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
We’ve reached January and that means conference play has begun. Unfortunately, COVID issues have once again wreaked havoc on the college basketball season. Since mid-December, games have been postponed or canceled as over 100 teams (out of 353 Division I men’s basketball programs) have had to pause their season for a period of time. Just last Saturday, four of the five scheduled SoCon games were postponed. What this means is there will be weeks where SoCon teams must play three conference games in five days. Equally, some teams that are playing are having to do so without key players. That’s been difficult for coaches having to juggle a limited roster.
 
Players (and teams) can lose the edge during a COVID pause as players lose physical conditioning as well as the chemistry they have worked so hard to pull together in the fall. But what I think is sometimes lost is the mental side of things. Being isolated can be a difficult thing for young student-athletes, especially in the middle of their season.
 
The hope is the recent surge will subside and the season can return to some normalcy. SoCon followers certainly hope so, as there appears to be great competitive balance in the league this season. It’s my opinion that the next two months of conference play will be exciting, yet very difficult to predict because of the overall balance.
 
Chattanooga currently leads the way and is closely followed by the VMI Keydets. While there are several other programs that can lay claim to being in the top five, it’s the play of Samford and Western Carolina that suggest things will be very interesting this season. The Bulldogs and Catamounts have surprised during the nonconference and look to be better than originally thought by the media and coaches. Both programs have shown they can win tight games and may have the talent that can compete every night in league play. In addition, it’s always difficult to win inside the Pete Hanna Center and Ramsey Center.
 
While I think there are several teams that have the ability to run off long winning streaks, I don’t believe anyone will go undefeated in league play (Wofford last did it during the 2018-19 season). That’s difficult to do with a good team, let alone with the competitive nature in the conference this season. In fact, 14 or 15 conference wins may very well be enough to secure a regular-season title (that is, if all 18 games are played). When the league is balanced, every game is a war. With very little overall separation, all 10 members can win on any given night, so it is certainly going to be fun; at least, for everyone except the coaches.
 
SoCon fans just need to enjoy what should be a terrific regular season. It’s way too early to talk about a regular-season champion, so appreciate all that Southern Conference men’s basketball has to offer this season.
  
II. Did You Know
Southern Conference teams combined to go 58-46 overall against Division I opponents during nonconference play. The SoCon was one of 14 Division I conferences (out of 32) with a winning nonconference record

• Only three Division I schools are still unbeaten through games of Jan. 4: Baylor, Southern Cal and Colorado State. CSU is coached by former Furman head coach Niko Medved
• Furman’s Alex Hunter and Mike Bothwell, VMI’s Jake Stephens and The Citadel’s Hayden Brown have all recently gone over 1,000 career points. Congrats to these terrific players – and student-athletes
• VMI is currently 5-0 at home. Last season, the Keydets were 11-1. Mark Cameron Hall down as yet another difficult arena in the Southern Conference for opposing teams to win
• Three SoCon teams are in the top 10 nationally in 3-point field-goals made per game. VMI is second, Furman is fourth and Western Carolina is fifth. SoCon teams are letting it fly.
• VMI is fifth nationally in free-throw percentage at 80.4 percent
• The Citadel is fifth nationally in assists per game at 19.4. Talk about sharing the rock!

  
III. Another change that needs to be considered
In the last edition of the Dean’s List, we discussed resetting of the shot clock on a kicked ball. That doesn’t make sense to me because in many cases you’re not rewarding the defense.
 
Another rule that we need to consider changing is the jump ball to start an overtime period. We don’t reset team fouls at the end of regulation, so why should we go away from using the possession arrow to start overtime?
 
What is the difference between starting the second half (where we use the possession arrow) and starting overtime? My guess is officials would prefer to stay with the arrow, as well, as there are very few who are good at tossing a jump ball.


IV. Impact of Transfers
The SoCon lost 49 players to the transfer portal last season, but to some extent, the portal was good to the league on the return side of things.
 
Transfers come from four-year institutions and junior colleges. In addition, graduate transfers generally have one year to play at their new schools but have been the most impactful during the past few years. Regardless of where transfers come from, they have become a way of life in college basketball.
 
