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 hope that this finds everyone healthy and safe during this challenging time. It’s been just over eight weeks since we crowned a champion and what a different type of offseason we find ourselves in. Sure, coaches are still recruiting, although not off campus. They are also finalizing their nonconference schedules for next season, but with college campuses closed and student-athletes away from school, it’s been difficult for coaches to gauge exactly how much their players are working out and working on individual skill development.
 
This is a time where coaches need to be leaders in a different kind of way. They need to coach their players’ emotional well-being as much as their physical development. Regardless of the type of communication, they need to continue teaching players to learn and grow beyond any self-imposed limits while being away from school, teammates and coaches.
 
With that, let’s spend some time recapping Southern Conference men’s basketball since we left Asheville in early March.
 

Postseason:
 
Three Southern Conference men’s basketball teams were in the final CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. ETSU finished No. 2, Furman was No. 14 and UNCG was No. 20. The SoCon and West Coast Conference were the only leagues with three teams in the final poll. Gonzaga was No. 1 in the poll, but I don’t consider them a “mid-major” and thus it’s my opinion that ETSU was the best mid-major team in the country.
 
The Bucs captured the 2020 Ingles Southern Conference Championship presented by General Shale title by defeating upstart Wofford (72-58) in the championship game at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville. It’s my belief that the Bucs would have received a seed in the 8-11 range and given their first-round opponent all they could handle. In fact, I think they would have advanced. They finished with a school-record 30 wins, becoming just the fourth Southern Conference team to reach 30 victories in a season.
 
I also believe the Furman Paladins and UNCG Spartans would have participated in the NIT and as many as four more members would have been in contention for postseason play.
 

Coaching Changes:
 
There have been two coaching changes in the league this post season. First, Bucky McMillian was chosen to replace Scott Padgett at Samford. Then, for the second straight season, the Southern Conference lost a coach to the ACC as ETSU’s Steve Forbes was named the head coach at Wake Forest on April 30.
 
McMillian comes to Samford after serving as the head coach at Mountain Brook (Ala.) High School for the past 12 seasons.  He led the program to unprecedented success, winning state titles in the state’s highest classification in 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2019!
 
Jason Shay, who replaces his former boss, was an assistant on Forbes’ staff for the past five years. The Bucs went 130-43, the best record over a five-year stretch in school history. No doubt, he was the right person for the job.
 

Personnel Changes:
 
Besides losing the typical seniors to graduation and grad transfer after one year, there have been several “transactions” to mention. The list of notable transfers out includes Maurice Commander and Rod Johnson (Chattanooga), Daniel Love (Mercer), Travis Evee (VMI), Robert Allen and Deandre Thomas (Samford) and Chevez Goodwin (Wofford).
 

Stellar Student-Athlete:
 
Mercer men’s basketball player Djordje Dimitrijevic was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America Second Team.
 

Looking Ahead:
 
Where do you start? Well, ETSU would be the logical place. The Bucs lose Tray Boyd III, Joe Hugley, Lucas N’Guessan, Jeromy Rodriguez and Isaiah Tisdale. But even with the loss of Steve Forbes (2019-20 Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year), new coach Jason Shay has lots of talent with a solid core back led by Bo Hodges, Patrick Good and Daivien Williamson as the Bucs will be right there again to defend their title.   They also added Tennessee transfer Jalen Johnson, Kansas State transfer David Sloan and 6-7 Ty Brewer from Southeastern Louisiana (his brother, Ledarrius, sat out at ETSU after transferring from Southeast Missouri State last season) along with two other signees.
 
The Furman Paladins have had a wonderful run the past several years, and that should continue. In fact, they may be the favorites entering the 2020-21 season. Jordan Lyons was the lone senior, and while he will be missed, there is a ton of talent returning for Bob Richey’s group. Noah Gurley, Clay Mounce, Mike Bothwell, Jalen Slawson and Alex Hunter are possibly the most talented returning group in the Southern Conference. They also added guard Joe Anderson from Maryville (Tenn.) High School and 6-9 forward Garrett Hien from Concord (N.C.) First Assembly. This team could very well reach the NCAA tournament in 2021.
 
