Charleston

2008-09 Charleston Basketball Preview: #141

Joel Welser — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 09:41:06 -0700

College of Charleston Cougars

Overall Rank: #141

Conference Rank: #3 Southern Conference

2007-08: 16-17, 9-11, 3rd South

2007-08 postseason: none

While Davidson got most, well pretty much all, of the headlines coming out of the Southern Conference, some other teams put together solid seasons. Unfortunately, the College of Charleston was not one of them. The team struggled through a relatively difficult non-conference schedule and any time it looked like they were going to recover, another extended losing streak followed. Yet, with every player who averaged over ten minutes per game returning, Coach Bobby Cremins' team has the experience to scare Davidson a little bit.

Who's Out:

Konimba Diarra saw limited action during his senior season, but he was another big body down the bench who could come in and play a little defense and eat up a foul or two. The only other departure is David Baller, who failed to score a point in his nine appearances.

Who's In:

With all the returning talent, the newcomers will find it difficult to find too much playing time. However, Quasim Pugh could work his way into the regular rotation. The 6-0 point guard is a drive and dish player and that is not a bad thing to have on a team that has a lot of scorers and few pure passers. Shooting guard Matt Sundberg might have to bide his time on the bench, but if he can be a consistent long range shooter as a freshman, there could be a role for him right away.

Who to Watch:

The guards will win games in the SoCon, but the Cougars have a nice group of forwards who will do their part to turn Charleston into a winner. Senior Jermaine Johnson has steadily improved throughout his career and his senior season should be his best yet. The 6-7, 250 pound Los Angeles native is a wide body and can clear room in the paint on both ends of the floor. The emergence of former junior college transfer Dustin Scott has made even more space for Johnson in the paint. Scott, who can stretch the defense with his outside shooting, averaged 10.8 points and 6.7 rebounds last year. Small forward Antwaine Wiggins had a decent freshman campaign and once he uses his size and athletic ability to get to the basket instead of hoisting up three-pointers, he will be a star in the conference. The problem up front is the lack of depth and 6-8 sophomore Jeremy Simmons needs to be ready to give Johnson and Scott a rest.

Final Projection:

Andrew Goudelock and Tony White, Jr. are good scorers and solid shooters from behind the arc, but can they lead this team to glory? White will run the point once again, but the turnover numbers are a little high and he is too talented of a scorer to simply set up his teammates. Goudelock was a pleasant surprise as a freshman and shot over 42 percent from long range and tied White with a team high 13.2 points per game. The depth is there with Donavan Monroe and Marcus Hammond, but White needs to have a big year for the Cougars to have a big year.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Tony White, Jr., Junior, Guard, 13.2 points per game

Andrew Goudelock, Sophomore, Guard, 13.2 points per game

Antwaine Wiggins, Sophomore, Forward, 6.9 points per game

Dustin Scott, Senior, Forward, 10.8 points per game

Jermaine Johnson, Senior, Forward, 11.2 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2008-09 Preview & Awards | Coach Interviews | Discuss the Preview

Turnarounds: 31 Teams to Watch: Part Four

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 19 May 2008 07:49:33 -0700

With the off-season now upon us and the spring signing period well under way, this is a good opportunity to attempt to forecast some of the teams who could make the jump next season. Is there a team out there like this past season’s Drake Bulldogs, who went from ninth place to a dominating run through the Missouri Valley? Or how about Arizona State, a team that went from dead last in the Pac-10 to fifth place and could have the makings of a conference title run this season? With one pick for each conference, here are 31 teams you should keep an eye on next season.

Part Four

SEC: South Carolina

2007-08 Record: 14-18 (5-11)

There hasn’t been a whole lot of optimism around the Gamecock basketball program since a group led by Renaldo Balkman won its second straight Postseason NIT title a couple years back. But into the desk left open by the retired Dave Odom slides Darrin Horn, who led Western Kentucky to four straight twenty-win seasons and a Sweet 16 this past season. Given what we saw from the likes of Courtney Lee and Tyrone Brazelton during the Tournament, maybe Horn can add a little more to the game of Devan Downey and unleash some of the athletic talent in the South Carolina frontcourt. While it would be far-fetched to expect the Gamecocks to win the SEC East, look for them to make a return to postseason play next year.

Southern: College of Charleston

2007-08 Record: 16-17 (9-11)

It’s tough when you’re in the same division as Davidson, but for the Cougars to finish below .500 in conference play last season had to be a disappointment for Bobby Cremins and his staff. Four players, led by Tony White Jr., averaged double figures in scoring and they’ll all be back in 2008-09. Davidson will still be the odds-on favorite to win the Southern Conference, but don’t expect Charleston to simply roll over for the Wildcats. And the scary thing is that they may be even better the following season.

