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 28, 2018
I. Inside the SoCon
It’s hard to believe, but we are less than 48 hours from the start of the 98th Southern Conference Basketball Tournament in Asheville, North Carolina! There is simply no better time of year as the calendar is turning to March. For SoCon fans nothing compares as there is so much riding on every possession in every game. It’s a nerve-racking time for coaches and players, but a thrilling weekend for fans.
For the first time in league history, the Southern Conference has four teams with 20 wins before the tournament starts. While UNCG enters as the regular season champion, make no mistake that I believe that six teams have the capability to win the tournament. ETSU is leaking some oil but still very capable. Mercer is the hottest team having won eight straight. Furman and Wofford certainly have the talent to win three straight in Asheville and Western Carolina is a dark horse if their offense is solid. But equally important is all ten teams can win one or more games which could throw things into total chaos by the time we hit Sunday.
Personally, I don’t know who will win the tournament, but I am sure there will be upsets due to the competitive balance of the league this year. It’s going to be a great weekend of basketball in Asheville!
II. Celebrating “The Best of Everything”
As mentioned it’s been a great regular season, but before we get to the post-season tournament, let’s take a minute and celebrate those that deserve recognition.
In what has become an annual list, the following are my 2017-2018 Dean’s List post-season award winners:
Best starting five – Furman
• Repeat winners. The Paladins simply have a nice blend of talent and experience in their starting five. Best of all, they have terrific chemistry. But UNCG and ETSU certainly have an argument
Best bench – ETSU
• The Bucs don’t lose much when they go to their bench. This is a major reason why they were 14-4 in league play
Best backcourt – ETSU
• Lots to choose from in the league, but the Bucs backcourt is very dangerous. Bradford, McCloud, Payne, Long. This is a very deep group!
Best frontcourt – UNCG
• Jordy Kuiper has had a terrific senior season, but sophomore James Dickey is the next star in the league. Kyrin Galloway also helps make this a terrific group
Best freshman – Bubba Parham (VMI)
• This was tough, but Parham was outstanding in conference play. Other talented freshmen include Bo Hodges (ETSU), Isaiah Miller (UNCG), Storm Murphy (Wofford), Matt Halvorsen (Western Carolina), Marcus Cohen (Mercer) and Mladen Armus (ETSU). All have a chance to be really good players in this league. By the way, for all the older transfers Steve Forbes takes, he has two of the best young players in the league!
Best sophomore – James Dickey (UNCG)
• Numbers simply don’t lie. Dickey is a big-time difference maker. He led the league in rebounding and blocked shots. He has a very bright future
Best junior – Fletcher Magee (Wofford)
• This is the best class in the Southern Conference. Therefore, this race was really close, but in the end Magee is one of the great shooters/scorers in college basketball and the choice here. Francis Alonso (UNCG) is a very close second
Best senior – Desonta Bradford (ETSU)
• This was also a tough call as several players had terrific senior seasons. Bradford was really good from start to finish. Devin Sibley (Furman) and Demetrius Denzel-Dyson (Samford) also deserve mention as they had outstanding final campaigns
Best 6th man – Bo Hodges (ETSU)
• The freshman averaged over 9.0 ppg on a veteran team. More importantly, he kept the music going when he came into the game. This kid is going to have a great career in Johnson City. Jordan Lyons (Furman) was also a terrific player off the bench for the Paladins, although he started a few games in mid/late February
Best newcomer – Mike Amius (Western Carolina)
• The junior college transfer was terrific from the start. Also under close consideration was guard Justin Coleman (Samford)
Best long range shooter – Fletcher Magee (Wofford)
• Magee can knock down threes with the best of them. Francis Alonso (UNCG) is a close second! Ross Cummings (Mercer), Triston Chambers (Samford) and Andrew Brown (Furman) also deserve mention
Best dunker – Demetre Rivers (Mercer)
• Repeat winner. There are a lot of good athletes in the Southern Conference, but I don’t believe there are a lot of great dunkers. Rivers is long, athletic and can hammer it home. By the way, UNCG freshman Isaiah Miller is the next great dunker in the SoCon
Best defender – James Dickey (UNCG)
• Dickey blocks over two shots per game and alters several more. Enough said
Best glue guy – Marvin Smith (UNCG)
• Smith has improved each season. This season he scored, rebounded but was also asked to defend the top perimeter players in the league. He was rock solid in everything he did
Best in the clutch – Fletcher Magee (Wofford)
• Everyone knows he is going to take the final shot for Wofford, but he consistently wills the Terriers to victories with his talent and toughness
Best versatility – Matt Rafferty (Furman)
• The Southern Conference version of the Swiss army knife, Rafferty does a little bit of everything for the Paladins. He scores in double figures, is third in the league in rebounding, sixth in steals and dishes out almost 3 assists per game. He’s also a high IQ defender. I would say this guy is pretty versatile
Best player who didn’t get an award by the media or coaches – Ross Cummings (Mercer)
• Cummings was vital to his team’s success, but he did not win a post-season award by the league coaches or media. How is that possible? That said, I didn’t forget him!