UNCG should remain one of the top teams in the league if Isaiah Miller, who has entered the NBA Draft pool, returns. He has maintained his eligibility and amateur status in accordance with NCAA rules, which will allow for a possible return to UNCG next season. The NCAA deadline for withdrawal from the NBA Draft is June 3. If the reigning SoCon Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year returns along with Kaleb Hunter, Angelo Allegri and SoCon Freshman of the Year Keyshaun Langley, the Spartans will be in the mix for top honors. During the early signing period in November, the Spartans signed Link Year Prep teammates Jarrett Hensley and AJ McGinnis who should help as well. Recently, they added Hayden Koval, a 7-0 grad transfer from Central Arkansas.
 
Chattanooga lost graduate transfer Matt Ryan along with senior Jonathan Scott. The Mocs also lost point guard Maurice Commander, versatile forward Rod Johnson (Western Illinois) and center Justin Brown lost to transfer. The good news is Ramon Vila returns along with David Jean-Baptiste and Stefan Kenic. Wright State transfer Malachi Smith sat out this past season and will be eligible.
 
Mercer loses its top two scorers in seniors Djordje Dimitrijevic and Ethan Stair, but don’t feel too bad for Greg Gary, as he is one of the top coaches in the league and welcomes the return of Ross Cummings and Jeff Gary as well as some good young talent (Kamar Robertson and James Glisson III). In addition, talented transfers Neftali Alvarez and Felipe Haase are eligible and join signees Jacksen Greco, Andrew Thomas and Jovan Tucker, all of whom signed in November and 6-10 Shannon Grant, who recently signed in April. The Bears should be right there in the chase.
 
The Citadel lost Tyson Baptiste after one year as a grad transfer. In addition, Kaelon Harris graduated and Alex Reed transferred. But if Duggar Baucom and staff welcome back a good, young core (Fletcher Abee, Stephen Clark, Rudy Fitzgibbons III and Brady Spence) and get Hayden Brown, Jerry Higgins III and Jackson Gammons back from injury, they will be a formidable group.
 
Samford head coach Scott Padgett was let go after six seasons. Enter Bucky McMillan, a talented young basketball mind. That said, he will have his hands full. The loss of do-everything point guard Josh Sharkey as well as Robert Allen, Brandon Austin and Deandre Thomas means over 70 percent of the scoring is gone. But the cupboard is not completely bare as Jalen Dupree, J.P. Robinson, Stanley Henderson Jr., K.J. Davis and Preston Parks (yes, SoCon fans will remember him from his time at The Citadel) are more than capable players.
 
Western Carolina lost one of the best players in the league in Carlos Dotson as well as Onno Steger, but the key to continued growth of the program hinges on the return of Mason Faulkner. The senior-to-be guard is testing the NBA waters much like UNCG guard Isaiah Miller. If he returns, the Catamounts will be a tough out. Sharpshooter Matt Halvorsen, along with Kameron Gibson and some top sophomores-to-be in Travion McCray, Xavier Cork and Tyler Harris, are talented. The Catamounts had two in-state signees in November (Josh Massey and Daniel Ransom) and then recently added guards Tyler McGhie from Denton, Texas, and Sincere McMahon from Crispus Attucks (Ind.) High School in April. Equally important, Mark Prosser has quickly shown that he can coach.
 
Wofford lost Nathan Hoover, Trevor Stumpe and Donovan Theme-Love to graduation, but the transfer of Chevez Goodwin (University of Southern California) is a big hit. That said, the Terriers return one of the toughest players in steady point guard Storm Murphy. Along with Ryan Larson, they form a terrific backcourt. Messiah Jones and Isaiah Bigelow have a chance to be stars in this league and will be counted on to take the next step in 2020-21. Jay McAuley and staff recently signed guard Keaton Turner, who joins a class that includes Max Klesmit (guard), Sam Goodwin (forward) and Nick Pringle (forward).
 
