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

 

January 18, 2017

I. Inside the SoCon

Wow, what an opening three weeks of league play! The Southern Conference is off to a terrific start and one of its most competitive seasons in recent memory. We are just one third of the way through conference play and it’s already confirmed that the league race is wide open. I firmly believe three and possibly four losses will win the regular season title.

Most people who follow the league knew that Chattanooga and ETSU were going to be very good and they have not disappointed. But UNCG has been a real surprise with wins over UTC and ETSU. The Spartans are playing very good basketball. The Samford Bulldogs are also another pleasant surprise. Both teams are playing at a high level and have gained enough confidence to beat anyone at any time. And even though Furman, Mercer and Wofford have not had the start they might have hoped for, they are all more than capable of stringing together wins against anyone in the league.

It’s going to be interesting to see how things play out; but most importantly it’s exciting to know that Southern Conference men’s basketball is alive and well.

II. Recruiting during the season

Recruiting is the lifeline of any college program. Therefore, it’s something that a coaching staff needs to touch every day. But during the season, it can be especially difficult for the head coach as he is pulled in so many directions. Games, practice planning, media obligations, weekly radio shows, alumni functions and other requirements mean that there is limited time to watch prospects in practice and/or games.

This is where the value of good assistants comes into play. While assistants help at practice, individual workouts and scouting of opponents, their main responsibility is to “keep the music playing” with regards to recruiting. They must recruit the current class while keeping an eye on younger prospects. For the three assistants on a staff, it is a time-consuming process but something that needs to be done with laser focus. It is critical that a head coach trusts his assistants’ evaluations of players. Therefore, the staff needs to be fully aligned as it relates to what future needs are as well as what type of player will fit into the program.
Coaches always say, “It’s not the ones you don’t get that hurt you; it’s the ones you get that can’t play that hurt you!

III. Social Media

For better or worse, social media plays a huge part in college athletics. In fact, it’s taken over recruiting and also plays a part in providing fans scores and updates. For the college basketball fan, I wanted to provide some of my personal favorites.

Twitter:
• Jon Rothstein: @JonRothstein
• Jeff Goodman: @GoodmanESPN
• Bleacher Report: @br_CBB
• Jay Bilas: @JayBilas
• Southern Conference: @SoConSports
• American Sports Network: @LiveOnASN

Websites:
• soconsports.com – Everything you need to know about the Southern Conference
• espn.com – The power of ESPN is simply too big to ignore. Great writers and great information on their college basketball site
• cbssports.com – Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander are two of the best writers in college basketball and Jon Rothstein (follow on twitter) follows college hoops like no one else
• collegeinsider.com – Terrific site for college basketball. Also, the list a mid-major Top 25 each week – Niko Medved is on the voting panel
• sportingnews.com – Similar to the major sites (ESPN, CBS, etc.), but with a bit of an edge
• bbstate.com – Tons of information about every conference and school
• kenpom.com – A paid site. It is widely regarded as the premier site for college basketball analytics
• CoachGeorgeRaveling.com – A great site for coaches and teachers. This site is more than just basketball

IV. Did You Know?

Go West
The 2017 Final Four is in Phoenix, Arizona. The last time the National Championship was in the Western Time Zone was 1995 when the Final Four was in Seattle, Washington.

National Leader
I find it amazing (actually a compliment to the coaching staff) that Wofford again has a player among the leaders in free throw percentage. But it’s not the same player! Last year, Fletcher Magee led the nation. Currently, senior Eric Garcia is third in the nation.

V. National Anthem and pre-game handshake

A few years ago on this site, I wrote about the post-game handshake. I mentioned how every game coaches and players go to war and when the final buzzer sounds, very few want to shake hands with the opposition. I still believe that. In fact, I’m of the opinion that 90 percent of all college coaches dislike shaking hands after the game when they lose. For those inside the game, it’s known as “the fly by” - a very quick handshake by the losing coach without any words being exchanged.

Recently, I have wondered why so many teams do not stay on the court for the National Anthem? I believe both the handshake and national anthem involve sportsmanship and learning to do things “the right way.” That said, I feel the NCAA should make it mandatory that the National Anthem be played prior to the introduction of the starting lineups (with both teams on the court) followed by a pre-game handshake.

A pre-game handshake would also avoid the possibility of a possible “flare-up” between players after an emotional game. Coaches, players as well as fans are emotional after a loss. This routine may prevent players and fans from saying things to each other or fans throwing objects on the court.

I’m not sure why the NCAA would not mandate such a simple rule that involves sportsmanship!

VI. SoCon Ladder

This is becoming very difficult as things continue to be refined on an almost daily basis. No doubt, this Ladder could look different in early February, but for now here are the selections as of January 18.

1. UNCG – The Spartans have proven they are for real as they’ve beaten UTC and ETSU in the early going! They have all the ingredients for a good team and it’s showing. The key is to remain level-headed and focused on the end goal as they are now the hunted

2. Chattanooga – The Mocs continue to get everyone’s best shot and for the most part have reacted the right way. This is a really good basketball team with talent, experience and solid coaching

3. ETSU – There is a very small margin of difference in the top three teams. Trust me; the Bucs are really good and capable of beating anyone at any time!

4. Samford – Scott Padgett and staff have put together a team that can win at home as well as on the road. The Bulldogs are a very solid team and fun to watch

5. Wofford – The Terriers beat rival Furman last Saturday. This not only stopped a three-game skid, but should give Mike Young’s group the needed confidence they have lacked recently

6. Furman – It’s hard putting the Paladins in the sixth slot as they will gain quality wins during conference play. I have a feeling they will move up the Ladder in future weeks

7. Mercer – Similar to Furman, it’s difficult saying Mercer is the seventh best team in the SoCon. But until they can close out close games, this is where they are slotted

8. The Citadel – The Bulldogs have lost three of their last four, but those have come against ETSU, Chattanooga and Samford so there is no need to panic.

9. VMI – The Keydets have shown glimpses of really good basketball. Unfortunately, they are getting ready for a tough three-game road stretch (at Wofford, at Furman and at UTC) and will need to elevate their game.

10. Western Carolina – The young Catamounts will gain wins as their offense gets better. The most important thing right now is keeping confidence during a tough stretch.

Until the next “Dean’s List” on February 1, follow me on twitter: @DeanKeener1