Best table setter – Justin Coleman (Samford)
• The leading assist man in the Southern Conference can do a lot of things with the ball
Best in transition – Jordan Strawberry (Mercer)
• Sure he can score, but I’ve always thought Mercer is best when Strawberry is in pass-first mode
Best lungs – Nat Dixon (Chattanooga)
• The Ironman of the Southern Conference, Dixon simply did not come out in league play this season
Best toughness – Stephon Jelks (Mercer)
• Jelks plays a ton of minutes and more importantly, never complains about nagging injuries
Best charge taker - Alex Peters (Samford)
• Repeat winner. If you watch SoCon games on a regular basis you know Peters will give up his body at every opportunity
Best SoCon moment – Wofford beats #5 North Carolina
• One of the best moments in college basketball all season. Period!
Best coach – Wes Miller (UNCG)
• In a league with really good coaches, it’s hard to select just one. That said, Miller has become a very good coach. Young and inexperienced six years ago, Director of Athletics Kim Record stuck with him. He now has full command of his team. They really defend and also run their offense with precision.
But how do you not give a standing ovation to Mercer’s Bob Hoffman for leading the Bears back from the brink in late January? They have won eight straight!
Best Surprise – Ross Cummings (Mercer)
• This was an easy pick. Cummings was buried on the bench until Ria’n Holland got hurt. Then all he did was average 15 ppg during the last 12 games of conference play. Look out SoCon, this kid can shoot with Magee, Alonso, and others in the league
Best individual improvement – Rodney Chatman (Chattanooga)
• Pressed into a significant role, Chatman showed great improvement, especially at the offensive end. Mocs fans should be excited to have him for two more years
Best team improvement - Mercer
• Many thought the Bears would be the best team from start to finish. Due to injuries, they were up and down throughout November, December and part of January. Then they pulled it together and they enter the tournament as the hottest team in the league
III. It’s been a while…
While ETSU participated in the NCAA Tournament last year, for some, it’s been far too long since they last danced. Here’s offering a little luck to every team in the Tournament:
Team (last time they participated in the NCAA Tournament)
Chattanooga - 2016
Wofford – 2015
Mercer – 2014 (as member of the Atlantic Sun Conference)
UNCG - 2001
Samford – 2000 (as a member of the Trans America Athletic Conference)
Western Carolina – 1996
Furman – 1980
VMI - 1977
The Citadel – never participated
IV. Thanks to the league office
As usual, I must say thanks to Commissioner Iamarino and his staff for allowing me to report on Southern Conference Men’s Basketball again through The Dean’s List. This has been a terrific regular season in SoCon basketball and I hope that you’ve enjoyed the articles and content as much as I have enjoyed putting them together.
I look forward to seeing everyone in Asheville for a great Southern Conference Tournament!
Follow me on Twitter: @DeanKeener1