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 4, 2017
I. Inside the SoCon
The calendar has turned to 2017 and thus the real season - conference play - is now in full swing. With 18 non-conference road wins and the league ranked 14th in the RPI, the Southern Conference has positioned itself very well as league play began last week. What fans need to keep in mind is the SoCon plays a full round-robin schedule. That is, all members will play each other home and away, making for a true regular season champion.
I know the SoCon, like most Division I conferences, struggles to get 18 league games to fit into a regular season, thereby requiring that league games be played prior to New Year’s Day. It may sound quirky and the finances might be difficult to work out but the league should consider having all 10 members play one league game on the Saturday prior to New Year’s Day at the U.S. Cellular Center in Asheville. With students gone from campuses for the holidays, this would potentially help drive interest in SoCon basketball and serve as a tip-off to league play. This idea would give teams the chance to play in the arena prior to the conference tournament. Most importantly, it may give the league’s basketball programs some regional attention that time of year. Five teams would give up a home game (not against their chosen rival), and then the other five league members would give up a home game the following season. The league could use the tagline: #ItBeginsAndEndsInAshevile.
Regardless, there will be ups and downs among all the teams this season, so fans can’t get too high or too low. We’ve already seen “upsets” so fans simply need to let things play out over the next two months. Also, by the time we get to Asheville in early March, there won’t be many secrets among teams so we should have a terrific post-season tournament.
One of the most difficult things for SoCon coaches is the preparation that is necessary to be successful in this league. No two teams are alike. For example, The Citadel plays at break neck speed averaging over 100 points per game while Western Carolina averages just 57 ppg. Some teams press (Samford), while others prefer to play strong, half-court man-to-man defense (Wofford) and the differences go on and on. The contrasting styles make for lots of fun for the fans, but it can be tough on a staff preparing a game plan, especially during a Thursday-Saturday road trip.
Everything said, I firmly believe we are in for one of the most exciting conference seasons in a very long time. There’s talent on each roster and lots of good coaching, so buckle up for a very fun and no doubt wild ride in January and February!
II. Replay
While I believe replay has helped the college game, I have a few issues with the current format. First, while the intent is to “get the call right”, officials are simply taking too long to determine the call. As important as it is, I would be in favor of a time limit placed on officials. I’m not suggesting a quick 30-second limit, yet it would help all involved and keep the flow of the game going if a 2-minute maximum limit was put in place.
More importantly, there needs to be a rule that all players in the game cannot go to the sideline and visit with their coaches. These stoppages in play are being used like a timeout by coaches. This was not the intent of the rule when replay was installed. In fact, we’ve seen many times where a team that is out of timeouts “steals” 60 to 90-seconds which allows their coach to draw up a play or set the defense. This is simply not fair.
The NCAA rules committee would be well-served to keep the use of replay, but tweak the way it’s handled and install some parameters. The intent was to get the correct ruling, not give one team an advantage.
III. Did You Know
20th Anniversary of a Perfect Season
During the 1996-1997 season, Paul Cluxton established a NCAA record that may very well last forever. In fact, his record will never be broken, only potentially tied. Cluxton played for Northern Kentucky University when the Norse where still Division II. He made all 94 free throw attempts, a NCAA record at all levels.
How close has a SoCon player ever gotten to this record? Appalachian State’s Donald Sims missed just nine of his 184 free throw attempts (.951) during the 2009-2010 season.
Having a Security Blanket
Wofford’s Eric Garcia (4.83) and Samford’s Christen Cunningham (3.91) rank third and ninth respectively in the nation in Assist to Turnover Ratio. Warren Sledge (3.16) is 24th, which is also amazing considering the pace at which The Citadel plays. Congratulations!
IV. Impact of Transfers
Transfers come in a variety of forms these days. They come from four-year institutions, junior colleges and as graduate transfers who are eligible immediately. Regardless, transferring has become a way of life in college basketball. This season, transfers are making a big splash in the Southern Conference. While some have been in the league for a few years, others are making their mark this season. Here are some of the top transfers in the SoCon this season are:
1. Ria’n Holland (Mercer) – Started his career at Wichita State, then spent one year at Indian Hills CC. Without a doubt the top transfer in the league thus far. In fact, he enters conference play as a Player of the Year candidate. He can really score the ball!
2. T.J. Cromer (ETSU) - The junior college transfer followed ETSU assistant Brian Collins from Columbia State College and was terrific last year. He continues to be one of the top performers/scorers in the SoCon
3. Hanner Mosquera-Perea (ETSU) – The transfer from the Indiana University has also been great for coach Steve Forbes and leads the Bucs in rebounding
4. Tre’ McLean (Chattanooga) - The fifth-year senior started his career at Division II Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is now one of the top players in the Southern Conference!