Last year, Malachi Smith, the Brewer brothers, David Sloan, Felipe Haase, Neftali Alvarez and B.J. Mack were just a few that made a big splash during league play. Again, this year there are lots of transfers off to good starts in the Southern Conference. In no particular order, here are the top transfers in the SoCon thus far:

1. Silvio De Sousa (Chattanooga) – The Kansas transfer has been a great addition for the Mocs
2. Jalen Johnson (Mercer) – Johnson has found a home in Macon after stops at Tennessee and Wake Forest
3. Ques Glover (Samford) – The University of Florida transfer has been terrific for Samford and is one of the reasons they had two Power 5 wins in nonconference play
4. Nicholas Robinson (Western Carolina) The Catamounts’ leading scorer has been solid from day one
5. Jermaine Marshall (Samford) – The Hueytown, Alabama, native returned home after one year at the University of Akron and is one of the top rebounders in the SoCon
6. De’Monte Buckingham (UNCG) – A graduate transfer from Cal State Bakersfield, Buckingham leads the Spartans in scoring and rebounding
7. Vonterius Woolbright (Western Carolina) – After a solid career at Lawson Community College, Woolbright has been really good for the Catamounts
8. Jordan King (ETSU) – After two seasons at Siena, King moved to ETSU, where he is a key player for new coach Desmond Oliver
9. Conley Garrison (Furman) – After a terrific four-year career at Division II Drury (Mo.), Garrison has found his way into the starting line up at Furman. He’s a terrific long-range shooter and plays with great energy
10. Jaden Campbell (Samford) – The junior college transfer can really shoot it
11. Dante Treacy (UNCG) – The 6-0 transfer from Robert Morris is solid in every aspect and a key cog for the Spartans

 
V. Young Guns
More than ever, Southern Conference teams are relying on upperclassmen and transfers. But make no mistake there is some good, young talent in the league this season. Here are some of the best true freshmen to track during the coming months:

1. Jason Roche (The Citadel) – He currently leads the league in minutes played and is the only freshman averaging double figures in points!
2. Wesley Cardet (Samford)
3. Mohab Yasser (ETSU)
4. Marcus Banks (Western Carolina)
5. Honor Huff (VMI)
6. Brennan Watkins (VMI)
7. Luke Turner (Wofford)

 
VI. The SoCon Ladder
The nonconference portion of the schedule is complete and we are into conference play, so it’s time to begin the annual SoCon Ladder.
 
Currently it’s hard to say a team is in the “top half” or “bottom half” of the league. During nonconference play, all 10 teams showed they can play, but with limited league games thus far, it’s difficult to rank. I’ve listed in numerical order but knowing that it’s early and there are so many factors that will come into play over the next two months.
 
League fans need to be patient as it’s going to be a very competitive race all season and things will play out. With that, here is the first Ladder:

1. Chattanooga – There is a long way to go, but the Mocs are clearly the best team in the league at this time. Their physicality is the best in the league. The guard play of Malachi Smith and David Jean-Baptiste is as good as any in the SoCon and with Silvio De Sousa up front, this is a very good team. Did I mention that forward Darius Banks gets very little love on this team, yet is a key cog after scoring over 1,000 points at JMU?

2. VMI – Yes, the Keydets are currently the second-best team in the league. Period. Jake Stephens is playing like a Player of the Year candidate and the supporting cast of Kamdyn Curfman, Sean Conway and Trey Bonham is more than solid. And don’t forget that Dan Earl is a terrific coach

3. Furman – The Paladins have not been perfect, but they are talented and tested. They have multiple players who can beat you. My guess is they will be near the top of the league standings all season

4. Wofford – The Terriers opened league play losing to VMI at home. Yes, they were without Max Klesmit, but the Terriers need to find a way to protect home court. Do I think they are one of the better teams in the league? I think so, but they need to prove it in the coming weeks

5. Samford - This is the toughest team to slot. Bucky McMillian has elevated the talent. They have two Power 5 wins (Oregon State and Ole Miss) but wins against three non-DI wins as well as wins over Alabama State and Alabama A&M (combined 4-20) don’t mean much. Yes, this program needed to learn to win, and they’ve done that. Now they need to win Southern Conference league games

6. Mercer – The Bears had some good nonconference wins. They are well coached and have two all-conference type players in Felipe Haase and Neftali Alvarez. That said, they need two or three others to step up in a supporting role for them to reach their ceiling

7. ETSU – Credit Desmond Oliver for doing a nice job in the early going. He’s the third coach in three years in Johnson City and while the roster has changed a bit, there are players that have been there since 2019. The wins against Kent State and Georgia stand out but they need to figure how to play and compete with small ball at times

8. UNCG – Mike Jones and staff did a really nice job putting together a roster in short order last spring. The Spartans are solid and had some good nonconference wins, but they now need to win league games in the early going to prove they are in the top half of the SoCon

9. The Citadel – This is another difficult team to slot. The Bulldogs have talent and are well coached. No doubt, they will knock off plenty of teams inside McAlister Field House. The key is if they can win on the road in conference play, which they have not done since Feb. 9, 2019

10. Western Carolina – Another team that has currently been under COVID protocol, the Catamounts are not last by any means. It’s just that they will need to show they can beat SoCon opponents in the coming weeks to move up. That won’t be easy after a two-week layoff

 
Follow me throughout the year on Twitter: @DeanKeener1
 
The next Dean’s List will be released Jan. 19, 2022.