Big South Conference 2005-06 Preview
Change is inevitable, especially in college basketball. In the Big South, there were plenty of changes during the off-season. Three schools underwent head coaching changes while another three schools are replacing more than half of their roster from a year ago. However, the one school that saw very little change was the defending champion Winthrop Eagles, who will enter this season as possibly the most heavily favored team in Big South history. While other teams were undergoing changes in their coaching staffs and rosters, Winthrop kept its coaching staff intact (including last year’s coach of the year, Gregg Marshall) and return all but one scholarship player from a year ago. All of this from a team that had the best-ever conference record, overall record, and winning streak in Big South history.
With all that being said, the rest of the league has no plans to just give the title to the Eagles. Coastal Carolina, Charleston Southern, and VMI all made head coaching changes in order to improve themselves this year and into the future. Coastal Carolina made the most high-profile coaching change, as they hired Buzz Peterson to lead the Chanticleers. He inherits a team that returns the conference’s Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, so Coastal may have something to say about who ends up in the Big Dance come March. Other teams such as UNC-Asheville and Liberty also have talented players on their rosters and coaches that have shown that they can succeed in this league. Radford replaced its entire assistant coaching staff, but has an experienced backcourt that will give opponents fits, and since High Point and Birmingham-Southern have almost entirely new rosters, they could surprise everybody this year if the newcomers can step in right away and contribute.
On paper, Winthrop looks to have the advantage coming into the year, and if things fall right for the Eagles, they have a decent chance to become the first team in Big South history to win a first round NCAA Tournament game. But basketball games and conference titles have never been won on paper, so take all of these predictions with a grain of salt, especially since all of the change around the Big South could lead to plenty of surprises.
Pre-season All-Conference Team
Larry Blair, Liberty
Whit Holcomb-Faye, Radford
Torrell Martin, Winthrop
Pele Paelay, Coastal Carolina
James Shuler, Winthrop
Conference MVP – Torrell Martin, Winthrop
Normally, when the defending conference player of the year is still in the league the following season, he would normally take the pre-season conference MVP award by default. However, Martin is completely healthy for the first time in his collegiate career, and as the primary weapon on the league’s best team, he has the best chance to finish the season as the league’s best player.
Freshman of the Year – Anthony Smith, Liberty
Each year, this is the hardest award to project since it is nearly impossible to know which freshmen in the league will get an opportunity to shine. But with the unexpected departure of David Dees from the Liberty program, it opens up a perfect opportunity for the talented Smith to step into. Look for Smith to get plenty of chances to score and get the attention of everybody in the Big South right away.
Newcomer of the Year – Dwayne Jackson, Charleston Southern
Both in high school and in Junior College, Jackson put up amazing scoring numbers. And if there is one thing that this season’s Charleston Southern squad needs, it is a scorer. So combine those two ingredients and you have the makings of a player who is in the right place at the right time. CSU will expect Jackson to step in and contribute from day one, and based on his track record, there is every reason to believe that he will.
1. Winthrop Eagles
(Last Season: 27-6; 15-1, 1st in Big South)
Projected Starters:
G – Chris Gaynor, Sophomore – 5-10, 156 (6.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 4.6 apg)
G – Torrell Martin, Junior – 6-5, 195 (13.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 43.3 3PT%)
F – James Shuler, Senior – 6-6, 220 (12.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.1 apg)
F – Phillip Williams, Junior – 6-8, 215 (7.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 54.5 FG%, 48.8 3PT%)
F – Craig Bradshaw, Junior – 6-10, 245 (8.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 43.4 3PT%)
Returning almost the entire roster from a team that had the best season in Winthrop history and won the conference by four games, it would be nearly impossible to see a reason to not pick the Eagles to be the heavy favorites coming into this year. The entire starting lineup returns along with the top three or four options off the bench. Coach Gregg Marshall’s biggest task this year will not be teaching X’s and O’s, but primarily to make sure that the team chemistry and unselfish play that led to success last season remains intact this year.
Martin and Gaynor will once again patrol the backcourt for the Eagles again this season. Martin will be one of the primary scoring options while Gaynor will run the show. Their biggest strength for the team, though, is their ability to disrupt opponents on the defensive end of the court. They generally keep the opposing guards out of rhythm and force opponents into mistakes. Gaynor will be backed up by freshman De’Andre Adams while Martin will have sophomore Mike Jenkins and freshman Mantoris Robinson behind him. However, do not expect to see Martin and Gaynor off the court too much if they are playing well.