5. Justin Tuoyo (Chattanooga) – We’ve known about him for a while, but you may have forgotten he started his career at VCU. He is currently fifth all-time in the SoCon in blocked shots. And by the way, he currently ranks 11th in scoring, third in rebounding and first in FG percentage and blocked shots
6. Demetrius Denzel-Dyson (Samford) – He started his career at UMass and sat out last year. The 6’5” wing is a shot-maker and if he learns to play hard all the time, he will be one of the top players in the league
7. Ryan Sawvell (Wofford) – The transfer from the University of Evansville has been more than solid for the Terriers. I love the bounce and activity in his game
8. Alex Thompson (Samford) – Another four-year transfer by way of Auburn. Thompson is proving to be the perfect fit in Scott Padgett’s system as he can really stretch the floor with his 3-point shooting ability.
9. Ryan Johnson (Mercer) – He started his career at Rutgers, then spent a year at Tallahassee CC in Florida. He has been good off the bench for Bob Hoffman’s Bears
10. Tevin Glass (ETSU) – He has played for Steve Forbes at Northwest Florida State, Wichita State and now ETSU. The 6’8” forward from Norcross, Ga., can rebound with the best of them
11. Desmond Ringer (Mercer) – The transfer from South Carolina has been solid in the middle for the Bears. Now in his second season in Macon, he is really starting to assert himself offensively.
12. David Burrell (ETSU) – The junior college transfer from SW Tennessee CC has been instant offense off the bench for the Bucs. He is 15-27 from 3FG on the season. Now he needs to start making his free throws (11-24)
V. Young Guns
While most league members are relying on upperclassmen, we are seeing that there is a lot of good, young talent in the Southern Conference. This bodes well for the future of the league. Here are a few of the young guns to keep an eye on:
• Adam Rich (VMI)
• Triston Chambers (Samford)
• Josh Sharkey (Samford)
• Preston Parks (Citadel)
• Kaelon Harris (Citadel)
• Frankie Johnson (Citadel)
• James Dickey (UNCG)
• Malik Massey (UNCG)
• Nathan Hoover (Wofford)
• Jordan Lyons (Furman)
• Adam Sledd (Western Carolina)
VI. The SoCon Ladder
We’ve completed the non-conference slate and are into conference play, so it’s time to begin the annual SoCon Ladder. I know this will cause debate, but be patient as it’s going to be a very competitive race this season; therefore it will take time for things to play out. With that said…..
1. Chattanooga – Make no mistake, Matt McCall’s group will be the hunted all season. They handled things well until last Monday when they lost a 12-point lead at UNCG. The Mocs are 1-1 in league play, but now must take advantage of their schedules as five of their next six are at home
2. ETSU – The Bucs finished their non-conference schedule at 10-3, the most non-conference wins since the 1990-1991 season. They are talented and play hard, therefore, I put the Bucs as “1B” on the Ladder. On a neutral floor, I don’t think there is much difference between them and Chattanooga
3. Samford – Scott Padgett and staff have blended a group of talented transfers along with a nice group of returning players and it showed in the non-conference. More importantly, they swept their UNCG/WCU road trip this past weekend to open league play. That’s huge for a program that has not had a winning season in a decade
4. Furman – I like this team. Most important is that they have learned how to win. Want proof? The Paladins have won 11 straight league games at home!
5. UNCG – The Spartans are very dangerous. They recovered from a home loss to Samford on Saturday by beating Chattanooga. All the pieces are there, they just need to stay healthy and maintain a high level of consistency
6. The Citadel – The Bulldogs are playing just like Coach Baucom wants – fast, very fast. In fact, they lead the nation in scoring offense. No doubt, they will be a very tough out for every league opponent as Wofford found out on Monday
7. Wofford – While the Terriers struggled a bit through a difficult non-conference schedule, they will be fine in conference play. Senior point guard Eric Garcia is playing at a high level and that’s a very good sign
8. Mercer - The Bears were also challenged with a very difficult non-conference schedule and while they had several heart-breaking loses, this is a talented team. No question, they will be a force in SoCon play, especially inside Hawkins Arena, but the key may be Stephon Jelks. He must get back to all-conference form for the Bears
9. Western Carolina – I’m like a broken record, but never count out a Larry Hunter-coached team! That said, this group needs a break-through win for confidence
10. VMI – Dan Earl and staff have the Keydets playing hard, but this team’s margin for error is razor thin. They need to withstand the first part of conference play as six of their first eight are on the road
Follow me throughout the year on twitter: @DeanKeener1