The Dean's List - Oct. 30, 2024

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 X: @DeanKeener1

A preview of Southern Conference Men’s Basketball

I.  Inside SoCon Basketball:

It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost eight months since Samford won the conference tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000 and the first as a Southern Conference member.  Yes, college football is in full swing, but it’s time to get ready for the college hoops season!  Southern Conference teams have been practicing for weeks and are preparing for the regular season which begins on Monay, November 4.  In fact, nine of the 10 league members will play opening night while Mercer opens on Thursday, November 7.

The SoCon’s will again all play a double-round-robin, 18-game intraleague schedule, totaling 90 league contests over nine weeks from Wednesday, Jan. 1, to Saturday, March 1.  I love that the SoCon crowns a true regular season champion. All 10 teams open league play on New Year’s Day, but before then there will plenty of opportunities to help boost the league’s profile with key games during the non-conference part of the season.

This year should be exciting for several reasons, but we need to keep in mind that Southern Conference men’s basketball has seen plenty of change since we last got together Asheville, North Carolina in March. The transfer portal has once again changed several Southern Conference rosters.  In fact, there were over 55 transfers out of the league this past spring.

There were also two coaching changes as Mercer’s Ryan Ridder, who comes to Macon after three seasons as the head man at UT Martin and Western Carolina’s Tim Craft, who served as the head coach at Gardner-Webb for the last 11 seasons takes over for Justin Gray in Cullowhee.

Because of all the changes (graduation, expiration of eligibility, as well as the transferring of players in and out), every fan base except for maybe Wofford, will need a program in the early going to become familiar with their roster. The Terriers only lost two players to transfer - that combined for just 8ppg! 

While I don’t believe there is a prohibitive favorite, the Samford Bulldogs look to be one of the preseason favorites along with Chattanooga and ETSU.  Bucky McMillian has Samford primed to again compete at a high level.  The Bulldogs won a program record 29 games last season as they advanced to the NCAA Tournament.  Even with the loss of their top four scorers the Bulldogs have talent.  They have also turned Pete Hanna Arena into a home court advantage as they are 44-5 during the past three seasons.

Dan Earl and staff are excited to have Honor Huff and Trey Bonham back, as they should form a terrific backcourt again this season.  The ETSU Bucs made great strides in year one under Brooks Savage and are primed to be a major force.  They are led by Jaden Seymour, Karon Boyd and Quimari Peterson. 

As mentioned, the Wofford Terriers return four starters along with several key reserves and some talented freshmen. They will certainly be a tough out.  Bob Richey looks to have the Furman Paladins back to playing the way we’ve become accustomed to and will certainly be a factor in the league race.  Like most teams, they may look significantly better in February than they do in November.

The other league members also have the ability to push the preseason favorites.  Each has the coaching and talent to win games and make things difficult during league play, especially on their home courts.  Mercer and UNCG will both be fun to watch, especially with all their new players.  Even with all the loses Western Carolina took this spring, Tim Craft is an outstanding coach and will have the Catamounts ready every night out.  Finally, this should be Andrew Wilson’s best team at VMI, and we know that Ed Conroy can coach with anyone in this league.

With everything that is happening in college athletics today, the Southern Conference continues to remain strong, especially in men’s basketball.  The 10 league members remain committed, and men’s basketball is collectively ready for another terrific season. Last season, four teams won at least 20 games and ETSU barley missed that mark with 19 victories in Brooks Savage first year leading the Bucs.

I’ve been privileged to cover Southern Conference men’s basketball for many years. The progression of the conference in men’s basketball during the past decade has been outstanding.  It’s my opinion that there are enough good players and coaches so that collectively the league will again be very strong.

Once again, this preseason preview will cover Southern Conference men’s basketball from A to Z.  It will also look at players that most likely will lead categories as well as attempting to answer several key questions surrounding the new season.  I hope this will help get you started for what should be a terrific season. 

II.SoCon basketball from A to Z

• Asheville – The season always ends in the city of Asheville at the Ingles SoCon Basketball Championships.  Until we reach March, please keep those in the Asheville area in your thoughts.  