Up front, Shuler will hold down the small forward spot and presents a tough match-up for opponents with his inside/outside game. The other two frontcourt spots will likely feature a four-man rotation of Williams, Bradshaw, senior Otis Daniels, and senior Billy Houston. Last year, Marshall would use those four in all different combinations, so this year should not be much different. Sophomores Scott Draughn, Taj McCullough, and Jason Killeen will fill in at times, with Draughn likely getting more time than the others as Shuler’s primary back-up.
Once again this year, expect defense to be the trademark of this Eagles team. If the defense stays at the level, or improves, from where it has been in the past, then it will be very hard for the Eagles to be beaten this year. The offense does not have to be great for Winthrop to win, but with Martin and Shuler as the go-to guys, a solid point guard, and the versatile games of the inside players, the offense has the potential to be just as strong as the defense, and if that is the case, then who knows what this Winthrop team could end up doing.
2. UNC-Asheville Bulldogs
(Last Season: 11-17; 8-8, 3rd in Big South)
Projected Starters:
G – K.J. Garland, Junior – 6-1, 180 (10.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 4.4 apg)
G – Omar Collington, Senior – 6-1, 195 (8.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
F – Chad Mohn, Senior – 6-8, 225 (8.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
F – Joe Barber, Senior – 6-9, 235 (11.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
C – Brett Warner, Sophomore – 6-10, 235 (4.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg)
Coach Eddie Biedenbach and the Bulldogs will have one of the deepest and biggest teams in the conference. However, injuries have already crept up to put a damper on some of the pre-season excitement out of Asheville. Year after year, UNCA takes its lumps in the non-conference portion of the schedule, but ends up in the upper half of the conference standings. This year looks to be no different, though the injury situation will be an important thing to keep an eye on.
The injury bug looks to have hit the Bulldogs in the worst possible spot, the point guard position. Garland is definitely going to miss a couple of months due to an ankle injury, and there is no guarantee that he can return at all this year. As one of the league’s best point guards, this loss could really hurt UNCA, especially since they do not have a true back-up. Collington will likely have to fill in as the primary ball handler, and though his experience and ability should allow him to do a good enough job, it forces players such as senior forward Oliver Holmes to perhaps play more shooting guard than he normally would. Freshman Michael Ellis will also play some at the shooting guard spot, and could end up getting much more playing time than anyone expected a couple of months ago. The returning guards have shown some ability to shoot from outside in the past, though none of them are consistently good at it, which could mean that we will see very few three point shots by the Bulldogs this year.
While the backcourt may be lacking in depth a bit, the frontcourt has plenty of bodies and size to do some damage in the league this year. Barber returns after missing much of the last two seasons due to injuries and he gives the team some toughness, as most of the other players are more finesse-reliant. Holmes is most comfortable at the small forward spot and Mohn can play that position as well, along with being a solid power forward. The Bulldogs also have two legitimate centers in Warner and junior center C.J. Walker. Junior Joey Harrell and freshman Matt Day add some size and depth to the forward position as well. None of the frontcourt players are likely to be All-Conference First-Teamers, but they can all produce and play enough positions to give Biedenbach plenty of flexibility, which it looks like he will need.
Coming off of last season, the Bulldogs looked like a clear number two team coming into this year due to their size, depth, and experience. Garland’s injury definitely hurts this team, yet there still seems to be enough talent and depth available to keep them capable of staying at that spot. So for now, a second place finish is still possible, but if the point guard situation ends up becoming a problem, a fall to the middle-of-the-pack is definitely likely.
3. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
(Last Season: 10-19; 7-9, T-4th in Big South)
Projected Starters:
G – Colin Stevens, Senior – 5-9, 155 (5.5 ppg, 1.7 apg)
G – Jack Leasure, Sophomore – 6-3, 185 (14.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 42.5 3PT%)
G – Pele Paelay, Senior – 6-4, 190 (16.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.4 spg)
F – Moses Sonko, Junior – 6-5, 205 (6.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 48.8 FG%)
C – Adrian Gross, Junior – 6-7, 245 (6.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 52.7 FG)
Buzz has definitely become the new buzz-word in Conway as Head Coach Buzz Peterson takes over after Pete Strickland was dismissed following last season. Peterson’s resume is well known and he brings instant credibility to the Coastal program when the Chants were able to sign him after he was let-go by Tennessee. With last year’s Big South Player of the Year (Paelay) and Freshman of the Year (Leasure) both still on the roster, Peterson has been given a solid base with which to work with, and his hiring will likely make basketball a priority around campus, which should make the tiny Kimbel Arena a very difficult place to play in this season.