Southland: Nicholls State

2007-08 Record: 10-21 (5-11)

The Colonels are another team that suffered due to its lack of experience last season. But with Adonis Gray being the lone departure, look for Nicholls to repay some of the teams who took advantage of their youth this past season. Head coach J.P. Piper should have a full complement of players at his disposal next season, including three signed recruits and Michael Czepil for an entire season. And given the fact that they’re in the division opposite Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State, the Colonels can make a run at a division title.

SWAC: Southern

2007-08 Record: 11-19 (9-9)

Head coach Rob Spivery loses two seniors from last season’s team, Geri Guillory and Joe Holliday, but his top three scorers will all be back in Baton Rouge. Chris Davis led the Jaguars in scoring at fifteen per game, and look for Barry Honore and Steffon Wiley to increase their production in order to become better compliments to Davis on the offensive end. The key in the SWAC, like the MEAC, is to not get buried by those “guarantee games” that many of the member schools have to play for the sake of their athletic department’s finances. I think Southern will have enough returning experience to make sure they don’t suffer that kind of letdown next season.

Summit: Centenary

2007-08 Record: 10-21 (4-14)

The Centenary Gents struggled mightily at times last season, and if not for South Dakota State they would have finished last in the conference. They only lose one senior from last season’s squad, and he (Iman Shokouhizadeh) averaged a mere four minutes per game. Three players averaged double figures in scoring, led by Tyrone Hamilton and Nick Stallings. They’ll both be back, and will be focal points as head coach Rob Flaska looks to move Centenary to the top half of the Summit League, if not win the automatic bid itself.

Sun Belt: Denver

2007-08 Record: 11-19 (7-11)

The Pioneers will have quite the task this season as their location doesn’t even remotely fit into the geographical footprint of the rest of the Sun Belt. But second-year head coach Joe Scott should be more familiar with his roster and each player’s strengths and weaknesses. The Pioneers lose four seniors, most notably David Kummer and Adam Tanner, but I think they can improve their standing within the West Division thanks to key losses incurred by other teams within the division. A full off-season in the system that Scott wants to run should also help with the completion of the coaching transition.

West Coast: Portland

2007-08 Record: 9-22 (3-11)

Personally, I thought that the Pilots should have performed better than their 3-11 record within the WCC. But with their only senior loss being Sherrard Watson, I think this could be the year in which Portland get to the middle of the pack in the WCC. Nik Raivio, who led the team in scoring last season, will be back along with fellow guard Taishi Ito and forward Rob Smeulders. Look for head coach Eric Reveno to have a vastly improved team in his third season at the helm.

WAC: Louisiana Tech

2007-08 Record: 6-24 (3-13)

Kerry Rupp heads into his second year in Ruston with a lot of young players returning after getting a taste of the “hard knock life” in 2007-08. Add to this group LSU transfer Magnum Rolle combined with other WAC teams losing some key contributors and you may have a team that can move up to the middle of the conference standings in 2008-09. In regards to competing for the conference title, that may be a little premature at this stage. But the cupboard certainly won’t be bare for the Bulldogs in 2008-09.

Part One: ACC, Big East, Big Ten etc

Part Two: Big 12, CUSA, etc

Part Three: MVC, MWC, Pac-10, etc

Daily Poll: Who Will Win the Southern Conference?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 06:12:54 -0700

2007-08 Charleston Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 11:14:35 -0700

Charleston Cougars

Overall Rank: #132

Conference Rank: #3 Southern

2006-07: 22-11, 13-5, 2^nd South

2006-07 postseason: none

There has been a lot of turnover recently at College of Charleston under the watchful eye of Coach Bobby Cremins. Coach Cremins is heading into his second year leading the Cougars and this year the team is getting much more talented and much less experienced. The SoCon domination will not be back this year thanks to Davidson, but Charleston is well on its way to recapturing the glory days.

Who’s Out:

Losing four of the top six scorers from last season is the problem that will keep the Cougars on the outside of the postseason. Dontaye Draper and his 16.2 points and 5.3 assists per game is the most notable absence. Forwards Philip McCandies and David Lawrence were the top two rebounders on the team. Josh Jackson developed into a solid scoring center before opting to transfer prior to his senior season. Guards Javon Parris and Jarryd de Boer and forward Renardo Dickerson will not be returning after seeing limited action in 2006-2007.