• Bonham – Chattanooga guard Trey Bonham is talented and teams with Honor Huff to form the best backcourt in the Southern Conference.
• Cooper – Cooper Bowser has the size and skill set to be a difference-maker in the SoCon.  Now in his second season at Furman, look for him to be a big reason for their success.
• Defense – The UNCG Spartans are always among the best defensive teams in the SoCon.  Even with the loss of the Langley twins, they should be tough at that end of the court again this season.
• Ed – Citadel head coach Ed Conroy knows how to build a winner. The Bulldogs were hit with injuries in Conroy’s second season or else they would have been significantly better.
• Filewich – Wofford forward Kyler Filewich is one of the most competitive (and strongest) players in the Southern Conference.  An inside presence, he understands his strengths and plays to them well.
• Garrett – Hard working forward Garrett Hien enters his fifth year on the Furman campus and will again be a key player for the Paladins.  He’s all about winning
• Huff – Chattanooga’s Honor Huff is one of the best guards in the SoCon.
• Isolation – Again, this season there are several good one-on-one players in the league that can score in isolation situations, including Honor Huff (Chattanooga), Quimari Peterson (ETSU), Ahmad Robinson (Mercer) and Keyone Giles (UNCG).
• Jones – Samford guard Rylan Jones was granted a sixth year of eligibility which is huge for the Bulldogs.  On a team with talent, he is the key.
• Karon – Karon Boyd is the heart and soul for ETSU.  He impacts winning with his defense and rebounding, especially on the offensive glass.
• Lorenz – Wofford sophomore Jeremy Lorenz missed most of January last year due to injury.  He’s got size and talent and will be a big x-factor for the senior-laden Terriers.
• McMillian – Bucky McMillian has turned Samford into a terrific program
• NIL – Name, image and likeness is affecting the Southern Conference in multiple ways.
• Opportunity – Every season, non-conference games are critical. This season is no different.  Without many home games against Power 5 teams (P4 + Big East).  SoCon programs will need to pull a few upsets on the road.
• PJay – Furman guard PJay Smith is expected to make a nice jump for the Paladins.  He will be more comfortable at the point this season.
• Quimari – ETSU guard Quimari Peterson is an all-league player.  He started all 35 games for the Bucs last year while averaging over 13 ppg.  Look for more of the same.
• Ridder – Ryan Ridder is the new coach for the Mercer Bears.  He has won at every stop (Daytona Beach Junior College, Bethune-Cookman and UT Martin) and I don’t see any reason why he won’t win in Macon.
• Seymour – ETSU forward Jaden Seymour is talented and a big key for the Bucs
• Tripp – If you like the no-transfer, stay at your school and just get better guys, then Tripp is your man.  Now in his fourth year at Wofford, he’s become the Terriers best player and leader.
• Unknown – Western Carolina is a bit of an unknown because of the changes to their coaching staff and roster.  Tim Craft and staff have 11 new players.
• VMI – Head coach Andrew Wilson has the Keydets ready every night out. They have a small margin for error, but this is the best team Wilson has had in Lexington.
• Wofford – The Terriers lost just two players to the transfer portal.  Over 90% of scoring returns which is exciting.
• X-factor – There are plenty of “X-factors” in the league this season, including Frank Champion (Chattanooga), Karon Boyd (ETSU), Ben VanderWal (Furman), Collin Holloway (Samford), Ricky Bradley, Jr. (VMI), Jeremy Lorenz (Wofford)
• Youth – As the transfer portal continues to spin at a dizzying pace, it’s become a bit more difficult for first-year freshmen to really impact the league.  But as usual, there are some gifted freshmen in the SoCon this season.
• Zero – The number of times the Southern Conference has received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.  Could this be the year it gets multiple teams in the Big Dance?

III. Player Most Likely To…

• Lead the league in scoring
  • Honor Huff (Chattanooga)

• Lead the league in rebounding
  • Kyler Filewich (Wofford)
• Lead the league in assists
  • Rylan Jones (Samford)
• Lead the league in 3-point shooting
  • Donovan Atwell (UNCG)
• Lead the league in steals
  • Trey Bonham (Chattanooga)

IV. Four questions that need to be answered

1. Biggest storyline in the SoCon?

The ever-changing rosters remain a big story in college hoops, especially during the early going as teams are trying to find their way.  Unfortunately, the Southern Conference was again hit from the transfer portal.  Wofford was the only program that was not hit hard as the Terriers return four starters.  But there were also a ton of additions to the programs across the league.  Year-to-year roster continuity is at a historic low, but this doesn’t mean league coaches are doing anything wrong, nor does it suggest the Southern Conference is experiencing anything different from all other Division I conferences. This is an issue that is affecting every coach at every level of college basketball.

2. Can Furman regain its elite status in the league?

Yes!  The Paladins have averaged just over 20 wins the past five seasons.  Last year, Bob Richey’s team had talent, but the chemistry never came together which was surprising.  That said, the Paladins will not be picked as league favorites and will have to play their home games at Bon Secours Wellness Arena (as Timmons Arena is going through renovations) but make no mistake they will be a very dangerous team.  Richey can coach and they have shooters and size which is a nice combination. 

Paladin fans should look forward to a season that returns to better ball movement and team ball.  With that, they will challenge for league honors.

3. What can the league do to make some noise on the national stage?

What can the SoCon do to gain national exposure during the non-conference portion of the season?  There are a lack of home games against Power 5 (4 + Big East) opponents, yet there are plenty of opportunities.  Maybe the biggest thing is that every SoCon team needs to avoid “bad losses” during non-conference play to help the league’s NET ranking.

Here are 12 non-conference games that could be critical for the SoCon this season.  Keep in mind some of these are due to the two-year scheduling alliance the Southern Conference formed with the ASUN.  This was done by the conference commissioners and helps everyone.  With the agreement, all 10 SoCon teams get one road game and one home game:

• Chattanooga at USC – November 4
  • The Mocs open the season in southern California against the Trojans.  This would be a nice way to start the season

4. Who will be the sleeper?

This is always a tough question in the preseason. With so much uncertainty throughout the league due to the transfer portal, it’s difficult to gauge chemistry and other factors that will influence success. That said, I’m going with UNCG.  Not many are going to have them in the top tier in the pre-season, but I firmly believe Mike Jones and staff will have the Spartans playing well by the time we get to conference play.  The Spartans will be solid at the defensive end and have arguably the best shooter in the league in Donovan Atwell.

It’s College Hoops Season

This should be another electrifying season of basketball in the Southern Conference.  No doubt, there will be exciting games, great crowds, and interesting headlines as we start the path to Asheville.

For the 14^th consecutive year, the season will end in Asheville, North Carolina, and the Harrah’s Cherokee Center for what will be the 104^th Ingles SoCon Basketball Championships. The Southern Conference Tournament remains the nation’s oldest post-season tournament in college basketball and is always a terrific weekend of hoops.

I’m excited for a new season of hoops and hope you are as well.  See everyone on the road very soon.

Next edition:  In the December18^th edition, we will look at how everyone is doing six weeks into the new season.