With Leasure and Paelay, Coastal has the top returning scoring duo in the conference, and there is every reason to believe that both will be even better this year, especially Leasure. So while two of the three guards that will likely to start for Coastal are locked in stone, the point guard position is a little more difficult to figure out. Stevens will likely start the season at the spot, and though he has plenty of experience and quickness, Peterson may end up giving freshman Mario Sisinni some starts later in the season due to his size and potential to be a bigger scoring weapon. If Stevens and Sisinni can be productive, then the Coastal offense should not have too many problems scoring points. Freshman Steven Sexton will back up Leasure and potentially gives Coastal another strong outside shooter.
Sonko and Gross will be the primary post weapons for Coastal, as both have a couple of years under their belt and both are strong around the basket, if not a bit smaller than the opponents they will likely face. Sophomores Noah Nichols and Chad Ferguson both return and add some depth to the inside, and Matt Brennan and Marcus White will also figure into the picture somewhat as freshmen. Along with Brennan and White, Peterson also brought in freshmen Logan Johnson and Joseph Harris. Each is 6’5″ and both will be able to play two or three different positions off the bench. Both were good scorers in high school, so they will likely be the main catalysts off the bench if they can adapt to the college game quickly.
As is almost always the case with Coastal Carolina teams, the Chants will not have much height in the paint, but the scoring punch from the perimeter can likely make up for some weaknesses inside. Where that weakness will hurt them the most is on the defensive end, as Peterson will need to instill a strong defensive mentality for a group that was pretty weak at stopping opponents last year. So while there are enough questions to keep Coastal from likely winning the conference this year, the Chants should be strong enough to be in the upper half of the league as Paelay and Leasure will be tough for anyone to stop and Kimbel Arena should be very difficult for opposing teams to emerge from with a victory.
4. Liberty Flames
(Last Season: 13-15; 11-5, 2nd in Big South)
Projected Starters:
G – Evan Risher, Sophomore – 6-0, 185 (3.8 ppg)
G – Larry Blair, Junior – 6-1, 185 (16.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.4 apg)
G – Anthony Smith, Freshman – 6-4, 185 (True Freshman)
F – Damien Hubbard, Junior – 6-6, 210 (JuCo Transfer)
C – Russell Monroe, Sophomore – 6-11, 235 (1.8 ppg, 1.1 rpg)
With four key players gone from last year’s team, it is safe to say that Coach Randy Dunton is looking at a transition year of sorts, but the Flames will not be rebuilding so much as moving new players into new roles. With David Dees, Leo Lightbourne, Brian Woodson, and Rashad Robinson all gone, new players will be forced to step up, however, Blair is still on the court, and the cast that will surround him seems to have the potential to keep Liberty in the upper half of the league.
The backcourt is led by Blair and his excellent scoring ability. Dees’ early departure from the program obviously hurts, but Smith has the potential to step in right away and lighten the blow from Dees’ transfer. Risher will handle the point guard duties, and though he got plenty of playing time as a freshman last year, he will be playing a more important role this season, and his production will have to increase a bit in order to help the Flames out. The backcourt will get some help off the bench from freshman Justin Holland, who can play both the point and shooting guard spots, and Hubbard will even see some time in the backcourt if needed.
However, Hubbard’s primary job will be to anchor a very young and inexperienced frontcourt. Hubbard will likely see much of his on-the-court time as the Flames’s small forward and power forward. Monroe will likely get every chance to be the everyday center, though he still needs to show that he is willing and able to battle physically with the other interior players of the league. JuCo transfer Jeremy Eck will also get some time at the center position and will join JuCo transfer Eric Bigby, and sophomores Rell Porter and Doug Stewart as players who will add some depth at the forward position. Porter could be poised to have a much bigger impact on this year’s team than he did last year when he only played nine minutes per game.
Dunton has shown that he has the ability to blend together new faces with returning players over the course of his tenure at Liberty. That ability, along with the resumes of some of the newcomers gives the Liberty program some hope coming into a season where they have to replace quite a few key parts from the second-place team of a year ago. Expect the Flames to go through some growing pains as this team adjusts to the new faces and the new roles. However, with Blair on the floor, Liberty will not slip too far, and without any seniors on the roster, the future is bright for this program.