VMI was a tough out this past season and even with the graduation of versatile guard/forward Garrett Gilkeson, there is talent returning for the Keydets. Myles Lewis, Kamdyn Curfman, Greg Parham and Jake Stephens join a five-man recruiting class. Travis Evee chose to leave (Rice). A solid recruiting class will also help. 6-6 guard Tanner Mans and 6-7 forward Garfield Turner recently joined 6-0 point guard Trey Bonham, 6-8 forward DJ Nussbaum and 6-3 guard Devin Butler.
 
 
Scheduling
 
As many SoCon fans have heard, it’s difficult for members to schedule home games. This is particularly true for the top teams. Steve Forbes tried everything to get Power 7 schools to play a game in Johnson City, but to no avail. With the rise of Furman’s program (wins at Villanova, at Loyola Chicago two years ago and a near miss at Auburn this past season), no one will return Bob Richey’s phone calls. Such is the case for having success at the mid-major level.
 
Add the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential financial issues athletic departments (coaches and athletic administrators) are facing creates new challenges. But in a sense, the roots of this economic downturn may offer some hope for scheduling. I believe schools at all levels will look for more regional scheduling in the future. College presidents are concerned about getting their institutions back up and running and to begin educating students. But at some point, they will look to athletics directors and say, “Wow, we’re spending a ton of money on team travel. You need to tell your coaches to play the teams just down the road!”
 
Many times out of arrogance, I think a lot of schools in Division I (SoCon members included) have had the mindset that their schools and athletic programs are better than a school right down the road. If not a big-brother mentality, then coaches fear that losing to a local school could affect their job status. Regardless, this could change in a post-COVID-19 world, as athletics directors are having to adjust budgets and look for ways to save money without diminishing the student-athlete experience.
 
Whether it’s Clemson playing a home-and-home with Furman (even if the home game is at The Well) or Wofford playing a home-and-home with USC Upstate, these type of scheduling agreements need to happen. The rivalries, the ease for fans to attend, thus elevating the attendance, not to mention lowering the cost for the visiting team (many times they can eat pre-game on campus and take a quick bus ride to the game – no planes or hotels needed) make these arrangements necessary.
 
 
Transfers and what’s ahead
 
A hot-button issue around college athletics is that of a potential one-time transfer waiver that would provide immediate eligibility for players. While there have been countless articles on this with people on both sides, I think this could alter college basketball for the foreseeable future. As a former college coach, I’m all for student-athlete rights, but allowing immediate eligibility could create several bad issues.
I believe a big reason why the NCAA is considering the one-time exemption for immediate eligibility is that they have created a bad system with “waivers.” Over the past several years, they have granted waivers to student-athletes for a variety of reasons. Originally, waivers were considered when a student-athlete wanted to get close to a sick family member, but recently most requests make no sense.
Immediate eligibility will cause tempering to go up. To some extent, this already occurs, but it would most certainly increase. Further, players in the Southern Conference could potentially be targets for the upper-tier schools (Power 7 in MBB). Again, this has been happening to some extent, but I think it would go to another level if players are allowed “free agency” and can play right away without having to apply for a waiver.
Also, we need to think of graduation. When students transfer, they generally lose credit hours. If we are all about the student-athletes and helping them graduate, then why put them in a position whereby they lose hours? The year in residence allows them to stay on track academically.
While I understand the humanitarian side of things, there simply needs to be one rule for transfers in college basketball. With that, I would propose waivers for immediate eligibility only if a head coach leaves for another job or gets fired. Otherwise, a student-athlete needs to sit out one year in residency. I feel confident that the majority of Division I coaches feel the same way. This will be something that all coaches and fans will want to follow.
 

Be Safe
 
Hopefully, this gets you caught up on all the happenings in men’s basketball. Until this fall, all the best during these times of uncertainly. Be safe, be strong and stay healthy.