU’s scoring responsibilities while the inside game takes shape. Sophomore forward/center Cory Seels leads a relatively young group of post-men who will try to make opponents pay attention to the paint, and not just the perimeter.

If the ETSU front line can’t account for at least 25 points per game, it will be a long year in Johnson City. Reigning SoCo coach of the year Ed DeChellis was awarded a two-year contract extension, a sign that the ETSU brass believe DeChellis is the man that will take the Bucs back to the NCAAs, a place they haven’t been since 1992. Unfortunately for DeChellis, ETSU may not have enough inside to seriously contend for a conference championship.

6. Virginia Military Institute: There is one positive thing that can be said for the Keydets, they have a bright future. With eleven of the team’s players either freshmen or sophomores, VMI can only get better as the season progresses. At least that’s what coach Bart Bellairs is hoping for. Bellairs has been at VMI for seven seasons and has an 81-113 record to show for it. If things don’t get better soon in Lexington, it could be curtains for Bellairs.

To win for their coach, the Keydets must play to their strengths, speed and athleticism. VMI will look to utilize those strengths by pushing the ball up and down the court and playing pressure defense. Swingman Radee Skipworth is the team’s best returning player but needs to become more consistent from the field for VMI to stand a chance. Freshman forward Jason Conley has tremendous range and could emerge as one of VMI’s best players.

South Division

1. College of Charleston: Coach John Kresse’s biggest challenge in the new season will be figuring out a way to replace center Jody Lumpkin and his 17.1 points per game. Lumpkin was an absolute beast and the main reason why the Cougars posted a record of 22-7. While the loss of Lumpkin is huge, C of C fans should fear not because a man by the name of Jeff Bolton is still in town. Bolton, who averaged 16.1 points per game in 2000-01, was nothing short of scintillating at times last season and looks to carry over his superb play into this campaign.

Bolton will be joined by a solid supporting cast, which includes guards Troy Wheless and A.J. Harris and forward Leighton Bowie. Bowie is a 6-6 junior with soft hands and decent shooting range who has a chance to fill the inside void Lumpkin’s departure created. Florida transfer Orloff Civil is a sleeper who is looking to make good on his move to Charleston from Gainesville. The Cougars will have home court advantage during the SoCo Tournament, as the championship will be held at the North Charleston Coliseum.

2. Chattanooga: With only seconds left in the Southern Conference Championship game, the Mocs were up on UNCG and staring a trip to the NCAA tournament dead in the eye. Then the unthinkable happened. The Spartans went the length of the court, scored and sent the Mocs home with thoughts of what could have been. The ending of that game was a microcosm of Chattanooga’s entire season, riding high one second, nursing the sting of defeat the next. In 2001-02, coach Henry Dickerson’s biggest challenge will be helping his schizophrenic team find its identity. Hopefully for Dickerson, the Mocs will play with a purpose every game, not every other game.

An influx of junior college talent will be the main reason to whether or not the Mocs can get over the hump. 6-9 junior transfer Aaron Morgan comes in and immediately fills the void left by the departure of center Oliver Morton. Fellow transfer Petie Spaulding is a 6-0 guard with a sweet stroke and will see significant minutes. The newcomers, transfers and freshmen alike, join an already solid core of current Chattanooga players. Senior Toot Young is a tremendous shooter and the guy the Mocs go to when they need a bucket. Young scored 12.5 points per game last season and was the catalyst to Chattanooga’s high scoring offense. If the Mocs could find a defense to match their offense, the conference could be theirs.

3. Georgia Southern: Fourteen games into the 2000-01 season the Georgia Southern Eagles were 4-10 and looking at a long year. Then head coach Jeff Price’s offense kicked in. The Eagles rode their coach’s wide open, run it up the floor philosophy to a 13-3 finish that included second place in the South Division. GSU looks to carry over the momentum from last season and they certainly have the bodies to do so. Back are all five starters and a solid core of bench players comprised mostly of seniors.