5. Radford Highlanders
(Last Season: 12-16; 7-9, T-4th in Big South)
Projected Starters:
G – Andre Bynum, Senior – 6-2, 161 (6.8 ppg, 3.5 apg, 48.2 FG%)
G – Whit Holcomb-Faye, Senior – 6-1, 166 (15.1 ppg, 3.6 apg, 39.5 3PT%)
G – Kenny Thomas, Freshman – 6-3, 179 (True Freshman)
F – Chris Oliver, Junior – 6-6, 201 (14.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 54.3 FG)
C – Duane Ricks, Sophomore – 6-9, 188 (1.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg)
For a program that was one of the league’s powers for many years, Radford has seen some of the leanest year’s of its basketball history over the last four seasons. Unfortunately for Head Coach Byron Samuels, the last three of those years have been under his watch, so this is an important season for him if he wants to see his career at Radford last much longer.
Toward the end of last season, when it looked as if Radford may be in position to make a late season run, Samuels suspended four players, including Holcomb-Faye, for the remainder of the year due to an undisclosed reason. The suspensions essentially ended the Highlanders’ season and proved to be another bump in the road for the Radford program, which has had other players suspended in the last couple of years, and which saw the whole assistant coaching staff changed out this off-season.
However, despite the problems the program has seen the last few years, not all is lost. Radford will field a team that may be short in depth and not very imposing in the paint, but they do have a great guard combo in Bynum and Holcomb-Faye. Both players enter their senior seasons, and both have logged plenty of minutes during their careers. Both are able to run the offense, with Bynum being the better floor general and defender, and Holcomb-Faye being the team’s primary scorer. They will likely get some help from Thomas, who will likely play along side them as a third guard/small forward and could be an impact player in his first year.
The frontcourt is not very big, but is anchored by the versatile play of Oliver. Oliver is a tough match-up, as he is just as likely to shoot a three-pointer as he is to post up. He will get some help from senior Reggie McIntyre, who has shown steady improvement over his career and will play strong in the paint. Unfortunately for Radford, their centers on the roster are very raw, with Ricks and sophomore Colby Trent not getting much playing time last year during their freshman seasons.
There are some glaring holes on this year’s team, so it is not probable to see any sort of postseason run for the Highlanders due to their very short bench and the lack of a prominent big man. However, the trio of Bynum, Holcomb-Faye, and Oliver are good enough to win games for Radford this year, especially against the weaker teams in the Big South. There is a good chance that Holcomb-Faye is going to enter this season refocused after his suspension and put up big numbers and keep Radford around the middle of the standings.
6. High Point Panthers
(Last Season: 13-18; 7-9, T-4th in Big South)
Projected Starters:
G – Landon Quick, Junior – 6-1, 175 (3.7 ppg, 2.5 apg)
G – Akeem Scott, Senior – 6-1, 180 (7.3 ppg, 2.0 apg, 39.1 3PT%)
F – AZ Reid, Sophomore – 6-5, 205 (4.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
F – Josh Lamons, Freshman – 6-8, 220 (Redshirt Freshman)
F – Issa Konare, Senior – 6-8, 230 (4.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.0 bpg)
Head Coach Bart Lundy’s first two years at High Point have been interesting to say the least. In his first season, he took a group of mostly newcomers and successfully finished the season 19-11 and had his team one win away from the Big Dance. Last season was not so kind, as the team looked poised to be a conference power before late leads often slipped away and discipline problems haunted the team en route to a middle-of-the-pack finish.
So where does Lundy go from here? His first step was to reload with mostly high school recruits. His first teams were loaded with JuCos, and though they usually were able to step in and contribute immediately, they also did not seem to blend well together. This year’s High Point team is filled with new faces, and though the physical tools of most of these players is impressive, it might be a rebuilding year of sorts for the Panthers.
In the backcourt, Quick and Scott figure to get a bulk of the minutes. Both are solid and speedy players, with Scott being a bit more of a scoring threat. JuCo transfer Mike Jefferson will also be in the mix for playing time at the perimeter, but beyond that, High Point has very little depth at the guard position.
The frontcourt, though, has a lot of bodies. The biggest problem is that the players that will be in the paint are either new or unproven. Reid showed plenty of promise in his freshman year, and is likely to break out when given enough playing time. Konare has been with the program for a few years, but his role has been rather limited. The rest of the frontcourt is populated by newcomers or little used returnees. Lamons is the most likely of the group to have a big year, though do not be surprised to see freshmen Melvin Crowder or Troy Bowen play well either.
