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
 
 
I.    Inside the SoCon

It’s hard to believe, but we are nearing the halfway mark of conference play. During the past two seasons, there is no doubt in my mind that the Southern Conference has established itself as one of the premier leagues outside the power conferences. There is little hesitation that the top teams in the Southern Conference would compete for championships. But as exciting as it’s been, there are still lots of questions that need to be asked, although finding the correct answers are a bit more difficult. Here are some lingering questions that I’ve heard related to SoCon men’s basketball:

•    Can the SoCon gain an at-large bid? The Southern Conference currently has three teams in the top 100 in the NET rankings, but things would have to fall right for an at-large. If ETSU wins out and finishes the regular-season at 28-3 or even 27-4, it would certainly be in the discussion during the SoCon tournament. As talented as UNC Greensboro is, I don’t think it can raise its NET ranking (No. 71 as of Jan. 22) enough to be in consideration. The Spartans need to win – and cheer for LSU and Georgetown
•    Is Western Carolina ready for prime time? Yes, this team is good! Although the Catamounts are still looking for a true signature win. The health (and availability) of Carlos Dotson certainly factors into how good they can be during the second half of conference play
•    Can Chattanooga become a top-tier team? Yes, this group has all the ingredients to compete at a high level. The win over Wofford proved the Mocs can beat anyone in the league
•    Can VMI find a way to get a win on the road? The Keydets played well at Mercer (Jan. 15). This young group has grit and resiliency and will be a tough out at home and on the road. They will get someone away from Cameron Hall very soon
•    What happened to Ross Cummings? Unfortunately, one of the best shooters in the Southern Conference has battled a foot injury all season. No doubt, this has stunted the growth of Greg Gary’s first team
•    Who’s competing for Coach of the Year? I’ve said this many times, but the current collection of coaches in the league are as good as we’ve seen in many years. What Steve Forbes has done and is doing at ETSU is nothing short of fantastic. UNCG’s Wes Miller continues to get his guys to play at a high level, Furman’s Bob Richey has proven that the Paladins are solid in everything they do, Jay McAuley has shown that he was the right person for the Wofford job and Western Carolina’s Mark Prosser has turned around the Catamounts in short order
•    Who’s really competing for Player of the Year honors? Much like Coach of the Year, there are plenty of candidates – and lots of time for others to make their case – but as of today in no specific order it looks like UNCG’s Isaiah Miller, Furman’s Jordan Lyons, Western Carolina’s Mason Faulkner and Samford’s Josh Sharkey are candidates. But what about ETSU, who has two or three candidates? Then there are Clay Mounce and Noah Gurley at Furman, who have been outstanding, and Ethan Stair who has been terrific for Mercer, but the Bears are probably not good enough to consider having a POY

It’s exciting to know that Southern Conference basketball is doing so well. For those that have followed this league the past few years, the successes are no surprise and they understand that nothing will be settled until we get to Asheville in early March. 


II.    Did You Know?

•    ETSU remains the only team that is unbeaten at home. The Bucs are 11-0 inside Freedom Hall
•    ETSU leads the league in attendance. The Bucs are currently averaging 4,231 fans. UNCG is second, averaging 3,355 per home contest
•    There are five SoCon teams in the top 30 in Division I in 3-point field goals attempted. VMI is second in Division I having attempted 597 3s through 20 games
•    UNCG is 10th in the country in scoring defense. Not surprisingly, the Spartans are fifth in steals per game
•    Josh Sharkey leads the league in assists and steals and is third in scoring and second in minutes played. Pretty impressive!
•    James Dickey is just 106 rebounds from becoming the UNCG all-time leader. The Spartans have a minimum of 12 games remaining, thus he needs to average 8.8 per game. He currently leads the Southern Conference at 9.0 rebounds per game
•    Chattanooga has never had a losing record in 38 years playing at McKenzie Arena. They are currently 7-1 at home with six remaining home games, so the streak will remain intact


III.    Technology and College Basketball

As a young coach trying to break into the profession in 1988, “technology” was much different for me than those starting off today. Phones certainly weren’t smart and were only as mobile as the length of the cord. There was no texting or electronic mail, only hand-written notes to recruits, their families and high school coaches (travel basketball was still in its infancy stages). Programs would spend a ton of time designing notecards and other stationary items in order to “stand out” with prospects. Without the Internet, there weren’t any recruiting websites, just newspapers and recruiting services that were typed and sent by regular U.S. Mail. And as difficult as it is for this generation to understand, there was no social media!