Who’s In:

It is no secret that the rebuilding process would begin heading into the 2007-2008 campaign and the program was well prepared. Yet, picking up Antwaine Wiggins late in the game added icing to the cake. Wiggins is a versatile small forward and very well could be starting from day one. The most help is needed up front and junior college transfer Dustin Scott and incoming freshman Jeremy Simmons will need to make an impact right away. Scott is the all-time leading rebounder in Tallahassee Junior College history and his experience will be a major asset for the Cougars, especially after the transfer of Josh Jackson. Wiggins might be the most heralded incoming freshman, but guard Andrew Goudelock is a tremendous shooter and is expected to at least provide a spark off the bench. Donovan Monroe does not lack talent. The 6-1 shooting guard can score in heaps, but consistency has been a concern. If he buys into what Coach Cremins is selling and buckles down and plays a little defense, Monroe will be a star sooner than later. Lefty Roland Davis is a quality scorer as well and will try and work his way into the rotation as a freshman.

Who to Watch:

Marcus Hammond and Jermaine Johnson are the lone returning starters and both need to develop into leaders now that they are upperclassmen. Hammond averaged 7.1 points per game last year and his shooting was inconsistent, to say the least. If the freshmen are as good as advertised, Hammond may find his minutes decreasing as the season progresses. Johnson is the only proven big man on the roster, but at 6-7 and 250 pounds, he can pretty much take on the opposing frontline by himself. Coming off of a 10.1 points and 6.3 rebound season average, Johnson should blow those numbers away as the main post threat for the Cougars.

Final Projection:

It is important for Hammond and Johnson to take over the leadership roles, but it may be even more important for last year’s roleplayers to develop into solid starters. Tony White, Jr. earned seven starts in 2006-2007 and will now be asked to be the full-time starting point guard. He is a decent scorer and if he can keep the turnovers down a little bit for his sophomore season, Charleston will be in good hands. Konimba Diarra, a 6-10 center, has yet to reach his full potential. But with his senior season upon him, he is out of time. The Mali native only averaged 5.0 minutes per game his first season at Charleston after transferring from South Florida, and it may be a little too much wishful thinking to believe he can become a consistent contributor. However, if he does, the frontline suddenly is very big and very deep.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Tony White, Sophomore, Guard, 6.4 points per game

Marcus Hammond, Junior, Guard, 7.1 points per game

Antwaine Wiggins, Freshman, Forward, DNP last season

Dustin Scott, Junior, Forward, DNP last season

Jermaine Johnson, Junior, Forward, 10.2 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2007-08 Preview | Discuss the Preview

Daily Dribble: 12/15

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 21:20:47 -0800

I took a slow Thursday of college hoops to watch some NBA Basketball on TNT. Adam Morrison and the Charlotte Bobcats faced JJ Redick and the Orlando Magic in the battle of the new white hopes (at least until Chase Budinger comes along). Morrison came through with 22 points off the bench to help lead Charlotte to a rare win. Morrison is coming off one of the worst shooting slumps of not just his young NBA career.. but of his life.. anybody's life for that matter. From December 3 to December 10, Morrison put up some the worst numbers I've seen in NBA history. December 3: 1-5 shooting, 2 points, 19 minutes. December 6: 1-10 shooting, 4 points, 35 minutes. December 8: 1-11 shooting, 2 points, 30 minutes. December 10: 1-8 shooting, 3 points, 26 minutes. Add it up.. 4 for 34 shooting (12%), 11 points, 110 minutes.. Awful. At least Morrison has shown flashes and is averaging 13 per game. Though he's supposedly healthy now, JJ has been injured and has barely made an impact with Orlando. The 5 points he scored in the loss, upped his career total to 11. JJ simply seems afraid to shoot at this point. I've never seen a guy pump fake so many times in a half of basketball. We'll give him some time before judging completely.. Anyways, back to the college game. Harvard improved to 6-4 with a road win at Central Connecticut. The Crimson haven't been over .500 in the last handful of years, so this is an impressive start. They feature one of the country's most productive 7-footers in senior Brian Cusworth. Cusworth is averaging 17 points, 8 boards, and 2 blocks per game on the season. The Ivy isn't known for dominant big man play, so Cusworth gives Harvard a unique dimenson. The win by Harvard continues what has been a pretty solid start for the Ivy League in non-conference play. The league is 31-38 (45%), which is a good amount better than last year's 39% finish. In fact, at 31-38, the Ivy has a better record than more respected leagues like the WCC (.446 to the Ivy's .449), MAC (.446), and Horizon (.406). In case you were wondering, the conference with the best overall winning percentage right now is.. the Pac-10 with an impressive 65-16 record (.802). Congrats to Northwestern for proving they're one of the worst offensive teams in recent memory. The Wildcats scored 41 and won by 2 points.. over a D3 team. This is a Wheaton team that's already lost to two D3 teams by the way.. so its not like they're a bunch of world-beaters. #19 Memphis bounced back from an embarassing loss to Tennessee by winning their second game in a row. The Tigers blew out Austin Peay, putting the game away from the tip with a 22-2 run. Chris Douglas-Roberts scored a career high 28 in the win. Memphis faces a big test next Wednesday night when they leave home to face Arizona. A loss in that game could drop the Tigers out of the Top 25. Charleston ended a 4-game slide by beating Chattanooga 62-60 last night. It was only a few years back that Charleston was winning 20+ games consistently and giving major teams problems. Right now, the Cougars are 4-6 and seem set for a season of mediocrity. Bobby Cremins has some long-term work to do, because its not even like Charleston is that young right now. Three of their starters, and their 2 leading scorers are seniors. Nothing too much happening on Friday's schedule. Eastern Washington heads to #24 Oregon in the most intriguing game. It gives high-scoring sophomore Rodney Stuckey (25 ppg) a chance to strut his stuff against a ranked opponent. Stuckey is coming off the lowest scoring game in his career, 12 points in a loss against Santa Clara, but he scored 31 in his last game against a ranked team.