High Point is a hard team to read coming into this season. Lundy has proven in the past that he can blend a cast of newcomers together and get results. But he has also shown that the blend has to be done correctly, otherwise a talented group can end up underachieving. Expect High Point to show flashes of great play due to the physical skills of the players on the roster. However, also expect the Panthers to take their lumps at times as youth, inexperience, and a lack of backcourt depth will likely lead to some losses.
7. Birmingham-Southern Panthers
(Last Season: 16-14; 7-9, T-4th in Big South)
Projected Starters:
G – Bucky McMillan, Junior – 6-4, 180 (5.4 ppg, 2.5 apg, 39.5 3PT%)
G – James Collins, Senior – 6-4, 185 (9.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
F – Dwayne Paul, Junior – 6-5, 250 (JuCo Transfer)
F – Thomas Viglianco, Senior – 6-9, 230 (11.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 41.5 3PT%)
F – Sredrick Powe, Senior – 6-7, 225 (Injured Last Season)
Birmingham-Southern fans need to buy a program before they go to watch their Panthers this year, as only five players on the roster have ever played a game in a BSC uniform before. Because of the huge influx of newcomers and the loss of many key parts of coach Duane Reboul’s teams from the last few years, it is nearly impossible to figure out what to expect from this year’s edition of Birmingham-Southern basketball.
Of the few returnees, Reboul will lean heavily on Collins and Viglianco. Collins will attempt to fill Jakob Sigurdarson’s shoes, as he will be expected to score from the outside, and help point guard McMillan run the offense. Collins has played well over the last few years and is capable of exploding on the offensive end, so although he probably will not give the Panthers the same numbers that Sigurdarson did, he is likely to have a big season. Viglianco may be listed as a 6’9″ forward, but he often plays like a guard. He was one of the league’s best three-point shooters last season, but he does use his height to grab a lot of boards for the Panthers.
Collins will get some backcourt help from McMillan and newcomers such as freshmen Reggie Peyton and LeCory Ruffin, but he is about the only sure offensive threat that Reboul has at the guard position. The frontcourt, anchored by Viglianco, will see the return of Powe to the lineup after missing all of last season, and the arrival of plenty of 6’5″-6’9″ newcomers such as Paul, JuCo transfer Sam Mauldin, and freshmen Kyle Rowland, Jarryd Gearhart, and Ifenyi Ehirim. It is impossible to know which of these newcomers will be able to help out the most, but what the Panthers will lack in experience up front will be countered by plenty of depth and decent size.
Duane Reboul runs a variation of the Princeton offense as his teams usually shoot plenty of three-pointers and try to get easy lay-ups through constant motion and plenty of picks on the offensive end. McMillan, Collins, and Viglianco can all light it up from outside, so Reboul should still get enough production from behind the arc, but the question remains as to who will step up on the inside to help the shooters out. Also, even with the strong scoring of Sigurdarson present last year, it seemed that other teams in the league have started to find ways to defend the Reboul offense, so it will be interesting to see if there will be any new wrinkles this year to help the Panthers improve after a rather disappointing offensive showing last year.
Birmingham-Southern was picked by many last year to challenge for the conference title, but they ended up as a middle-of-the-pack team and never had the look of a team that could seriously challenge for the title. With the loss of Sigurdarson, they will need to find a new floor leader in order to challenge this season. The Panthers will show flashes of good play, but wins will be hard to come by this year as Reboul will be forced to continually mix and match lineups in order to find a productive combination that can run his offense.
8. VMI Keydets
(Last Season: 9-18; 3-13, 9th in Big South)
Projected Starters:
G – Matt Coward, Junior – 6-0, 160 (11.9 ppg, 4.9 apg, 2.0 spg)
G – Lavar Joseph, Senior – 6-2, 170 (9.4 ppg, 35.7 3PT%)
F – Reggie Williams, Sophomore – 6-5, 195 (15.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
F – Preston Beverly, Senior – 6-6, 240 (5.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg)
C – Tadas Mankevicius, Senior – 6-9, 230 (3.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 59 FG%)
The Bart Bellairs era is over at VMI, and in comes new head coach Duggar Baucom, who has spent the last couple of years as the head coach at Division II Tusculum College. Baucom looks to bring a controlled high-energy style of game to Lexington and has stressed discipline and conditioning for this year’s team. Obviously, he will look to limit turnovers and mistakes, as those have been the biggest problems with recent Keydet teams, along with poor outside shooting.
As with any team with a new coach, it will be hard to know what to expect until the team hits the court in November. However, given the size (or lack of it) of this year’s team and the strengths of the returning players, you can probably count on the Keydets to try and run whenever they can, and to try and get Williams the ball as often as they can, as he is one of the best pure scorers in this league.
