Note: The following piece was prepared by Dean Keener, who provides commentary on Southern Conference men’s basketball broadcasts.
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. You can follow him on twitter: @DeanKeener1
The Dean’s List
February 3, 2015
I. Inside the SoCon
It’s hard to believe but we are only 30 days from the 96th Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament in Asheville, N.C.! As usual, league play has been fun and very exciting thus far, but believe me when I say things are far from settled. The parity in the league this season speaks to the job many of the coaches (and staffs) have done putting together improved programs. In particular, first-year coach Steve Forbes has done a great job making ETSU competitive. Equally impressive, Niko Medved’s Furman Paladins program has more than turned the corner and is a real threat as we pass the halfway point of league play.
No doubt, every player and coach wants to win the conference tournament and punch their ticket to March Madness, but the first goal is to receive a first-round bye. No team has won four consecutive games to win the SoCon Tournament since 1939 (Clemson). There has been some separation among the top teams, but the race to land in one of the top six slots is still very much open!
II. Most Improved
College coaches talk about player development in recruiting all the time. They sell recruits on how they will help develop their game, but not all coaching staffs invest the necessary time and energy that is required to help players improve on their strengths and weaknesses on and off the floor. Player development comes in several forms. Obviously, it’s time spent on the court, in the weight room and in the film room. But it’s also learning about proper diet and nutrition, being a good teammate as well as maturing as a young person while on a college campus.
Sometimes it just takes guys longer to adjust to the speed and physicality of the college game. There are other instances where a player is simply stuck behind an older / more talented player and needs to wait his time. Unfortunately, this has led to lots of transferring in recent years when players become dissatisfied early in their career.
Because there aren’t one-and-done players in the Southern Conference, it’s always fun to see players grow and improve throughout their career.
Let’s take a quick look at those players that have shown the biggest jump in their game this season:
• Stephon Jelks (Mercer) – Jelks has become a Player of the Year candidate in just his sophomore season in Macon. He is a double-double machine that leads the league in rebounding. He’s also become a solid jump shooter, even behind the arc
• Darius Jones-Gibson (Samford) – True, he was the Bulldogs’ leading scorer last year, but his stats are way up in his senior season. In particular, he is shooting over 70 percent from the free throw stripe after just 60 percent as a junior and that’s a good thing as he gets to the line almost 7.5 times per game
• Tre’ McLean (Chattanooga) – The Queen’s (N.C.) University transfer has become a very well-rounded player under first year head coach Matt McCall. He sat out during the 2013-2014 season and last year, he found his niche’ as a defender. But he is more than that this year averaging 11.3 points per game (almost 14 ppg in league play) and is second on the Mocs in assists. He’s a big reason why the Mocs will be a favorite in Asheville
• Quinton Marshall (The Citadel) – The senior got a bit lucky with the coaching change as he fits Duggar Baucom’s style perfectly. Marshall was steady during his first three seasons in Charleston, but has exploded during his senior year. I know the style of play is fast and furious, but he has doubled his ppg output this year
• Jestin Lewis (Mercer) – Last year, the scouting report on Lewis was as a straight jump shooter. This season, you must respect him as a complete offensive threat as he leads the Bears in scoring. Lewis is averaging 24.5 ppg in his last four outings and is in a terrific grove right now
III. Taking the last shot
Good coaches at any level work on late game situations almost every day in practice. Because most games (particularly league games) come down to the final possessions, it’s imperative that players know exactly what to do in a late game setting. In fact, players should be able to run the necessary play(s) without a timeout. To this point, 13 of the league’s 47 conference games have been decided by one possession or gone into overtime this season.
During the final few possessions of a close game, there are several things that must be considered for a successful outcome:
• What is the time and score? (this will dictate everything in the final minutes of a game)
o Do you need a two or three?
o Are you in the bonus?
o Can you get two possessions within the time remaining?
• Do you have any timeouts?
• Which way is the possession arrow? (many times players will call timeout when they are going to get possession)
• Does everyone know their role?
• Does the called play have a second and third option?