Southern Conference Preview

CHN — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 10:10:27 -0800

Conference Previews | Top 144 | 06-07 Preview Home

Southern Preview

Conference Rank: 20th

Conference Page

All-Conference

Player of the Year - Kyle Hines, UNCG, F

DJ Thompson, Appalachian St, G

Ricky Hickman, UNCG, G

Louis Graham, Georgia Southern, F

Jermaine Johnson, Charleston, F

Nat'l	Team (Click for Preview)	Conf	Tourney
122	Charleston	1	NCAA
146	Georgia Southern	2
155	UNC Greensboro	3
174	Furman	4
188	Appalachian St	5
206	Davidson	6
236	Elon	7
245	Chattanooga	8
271	Wofford	9
301	Western Carolina	10
327	Citadel	11

Head Coach Q&A's

Mike Dement - UNCG

Other Preseason Articles

SoCo Media Poll & All-Conference

Southern Conference Media Poll & All-Conference

Press Release — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 13:05:46 -0800

SPARTANBURG, S.C. --- The Georgia Southern men’s basketball team was picked to finish third in the South Division and two players were named to the preseason All-Southern Conference team, it was announced at the league’s basketball media day in Spartanburg.

The defending conference champions placed third in the South in the coaches’ poll behind College of Charleston and Furman.

Senior guard Donte Gennie (Tallahassee, Fla.) and junior forward Louis Graham (West Palm Beach, Fla.) earned all-conference distinction from the coaches. Both players were third team picks by the media at the end of last season.

Gennie averaged 12.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in 2005-06, and led the conference shooting 45.2 percent (47-104) from 3-point land. The team’s top returning scorer, Gennie was second behind SoCon Player of the Year Elton Nesbitt in scoring average and shot 50 percent from the floor on the season.

Graham has made his mark on the GSU record book in just two seasons, standing in second place in career blocks with 107, five behind all-time leader Kashien Latham. Last year Graham topped the squad in rebounding at 7.4 rpg and was third in scoring at 11.4 ppg.

The Eagles return three starters from last season’s 20-10 team that reached the NIT, the school’s first postseason appearance in 14 years.

- GSU -

2006-07 Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll
North Division
Team (First Place Votes) Total Votes
1. UNCG (4) 44
2. Appalachian State (3) 40
3. Elon (2) 33
4. Chattanooga (2) 29
5. Western Carolina 14

South Division
Team (First Place Votes) Total Votes
1. College of Charleston (10) 60
2. Furman (1) 48
3. Georgia Southern 42
4. Davidson 32
5. Wofford 24
6. The Citadel 14

2006-07 Preseason All-Conference Team
Dontaye Draper (CofC)
Kyle Hines (UNCG)
D.J. Thompson (ASU)
Ricky Hickman (UNCG)
Robby Bostain (Furman)
Chris Chalko (Elon)
Louis Graham (GSU)
Josh Jackson (CofC)
Moussa Diagne (Furman)
Donte Gennie (GSU)

2006-07 Preview: Team's #121-130

Joel Welser — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 13:53:09 -0700

Capsules of teams ranked 121st to 130th in CHN's 144 Teams in 144 Days Preview.