Joining Williams as the featured offensive weapons will be Coward and Joseph. Both guards are able to put points on the board, though both need to be a bit more disciplined and handle the ball better. Junior Fred Robinson will contribute off the bench at the shooting guard position and sophomore Sean Christiansen, along with freshmen Chavis Holmes, Travis Holmes, and Craig McCargo will all see some playing time. And while the Keydet backcourt, along with Williams can be counted on to give VMI some scoring options, the interior players of the Keydets prove to be the biggest offensive question-marks. Baucom’s squad does not have any proven scorers down low, and he also has very little depth in the power forward and center positions. This also has the potential to hamper the Keydets’ interior defense and rebounding, though Williams and Beverly are very solid rebounders for their size. Mankevicius has the size to battle with anyone in the league inside, but he has yet to truly assert himself over his career. Junior Matt Murrer will join sophomore Justin Jarman off the bench to help the frontcourt.
Since VMI has only been in the league for two years, they are still a bit of a mystery to the rest of the league. With a new coach coming in, it is difficult to get a handle on what to expect out of this team. However, they have yet to appear outside of the bottom couple of spots of the standings, and though they have a couple of good players like Williams and Coward, they need to prove that they can protect and shoot the ball better. Also, the lack of depth inside could come back to haunt them this year too.
9. Charleston Southern Buccaneers
(Last Season: 13-17; 7-9, T-4th in Big South)
Projected Starters:
G – Terrell Brown, Senior – 5-9, 155 (10.0 ppg, 3.1 apg, 37.8 3PT%)
G – Thomas Harrison, Senior – 6-1, 180 (8.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
G – Dwayne Jackson, Junior – 6-4, 185 (JuCo Transfer)
F – Trent Drafts, Senior – 6-8, 185 (Injured last season)
F – Ferdinand Cain, Senior – 6-8, 210 (2.2 ppg, 53.5 FG)
The Bucs were one win away from the Big Dance last year, upsetting Liberty and High Point on the road before falling to Winthrop in the championship game. However, CSU faces a lot of questions coming into this year, as they have a new head coach and no experience in the frontcourt.
Almost two months after their season ended last year, CSU head coach Jim Platt unexpectedly resigned, taking a position as an assistant at Army. This left the Charleston Southern administration scrambling for a new coach. They ended up landing Barclay Radebaugh, who spent last year as an assistant at Miami, but before that had a year’s experience as a head coach at Queens College, along with assistant coaching stints at both Winthrop and South Carolina. He likely got the nod due to his experience at coaching in the state of South Carolina and the Big South conference.
Radebaugh inherits a team that has a ton of experience and depth in the backcourt, but having to replace a frontcourt that lost its three best players in Kurtis Rice, Nathan Ball, and Jovan Jegdic. None of the returning ‘big guys’ have any substantial playing experience, with only Cain having spent any substantial time on the court in recent years. Drafts has the height of a forward, but he is much more comfortable on the perimeter than banging bodies down low. Almost all of Radebaugh’s recruiting was aimed at bringing in bodies to fill in down low, but it is too early to tell which, if any, of the newcomers will be able to fill the shoes of the departed players.
The backcourt features plenty of experienced players, and though none of them are likely to garner any first-team all-conference honors at the end of the year, Radebaugh will be able to play a lot of different combinations and keep fresh bodies on the court. Brown will be expected to be the anchor among the guards, and he proved during the second half of his junior year that his outside shot and his speed are both dangerous weapons. Harrison, sophomore Chris Moore, and junior Donnell Covington are all versatile enough to play the one, two, or three spots on the court, though none will completely dazzle you. The X-Factor for CSU’s backcourt is Jackson. One of the Bucs biggest weaknesses is the lack of a true go-to guy, but if Jackson is able to bring the scoring ability that he had in high school and junior college to the BucDome, then he will definitely earn a lot of playing time and open up the floor for Brown, Drafts, and the rest of the team.
With a new coach and no proven players in the paint, it is hard to see CSU having much success this year. Their guards will keep them in games at times, but unless some of the unknowns in the frontcourt emerge to become scoring threats, then defenses will be able to key on the CSU guards. Also, Rice, Ball, and Jegdic were the Bucs’ three best rebounders last year and all solid post defenders. Radebaugh will have to find reliable rebounders or he will be looking at many nights where his team is out-rebounded and out-muscled around the basket. Their guards are good, but not good enough to carry the Bucs out of the bottom portion of the standings.