Leading the team that turns most games into track meets is the inside-outside all-conference tandem of guard Julius Jenkins and forward Kashien Latham. Jenkins is ultra-smooth and scored 16.7 points per game last season while Latham is a bruiser who can board with the best of them. Sophomore forward Frank Bennett is a big body who can rebound and another reason why the Eagles were the best rebounding team in the SoCo last season. Underrated guard Sean Peterson is another shooter with great range, and when given the chance to, can light it up. Freshman guard Terry Williams averaged 29.5 points per game in his senior year of high school and will be given a chance to shine in Price’s offense. Overall, GSU has the offense to win the conference, but has one problem that could hold them back (see Chattanooga).

4. Furman: Two words: Karim Souchu; and that’s all you need to know. Souchu, a junior, averaged 18.9 points per game last season and is one of the best players in the SoCo, if not the best. He can shoot, he can dunk, he can do it all. Getting Souchu the ball will be the job of point guard Guilherme Da Luz, whose size (6-3, 205) allows him to bully and post-up smaller guards. Junior forward Anthony Thomas quietly had a great 2000-01 campaign and must be ready to execute when opposing defenses double Souchu.

Another player who is due for a big year is sophomore center Marijan Pojatina. Pojatina play sparingly last season but showed flashes of brilliance in the times that he did play. Freshman forward Paco Gonzalez is 6-7 and showed during the off-season that he may be capable of being a factor. The keys for the Paladins to be successful come down to their coach, Larry Davis, and every player other than Souchu. Davis lost his team last season after Furman started quickly and faded just as fast. He must rally his squad and be a stable force if the Paladins should struggle in 2001-02. As far as Souchu, if he doesn’t get any help, the team goes nowhere.

5. The Citadel: The cardiac kids of the Southern Conference (they won six games by two points or less) return with one objective in mind: get The Citadel into the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever. Coach Pat Dennis’ squad faces a tough challenge playing in the talent laden South Division, but his Bulldogs are tough and have great chemistry. Also in the Bulldogs’ favor is the fact that the team only lost one key player, albeit a great one, in point guard Mike Roy. The loss of Roy will be alleviated by the progress of junior Kenny Milford, who has more quickness than Roy.

Seniors Travis Cantrell and Alan Puckett (40.3 percent from three-point range last season) love the three-ball and can fill it up from long range. All-name team candidate Max Mombollet is more than just four syllables, he can block shots too. Mombollet registered 22 blocks last season and will have a chance to double that number with extended playing time. Mombollet and 6-7 senior center Michael Washburn could combine to form a solid inside duo for the Bulldogs. If the Bulldogs can play together, as they did last season, and the frontcourt finds it’s identity, they at least have a punchers chance of winning the Southern Conference.

6. Wofford: Graduation day last spring at Wofford was a time of celebration for many people, except those affiliated with the Terrier basketball program. On that fateful day last spring, Wofford lost one of the best players in their history, guard Ian Chadwick. Chadwick was all-conference three times, the league’s top scorer last year (20.4 points per game) and career three-point leader. Not to mention he was a leader on and off the court and an honor student. So where does a team that, even with Chadwick, finished with a losing record go? Coach Richard Johnson might shudder to think.

For the Terriers to be halfway competitive, guards Lee Nixon and Mike Lenzly have to pick up the scoring slack. Nixon averaged 10.1 points per game last season while Lenzly shot at a 47.3 percent clip. Inside, center Kenny Hastie must improve his play from last season and junior center Edvin Masic has to react positively to increased minutes. The two also have to rebound better than they did last year and give the Terriers an inside presence. The wildcard on this team could be sophomore guard Edmond Davis. Davis, a transfer from LSU, is short (5-10), but has great speed and quick feet. For Wofford to have a chance at a .500 season Johnson has to find someone to replace at least half of the departed Chadwick’s scoring and the team must survive a tough non-conference schedule, which includes NC State, Georgia Tech and Clemson.

SoCo Superlatives

North Division Champ: UNCG
South Division Champ: College of Charleston
Tourney Champ: UNCG
Bubble Burst: Georgia Southern
Sleeper: Furman
Player of the Year: Jeff Bolton, College of Charleston
Newcomer of the Year: Lamont Speaks, Western Carolina
Coach of the Year: Bob McKillop, Davidson
Coach on the Hot Seat: Bart Bellairs, VMI
Best Name: Max Mombollet, The Citadel
Best Shooter: Alan Puckett, The Citadel
Best Defender: Cliff Decoster, ETSU