Note: The following piece was prepared by Dean Keener, who provides commentary on Southern Conference men’s basketball broadcasts. "The Dean's List" will appear every two weeks from Jan. 8 until the Southern Conference basketball tournament in March.
Keener played collegiately at Davidson before embarking on a successful 20-year coaching career. He served as head coach at James Madison from 2004-08.
Keener and play-by-play announcer Darren Goldwater's next broadcast is January 20 on CSS when Wofford hosts Western Carolina. You can follow him on twitter: @DeanKeener1
The Dean’s List
January 8, 2014
I. Inside SoCon Hoops (a look back at the nonconference slate)
Wow, another non-conference season has come and gone and we have already started conference play.
During the past two months, most fans of Southern Conference basketball feel as though an opportunity was missed by a few different teams. There is simply no way to sugarcoat it. It was a tough go during the nonconference slate for most Southern Conference teams. Every league member had opportunities to garner quality wins, but simply couldn’t do it on a consistent basis. The league also lost a number of “winnable” nonconference games – those match-ups against teams in comparable conferences. Not being able to close out tight contests seemed to be the biggest issue. SoCon teams were just 6-15 in non-conference games decided by 4 points or less in November and December. I’m not sure any one factor played a bigger part; teams played well at times, but just could not finish out the close ones.
There are still two remaining nonconference games of note: Elon hosts UMass (currently #19) on January 18 in Alumni Gym. This is great opportunity against a ranked team on-campus. No doubt, Alumni Gym will be rocking! On February 4, Chattanooga travels to Eastern Kentucky in another key non-conference match up.
Scheduling is always a challenge at the mid-major level. I coached for 20 years – at various levels of Division I. I handled scheduling as an assistant and head coach. Make no mistake that it can be very difficult building out a schedule that has to satisfy so many masters (players, administrators, recruits, season ticket holders, fans, etc.). I understand that every team is in a different place. Some programs are building, while others are more mature. I also recognize that location can play a factor in a school’s ability to attract “quality” opponents to their on campus arena. Finally, I get that there is a need for a certain number of home games (per an AD’s request) as well as the need for a “win” on the schedule. When you add in all these factors across different campuses, there is very little a conference office can do in terms of scheduling. But one issue the league may want to look at is how many non-Division I games are being played by each school.
All that being said, I still trust that this will be an exciting year in conference play. There are several teams that need to start hitting their stride, but the parity in the league this season bodes well for a thrilling eight weeks of action. Remember, hope springs eternal and the conference season gives new hope to all eleven teams, therefore every program and its fan base should feel as though they have a chance this year! Believe me when I say that there will be more wild than mild in the months ahead during conference play.
II. Did You Know?
Of the three players that led the league in a statistical category last season, only Marshall Harris III (The Citadel) currently leads the same category this season:
Karl Cochran (Wofford)
· Steals – currently 3rd (1.6)
Lucas Troutman (Elon)
· Blocks – currently 2nd (1.8)
Marshall Harris III (The Citadel)
· Assists – currently leads the league (4.4)
III. Young Stars
Almost daily this time of year, you can find lists of the nation’s top freshmen. While there may not be any “one and done” players in the Southern Conference, it’s another good year for newcomers.
In no particular order, here’s an early look at some of the best freshmen in the Southern Conference:
Jaylen Allen (Wofford) – Tennessee native is wired to score
Isaiah Williams (Samford) - Has made his presence known on a team with multiple scorers
Greg Pryor (Chattanooga) – Was thrust into a major role and has provided stability at the point for the Mocs. He will benefit from Ronrico White’s return
Tevon Saddler (UNCG) – May be the most gifted scorer in this freshmen class
Brian White (The Citadel) – Not always pretty, but he has a real knack at putting the ball in the basket
William Gates (Furman) – Excellent late signee by Niko Medved. Gates can really shoot the long ball
IV. The SoCon Ladder (as of January 8):
This is really difficult. A slew of key injuries, a few suspensions and some unsteady play make this a very fluid list. I’ve added a New Year’s Resolution in hopes that it brings a little luck to each program:
1. Elon – Phoenix have not been able to capture a signature win, but still rank as one of the teams to beat. Soon to have FOUR 1,000 point scorers – and that doesn’t count Tanner Sampson who is having a break-out season shooting 49.5% from 3FG – Elon has lots of firepower! But it’s hard to believe that Lucas Troutman is only 8th in the league in rebounding. New Year’s Resolution: Hit a groove with huge games (at Davidson 1/16 and #19 UMass 1/18) looming.
2. Davidson – The Wildcats have the best non-conference wins thus far (UGA and Charlotte). But you simply cannot judge them until Brooks and Droney are back and have some games under their belt (Brooks may be back after a career-high 28 points on Saturday!). Even with them, they need to shore up their defense in order to have a chance at a three-peat. New Year’s Resolution: Re-gain their magic at the free throw line. The Wildcats are just 67.8% as a team!
3. Western Carolina – A lack of offensively consistency from a veteran group is concerning, but the Catamounts are really good at home. Beating UNCG and Elon last week was a nice start to conference play. New Year’s Resolution: Road wins. Their success will be determined by how they play away from the Ramsey Center.
4. Wofford – As we have learned over the years, the Terriers are a slow burn – they will just get better as the season goes on. It is hard to believe Karl Cochran has started just three games this season. New Year’s Resolution: Home games. Just 5 of their first 14 have been in the friendly confines of Benjamin Johnson Arena.
5. UTC – Up and down like a roller coaster in the non-conference, but some of that was due to health issues. Z Mason is back and playing at a very high level. The Mocs have hit a nice stride and sweeping their first conference road swing in six years suggests they have the best chance to catch fire. New Year’s Resolution: Good health. Keep Z. Mason and Ronrico White healthy during conference play.
6. UNCG – Simply too many freshmen in the backcourt along with a killer schedule to properly judge the Spartans. But the win at Virginia Tech and the fight they showed against NC State shows the Spartans will garner more than a few wins in conference play. New Year’s Resolution: Consistency. A young group that has showed signs of greatness needs to smooth out the highs and lows.
7. Georgia Southern – If the Eagles could play 3-on-3 with just guards, they might win the league (Jelani Hewitt and Tre` Bussey are getting almost 40ppg). Too bad you need some size to win the SoCon. New Year’s Resolution: Help in the frontcourt.
8. Samford – A team that’s still finding its way through the first half of the season. Tim Williams has been one of the more consistent players in the league night in and night out, but the Bulldogs just have not been able to gather any kind of consistency as a group. New Year’s Resolution: Defensively mentality. Bulldogs have enough offensive firepower to be good.
9. Furman – I witnessed the Paladins take Florida Gulf Coast to the wire in November. They have shown moments of real improvement under Niko Medved and will continue to get better. New Year’s Resolution: Learn to share. Paladins are last in the league in assists.
10. Appalachian State – I still believe the Mountaineers can make a run at the top half of the league, but the time is now and they need everyone focused! New Year’s Resolution: Get Jay Canty back. The pre-season all-conference guard can help. Now he needs to shake the rust – and fast!
11. The Citadel – Where are PJ Hogran and CJ Bray when you need them? Injuries set the Bulldogs back before they got started this year, therefore the margin for error is razor thin for the Bulldogs. Brian White has been a bright spot and is one of the best freshmen in the league. New Year’s Resolution: A breakthrough moment. The Bulldogs are really close and simply need to have some positive things happen.