• Players need to hit the boards. Many games are won on an offensive rebound, not the original shot taken
• If you don’t score and there is time remaining, do the players know who to foul?
There are a ton of moving parts in a basketball game, but with so many contests coming down to the final possession, players and coaches need to be prepared mentally and physically to win it at the end
IV. Game Day
Coaches are very funny. For the most part, they are creatures of habit and very superstitious. Very rarely do they want to change a good routine. When it comes to game day, each head coach has their own thoughts, but most will stick to a similar routine, especially if they’ve had success in the past.
For road games that require schools to have extended travel (bus ride or flight) to the opponent’s city the night before, coaches will must certainly have bed check and curfew. They will start with a team breakfast the morning of the game and then will have a "shoot around" in the arena. The shoot around is timed and usually lasts one hour. During this time coaches will have their players, stretch, free shoot and then cover the opponents scouting report. Usually this is handled by an assistant that was assigned to prepare for the game by watching several films. The assistant will then convey the information to the players by having them walk through a set number of offensive plays as well as the key out of bounds plays they anticipate seeing in the game. Finally, the coach may “show” a specific defense, including a press the team may encounter in the game. And a lot of coaches will end the shoot around with a fun game (half court shots, free throw contests, etc.) that help keep the team loose and/or bond the team, staff, managers and support personnel before heading back to the hotel.
Once back at the hotel, there is usually a study hall prior to the pre-game meal. The pre-game meal is in a hotel ballroom or meeting room. Coaches will have a catered meal ready for the team which is healthy and full of carbs (water only to drink) approximately four hours before tip-off. At the conclusion of the meal, the assistant coach assigned to the opponent will show a 10-15 minute film edit of their opponent. The clips will be of individual personnel as well as some of the offensive and defensive sets they walked through earlier in the day at the arena.
It can't be overstated that the entire day is timed and set to schedule. Coaches are creatures of habit, especially when they are winning. If they lose, all bets are off and the director of operations (staff member who usually handles team travel) will probably look for a new hotel and slightly different routine the following season.
V. The SoCon Ladder
The Ladder has solidified just a bit but the battle for the middle tournament seeds (third, fourth, fifth and sixth place) are still very much wide open. And finishing in the top six is critical so that a team doesn’t have to play in the opening round Friday evening:
1. Chattanooga – The Mocs are as good as anyone in the SoCon. Period. In fact, on a neutral court, I think they could win it all. They’ve won six in a row and 14 of 15, but they need to continue to keep playing hard and forget about everything else
2. Mercer – The Bears are also as good as anyone in the Southern Conference. They are talented and well-coached. Anyone that doesn’t think they can win it all in Asheville simply doesn’t follow college basketball
3. Furman – The Paladins program has certainly turned the corner, but how will they react now that they’ve got everyone’s attention? My guess is Niko Medved and staff will keep these guys focused and hungry into February and March
4. ETSU – The Bucs have been solid throughout conference play and are a serious title contender, but they are in the middle of a four-game road swing and need some positive results this weekend (at VMI, at UNCG). If that happens five of their last seven are at Freedom Hall where they have been really good this season
5. Wofford – The Terriers have talented experience and understand what it takes to win, but they are finding that being the hunted requires a high level focus every night out.
6. Western Carolina – The Catamounts just can’t win on the road and that’s why they’re slotted here. I like this team and know they are very well coached. It’s just a matter of getting hot down the stretch
7. UNCG – The Spartans’ margin for error is razor thin, but they have showed recently there is a lot of fight in them. By the way, Fleming Gym will be crazy Saturday at 5 p.m. when ETSU comes to town
8. The Citadel – It’s now or never for the men from the Military College of South Carolina to make a move up the ladder. Unfortunately, five of their remaining eight leagues games are on the road
9. Samford – Scott Padgett’s group has the ability to beat anyone. But with a small margin for error as well, they can also lose to anyone in league play.
10. VMI – The Keydets really need to hold serve inside Cameron Hall if they are to have any chance at a first round tournament bye
Until the next “Dean’s List” on February 17, follow me on twitter: @DeanKeener1