Video technology, while thought to be cutting-edge in 1988, was also very different. Where in the past, colleges had relied on scouting reports from coaching colleagues and paid individuals to do live game scouting, videotapes had become the new norm. Cable television was starting to explode; therefore, you could copy a few games from television, but not nearly all the necessary games. There were also companies that acquired tapes throughout the season and you could buy from them. But the thing most schools did was exchange VHS tapes with common opponents.

As the film exchange coordinator, I would send out requests in the fall to our opponents’ opponents. I would ask that they send their game tapes by overnight express mail or by bus (yes, I picked up many VHS tapes at a Greyhound bus station) the day after their game. This took an extraordinary amount of time and planning in order to get all the tapes a head coach wanted, but it ensured that the staff would be able to properly scout an opponent. 

New digital technology now allows coaches to maximize their preparation time. There are several comprehensive platforms available for video editing, game planning and analysis. All are very efficient. Coaches can also extend technology beyond their offices and access video from any computer or tablet. Assistant coaches and/or video coordinators can log on and manage film quickly and efficiently while viewing statistical breakdowns with related video from anywhere at any time. And most importantly, they can share this information with players very quickly.  My, how technology has changed in the last 30 years!


IV.    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 (a must follow on Twitter) tracks college hoops like no one else
•    CollegeInsider.com – Terrific site for college basketball. Also, it lists a mid-major top 25 poll each week
•    InsideHoops.com – For the most up-to-date basketball news (NBA, college and high school), this is a must      
•    BleacherReport.com – Bleacher Report covers all levels of basketball with an entertaining spin
•    KenPom.com – A paid site. This is widely regarded as the premier site for college basketball analytics
•    HoopDirt.com – If you like staying on top of college basketball’s coaching carousel, then this site is for you
•    CoachGeorgeRaveling.com – A great site for coaches and teachers. This site is more than just basketball


V.    SoCon Ladder

This is always difficult to compile and no doubt, this Ladder could very well look different in early February, but for now here are the selections as of Jan. 22: 

1.    ETSU – The Bucs are solid from top to bottom. They’ve had eight different leading scorers which suggests this team has great chemistry and simply wants to win. Even without Jeromy Rodriguez, they have enough talent to beat the top teams in the league
2.    UNCG – Wes Miller’s group weathered a tough stretch. After losing close games against Wofford (2OT) and ETSU, the Spartans have now won three in a row
3.    Wofford – This program knows how to win. That mentality will serve the Terriers well as three of the next four are on the road 
4.    Furman – After riding a seven-game winning streak, the Paladins have lost two of their last three. That said, they are still one of the most talented teams in the league and should be right there all season
5.    Western Carolina – Mark Prosser and staff have done a remarkable job turning the program around in year two
6.    Chattanooga – The Mocs are playing good basketball. Their game in Johnson City this Saturday should be a classic. This rivalry is alive and well. If you don’t like noise or toughness, then stay away from Freedom Hall on Jan. 25
7.    Mercer – The Bears are playing better and riding a two-game winning streak. Djordje Dimitrijevic is a big reason for the resurgence as the senior guard has poured in 85 points in their last three games
8.    Samford – The Bulldogs have not been able to get over the hump and with its next four (at Furman, UNCG, UTC and at Wofford) looming, the Bulldogs will need to be at their best. Josh Sharkey is one of the most talented players in the league, so that bodes well
9.    VMI – When the Keydets are dialed in on defense, they are a difficult match up. As this group continues to learn and grow, they will only get better. And with that should come wins 
10.    The Citadel – The Bulldogs have hit a tough stretch, but my thinking is Duggar Baucom and staff will get things right. I’d been very nervous if I was on The Citadel’s upcoming schedule


Until the next “Dean’s List” on Feb. 5, follow me on Twitter: @DeanKeener1